What a day for Chelmsford athletes at the Essex Schools cross country championships.
Not all were representing our local district Mid Essex and indeed five individual medals came from other areas including two winners. In the senior boys Sam Plummer in the colours of North East claimed the major honours whilst next home was Joe Grange bearing the colours of Havering. Now the Mid Essex were also to come through tightly packed for
Greg Martin placed 6th, Finn Rafferty 9th, Archie Durham 10th, Will Sweeney 12th, George Day 13th, Louie King 17th and Ryan Carroll 20th convincingly wrapped up the team title.
The senior girls also saw two of our members representing North East with Kiera Atkinson taking the title with sister Kayleigh in the bronze medal placing. Lucy Nuttall with her 5th place led Mid Essex with Sophie McCall 9th, Larna Morgan 10th, Isabella Calabritio 16th,
Alexa Mann 18th and Elsie King 19th. Although North East led the stakes with five home
Mid Essex sixth runner clinched the issue.
The intermediate boys provided our only `home` winner as Jacob Hurrell took the title by leading the way from two Southend boys and whose team were comfortable winners.
Mid Essex found Max Stephenson 6th, Josh Eida 19th, Ben Smith 28th, Austin Kelly 29th, Warren Diss 31st, Dyla Robbins 32nd and Sam Crane 33rd. Tying on points with West Essex but taking second place by virtue having their sixth scorer home first.
No such issue with the intermediate girls as Mid Essex placed six in the first ten, Evie Warn of the Brentwood club led them home with her second place, followed by Daisy Stollery 3rd, Lottie Wilkin 4th, Isla Widdowson 5th, Harriet Matthews 8th and Sienna Shipton 10th whilst in contention for scoring places were Bethan Davies 11th and Jemimah Knightbridge 15th.
It was another huge success for Mid Essex in the junior girls with all nine runners in the first thirteen home. Brentwood's Summer Smith lifted the title for Havering with our Ezra Harrold placing second for Castle Point. Ava King 3rd then led Mid Essex with Erin Kelly 4th, Heidi Woodley 5th, Frankie Phillips 7th, Amelie Shipton 8th, Emmie Lole 9th, Missy Tiller 10th, Hetty Harrison 11th and Isobel Eida 13th.
It was also first team for the junior boys and a third placed individual medal for Jacob Parrott. Backing up came Fred Ferman 4th, Joel Delaney 7th, Zac Thomas 18th, Will Hughes 19th and Zac Johnson 20th..
YES - WHAT A DAY FOR OUR YOUNG LOCAL ATHLETES.
It will be a big day for some 20 of the above boys and girls with selection for Essex to contest the English Schools at the Pontefract Race Course, Yorkshire on 16th March.
For the full gallery click here
Report written and compiled by R0y Meadowcroft