Shropshire celebrates best ever cross country success

Six age groups took part and it was the highest ever placing for the county as they came home behind Cheshire but in front of larger counties such as third-placed West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Surrey and Cumbria.

The event took place at at Staffordshire University, Stoke and is named in memory of the former long serving Staffordshire county secretary, coach and GB team manager.

The best individual age group came in the year seven boys' race where the Shropshire team were overall winners with 80 points. Cheshire took second with 115 and West Midlands (125) were third.

Josh French, from Idsall School, led the team home with a fine third-placed finish – an amazing performance after playing a football match. He then headed off to a swimming gala in the evening.

Conal Smith (Thomas Telford) was the next finisher in seventh, followed by Andy Jones (Bridgnorth Endowed) in eighth, Matthew Campbell (Marches) 17th, Jack Beard, (Priory) 20th and Jamie Lewis (Idsall) 25th.

Oliver Carvell, from Bridgnorth Endowed School, also collected a bronze medal after racing home third in the junior boys' race, just 22 seconds behind the Surrey winner.

Shropshire finished third in this age group with Cheshire claiming first place.

The other scoring six for Shropshire were Liam Rawlings (Corbet School, 13th), Louix Tziortzis- Foskett (William Brookes, 25th), Jack Cole (Lacon Childe, 27th), Greg Jones (William Brookes, 28th) and Barnie Bithell (Thomas Telford, 30th).

Callum Mitchelmore (Mary Webb School) claimed Shropshire's third bronze in the intermediate boys' race.

Corbet School's Cameron Van Onselen and Idsall's Adrian Lloyd Davies, also ran well to get inside the top 10, finishing seventh and ninth respectively.

The Shropshire team finished fifth in the age group behind a very impressive Cheshire team who had six runners in the first 16 finishers.

Other scorers were Kieran Clarke (Bridgnorth Endowed, 19th), Monty Hardcastle (Shrewsbury School, 58th) and Charlie Stanton (Belvidere School, 59th).

May Davies, from Shrewsbury High School, had the best finish for the county in the girls' age group as she came home fourth in the intermediate girls' race, just three seconds away from third as she led the team to third place.

Molly Andrews (Oldbury Wells School) was the next finisher in 13th while Jazmin Maddocks (Shrewsbury High School, 17th) Eva Wade (Telford Priory School, 33rd), Tess Sanders (Wrekin College, 34th) and Lizzie Benbow (Wrekin College) completed the scoring six.

Charlotte Burrows, from William Brookes School, ran her first ever race for Shropshire, leading the year seven girls home in seventh place.

Megan Davies (Thomas Telford, 16th), Ruby Hancox (Idsall, 19th), Shana Stewardson (Ludlow, 36th), Abigail Cottam (Oldbury Wells, 39th) and Charlotte Gilbody (Shrewsbury High, 43rd) helped the team finish fifth.

Shropshire were fifth in the junior girls race for students in year eight and nine.

Abagael Walmsley, (The Marches School) was the first county runner home in 29th.

The other scorers were Amber Gibb (Thomas Telford, 31st), Cameron Ellie-Mander (Burton Borough, 33rd), Maddie William (Shrewsbury High, 34th), Abi Nolan (Oldbury Wells, 35th) and Leonie Bottomley (Newport Girls High, 40th).

The next event in the Shropshire Schools' calendar is the annual Cross Country Championships at Oswestry School on Saturday , February 6, 2016.

There will be races for years seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 and 13.