More Cross Country Success

It was another very successful day for our St Hugh's runners on Friday at the Annual Brooke Priory Cross Country.  This year saw the event change venue to Rutland Water and the pupils enjoyed the new course, despite the long, gruelling climb to the finish!  

The U9 girls were first to compete and what a performance it was!  Florence was unlucky to lose her footing and trip, having had a great start. However she worked hard to get back with the leading pack and had another successful run finishing in an impressive 5th place.  Ailsa F was first home for St Hugh's, achieving a well deserved 3rd place.  Following her and Florence close behind was Amelia F who crossed the line as the 6th finisher. It was super to have Poppy join the U8 team for this race and she also worked incredibly hard throughout and finishing 14th.  A fantastic effort by the U8 girls which put them in 2nd place overall and they were delighted to be runners up (1 point behind the winners!). 

The U8 boys fought hard and were put to the test on the long climb. They gave it everything they had and it was pleasing to see them making every effort to pass opposition in the final stretch.  Our first boy back was Cameron who finished in 14th place, followed closely by Wilf (16th), Jenson (19th) and Aydin (21st).  The boys did not manage to place in the top 3 schools but they certainly put up a great performance.

Next up was the U9 girls and boys who completed the same 1.4km course as the U8's.  Following her success at Witham on Wednesday, Lucy S excelled again finishing 4th overall!  Olivia C managed to keep the gap closer in this race and had a superb run showing grit and determination throughout. Olivia finished 6th.  Our final member of the team was Peyia, who never fails to give her best and her 14th place secured our 2nd place position for the U9 girls!  A fabulous team effort. 

Following on closely behind were the U9 boys team, consisting of Elliot, Huxley and Henry.   Like Lucy, Elliot was keen to finish in the top 6 following his success at Witham on Wednesday.  He worked steadily and as he approached the climb, Elliot battled hard to work up the ladder.  Although competition was tough, Elliot did achieve his goal and was delighted to finish 5th.  Henry had a poor start but with some encouragement around the course, he dug in and picked his pace up to finish in a respectable 10th place.  Huxley remained close behind and he also worked hard on the hill to finish in 18th.  Although we did not place as a team, we look forward to receiving the official results from Brooke to see how close we were. 

The next race was perhaps St Hugh's most exciting, with Beth C taking an early lead.  She stuck in behind the lead runner initially but it wasn't long before Beth got herself out ahead.  She ran at an impressive pace and showed the ability to push harder as she approached the finish.  Beth was absolutely delighted to win this race, as were her fellow team mates! Huge congratulation to Beth on such an outstanding performance. Following Beth, was our fighter, Penny, who never gives anything less than 100%.  Her hard work, sheer determination and competitive edge ensured Penny finished in the top 6.  Phoebe and Annabel joined the girls for this race and really rose to the challenge.  With the first three runners to count, it was crucial for the team that they performed to the very best of their ability. They did just this, with Phoebe crossing the line in 17th place and securing our 3rd place position!  Annabel followed shortly after in 23rd place.

The U10 boys were led by Harry H who raised his game once again and finished in a very pleasing 11th place.  Thomas B was the second St Hugh's boy home and despite struggling on the climb, he worked very hard on the final stretch, finishing 18th.  Harrison was our third team member who maintained his pace steadily throughout and finished 28th.  

The final race saw the U11 girls and boys tackle a longer course which totalled 2.4km and a little more uphill!  Nonetheless, our girls showed great fighting spirit and it was clear from the outset that the three St Hugh's runners meant business!  Aurora worked away to run once again with the leading pack and kept the first two runners in sight.  She did exceptionally well to finish in a fabulous 3rd place.  This was a real team effort though and with Annabel and Jas finishing 10th and 17th respectively, we knew we ere in with a good chance of finishing in the top three.  Their performance followed in similar fashion to the other girls teams and we were delighted to have all age groups place!

The U11 boys also worked incredibly hard and it was pleasing to see them compete against each other too.  William B struggled initially despite leading the St Hugh's team but he battled hard and I was impressed by his commitment and perseverance. He did tremendously well to cross the line in 10th place. Harry M put on a great show too, and followed closely behind in 13th place. It was a battle between Matthew and Freddie towards the end but they both dug deep, despite Mathew feeling unwell. The boys finished 19th (Freddie) and 23rd (Matthew). 

Overall, a superb performance by St Hugh's. It was a delight to watch and they represented the school very well indeed. During presentations we had nine pupils presented with medals for finishing in the top 6 and four of our teams placing 2nd and 3rd.  Well done to all competitors.  I hope to see them training on a Friday at running hobby in preparation for future events.

 

Medal Winners

Ailsa  - 3rd
Florence - 5th
Amelia - 6th
Elliot - 5th
Olivia - 6th
Lucy - 4th
Penny - 6th 
Beth - 1st 
Aurora- 3rd 

U8 Girls - 2nd place
U9 Girls -2nd place
U10 Girls - 3rd place
U11 Girls- 4th place