Runners from St Albans School secured a top-10 finish at the World Schools Championship in Hungary.

The team, who were representing England, finished seventh out of 22 countries. Teams from Turkey, New Zealand and France took the first three positions.

The five-day event in Budapest included competitions for both school and national teams and attracted the top young runners from around the world, making it a strong challenge for the St Albans School team.

For the most senior boys, Oliver Edmond, Tom Halling and Ben Hemsi, this was a fitting conclusion to their school running career.

Year 12 student Ben Clarke led the St Albans School team home in 31st place in the 5.4km main race, with Year 11 Tom Fulton one place behind.

The three Year 13 boys followed, with Josh Avenell, a Year 9 boy running for the senior team, finishing in a very valuable 91st place.

Kenny Everitt, head of cross country at the school, said: “Being placed seventh in such a strong field was a great achievement for the boys. We expected the older boys to do well but Josh Avenell’s performance in such a high profile senior race was outstanding and bodes very well for the future. The school has a proud tradition of cross country success and this looks set to continue.”