CROSS COUNTRY
Another excellent year for our dedicated cross country runners .
Our very successful previous year was going to be a tough one to follow . However , the teams took it all in their stride , leading the way with their commitment and dedication to training , resulting in some excellent performances throughout the season .
The junior girls ’ team continued their reign of strong performances in the Thomas Trophy , Somerhill cross country competition and the Junior Haskell Cup , medalling in all three . There were notable performances across the term , especially from our Year 7 newcomers Isa McLain and Hana Maeda , who have already set high expectations for next year . The junior boys had a positive year , growing in confidence , with more pupils keen to get involved in training and competition .
The Junior Knole Run , in November , saw the junior girls taking third place with Isa McLain and Saskia Taylor coming in as the first Sevenoaks vests in ninth and 15th . Our junior boys raced next against a huge pool of 165 participants , finishing a respectable 13th overall .
January saw us hosting the 47th Boys and 26th Girls Senior Knole Runs . Both teams produced some fantastic results . The girls finished third and sixth , with Anne-Sophie Bremans and Charlotte Bloodworth finishing as the first two from Sevenoaks , in tenth and 17th respectively . The senior boys ’ teams followed in the girls ’ footsteps , putting in a fantastic performance to finish third and tenth in their races . It was a fantastic day for Sevenoaks cross country , in particular for Charlotte Bloodworth and Ben Catchpole , both racing excellently for the senior teams , despite only being in Year 9 .
Overall , it has been a brilliant year of success , hard work , dedication , and commitment . We are sad to say goodbye to some key characters , but we are looking forward to the exciting experiences to come next year .
Olivia Dorrington
The cross country season was remarkable . I was stunned by the enthusiasm and dedication shown by our school ’ s team , both in training and out at competitions . Cross country is a very physically demanding sport , so I was always impressed by the group ’ s positive attitude towards training , which allowed even the most gruelling sessions to become enjoyable experiences . I also believe these positive characteristics shown by the group were key in driving us to some strong team results .
I would particularly like to highlight our success in the English Schools Cup competition . In this , we saw multiple teams from different age groups show strong performances in the county round , entailing qualification for the regional round where many would go on to give their best effort against other very strong school cross country teams . A special mention should go to the senior boys who placed second in the regional round which meant they gained a spot at the prestigious cup final held in Leeds – an amazing opportunity to race against some of the strongest school cross country teams in the country . An incredibly fast race start , combined with some tough hills , meant gritting it out over the full five-kilometre course was immensely challenging .
80 SPORT REVIEW