Cross Country
Friday saw the cross country season get underway with our first race at Rutland Water. This is an annual invitational event hosted by Brooke Priory and St Hugh’s are regular attenders. With thirty-six pupils from Year 3-6 involved, there was a great team vibe and it was lovely to see our older pupils supporting our newcomers!
The forecast was not looking promising and though it was dry on our arrival, raincoats were at the ready! The competition sees medals being awarded to the top 6 in each category and schools must have four finishers to count as a team.
Overall Results
- U8 Girls - 2nd Place
- U8 Boys - 2nd Place
- U9 Girls - 5th Place
- U9 Boys - no team placing due to absence
U8 Team
The afternoon kicked off with the U8 girls and boys. They had the opportunity to walk the course which helped them prepare for what was to come! There are some very keen runners in this age group and they did not fail to impress! It was a tremendous team effort by both the girls and boys with some superb individual performance too! Our top runner of the day came from the U8 girls team, Harriet T, who finished in an outstanding 1st place! Also finishing in the top 10 was Faith S (6th) giving the girls team an impressive score, finishing as runners up from eight schools! For the boys, Beau B-W ran an incredible race, crossing the line in 2nd Place from a strong field. Edward R was another top 10 finisher (7th) giving the boys a super overall score. We were delighted to be placed as runners up in this category too, a fabulous beginning for our youngest runners!
Top 4 finishers to count:
Harriet, Faith, Verity, Hetty (Team - 2nd Place)
Beau, Edward R, George P, Edward P (Team - 2nd Place)
U9 Team
The U9 team had the advantage of having run this course last year - though I think there was slight apprehension about the long dreaded incline to the finish! The girls worked away over the course and it was Penelope L who emerged from the pack first, finishing in 14th place. Olivia, Coco and Arabella also ran well and used each other to help pace themselves - crossing the line in relatively quick succession. In the boys’ race, Rory P was the first to cross the finish line in a creditable 6th place with Sebastian F shortly after in 8th. Unfortunately, the boys didn’t have four runners to count as a team due to absence on the day.
Top 4 finishers to count:
Penelope, Olivia, Coco, Arabella (5th place from 6 schools)
Rory, Sebastian, Edward J (no team score due to absence of fourth runner)
U10 Team
It was a step up for the U10 runners, who tackled a longer course this year and they also faced the elements as the rain began to set in! Despite this, they gave it their very best and showed resilience in tough conditions. Charlotte J didn’t fail to impress and having had a good start, maintained a strong position throughout. She sat on the shoulder of 2nd place and while it was very tight, she couldn't quite catch her. She should however be delighted with 3rd place, given the strong field. Her teammates gave it their all, with India B-W second home for St Hugh’s. For the boys, there was always going to be tough competition between James F and Joshua N, who has recently joined us and displayed great potential. Joshua led the pack initially but it was James who crossed the line first in 7th, with Joshua close behind in 8th. Great to get another two top ten finishes. The team was ranked 5th from 8 schools, with only a point between 4th and 5th.
Top 4 finishers to count:
Charlotte, India, Tabitha, Frankie (7th place)
James, Joshua, George, Rory (5th place)
U11 Team
The final race and perhaps the toughest challenge of the afternoon was the U11 race. They faced a challenging course in pretty horrific conditions - it was bad enough as a spectator but to complete the course in the wind and rain took some grit and determination! Kitty W looked strong in the field over the first half of the course, which she led for some time. She battled hard against the elements and some strong competitors and narrowly missed out on top 10. Her teammates gave their very best, with Millie second home. In the boys’ race, Rupert was expected to be out in the lead pack and he did just that, finishing in a very creditable 3rd place! A strong team effort from the U11 boys, with Austin S just missing out on top 10 but all boys finishing top 20. A respectable 4th place finish for the boys team.
Top 4 finishers to count:
Kitty, Millie, Anabelle, Jemima (7th place)
Rupert, Austin, Charlie,Will (4th place)
A huge well done to every runner for competing in this event. You displayed grit and determination and represented your school extremely well. We look forward to our next race at Witham Hall on Wednesday 5th October!
