Thousands of the best young runners in the country took to Sefton Park this weekend as Liverpool played host to the annual New Balance English Schools Cross Country Championships.

Although the Coronavirus has cancelled most events across the country and world, the event thankfully went ahead as the Liverpool City Council allowed the use of the 235-acre Park for the 60th Boys and 52nd Girls Championships in history.

Liverpool played host to the prestigious English Schools Championships for the first time since 2008, with Birmingham holding the event the past two years.

As ever, it was separated into six different categories (Junior, Intermediate, Senior Boys and Girls), with each running a different route, as seen by the course map below:

The Junior Girls featured the most exciting race as the Jessica Bailey and Zoe Gillbody clocked in at the same time of 11:03 after 3000m.

Although Cumbria’s Bailey led for the majority of the way, Gillbody timed her siege and pipped Bailey for the English Schools Rochdale Trophy in an extremely close ending that can be seen below.

Merseyside came 38th as a team in the Junior Girls:

 

Ella McMutrie (Belvedere Academy) – 92nd – 12:20

Gabrielle Phelan (Upton Hall) – 114th – 12:27

Sophie Fludger (West Kirby Grammar) – 174th – 12:38

Lara Bellingham (Merchant Taylors) – 226nd – 12:52

Emily Dean (Greenbank) – 234th – 12:54

Iris Davidson (Formby High) – 301st – 13:25

Evie Smith (Wirral Grammar) – 303rd – 13:25

Emma Poulsten (King David) – 316th – 13:35

 

In the Intermediate Girls race over 3800 metres, Beatrice Wood of Wiltshire won the Leicester trophy, with Merseyside’s Keira Brady-Jones finishing in 9th position.

Merseyside came 12th as a team in the Intermediate Girls:

 

Keira Brady Jones (St John Plessington) – 9th – 12:52

Olivia Logan (Greenbank High) – 12th – 12:59

Faye O’Hare (Broughton Hall) – 85th – 13:48

Ellen-Mary Kearney (Upton Hall) – 108th – 14:01

Lucy Milling (Sacred Heart) – 179th – 14:33

Lucia Pyne (West Kirby Grammar) – 188th – 14:37

Zarah White (BHSA) – 242nd – 14:55

Emma Fildes (Upton Hall) – 287nd – 15:17

 

Cumbria’s Olivia Mason took home the Foyston Trophy after winning the Senior Girls competition, recording a time of 15:49 over the 4400m course.

Merseyside came 37th as a team in the Senior Girls:

 

Isabel Hodder (Wirral Grammar) – 154th – 18:55

Niamh Donnelly (St Edwards) – 175th – 19:20

Lucy Hignett (Wirral Grammar) – 220th – 20:03

Rachel Theobald (Upton) – 238th – 20:23

Phoebe Lucas – 245th – 20:26

Rachel Hurst (Birkenhead High School) – 285th – 22:18

 

Two Suffolk competitors took first and second in the Junior Boys category as 334 competitors in total raced over 4400m for the Chesterfield Trophy.

Merseyside came 29th as a team in the Junior Boys:

 

Liam McKay (St Francis Xaxier College) – 11th – 15:00

Jack Bernhem (Calday Grange Grammar School) – 94th – 15:58

Alex Poulston (Calday Grange Grammar School) – 148th – 16:20

Josh Redmond (St Hilda’s CF High School) – 197th – 16:36

Louis Hatton (Calday Grange Grammar School) – 227th – 16:46

Jack Talbot (St Anselm’s College)  -295th – 17:23

James Evans (The Bluecoat School) – 309th – 17:42

Conrad Lucas (Formby High School) – 322nd – 18:02

Merseyside came 9th as a team in the Intermediate Boys:

 

William Strickley (Wirral Grammar School) – 47th – 19:26

Ethan Brady-Jones (St John Plessington Catholic College) – 56th – 19:34

TJ Jones (Wirral Grammar School) – 80th – 19:48

Joshua Hale (St Anselm’s College) – 85th – 19:51

Daniel Hayes (Calday Grange Grammar School) – 116th – 20:06

William Sutcliffe (Calday Grange Grammar School) – 120th – 20:08

Matthew Brennan – 182nd – 20:38

Michael Henderson (Formby High School) – 259th – 21:22

 

Merseyside came 36th as a team in the Senior Boys:

 

Charlie Roberts (Rainhill High School) – 107th – 23:11

Finan Johnston (St Anselm’s College) – 120th – 23:18

Louis Johnston (St Anselm’s College) – 165th – 23:52

Jamie Ford (Carmel College) – 218th – 24:31

Fernando Izqueirdo (St Anselm’s College) – 264th – 25:22

Joe Joinson (St Anselm’s College) – 266th – 25:26

Michael Brussells (St Helens College) – 284th – 25:52

 

The entire results can be found here.

 

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