News
20th January 2025
Derbyshire Schools Cross Country Champs
Eight Burton Athletic members made their way to Moorways Stadium, Derby for the Derbyshire Schools cross country championships.
Millie Shin was first to run in the year 7 girls, 1.9 kilometre race, in a big field of 60. Shin got a steady start and began to move through the field, however the short distance didn’t play to her strengths as she finished in the top 30.
The event then moved on to the older age group races, where England Schools Cross country selection for Derbyshire was at stake. A place in the top 6 would guarantee selection while two more places would be filled after a selection meeting. First to run was Myles Christopher in the junior boys 2.8K race and on last season’s 1500 metres times he looked to have a good chance of selection. He started well and moved into the lead and had soon stretched that out to 20 metres with two chasing him. He maintained that lead till the last lap when it started to reduce as the field closed up. He completed the last hill with a 5 metre lead, then on the downhill 200 metres finish he extended his lead to win the championship and gain his first selection. After two years of Ewan Withnall winning this age group it makes it three years a Burton runner has won the title.
Withnall was next up in the combined Intermediate and Seniors boys 4.8K race, along with Lewis Boyce and Henry Hemmings. Withnall was soon sharing the lead with Senior, Ewan Busfield, who is 3 years older had been 40th in the senior boys at Pontefract last year. Busfield picked up the pace on the second lap and Withnall dropped back but he was well clear in the intermediate race and went on to comfortably take the win beating all the other seniors. Hemmings had started well and was third on the first lap with Boyce 9th. As the race continued Hemming drifted back and Boyce moved up. The last lap saw Boyce running strongly in 4th with Hemming holding on to 7th. After the last climb Hemmings picked up speed and moved up to 5th to finish just behind Boyce and gain his first selection.
The combined Senior and Intermediate Girls 3.9K race saw Connie Lees in the senior race and Charlotte and Millie Nettleton in the intermediate girls. The Nettleton’s had their normal slowish start but were soon into 4th and 6th place. Lees in a very strong senior girls race, was further back and knew selection would be hard, not helped by some breathing problems after a recent illness. The last lap saw Millie move into 5th and closing up on her sister while Charlotte tried to catch up with third. They couldn’t improve their position but this guaranteed their selection and after some knee problems it was a fine performance from them. They like Withnall and Boyce have now achieved their third successive selection. Lees kept battling on and came home strongly to take 9th and she is a reserve and will hope a place becomes available.
The England Schools Championships take place on 15th March at Ardingly Showground in Sussex
In two weeks Staffordshire have their schools championships where more will want to gain England Schools selection. Before then is the Midlands Championships at Mallory Park race circuit where Staffs athletes will also battle for inter county places.