CITY of Plymouth’s Elsie Goodspeed and Tavistock AC’s Freddie Whybrow were among the winners as the Westward Cross Country League season got underway at Plympton’s Newnham Park on Sunday.
There were also top three finishes for City of Plymouth’s Annabel Arnold, Lucas Sweeney, Jack Penney, Evie Bolt, Theia Jones and Olivia Walkerdine, Erme Valley Harriers’ Ben Holmes and Luke Hayes and Tavistock AC’s Thomas Hennessey.
After last season’s event at Newnham Park was hit by torrential rain, this year’s took place in glorious sunshine and nearly 500 athletes took part.
Goodspeed and Whybrow’s success came in the under-15 age group, which was the last race of the day.
Whybrow claimed victory by 17 seconds ahead of his Tavistock club team-mate Thomas Hennessey.
Tavistock AC were the dominant team in that category with four finishers in the top nine. Eldon Young was fifth and Arthur Norton ninth, while City of Plymouth’s Finley Eales was fourth.
Elsie Goodspeed took the under-15 girls’ honours by nine seconds, with her new club colleague Zoe Bigham finishing fourth.
Ben Holmes enjoyed an impressive debut for Erme Valley Harriers in the senior men’s race, finishing second behind Cornwall AC’s Jacob Harrison.
Holmes had previously run in the Westward League between 2015-19 while at Exeter University. More recently the 2:24 marathon runner has been competing for Solihull & Small Heath.
There was a top 10 finish in the senior men’s race for Tamar Trotters’ Jacob Landers, who came eighth, while Tavistock Run Project’s Jim Cole was first M40 and City of Plymouth Kairn Stone first M45.
There was a strong run by City of Plymouth’s Annabel Arnold in the senior women’s event. She came second behind Taunton’s Alice Murray-Gourlay.
Tavistock AC’s Charlotte Walker was eighth senior, while Erme Valley’s Sally Erith (F40) and Emma Lake (F50) and Tavistock AC’s Sam Lake (F45) and Jenny Jeaves (F55) were first in their age groups.
Erme Valley’s Luke Hayes finished strongly to take second place in the under-17 boys’ race, which was run with the senior women and under-17 girls. In the same category, Tavistock’s Connor Duffin was fifth and City of Plymouth’s Freddie Blight 10th.
City of Plymouth’s Lucas Sweeney was another athlete to claim a second place finish. His came in the under-13 boys’ race, where his team-mate Tristan Bigham was seventh and East Cornwall Harriers’ Rafe Jackson was 10th.
In the under-13 girls’ event, City of Plymouth’s Olivia Walkerdine took third place, with Erme Valley’s Freya Norris sixth and City of Plymouth Margot Goodspeed seventh.
City of Plymouth totally dominated the under-11 girls’ race with seven athletes finishing in the top 10.
Evie Bolt led them home with a second place finish, with Theia Jones third, Genevieve Stone fourth, Serena Bigham fifth, Millie O’Brien seventh, Ivy Ling ninth and Shara Ingleby 10th.
City of Plymouth’s Jack Penney claimed second place in the under-11 boys’ category. There were also top 10 finishes in that section for his team-mate Jacob Sweeney and Erme Valley’s William Rogers.
There were 470 finishers across the six different races and 10 main age groups.
Full results can be found HERE
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