IT WAS a busy weekend of cross country running in the region with Devon hosting both the South West Schools’ Championships and the penultimate Westward League meeting.
The regional schools’ event took place at Exeter’s Exhibition Fields on Saturday, while Plymouth’s Central Park hosted the fifth Westward League meeting of the season.
A number of young athletes did actually compete at both events in the muddy conditions with success.
City of Plymouth’s Elsie Goodspeed won the under-15 girls’ race at Central Park on Sunday, just a day after finishing fifth at the South West Schools’ Championships and helping Devon to the team gold in the intermediate girls’ race.
Her club colleague Zoe Bigham came third at Plymouth on Sunday in the same race.
Also claiming wins at Central Park after running the day before at Exeter were Tavistock AC’s Eldon Young and Erme Valley Harriers’ Luke Hayes.
Young held off the challenge of his club team-mate Luke Scott-Tucker to win the under-15 boys’ race by four seconds at the Westward League meeting, with City of Plymouth’s Finley Eales fifth.
Young had finished eighth in the intermediate boys’ race at the South West Schools’ Championships where he helped Devon to the team title. His Tavistock team-mate Freddie Whybrow took the silver medal in that race at Exeter, but did not run at Plymouth, while Eales finished 10th for Devon in the junior boys’ race in the schools’ competition.
Hayes stormed to victory in the under-17 boys’ event in the Westward League by a massive 29 seconds, having finished 14th in the senior boys’ South West race the day before. Tavistock’s Connor Duffin was third in Plymouth, with City of Plymouth’s Freddie Blight sixth.
Another winner at the Westward League event was City of Plymouth’s Evie Bolt, who took victory in the under-11 girls’ race, which was run in torrential rain.
Once again City of Plymouth dominated that category with seven runners in the top 10. Genevieve Stone came third, Ivy Ling fourth, Serena Bigham fifth, Shara Ingleby sixth, Chloe Souness eighth and Millie O’Brien ninth.
Plymouth’s Jack Penney came second in the under-11 boys’ race, with team-mate Jacob Sweeney 10th.
Lucas Sweeney (City of Plymouth) came second in the under-13 boys’ race on Sunday at Central Park, having finished 14th for Cornwall in the junior boys’ race at Exeter the day before.
His club colleagues Tristan Bigham (6th), Sebastian Travers (8th) and Rafe Jackson (9th) also made the top 10 in the under-13 Westward League race.
City of Plymouth’s Olivia Walkerdine came third in the under-13 race at Central Park, with her team-mate Darcey Bacon just behind in fourth, Erme Valley’s Freya Norris was sixth, Tavistock’s Fearne Brogden eighth and City of Plymouth’s Margot Goodspeed 10th.
In the senior races, Tavistock AC’s Jasmine Gray and Erme Valley Harriers’ Ben Holmes both claimed third place finishes in Plymouth.
Gray finished strongly in the senior women’s race, where her club colleague Heather Fell, an Olympic modern pentathlon medallist, finished seventh and was first F40.
Fellow Tavistock AC athlete Jenny Jeeves was first F55, while Erme Valley Harriers’ Emma Lake was first F50. Maddie Horton, running for Plymouth Harriers, was second F45, while Erme Valley’s Jennifer Hayes was second F50 and Plymouth Harriers’ Karen Blakemore was second F60.
Erme Valley’s Holmes just lost ground on Cornwall AC’s Josh Rowe and Exeter University’s Luke Jones on the final lap at Central Park, but he was well clear in third.
Plymouth University’s Harry Peacocke was eighth and Tavistock’s Ben Neale was 11th and first M40.
Tavistock AC’s Tom Brogden was second M40, while Plymouth Harriers’ Johnny Gilby was second M40.
City of Plymouth’s Simon Anderson took victory in the M60 category, while Plymouth Harriers’ Jay Horton was second M50, with Tavistock’s Marc Curtis was second M55 and team-mate Martin Exley-Deane was second M65.
Full results can be found HERE.
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