Grace Baker from Hastings was the highest placed Sussex runner in the European Trials that were held in conjunction with the second of this seasons “Cross-Challenge” events at Liverpool on Saturday.
Running for Aldershot colours in the junior race Baker finished in fifth place in15:32 in the windy and wet conditions, less than one minute behind the prodigious Bobby Clay from the Invicta club in Kent who won in 14:42.
This should put the Sussex athlete in line for a place in the British team for the European Cross-country championships at Hyeres in the French Riviera next month.
In the U17 race Leah Harris from Worthing had another excellent race to finish 16th in 16:39 while in the Junior Men’s Trials race Brighton & Hove’s Stephen Ferroni, who is at the bottom of the age group placed 22nd in 21:51 behind Leicester’s Ben Dijkstra who clocked 20:44.
Emma Macready (Worthing) struggled in the conditions in the senior women’s race finishing in 50th place in 30:46, some three minutes adrift of the race winner Gemma Steel from Charnwood, the reigning European Champion.