Rugby and Northampton secure third consecutive victory in
West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League
Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club’s young stars extended their lead at the top of the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League with victory at Warley Woods in the third round of the competition last weekend.
The under-17 women were one of three triumphant teams for R&N with their top three athletes placing second, third and fourth. Ella Bromley recorded a fantastic time of 16 minutes and six seconds to finish as the runner-up, before Lily Carmichael (16.24) and Kirsty Goddard (16.46) followed her over the line to give R&N a narrow 11-point victory.
Georgina Woodward and Molly Williams led the way for the under-13 girls, who romped to victory. Woodward and Williams were two of just four athletes to break the 10-minute barrier, crossing the line in third and fourth with respective times of 9.55 and 9.59. Holly Walker grabbed 11th with a time of 10.26, seven seconds ahead of club-mate Zoe Morling who took 16th. The final scorer for the team was Gabriella Peck, whose time of 10.52 was enough for 37th place and a comfortable success.
The under-15 boys were also victorious, thanks to an outstanding run from Joe Musgrove whose time of 11.28 saw him take the runner-up spot. The other four scorers for R&N all secured top-20 finishes, with Thomas Haynes leading the way taking ninth place with a time of 12.04. Matthew Rushton (12.28), Matthew Chronicle (12.29), and Ethan Kent Whittaker (12.31) crossed the line within three seconds of each other, earning respective positions of 16th, 17th and 19th, to give the team a 40-point victory.
There was individual success in the under-13 boys race where Adam Caulfield ran superbly to finish 14 seconds ahead of the field, clocking a time of 8.40. Ben Hope joined him in the top 10, finishing ninth in 9.25, 18 seconds in front of team-mate Edward Faulds in 16th position. Cian Hutton (10.01) and Harry Boynton (10.06) came home in 20th and 21st, which gave the team second place, just a point behind Birchfield Harriers.
The under-11 boys also finished as runners-up, missing out by only 12 points. There were two top-10 finishes for the team, with Michael Corbett (6.51) and Noah Bennett (6.52) placing ninth and 10th, and Louis Buttrick was just two seconds further back in 12th. Jake Hope (7.08) and Lewis Gurney (7.10) completed the scoring after coming home in 19th and 23rd respectively.
There was more success for R&N’s youngsters as the under-15 girls were also runners-up. Poppy Carmichael (12.55) finished fifth for the under-15s, backed up by Amy Walker (13.06) in ninth. Charis Hayes (13.34) and Hollie Moore (13.43) were 17th and 19th respectively, while Olivia Sheehan (14.04) came 29th to secure second.
Zoe Gardner led the way for the under-11 girls, coming home in ninth with a time of 7.19, while Mya Dobson squeezed into the top 20 after clocking 7.37. Olivia Williams and Maisie Cramp crossed the line together with a time of 7.50, taking 28th and 29th respectively, while Eloise Perry was 53rd in 18.18 to give R&N third place.
he under-17 men came ninth in their category, with Ben Musgrove (17.06) earning ninth individually, while Joe Hennessy (18.41) and Joe Childs (18.41) came 36th and 43rd against strong opposition.
Meanwhile, R&N hosted the Birmingham & District Cross Country League and the Midland Women’s Cross Country at Abington Park last Saturday, when the men’s ‘A’ team were led home by 18-year-old George Goodwin (35.19) in 30th place. William Gardner was close behind in 39th, just 20 seconds further back while Seb Palmer (38.16), Joe Lantsbery (38.17) and Patrick Jelly (38.19) crossed the line just seconds apart, in respective positions of 105th, 108th, and 111th. The team finished 10th, lifting them to ninth in the Divison 1 table after two fixtures, while a seventh-place finish for the ‘B’ team, led by 117th-placed debutant Jack Murphy (38.36) leaves them sitting in that very position in their division. R&N had 29 athletes among the field of 267, equalling the club record set in 2003.
In the Women’s event, Katie Clubb was the first home for R&N – the 17-year-old came 60th with a time of 21.40, just ahead of Bethan Goddard (21.59) in 70th and 73rd-placed Vicky Nealon (22.05). Veteran Angela Copson (22.56) and another 17-year old, Leisha Mulvey (23.05), also impressed as the team finished 15th overall to leave them fourth in Division 2.
