Delight for cross-country squads

Coopers Company & Coborn School were celebrating this week after two of their cross-country squads reached National finals.

The junior boys and intermediate girls teams finished in second place in their respective races at the North Thames Regional event at Woolham Playing Fields, St Albans at the weekend.

And they will now head off to Princethorpe College in Rugby to battle for national honours on December 3.

Teacher Mark Duncan said: “It was an exciting occasion. Four teams managed to qualify for this round from the county stages and the course was flat and fast, around several rugby pitches where Saracens train.

“All runners put in an outstanding effort to ensure the highest possible finishes for their school. Many collapsed at the finish as they had given it their all.

“But the hard work and training certainly paid off as there were some excellent results.”

Liam Batty, Jake Brocklebank, Ted Buchanan, Finlay Hyde, Zack Killoran and Connor Martin combined to bring the junior boys squad home in second place, while Lydia Hallam, Isobel Ives, Megan Kelly, Natasha Patient, Francesca Smith and Rebecca Ward impressed for the intermediate girls to clinch another runners-up spot.

The junior girls squad of Amy Baggs, Hannah Binning, Anna Manning, Emily Marshall, Jessica Ward and Lois Wyatt finished in seventh place, meanwhile, and Ben Danec, Tom Dance, Elliott Nunn, Jonathon Toolis, Seal Wilson and Cameron Wright brought Coopers home in tenth place in the intermediate boys race

Duncan added: “The junior boys and intermediate girls have now qualified for the National Finals. It’s an outstanding achievement to have two teams through.

“In particular the boys, as it is the first team in 20 years a junior boys team from Coopers has qualified for this stage.

“They follow in the footsteps of the intermediate boys team from last year who paved the way for them! One of whom, Jed Rimell (Year 11), was even there on the day helping out and inspiring them to run well!”