Rugby & Northampton turned out in their numbers for the National XC Relays last weekend, with 22 teams competing at the event in Mansfield.

Aside from the junior women’s event, the athletics club had at least two teams involved in every age group, ranging from Under-13 through to the seniors in an impressive display.

Among the star showings were the U17M and U13G A string, who both secured top-20 finishes overall. The men finished 13th, while the girls grabbed an impressive 17th place from the 104 competing teams. The U13G B and C string were 42nd and 80th, with the U17M B taking 51st place out of 64.

The U13 boys finished 33rd, 49th and 71st respectively in a field of 97, while the U15s registered final positions of 56th, 67th and 87th. The U15 girls also had three competing teams, and their efforts were rewarded with overall finishes of 68th, 91st and 99th.

In the senior events, Alistair McDonnell (17:06) led the men’s A team to a finish of 56th place, with the B team further back in 97th around the Nottinghamshire course. For the women, Bethan Goddard brought home the A string in a time of 12 minutes and 33 seconds to secure 72nd, 30 places ahead of the B string in another competitive field.

Ben Musgrove (9:37), Joe Childs (10:26) and Jack Bond (9:33) formed the junior men’s A team which placed 27th, while the B team were not too far behind with a respectable position of 40th. Emma Bond was the sole runner for the junior women, but she impressed nonetheless with a time of 9:14.