The weekend started off with a bang with the Middlesbrough AC (Mandale) under 15 boys taking team gold at Woolaton Park in Nottingham. The team was led by Patrick Haycock in in his best race ever taking a highly creditable 12th place in the individual race. Closely behind the other three members of the team ran well together with Daniel Currie in 27th place, Archie Lowe in 32nd and Daniel Payne in 34th position. The team scored 105 points to beat the highly fancied Aldershot team who scored 187 points.
In the individual races Philippa Stone (Middlesbrough AC Mandale) featured in one of the closest medal races of the championships. Competing in the under 20 women’s age group race Philippa was in the leading group for much of the race and in the final 200 metres found herself in a tussle with Surrey champion Niamh Brown of Aldershot, Farnham and District AC prevailing to win a magnificent bronze medal by just one second.
In the under 17 men’s race Josh Cowperthwaite was again in great form at national level in the under 17 men’s race. Although this time Josh missed out on a medal Josh ran a very strong race to finish in fourth place overall.
Other results James Hughes in 60th in the u13 boys, Laura Havis 140th and Betty Bergstrand in 143 Rd in the u15 girls with 470 finishers! Ben Bergstrand 59th in the U17 boys Ben Palmer 228
All of the cross country runners will now be setting their sights on representing their counties at the English Schools Championships in two weeks’ time.
Full results can be found here