2008
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DORSET SCHOOLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

CROSS-COUNTRY REPORT 2008 

Three contrasting days; a new venture; some of the best and worst weather and running conditions for years; and a far higher level of participation amongst the young people of Dorset: all of these stand out in my mind at the close of the domestic schools cross-country season.

 The first event was the Dorset Schools Cross-Country Championships on the 31st January at Canford Park Arena. This was the “new venture”: a weekday rather than a Saturday, with schools invited to enter directly rather than qualification taking place via Area Trials. The aim was to increase the number and range of entrants, and it certainly worked: over 540 runners participated in the event. Hopefully this will have not only given the opportunity for up-and-coming athletes to experience a large-scale event, but also provided a taster for youngsters new to the sport. In addition, many of Dorset’s top young runners were able to use it as a sharpener for the rest of the season. 

The weather? For the first time in years, the evening before the County Championships, we even considered cancelling the event based on a horrendous weather forecast; in the end, the promised storm-force winds and deluge had largely passed over before the first race got under way, although the mud provided some interesting conditions for the runners and marshals. The follow-up event – the South-West Schools Cross-Country Championships in Gloucester on the 9th February – was in stark contrast: glorious sunshine and near-perfect running conditions. The final event of the Schools season – the English Schools Cross-Country Championships at Sefton Park in Liverpool on the 8th March – gave us a mix of fine conditions, blustery squalls and yet mostly excellent going underfoot. 

Before talking about individual and team performances, I would like to thank all the members of the Dorset Schools AA Committee, marshals and the army of volunteers (including many not based professionally in the Education system) whose enthusiasm, unequivocal support and much-needed wisdom have enabled each of these events to take place. It is not possible to thank everyone, but I would like to mention Peter Fryer, who in his last season before retirement has worked tirelessly, mapping and marking out courses, preparing team kit and medals, and cheerfully undertaking many other tasks behind the scenes. My gratitude is extended to those who happily gave up their free time to travel with the team and act as team managers at the South-West and English Schools Championships. I would also like to pay tribute to the manager and staff of Canford Park Arena and to the Red Cross volunteers.

 As usual, we experienced mixed fortunes during the season, with many personal triumphs and some individual disappointments, but one factor was evident throughout: the sheer hard work, enthusiasm, commitment and dedication of our young people who capped months of training by giving their best possible performances on the day. It is always a delight to take Dorset’s students away to sports events. Regardless of their athletic ability, they consistently exhibit a cheerful, competitive and sporting attitude. However, we must pay tribute to those whose performances have brought them individual and team success.

First of all, the County Championships: congratulations to the following: 

Individual Results: Dorset Schools Cross-Country

Minor Boys:

1st

Stan Parker

Bournemouth School

2nd

Ben Wilson

Broadstone Middle School

3rd

Louis Kellerway

Allenbourn Middle School

Minor Girls:

1st

Ruth Bourne

Port Regis School

2nd

Bethany Letherby

Sir John Colfox School

3rd

Flora Deverill

Hanford School

Junior Boys:

1st

Fergus O’Reilly

Bournemouth School

2nd

Conor White-Andrews

Clayesmore School

3rd

James Goodworth

Poole Grammar School

Junior Girls:

1st

Grace Howie

Talbot Heath School

2nd

Shelby Haysom

Talbot Heath School

3rd

Daisy Harper-Brown

Avonbourne School

Inter Boys:

1st

Richard Horton

Winton School

2nd

Frank Bailey

Twynham School

3rd

Paul Green

St Edward’s School

Inter Girls:

1st

Melissa Courtney

Talbot Heath School

2nd

Nicole Bissett

Blandford School

3rd

Lucy Tweed

Sir John Colfox School

Senior Boys:

1st

Richard Felton

Bournemouth School

2nd

Seb Sheehan

Clayesmore School

3rd

Philip Park

Bryanston School

Senior Girls:

1st

Hannah Jeanes

Thomas Hardye School

2nd

Becky Neal

Corfe Hills School

3rd

Zoe Lamb

Blandford School

Winning Schools:

Category:

1st

2nd

Minor Boys:

Bournemouth School

Broadston Middle School

Minor Girls:

Sir John Colfox School

Hanford School

Junior Boys:

Poole Grammar School

Bournemouth School

Junior Girls:

Leweston School

Talbot Heath School

Inter Boys:

Sir John Colfox School

Poole Grammar School

Inter Girls:

Sir John Colfox School

Bryanston School

Senior Boys:

Sherborne School

Bryanston School

Senior Girls:

Corfe Hills School

Leweston School

 

Individual Results: South-West Schools Cross-Country

Minor Boys:

Alex Brain 8th

Ben Wilson 14th

Jake Osborne 29th

Declan Toth 32nd

Stan Parker 34th

Mike Haines 40th

Brendan Kirkton 42nd

Joe Ross-Willmore 50th

Sam Walrond 54th

Matthew Fry 55th

 

Minor Girls:

Ruth Bourne 2nd

Beth Letherby 5th

Flora Deverell 20th

Charlotte Miller 25th

Wendy Robertshaw 30th

Amy Bilson 42nd

Alex Vaughan-Johncey 43rd

Rochelle Stott 52nd

Olivia Cottenden 55th

Charlotte Phillips 59th

 

Junior Boys:

Fergus O’Reilly 5th

Conor White-Andrews 9th

James Goodworth 13th

Ben Westhenry 18th

Ben Mogg 38th

Henry Graven 52nd

Fergus Kirkland 55th

Andrew Batchelor 57th

Daniel Druce 58th

Sam Ham 62nd

 

Junior Girls:

Grace Howie 7th

Daisy Harper-Brown 13th

Poppy Booth 16th

Chloe Taylor 25th

Lauren Willows 29th

Siobhan Steward 36th

Rachel Brenton 42nd

Roxanna Colebatch 57th

 

 

 

Inter Boys:

Richard Horton 4th

Jack Partridge 11th

Frank Bailey 17th

Freddie Cook 18th

Joe Blackmore 25th

Rob Ineson 36th

Adam Sloan 41st

Arthur Pakenham 44th

Paul Green 47th

Jonny Will 62nd

 

Inter Girls:

Melissa Courtney 1st

Nicole Bissett 20th

Jasmine Hunt 37th

Sarah Fullegar 39th

Lucy Tweed 40th

Samantha Moxey 45th

Olivia Frost 47th

Rosie Smith 55th

Lily Hiscock 64th

 

 

Senior Boys:

Philip Park 20th

Torsten Chandler 28th

Stephen Barratt 31st

Jan Streblow 38th

Sam Sims 44th

Hugh Knudsen 54th

Gregg Shrosbree 55th

Peter Haywood 57th

Charlie Whitcombe 58th

 

 

Senior Girls:

Hannah Jeanes 9th

Becky Neal 15th

Zoe Lamb 19th

Harriett Hughes 28th

Verity Ockenden 29th

Olivia Antrobus 33rd

Samantha Innes 51st

Kirsty Harvey 53rd

Felicity Regan 58th

 

(Full results can be found on the Gloucester Schools AA website)

Individual & Team Results: English Schools Cross-Country

Junior Boys:

Fergus O’Reilly 36th

Conor White-Andrews 55th

James Goodworth 181st

Ross Kirkpatrick 231st

Sam Ham 271st

Daniel Druce 302nd

Fergus Kirkland 308th

Andrew Batchelor 330th

Team: 37th (1076 points)

Junior Girls:

Grace Howie 18th

Poppy Booth 152nd

Lauren Willows 167th

Chloe Taylor 174th

Siobhan Steward 176th

Africa Mason 202nd

Daisy Harper-Brown 293rd

Roxanna Colebatch 295th

Team: 28th (889 points)

Inter Boys:

Richard Horton 29th

Adam Sloan 141st

Frank Bailey 163rd

Joe Blackmore 168th

Paul Green 169th

Freddie Cook 188th

Robert Ineson 195th

 

Team: 22nd (858 points)

Inter Girls:

Melissa Courtney 5th

Nicole Bissett 168th

Jasmine Hunt 200th

Sarah Fullegar 255th

Jessica Belford 260th

Rosie Smith 281st

Olivia Frost 311th

Tina Oundjian 317th

Team: 35th (1169 points)

Senior Boys:

Stephen Barratt 114th

Philip Park 152nd

Jan Streblow 288th

Hugh Knudsen 318th

Peter Haywood 321st

 

Senior Girls:

Hannah Jeanes 134th

Verity Ockenden 135th

Becky Neal 146th

Zoe Lamb 181st

Olivi Antrobus 236th

Samantha Innes 255th

Kirsty Harvey 290th

Felicity Regan 298th

Team: 29th (1087 points)

(Full results can be found on the English Schools AA website

We are all thrilled that Melissa Courtney has continued her outstanding run of achievements by securing a place in the England squad for the United Kingdom Domestic International in Edinburgh on the 29th March. We would like to congratulate her and wish her all the best!

 My lasting recollection of this season will be a comment that epitomised the attitude of our young people: It came from a member of the Senior Boys team at the end of the English Schools Cross-Country Championships. The Senior Boys, having travelled late into the previous night, lodged overnight and then waited patiently all day while all the other age-groups ran in breezy but dry conditions, started their race just as a bitterly cold driving rain blew in from the sea, drenching and freezing everyone within seconds. Despite the atrocious conditions, all our boys finished and, standing dripping mud and rainwater in equal quantities in the changing marquee afterwards, one young member of the team simply stated that he was quite happy to have had his icy soaking as: “it was a bit more of a challenge, and made the long journey and the wait seem more worthwhile”! It’s this sort of outlook that makes us realise how lucky we are to work with such fine young people in Dorset. It also underlines my personal belief that athletics and cross-country nurture an ethos of fair play, personal challenge and good humour that is sadly so often lacking in many other sporting activities.

Ian Denison, Dorset Schools Cross-Country Secretary

March 2008