Success at schools' title event (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Success at schools' title event

10:37am Friday 3rd October 2008 in Sport By Gazette Sports

HUNDREDS of young athletes from schools around the country converged on Sedbergh School on Sunday for the first English Schools' National Fell Running championships, writes Mike Addison.

There were four races for pupils from Years 7 to 12 and all were based on testing courses on Winder Fell with dozens of spectators lining the route being treated to some thrilling duels between eager competitors.

The event was organised by Sedbergh teacher Jon Richardson, who only decided to stage it in June.

Guest of honour was fell-running legend Joss Naylor who presented prizes and addressed the runners prior to the start of the Years 10 and 11 race, which attracted the biggest field of the day.

The host school and Ulverston Victoria High School were extremely well represented and there were competitors from schools from Cornwall, Warwick, Coventry, Durham, Buxton, Bingley and Birmingham.

Neil Orr of the William Howard School, Brampton, won the opening Year 7 race in 19-36 from Cockermouth's Jonty Fish (20-02) with Tom Taylor (20-16) of Kendal's Queen Katherine School in third.

The girls' race was won by Abby Parkinson of Bradford Grammar School in 21-25 with Sally Searson (21-29), of St Wilfrid's, Blackburn, in hot pursuit and Megan Bates (22-13) of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith, in third.

Lorna Nunwick (22-44), who was fifth, led home team prize winners Ulverston Victoria High with support from Molly Moss and Freya Sadler.

Dallam's James Knox (22-22) had to settle for second in the Year 8-9 boys' race which was won by Tamworth's Kristian Edwards (22-11) representing Rawlett CSC.

Hannah Bethwaite (24-58) of Wigton’s Nelson Thomlinson School was a clear winner of the girls’ race with Eilidh Sproul (25-44) leading Sedbergh School home for second in the team race with support from Sarah Cheeseborough (11th) and Alex Johnston (19th).

The most competitive race of the day was the Year 10 and 11 boys’ event which was comfortably won by Billy Pinder (29-44) representing Ermysted’s Grammar School, Skipton.

Alex Sinclair (30-59), also of Ermysted’s, was a distant second with Ulverston Victoria High School’s Tom Doyle turning in a strong performance to finish third in 31-19.

Sedbergh took the team prize with Peter Harrison (4th), Sam Fisher (6th) and James Brock (8th) all counting.

Dallam’s Melanie Hyder (35-07) was second in the Year 10 and 11 girls’ race behind her great rival Laura Riches of Fred Longworth High School, Tyldesley, in Greater Manchester, who clocked 34-48.

Ulverston Victoria High were third team with Kim Little, Julia Bing and Jenny Huck all packing well in 11th, 12th and 13th position.

The Year 12 and 13 boys’ race saw Joe Gratton of the Lady Manners School, Bakewell, lead home the field from South Craven’s Tom Sessford (32-49) - a regular Lake District competitor.

Sedbergh were second team with the scorers being Will Manners (10th), Josh Thompson (15th) and James Rollings (17th). Annika Jarman (37-38) of Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School won the girls’ race. Ulverston Victoria High School finished second, led home by Jemma Bell who was ninth.

Organiser Jon Richardson said that the event would be staged again next year and that it would be bigger and better. In the future he hopes that there will be a series of qualifying races around the country leading to the national final at Sedbergh.

“There were a few teething problems but on the whole I thought it went very well,” said Mr Richardson. "I did not expect to get so many runners.

“I was amazed that with just three months of advertising we could get to that level. It could actually be very big indeed.”