Brooke Priory XC
It was a great start to the cross country season for the St Hugh’s runners who travelled to Rutland Water on Friday 29th September for the Annual Brooke Priory Cross Country. For our Year 3s and a few of our new starters this was their first experience of such an event and they all coped incredibly well!
It was particularly nice to have so many St Hugh’s supporters which made for a great atmosphere, particularly at the finish line. Thank you to all those who made the very slow journey to Rutland!
Races were in age order with the U8 boys taking to the start line first. This race was a real test for the boys, with uneven ground, a large field of runners and a gradual incline to finish! Nonetheless, they worked hard and it was great to see them persevere despite these challenges. Special mention to Freddie as our first St Hugh’s boy home, coming in at 17th.
The U8 girls followed, with Hollie F leading the St Hugh’s pack. It was great to see Hollie work hard to get herself in the lead pack and she was delighted to achieve a medal for finishing in the top six! Her teammates also put in a sterling effort, with Bonnie coming in 13th place, which gave these girls an impressive team score to place them as 3rd overall!
The U9s had a particularly successful afternoon, with both the girls and boys team placing in the top three schools! Our boys had a fabulous run, with Beau and Edward R showing their strength from the start. They finished as medal winners, in 4th and 6th place respectively. It was Giovanni’s first run out and what a run he had! It is always easier once you have a race under your belt and know what to expect so we look forward to seeing how he performs next week at Witham. George P worked incredibly hard and was our fourth counter, contributing to a great team score, finishing in 2nd place.
The U9 girls followed and it was no surprise to see Harriet lead the pack from the outset. A strong start got her to where she wanted to be and she held this incredibly well over the course. It was a very tight finish in the end but great to see her win this event! An outstanding achievement. Faith was second girl home having had a good run, crossing the line in 7th place (just missing out on a medal). Annabelle coped very well in her first race and it was great to see her digging in on the incline towards the finish. Our final counter was Verity who stepped up to the occasion and ran with a smile on her face. A great run, contributing to a fabulous team score to secure the girls 3rd place overall.
The U10s had previous experience of this course, though faced a longer run this year. It was a super start from Seb who pushed to achieve a lead. Rory P worked his way through and reached the lead pack towards the final stretch. Seb held his place in 2nd until the final few metres but a great run. Rory was on his back by this stage so this gave St Hugh’s a great team score. Edward J also had a pleasing run, finishing in 13th place, with Joshua following soon after. A super team effort to achieve 2nd place overall.
The U10 girls race was a great team effort, with a particularly strong run from Coco this week. Coco had a very pleasing start and managed to hold her position well, crossing the line in a fabulous 4th place! Penelope and Arabella used each other well over the course and battled hard in the final stretch to achieve 10th and 11th place. Oliva A was our fourth counter and it was great to see her maintaining her pace over the course. A pleasing 3rd place for the U10 girls.
Finally our U11s took to the start line ready to tackle the longest course of all. A gruelling 2km with a long gradual incline home. Our boys team performed well with James and Joshua constantly pushing one another as they did last season. They finished in close proximity with James coming in 14th and Joshua in 15th place. Likewise, George and Rory battled hard and though George led it was Rory who dug in at the end to finish first. A solid team performance.
Finally, the Y6 girls race saw Charlotte competing as an individual and following a very successful season last year we knew this would be a great spectacle. With a very strong runner leading the pack, Charlotte had her work cut out to close the gap and keep her position. She had a great run and held second place right up until the final few metres! Charlotte crossed the line in a super 3rd place.
The final results were:
- U8 Girls - 3rd Place
- U9 Boys - 2nd Place
- U9 Girls - 3rd Place
- U10 Boys - 2nd Place
- U10 Girls - 3rd Place
