Rugby and Northampton Athletic Club impress at Nottingham event
Adam Caulfield and Adam Searle continued their phenomenal start to 2015 with individual victories at the Midlands Cross Country Championships, while Jacob Allen made a successful return to action to take his place among the winners at Nottingham last weekend.
Caulfield has had a sensational start to the year, already racking up wins in the NAA Cross Country Championships and the West Midlands Cross Country League, and he was at it again in the latest event. A tough Wollaton Park course provided a stern test, but the youngster dashed around in 10 minutes and 41 seconds to triumph in the under-13 boys, pipping Wreake Runners’ athlete Morgan Enoux to the post by less than a second.
Searle continued the success for R&N with victory in the under-15 boys, crossing the line in 13.26 to lead the team to third place. Joshua Lay finished third, just 10 seconds behind Searle, while Joe Musgrove came home in 15th with a time of 14.15. Rhys James ensured the bronze medal for the under-15’s after positioning 39th, in 14.57.
Jacob Allen showed his injury problems are behind him, becoming the third R&N athlete to triumph as he took firstplace in the under-20 race. Allen’s time of 25.05 earned a 10-second victory over Bristol and West’s Benedict Westhenry and his club-mate, George Goodwin, also produced a great run to take sixth spot after coming home in 26.18.
The girls impressed at the event, with the under-15 team securing the silver medal. Hollie Moore finished 10th after clocking 15.38, 38 seconds behind the winner, while Poppy Carmichael crossed the line seven seconds later to finish 13th. Amy Walker was the next R&N athlete over the line in 15th, another seven seconds further back in a tight field. Emer Wintsch came 22nd with 16.06, giving the girls 60 points and earning them second place, just two points off Halesowen, who grabbed the gold.
The under-13 girls narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth overall with Molly Williams leading the way with an excellent top-10 finish. Williams came ninth in a time of 12.09, 20 seconds behind the winner, Charnwood’s Laura Aryeetey. Holly Walker and Abigail Pearce placed 26th and 31st with respective times of 12.52 and 13.00, while Gabby Peck rounded off the scoring for the girls, finishing 50th in 13.26.
Emily Waugh delivered another outstanding display in a strong senior women’s event, coming 15th out of a huge field of 266 runners, by completing the course in 30.13 to finish 23 seconds clear of her closest competitor.
