The depressing conditions on Wednesday did nothing to depress the enthusiasm of the five hundred plus youngsters who contested the Sussex Schools (Brighton Marathon) cross country championships at the Waterhall grounds at Brighton.
Despite the drizzle, sometimes rain and cold conditions it was a joyous afternoon’s racing with few surprises and the afternoon started in anticipated style when Eleanor Strevens (Claremont), although only in her first year in these championships did just what was expected of her. She romped away from the rest of the field to win the Junior (U15) girls title having led from pillar to post.
Clocking 11:25 Strevens finished well clear of Eadie Yelling (Varndean) 11:45 who had a great battle for the finishing line with Amelia Cox (Hazelwick) 11.46 before snatching second by inches.
Hurstpierpoint College won the team race with 74 points to Cardinal Newman’s 108 and Brighton Colleges 136.
In the Junior boys race there was a comparable victory from last year’s runner up Nick-Hollan-Ellidge (Hazelwick). He employed similar tactics steaming well clear of the rest of the runners to win in 15:25 from the rapidly closing Henry Yelling (Varndean) who was just four seconds adrift emulating his twin sister by striding into second place, comfortably clear of Dorothy Stringer’s Ben Connolly, who had won the Brighton Schools from him the previous Wednesday, who took the bronze medal in 15:45.
Cardinal Newman won the team event after a close battle with fellow Brighton School, Dorothy Stringer with 83 point to 86 while Lewes Priory took third with 116.
In the Intermediate (U17) groups Bethany Cook (Moira House) continued her unbeaten record in Sussex Schools having already won the Junior title twice she finished well clear of King’s Milly Dickinson, who had finished fifth in the South of England U17 800m indoor championship at the weekend.
Cook was timed at 12:52 to Dickinson’s 13:39 which at 47 seconds was Cook's narrowest margin of victory in Sussex this season and shows how dominant she has been. Lois Dooley (Shoreham Academy) snatched the bronze medal from Gildredge’s Eloise Key by just one second in 13:47.
Burgess Hill Girls took the team title with 113 points, just one ahead of Brighton College with Kings School on 119 in third place.
The Inter boys produced the closest battle of the afternoon when Isaac Elam (Hastings Academy) reigning Junior champion Tom James (Hazelwick) and Sackville’s Callum Stone stuck together at the front from the start and only in the closing stages did gaps to appear for them to finish in that order in 20:36, 20:46 and 20: 59 respectively.
Dorothy Stringer won team honours with 106 points to Battle Abbeys 135 and Brighton College’s 145.
In the Senior (U19) race Olivia McDonald from Seaford College completed a full set of titles having previously won the Junior and Intermediate crowns with an impressive run and was comfortably clear of Bishop Luffa’s Ellie Farrow in 16:15 to 16:39 with Collyers’s Alex Richer who, like the winner was in her first year in the age group twenty five metres adrift in 16:46.
Bishop Luffa took the team title with 27 points while Worth College was the only other School to close in a scoring four runners totalled 83.
The final race of the afternoon was a triumph for Tomer Tarragano (BHASVIC) who followed his fine win at the Knole Run last Saturday with another commanding run leading from start to finish winning handsomely in 24:55 to Eastbourne College’s George Pool who clocked 25:14 holding off a desperate last minute challenge from Brighton College’s Leo Brewer who was timed at 25:15.
In a tight team results BHASVIC retained their team title with 51 points to Collyers’s 57 and Bishop Luffa’s 59.
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