Bronze for Cook and near miss for senior boys

A bronze medal for Bethany Cook and a fourth team spot for the senior boys’ team highlighted the Sussex Schools performance at the English Schools cross-country championships at Sefton Park, Liverpool in what may prove the last major sports event for several weeks.

Although it stayed dry for the races the ground was wet and muddy so pretty tough running for all.

With forty teams competing in each of the six age groups only in one age groups did they finish in the bottom half of the team results while in the Division one aggregate team placings the Sussex boys’ team did well to share fifth of ten teams with Greater Manchester while the girls’ placed ninth.

Making her fourth appearance at these championships Bethany Cook (Moira House), the reigning Intermediate (U17) champion, won her fourth medal and was the only Sussex medal winner this year. Cook qualified for a place in the English Schools Home countries international team, but due to the coronavirus the event, which was being held in Scotland this coming Saturday, has been abandoned.

After a great battle Cook finished third in 12:32, just ten seconds behind main rival, Beatrice Wood (Wiltshire) with Gloucestershire’s Kiya Dee squeezing her out of the silver medal position.

In the senior (U19) boys’ race Leo Brewer (Brighton College), who had placed 19^th last year, led the team into a fine fourth team spot placing an excellent 16^th just two places and six seconds ahead of Hamish Reilly (Eastbourne College), who has another year in this age group. Ned Potter (Bishop Luffa) finished 57^th, Isaac Elam and Jonah Davies (Bexhill College) placed 85^th, and 90^th respectively while Joseph Martin (Ardingly)  just missed the top One hundred places in 104^th place.

The Junior (U15) girls’ team were the only other Sussex team to gain a place in the Top ten placing an excellent ninth.

Eleanor Strevens (Claremont) improved on her 34^th place of last year with an excellent run that saw her finish a lucky 13^th while Olivia Breeds (Brighton College) and Yasmin Kashdan (Tanbridge House) also turning a good runs in 41^st and 42^nd placings with just one second separating them.  Dulcie Yelling (Varndean) did exceptionally well to finish in the top One hundred, in 95^th place, a considerable achievement at these championships.

The Intermediate Boys’ finished 13^th, a pretty good effort, with Ferdie Parsons (Blatchington Mill) leading them home in 44^th place and Tom Kimber (Tanbridge House) finishing 72^nd while the Junior Boys’ Sussex finished 14^th with top One hundred placings from another Tanbridge runner Harry Lee in 70^th place, Charlie Ferris (Weald) 75^th and Charlie Wright (Uckfield College) 88^th.

The senior girls’ team finished in 19^th place with top One hundred placings for BHASVIC’s Milly Dickinson in 60^th place, Olivia McDonald (Seaford College) 84^th and Lois Dooley (Worthing College) 86^th while the intermediate girls’ placed 23^rd with Amelia Cox placing 72^nd and Eadie Yelling 94^th to add to Cook’s bronze medal.