The Pocklingtonian 2019/20 | Page 77

SPORT // CROSS COUNTRY

Junior Girls race into the National ESAA Cup Final

On Saturday 7th November the ESAA Cross Country East Midlands final took place at South Hunsley School . Our Junior and Intermediate teams had qualified after a hard fought race held at Pocklington last month .
The heavy rain leading up to the race and the morning fog making it difficult to even find the course meant this wasn ’ t going to be a straight forward race for our teams . It became apparent as we walked the course just how challenging the races would be with the ground very soft especially on the up and downhill section of the course .
The final included the best teams from North Lincolnshire , North East Derbyshire and Yorkshire and it was testament to our Junior Girls performance in the last race that they were drawn in Pen 1 as the top performing team . However , this was a step up in standard for all of our athletes which was clear as soon as the 66 Junior Girls got the event underway with the race to the first corner being both fast and competitive .
Niamh Clements made a trademark move early on and led the race for the first 300 meters but as the race stretched out she struggled to sustain the pace in her usual manner and had fallen back as the competitors headed to the tough incline section of the course .
Laura Brooks meanwhile was running a well paced race and was making steady progress through the field . Imogen Stevens was concentrating on her own race and was not put off by the fast start .
The energy sapping muddy uphill and slippery downhill section was causing all runners difficulty but the fitness of Isabelle Sweeting and Sophie Brosenitz shone through as they started to make progress through the field . Ellie Quick was struggling in the cold conditions which was aggravating her asthma .
Laura Brooks finished strongly in 6th completing the 2200m course in 9 mins , Niamh Clements hung on despite feeling out of sorts and finished 8th 10 seconds behind Laura . Imogen Stevens gave everything to finish 27th in 9.57 , Sophie Brosenitz finished in 40th closely followed by Isabelle Sweeting in 45th . Ellie managed to finish the race despite her obvious discomfort showing true resilience .
The third race was the Intermediate girls and by this time the course resembled a tough mudder challenge . The incline although not steep was causing all athletes to slow as they struggled to find traction and any rhythm . As she did last month Erin Redfern led the team out and is proving to be a valuable addition to the team . Emma Forsyth although ran strongly could not find her rhythm and the conditions affected her usual ability to come through the field .
Daisy Shepherd ran a well paced race as did Pippa Byron , Kitty Webber and
Carmen Brooks . However the energy sapping mud really took its toll and although the entire gave everything , they could not make an impact on the race . Erin Redfern finished in 32nd which was fabulous considering she only had one shoe as she crossed the line . Emma Forsyth finished in 41st unable to find her usual cadence .
Daisy Shepherd in 45th , Pippa Byron in 48th and Kitty Webber close behind in 49th . Carmen Brooks crossed the line
THE POCKLINGTONIAN 75