MATTHEW Gilvear, Charlotte Walker, Luke Hayes and Zoe Bigham all won medals at the Devon Schools’ Cross Country Championships at Exeter.
Ivybridge Community College’s Gilvear won the senior boys’ title at Exhibition Fields by 18 seconds.
His school and Erme Valley Harriers’ team-mate Charlie Milward just missed out on a medal in fourth, with DHSOB’s Ewan Dix fifth and Mount Kelly’s Lorenz Baumgarter eighth.
Tavistock College’s Charlotte Walker took silver in a strong senior girls’ race just behind Colyton’s England Schools’ international Scarlett Livingstone.
In a good race, just 30 seconds separated the top four, with Plymouth College’s Molly Shorey just finishing out of the medals in fourth. Plymouth High’s Molly Gilby was sixth, Tavistock’s Hannah Walker sevenths and Ivybridge’s Bella May eighth.
Devon should have a strong senior girls’ team at both the South West and English Schools’ Championships as they also have European under-20 cross country champion Innes Fitzgerald to come into the team. She missed the Devon Championships as she was competing – and winning – at the British Athletics Cross Challenge at Parliament Hill.
Ivybridge Community College’s Hayes claimed the bronze medal in the intermediate boys’ race.
DHSG’s Bigham also won a bronze medal. Her top-three finish came in the junior girls’ race. Tavistock’s Lamorna Cox (5th) and her school team-mate Elsie Goodspeed (6th) were not far behind in that race.
There were top eight finishes for Tavistock College’s Lara Dix (5th) and Anya McAuley (7th) in the intermediate girls’ race and one for Mount Kelly’s Jack Anthony (8th) in the minor boys’ race.
Meanwhile, Tamar Trotters’ Bex Ezra-Ham finished second at the Storm Force 10 on Sunday in Camborne.
The event was the opening race in the 2024 Cornish Grand Prix.
Ezra-Ham clocked 59 minutes and 46 seconds. She was just beaten by Truro’s Anna Harrold. Her club colleague Linda Tout was first F70 in 1:40.23.
Adam Holland came fourth overall in the men’s race and first M35, while Tavistock Run Project’s Alex Peyton-Jones was second M40. Tamar Trotters’ Steve Baker was first M65, while team-mates Crispin Brabner (3rd, M50) and Richard Morton (2nd, M70) also were also in the prizes.
Elsewhere, Mark Budge took victory at the Tavy 5k on Saturday in 16.17 minutes. Second place went to City of Plymouth’s Matthew Bradley (16.59), with Tavistock AC’s Corin Russell third (17.51). Richard Drage came seventh and set a new age category record for M65 with a 19.12 minute run.
Harriet Silvester (U11) was first female in 23.22 minutes, with Tamar Trotters’ veteran Jane Bremner second in 23.37 minutes, which was a new F65 age record.