Sports Results

Will and Jess are champions...again

On a cold and blustery late January afternoon at Scarisbrick Hall College near Ormskirk, the Abbey Gate College Cross country runners did themselves proud in heavy, tiring conditions.

Jessica Thomas was first to triumph in the Junior Girls race leading from the gun and quickly establishing a 50 metre lead. Jessica ran with great determination as the heavy conditions saw numerous competitors left searching for lost footwear. Jessica held her lead and finished strongly to win; an even more impressive achievement as Jessica is a Year 7 pupil winning a combined Year 7 & 8 race for the whole of ISA North schools. The other Junior girls also performed well finishing within the top 30.

In the Junior Boys race William Parsons again dominated from the start quickly establishing a 70 metre lead and despite a talented field, never looking like being caught. William paced his run well and finished full of energy and well clear of the field.

Both Jessica and William will now go forward to the ISA Nationals at Princethorpe on Saturday 3rd March 2012.

The afternoon was a triumph for all those who competed with many Year 7 and Year 8 pupils gaining invaluable experience supporting our star runners. Sally Stanford and Ellen Harris both finished in respectable positions as did the four Year 10 boys, Billy Reeves, Josh Kresnyak, Fraser Luckas and James Faulkner who ran in appalling weather.

After waiting until late in the afternoon Tom Thornhill and Jon Frazer-Cox put in sterling runs in the Senior Boys race over four gruelling laps in now what was a glue pot of a course. Both boys ran strongly to finish 14th and 15th position respectively.

This was a day to be inspired by the determination and motivation of all the runners in such testing conditions where their fitness was exemplified by the fact not one of them walked at any stage!

This is a unique double for the College, with both Junior championships being won in such commanding fashion by two outstanding prospects.

Mr Cutler & Mrs Townsend