St Albans School seal comprehensive victory

CROSS COUNTRY: THE St Albans School Intermediate Cross Country Team lived up to its reputation as favourites by winning the English Schools Cup on Saturday, 10 years after the school was last crowned champions.

The runners had been tipped for success as far back as November and the final was due to be run at Alnwick in Northumberland on December 4 however, deep snow at the beginning of December meant that the race had to be postponed and the boys had to wait until the end of March to claim their crown.

The course in the grounds of Alnwick Castle covered 4.3km and was designed to challenge the skill and stamina of the very best runners. Mark Pearce, Joe Redwood, Jordan Bayer Goldman, Robin O’Connor, Adam Thorpe and Robbie Lightowler were called upon to represent the school in this important race.

Even though Joe Redwood pulled a muscle during the race, he still managed to finish in 17th place, while Robin O’Connor and Robbie Lightowler actually moved up the field on the final gruelling hill to finish second and fifth respectively. With Jordan Bayer Goldman and Mark Pearce in 13th and 14th places and the field completed by Adam Thorpe’s 37th, the team won by a handsome margin.

St Albans scored 35 points, with the nearest competitor, Millfield, scoring 130, and Farnborough Salesian College in third with 135. The winning margin of 95 points was the largest in the competition’s history.

The result means that this group of young runners will now represent England in the World Schools Championships in 2012, currently scheduled to be held in Malta.