English Schools Cross Country Championships

The final big national cross country meeting of the season, the English Schools Championships, took place at Hop Farm, Kent on Saturday under blue skies and on a flat and firm course.
 
It was another very successful day for Chiltern athletes with Maddie Hughes, sixth in the Intermediate Girls race, and Alden Collier, fifth in the Intermediate Boys, winning selection to represent England in the SIAB (Schools International Athletic Board) race against Wales, Scotland and Ireland next Saturday in Wales.
 
The Intermediate Girls were the first race off on a 3.8k circuit and Maddie had another great run to finish sixth, securing her England spot for next week. And, in a pleasant surprise, the Buckinghamshire team won the team title, the first time a Bucks team has won in thie event in memory. Other Chiltern girls in this one were newcomer Allegra Massey, 73rd and fifth scorer, and Frankie Baxter 92nd and sixth scorer.
 
Next up were the Junior Boys on a 4.4k route with Bucks 24th team. First Bucks finisher was Daniel Munn in 50th, with Alex Hughes third scorer in 76th, Rory Hilton fifth scorer in 240th and Callum Powell sixth scorer in 255th.
 
The Junior Girls race of 3.2k saw a superb race for Hertfordshire Schools from Emily Ford who finished an impressive 13th. For the Bucks team that ran well to be fourth, Chiltern contributions came from Lily Jessop-Tranter in 100th and Marlie Nkoane in 153rd.
 
There were five Chiltern boys in the Bucks Intermediate Boys team that tackled 5.7k and they were a creditable sixth. Alden Collier, despite being a first year, ran an excellent race to be well up and fifth place is a superb effort. Alden will join Maddie in Carmarthen next Saturday in England colours. Also running well were Oakley Denson 77th, Euan Pinder 91st, Archie Pinder 103rd and Isaac Jessop-Tranter 189th.
 
The Senior Girls, running 4.4k, were eighth, continuing a very good day for Bucks. Holly Henderson was second scorer in 51st, Abbie Henderson fifth scorer in 101st and Olivia Edwards, after a fall near the start, eighth Bucks girl in 203rd.
 
The final race of the day saw the Senior Boys race 7k. James Palmer was 4th Oxfordshire scorer in 80th with Tom Emery 165th for Middlesex. The Chiltern lads in the Bucks team saw Louis Peterson first in 99th place, Ollie Meadowcroft third in145th in his first big race, and Laurie Gawne seventh in 252nd.