There were some tremendous results from the Sussex Schools teams at the English Schools championships at Norwich with Bethany Cook striking silver in the Junior Girls race and they gained silver and bronze team medals.
Cook from Moira House was one of the youngest runners in the Junior (U15) race and is still young enough to run in the same age group next year.
She is the third of three talented sisters' who have all shown considerable promise in this youngest age group and have represented Sussex at English Schools' championships. All have been highly promising triathletes but neither Chloe or Grace really fulfilled their athletic promise as they concentrated on triathlons as they grew a little older. Bethany however, has shown the most talent so far and bettered Chloe’s 5th placing in this event in 2007, also at her first attempt. The going was fairly flat but there was plenty of muddy patches for the runners to plough through. Although Cook strove to hold on to Sion Heslop, the older Cheshire girl, who had finished seventh in the UK U15 championships last weekend, proved too strong for the Sussex runner who clocked 11:00s to the winner’s 10:53s.
Maya Ramnarine (Robertsbridge) finished an excellent 16th while Rebecca Losh (Shoreham) and Katie Coles (Handcross Park), who like Bethany are in the same age group next year, both had great runs to crack the top one hundred in 58th and 66th places. Alice Wright (Hurstpierpoint) 105th and Isabelle Hayes (Farlington) 108th completed the scoring six who scored 355 points to take second team spot behind London’s 226 points and ahead of Surrey’s 377 points.
There was a surprise third team spot for the Intermediate (U17) boys’ team who scored 350 points behind Hampshire 197 and Essex 275 and they were led home by a brilliant run from Varndean’s Thomas Eames, who had lost the Sussex Schools title back in January by being sent off course when well in the lead, finished tenth, the second highest placing for Sussex this year.
George Pool (Eastbourne Coll), who is young enough to complete in the same age group next year also had a fine run to finished 32nd while Ethan Fincham (Angmering), another in the bottom end of the age group, filled 55th place.
William Broom and Leo Stallard (Bishop Luffa) and Tomer Tarragano (Brighton Coll) completed the scoring six in 64th, 89th and 100th places.
Leo Brewer (Brighton Coll) and Joe Smith (Oakmeeds) filled 131st and 143rd places respectively to ensure that the Sussex team won the trophy for the first team to finish all their eight runners.
The Intermediate girls were also on song taking fifth team spot and it must be remembered that more than forty teams finished in each of the six races.
Almi Nerurkar (Brighton & Hove High) headed up a closely packed team with all scoring six runners, like the Boys, finishing in the first 100 places, a tremendous achievement.
Nerurkar finished 49th with Olivia Wiseman (Bishop Luffa) having her best run of the season to finish 56th, Olivia McDonald (Seaford Coll) 64th, Maia Hardman (Lewes Old Grammar) 81st, Olivia Lyon Monk (Dorothy Stringer) 87th and Naomi Fonteyn (Blatchington Mill) closing in the scoring six in 98th place.
Both the Junior and Senior Boys team finished in ninth place, which is an excellent placing, with Will Carey (Weald) leading the juniors in a fine 17th place, Callum Stone (Sackville) 56th, Luke Ellard (Durrington) 63rd, Tom Roberts (Downlands) 79th, Ethan Ward (Felpham) 84th and Jack Gardner (Brighton Coll) 161st.
Daniel Stidder (Heathfield) also finished a splendid 17th to lead the seniors home and he will be young enough to compete again next year, Josh Eeles (Midhurst) had his best run of the season to finished 27th and he will also be eligible again next year. Ollie Johnson (BHASVIC) placed 35th, another good run, Brodie Denholm (Brighton Coll) placed 110th, Lenny Weaver (Worthing Coll) 183rd and Thomas Bentley (Worth Coll) 205th.
The Senior girl’s failed to complete a scoring six runners but were led home by Grace Wills (Bishop Luffa) and Emma Gill (Brighton Coll) in 171st and 197th places.
In the Agregate competition for Boys teams Sussex did exceptionally well to finished fifth out of the 11 First Division teams behind Essex, Kent, Hampshire and Surrey but unfortunately they did not feature in the Girls competition as they failed to complete a senior girls’ team.
With so many runners this year eligible to compete in the same age group next year we can look forward to a bumper year.
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