Following the success at the qualifying round at King’s College in November, 16 pupils qualified for the South West Championships at RNAS Merryfield, which featured a fantastic setup and a rather challenging and ‘proper’ cross-country course. 

The first race was the Year 7 Girls, with Elle, Bella, Imi, and Nicole starting off at a fast pace. The girls kept up with the strong pace set by the leaders. A solid finish from Bella and Nicole saw them place 13th and 14th, respectively, earning spots on the reserve list. Elle ran confidently to finish in 31st place. 

The Year 7 Boys race followed a similar pattern to the girls’ race, with a quick leading pack setting a strong pace. Charlie, Logan, Albie, and Oscar represented the Taunton area from Taunton School. All of the boys were able to maintain the fast pace and dig deep to reach the finish. Charlie had a great middle stage of the race, gaining multiple places to finish 2nd, and Oscar finished 6th. Logan ran superbly to place 11th, earning the first reserve spot for the Somerset team. Albie ran well and finished just behind the leading pack. 

The Junior Girls and Boys race included George, JJ, Lewis, Maxime, and Katie. A special mention goes to James and Evie, who both qualified for the race but were carrying injuries on the day. 

The Junior Boys and Girls race included both Year 8 and Year 9 athletes, meaning that our students were racing a year young. In the girls’ race, Katie kept close to the leading pack and finished strongly in a respectable 19th place in a tough field. 

George and JJ joined the leaders on the first lap and stuck with them all the way to the finish, comfortably finishing 6th and 8th, respectively, qualifying for the Somerset team! Lewis ran a strong race to secure the last reserve spot, finishing 16th. Maxime glided around the course to finish a very respectable 32nd. 

Good luck to Charlie, Oscar, JJ, and George, who will go on to represent Somerset in the South West Championships in Newquay on February 1st.