PUPILS from Penryn, Helston and Mullion had a good day at the annual Cornwall Schools Cross Country Championships, writes Alan Rowing.

The races held at Truro School saw more than 200 young runners come from across the county with cool and dry conditions greeting them.

Topping the Year 7 Girls contest was Frances Ratcliff who equalled the course record with her time of 8:17.

The Penryn College athlete controlled the race from the front never being seriously challenged, winning by a comfortable fifteen second margin over the one and a half mile circuit, claiming her first county title.

Older brother Floyd made it a day to celebrate for the Ratcliff Family, finishing sixth in the Junior Boys race, outsprinting Josh Broome from Mullion School, with both boys sharing the same time.

There were top three finishes for a pair of Helston School runners, Tom Slattery, who finished second in the Intermediate Boys event and Katie Hughes who was third in the equivalent Girls age group.

Helston School had another high finisher in Slattery’s race, James Williams, who crossed the line in fifth place.

Ed Mitchell, fifth in the Year 7 Boys race and Amy Walker, eighth Junior Girl home, completed the quartet of top eight finishers from Penryn College, with Mullion’s Nell Savage continuing to improve, producing a strong run for sixth position in the Intermediate Girls race.

All nine runners will now be in contention for selection to represent Cornwall at the South West Schools Cross Country Championships to be held at Griddleton House School, Chippenham, Wiltshire on February 7.

The Junior and Intermediate runners will also be eyeing a place in the county teams for the English Schools Championships at Witton Park in Blackburn, Lancashire in March.

RESULTS

KEY FOR SCHOOLS

BOD Bodmin Community College, BRAN Branel School St Stephens, CAL Callington Community College, HEL Helston Community College, MB Mounts Bay Academy, MUL Mullion School, NT Newquay Tretherras School, PEN Penair School Truro, PENR Penrice Academy St Austell, PENY Penryn College, RL Richard Lander School Truro, STJS Sir James Smith School Camelford, TC Truro & Penwith College, THS Truro High School, TS Truro School, WADE Wadebridge School.

Year 7 Girls: 1 Frances Ratcliff PYN 8.17, 2 Charlotte Hicks CAL 8.32, 3 Wisa Bowden-Inoue NT 8.33, 4 Hephzibha Wills PEN 8.40, 5 Tilly McDowell CAL 8.48, 6 Tia Brown BOD 8.50.

Teams: 1 Callington 54 points, 2 Truro School 75 points, 3 Sir James Smith Camelford 80 points.

Junior Girls: 1 Elowen Penfold NT 14.26, 2 Grace Brock MB 14.34, 3 Emily Becconsall TS 14.51, 4 Clare Tapsell BOD 15.01, 5 Imogen Wood MB 15.03, 6 Erin Burt NT 15.10.

Teams: 1 Truro School 37 points, 2 Bodmin Community College ‘A’ 45 points, 3 Bodmin Community College ‘B’ 107 points.

Intermediate Girls: 1 Yoyo Barnsley THS 14.17, 2 Sian Temple WADE 14.56, 3 Katie Hughes HEL 15.50, 4 Ellie Ringwood MB 16.29, 5 Lily England BOD 16.33, 6 Nell Savage MUL 16.37.

Teams: 1 Bodmin Community College 31 points, 2 Newquay Tretherras 31 points.

Senior Girls: 1 Molly Long TS 14.44, 2 Tess Masselink CAL 15.27, 3 Charlotte Cayton-Smith NT 16.07, 4 Lowenna Hawkey NT 17.38, 5 Martha Carlisle TC 17.47, 6 Emmie Blamey TC 17.59.

Teams: 1 Newquay Tretherras 14 points, 2 Truro College 19 points.

Year 7 Boys: 1 Bradley McLellan NT 9.54, 2 Oliver Hutchinson PEN 10.29, 3 Sam Norton TS 10.38, 4 Benjy McCartney TS 10.48, 5 Ed Mitchell PYN 10.50, 6 Harry Gravener CAL 10.54.

Teams: 1 Truro School 29 points, 2 Sir James Smith Camelford 100 points.

Junior Boys: 1 Finn Birnie TS 13.31, 2 Harris Mier TS 13.46, 3 James Greenwood WADE 14.04, 4 Archie Vingoe MB 14.14, 5 Abu Gupta RL 14.19, 6 Floyd Ratcliff PYN 14.23.

Teams: 1 Truro School 20 points, 2 Richard Lander 75 points, 3 Newquay Tretherras 86 points.

Intermediate Boys: 1 Aidan Kent BRAN 20.19, 2 Tom Slattery HEL 21.08, 3 Tom Luton NT 21.30, 4 Isaac Parker PENR 21.46, 5 James Williams HEL 22.06, 6 George Hooper STJS 22.11.

Teams: 1 Richard Lander 31 points, 2 Mounts Bay 40 points, 3 Newquay Tretherras 40 points.

Senior Boys: 1 Sam Lane de Courtin CAL 20.13, 2 Ben Rogers TC 21.37, 3 Josh Taphouse BOD 22.38.