X Country - Primary competition - News - Wandsworth School Games

X Country - Primary competition

Wandsworth SSP X Country this year was a great success with a total of 21 schools competing, involving 449 Year 5 & 6 pupils running at 3 events.

Wandsworth Common welcomed Honeywell, Christchurch, Belleville, Wix and Swaffield on 10 November.  Wet and slippery conditions under foot didn’t stop each race starting at a blistering pace.  The runners were led around the course by our new SSCo, Ashley Montgomery on his bike, a novelty to watch but a helpful aid to the runners, and of course good for his fitness!

The Year 5 Girls race saw Alice (Belleville) finish first, Brinley (Belleville) in second and Kate (Honeywell) take third place.  The Year 6 Boys race was dominated by Honeywell claiming the top three places; Alfie in first, Aidan in second and Kit coming third.

The Year 6 Girls race was won comfortably by Yacine (Swaffield) with a Herne Hill Harrier coach commenting ‘she has the potential to be a really good distance runner’.  Darcy (Honeywell) finished second, whilst Allya (Wix) took third place.  Honeywell once again took the top three places, this time in the Year 6 Boys race; Archie finishing first, Maxwell in second and Seth in third.

Honeywell’s strong team performances meant they finished first in the team event, and although not claiming a top three place, Christchurch finished second in the team through consistent racing.

A wet start to the King George’s Park event on 11 November did not deter the runners with 11 schools entering; St Mary’s, Riversdale, Ronald Ross, Allfarthing, Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Albemarle, Putney High, Heathmere, Sheringdale, Brandlehow, Sacred Heart and All Saints.  A tough competition awaited.  All ran smoothly, a blessing considering the wet course, over 50 runners in each race and the quick starts!

The Year 5 Girls race saw three different schools finish in the top three; Sophie (Putney High) finishing first, Amelia (St Mary’s) in second and Julia (Allfarthing) claiming third place.  Similarly 3 schools represented in the top three finishers in the Year 5 Boys race; Lewis (Riversdale) winning first place, Kayne (Sheringdale) finishing second and Jake (Allfarthing) taking third.

The Year 6 Girls race was dominated by Putney High, with them claiming 4 of the 6 top places.  Amelie finished in first, Charlotte in second and Dora in third.  A sprint finish in the Year 6 Boys race saw Ryan (Heathmere) win first place, Sam (All Saints) in second and James (All Saints) take third place.

Strong teams efforts by St Mary’s (1st) and All Saints (2nd) saw them finish in the top two places overall.

The rain did not hold off for our final event at Tooting Bec Common on 12 November unfortunately.  A mystery cone thief added to the challenge.  But the runners remained undeterred, with St Anselms, Eardley, Holy Ghost and Penwortham all staying positive and running their socks off.

St Anselms showed their strength in the Year 5 Girls race with Skye finishing first, Jessica in second and Grace coming in third.  Holy Ghost took the top three places in the Year 5 Boys race with Luke in first, Henry in second and Lewis claiming third place.

The Year 6 Girls race again showed Holy Ghost’s strength, occupying the top three places.  Anna finished first, Scarlett claiming second and Eleanor taking third.  A tough competition in the Year 6 Boys race saw Andrezej (St Anselms) finish first, Oliver (Holy Ghost) take second and Noah (Penwortham) claim third.

Depth in the overall team saw Holy Ghost finish first and St Anselms finish second in the team event.

The top two placed teams at each event will progress to the X Country final at King George’s Park on 1 December.

Special thanks must go to the Young Leaders that marshalled at the three events.

Jenna Luiten, APDM

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