Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club win all 10 team titles at the
NAA Cross Country Championships
Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club kicked-off 2015 in style by winning all 10 team titles at the Northamptonshire Athletics Association Cross Country Championships in Wellingborough on Saturday.
A dominant performance was led by brother and sister duo Adam and Claudia Searle, who both picked up gold medals to spearhead their respective teams to victory in the under-15 boys and under-11 girls.
Adam stormed home in 16 minutes and 16 seconds to head an R&N one-two-three finish in the under-15 boys, finishing 37 seconds ahead of club-mate Joshua Lay (16.53) and over a minute ahead of third-placed Joe Musgrove, who stopped the clock at 17.38.
Claudia refused to play second fiddle to her older brother and was equally impressive in the under-11 girls race, cruising to victory in 8.13 in the under-11 girls, while setting the sixth-fastest time of the day in her age group, with the boys and girls running together in each age category. The team victory was ensured with fourth and fifth placed finishes from Xcena Pasqualin (8.45) and Olivia Williams (8.50).
Three of the five under-11 runners to finish quicker than Searle came from R&N, as the boys secured third, fourth and fifth to wrap up another team gold. Kettering AC earned the top two positions, but Louis Buttrick’s time of 7.44 was enough for third place. Noah Bennett (8.04) and Jake Hope (8.12) were the next pair past the post to seal an R&N victory.
As well as taking the team titles, there were individual victories in both under-13 categories with Adam Caulfield (9.34) and Molly Williams (10.56) taking the honours in their respective events. Gus Stapleton finished fifth with a time of 10.09 for the boys, and Ger Supple completed the scoring as he secured 10th place after clocking 10.52. Additional point-scorers for the girls were Abigail Pearce, who came fourth in 11.27, and Holly Walker, who followed Pearce over the line six seconds later.
Emer Wintsch took victory in under-15 girls race in fine style, controlling proceedings from start to finish to power to a time of 18.57, nearly 30 seconds ahead of her nearest rival. Wintsch led R&N to a one-two finish, with Poppy Carmichael the next competitor over the line in 19.25. Amy Walker was not far behind, finishing fourth in 19.39. R&N also had the top two finishers in the under-17 women’s event. Kirsty Goddard completed the course over a minute ahead of her rivals and she was joined on the podium by club-mate Emma Bond, who finished second in 22.55. Lily Carmichael wrapped up the team win with a fifth-placed finish in a time of 24.03.
Jack Bond triumphed in the under-17 boys category, coming 14 seconds ahead of the competition with a time of 17.31. Despite a strong challenge from the Kettering team, R&N clinched the overall success by the narrowest of margins, thanks to Ben Musgrove (18.48) and Joseph Hennessy (19.28). The pair finished fourth and fifth, to hold off Kettering by a solitary point.
R&N claimed victory in the senior women’s race despite the best efforts of Corby AC, thanks to a trio of under-20 runners. Katie Clubb was the third-quickest in her age group, and eighth among the female competitors, with a time of 22.59. Bethan Goddard’s 23.10 was the next best time of the day, and Sarah Bennett earned 11th place overall with 23.41, to secure the team triumph.
The largest field of the day came in the men’s senior event, with 57 athletes competing in the race. Again, R&N dominated and William Gardner impressed in a time of 36.50, which was enough for fourth place. The top six competitors earn points in the senior events, and the team boasted three more top-10 finishers with Brendan Moen (38.58), Peter Currington (39.06) and the under-20 winner Jack Murphy (39.18) securing seventh, eighth and ninth place respectively. Conor Hills finished just behind them, grabbing 11th place with a time of 39.21, while Ed Wise (40.42) came 21st, handing R&N the win by a massive 124-point margin.
