Secondary Schools Cross country League

The third and final fixture in the local Secondary Schools Cross-country League was hosted by Millfield School recently with Year 7, 8 and 9 students running hard for their schools. Overall winners were confirmed following the match results and in total 8 schools were successful in gaining team medals.

Overall individual League winners for Year 7 were Oliver Fox (Hugh Sexey School) and Amy Cooper (Millfield Prep); Year 8 winners were Curtis Stevens (Whitstone) and Emily Smith (Wells Cathedral); and Year 9 winners were Sam Bedford (Millfield) and Kayley Kennedy (Kings of Wessex). Year 7 Team Gold went to Millfield Prep for both boys and girls; whilst Danesfield won Year 8 boys Team gold and Whitstone won Year 8 girls Team gold; Year 9 team winners were Millfield for the boys and Leweston for the girls.

In the final fixture, proceedings got underway with the Year 7 boys race seeing Oliver Fox once again stamping his authority on proceedings from the off. By the mid-point he was well clear and went on to enter the finishing funnel well ahead of Charlie Martin of KA, Wincanton and Alexander Allen of Millfield. They will both do battle again as team-mates at the forthcoming Somerset County Championships at the beginning of December. Oliver thus made it three out of three victories in the League.

In the corresponding Year 7 girls race Jemma Jones of Sexeys ran well for victory, ahead of Amy Cooper who by virtue of a previous 2^nd and 1^st place in the other two fixtures won the League. 3^rd on this occasion was Abigail Gibbons of Whitstone who as a result gained bronze medal in the League, just behind the silver medallist Yasmin Bailey of Danesfield.

In the Year 8 race Curtis Steven emulated Fox with his third victory in the three races. 2^nd on the day was Jake Wendon of Millfield Prep and 3^rd was William White of All Hallows. Charlie Ablett finishing 4^th did enough to gain the silver medal from the three fixtures overall whilst White had to settle for bronze. In the Girls Year 8 race Emily Smith also had a clean sweep of three victories, with Becky Carver of Whitstone finishing 2^nd on all three occasions gaining overall Silver. Ellie Kirwan of Bruton School fro Girls did just enough with her 4^th place here to win bronze in the League.

The Year 9 race finished just as the gloom descended but it was a clear victory once more for Sam Bedford who gained gold with the minimum possible number of points. Kieran Young of Whitstone also ran well for 2^nd to gain the League Silver and Fraser Henderson of Millfield did just enough to gain bronze overall. In the equivalent Year 9 girls race, Kayley Kennedy just shaded the overall League victory finishing 2^nd behind Sophie Hawkins of Leweston at this fixture but accumulating abetter sequence of results for overall Gold. Hawkins gained silver and Siobhan Stewart did enough here to gain bronze overall.

Many thanks to the three schools that hosted the fixtures and to Wells City Harriers for sponsoring the League. Full results on the Wells City Harriers website page.