More than five hundred Sussex School athletes contested the Year 7 & 8 cross-country championships at Christ’s Hospital last week and without doubt it was yet another Cook girl from Eastbourne who chalked up the largest margin of victory of the four races.
Over the last decade Chloe, Izzy and Grace have made a major impact on the Cross-country scene but they have all been primarily, triathletes and none, so far, have carried this middle-distance/cross-country talent through to the older teenage years as far as athletics is concerned.
In the Year 7 Girls race, the shortest of the four races, Bethany Cook (Moirahouse), who is the Sussex U13 cross-country champion, romped away from the field right from the start and was home and dry before the second runner was in site. Cook probably put one hundred metres between herself and Isabelle Hayes (Farlington) with Erika Body (St.Richards) filling third place.
Burgess Hill School for Girls won the team event from Handcross Park and Windlesham.
Although not quite so dominating Jack Gardner (Brighton College) proved a convincing winner of the Boys Y7 race from Dylan Hanslow (Thomas Bennett), who has been seen on the Sussex U13 circuit this winter and Ben Aubrey (Sackville).
Cardinal Newman took the team title from Dorothy Stringer and Windlesham.
Many of the leading runners in the Year 8 races had appeared regularly in the Sussex U13 events this winter but no one has really established themselves as clearly superior.
In the Girls race Amelia Wright (Farlington) has really blossomed in the last few races after placing sixth at the turn of the year in the County championships.
On Thursday she was still on song and she managed to get the better of Eloise Nicholl (Dorothy Stringer), third in the County championship, while breathing down her neck came, Alice Wright from Hurstpierpoint.
The team title went to Dorothy Stringer from Windlesham and Heathfield.
The Boys race saw Matthew Grindrod (Willingdon) have his best run of the season for a clear victory over Callum Stone (Bishop Luffa) and Will Carey (Weald) with Warden collecting team honours from Bishop Luffa and Forest School.