A FOURTH successive win for Rugby & Northampton Athletics Club has helped them extend their lead in the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League
R&N produced another winning performance on Sunday at Burbage Common, Leicestershire to maintain their 100 per cent record after four rounds of competition.
A productive weekend strengthened the club’s position at the top of the table courtesy of three team wins and two individual first-place finishes to achieve 6,550 points on the day.
It was enough to extened R&N’s lead over second-placed Wolverhampton & Bilston in the standings to 1,715 – a significant tally with only one meeting remaining.
The under-15 boys where the stand-out team on the day after clinching top spot thanks to Adam Searle winning the race in 11 minutes and 57 seconds.
Adam Caulfield (12.06) followed shortly after in fourth and Joe Musgrove (12.16) was one place later. Also producing impressive performances in the Under-15 boys race was Matthew Chronicle (12.46) in 13th and 14th-placed Muss Al-Hassan (12.49).
It was a brilliant day for the Under-11s with the boys and girls teams also securing gold-medal finishes.
Olivia Williams (7.18) and Louis Buttrick (6.30) both finished fourth in their respective races, while Alice Bennett (11th), Anna Farrow (17th), Scarlet Smith (21st) and Grace Darcy (28th) helped clinch top spot for the girls.
Over in the Under-11 boys, Henry Woodward (6th), Oliver Birch (11th), Finlay Heard (13th) and Arthur Tilt (15th) notched up enough points to beat all rivals.
In an outstanding individual performance, Amy Walker (13.43) ran home as the Under-15 girls winner.
On top of Walker’s impressive outing, 11th place for Hollie Moore (14.34) along with points from Georgina Woodward (14th), Abi Pearce (21st) and Lucy Stevens (22nd) helped the team finish second in the age group.
Second place was the achievement both Under-13 teams managed, too.
The Under-13 girls were led by Neve Satchwell (12.21) and, also in the top ten, was Holly Walker in a time of 12.33. The team was rounded off with strong runs from Claudia Searle (18th), India Phipps (22nd) and Olivia Reeves (25th).
Noah Bennett was the stand-out in the Under-13 boys race after finishing sixth with an impressive time of 11.57.
Harry Boynton (12:42) was next over the line in 21st while Michael Corbett (12.44) crossed one place later and Aiden O’Brien (27) and Dominic Dewes (34th) completed the team’s points.
Also in action at Burbage Common were the Under-17 women who finished sixth with Emer Winstch (19.44) coming fourth and Ella Bromley (21.10) was eighth.
The Under-17s men also competed and came seventh thanks to Finn Hutton (19.48), Josh Thorman (20.19) and Cam Roberts (20.34).
The final round of the competition is at Perry Park in Birmingham, although R&N may go into the round missing some big names because the meeting on Febuary 14 coincides with the East Midlands Mini-Marathon trials.
