The best track and field athletes from school boroughs across the county went head-to-head at the Essex Schools Cross-Country Championships looking to book places at the prestigious English Schools Championships. Only those who achieved tough national standard qualifying marks could be guaranteed a spot on the Essex team heading to the English Schools at Gateshead. RYAN GOAD picks out the best of the action from Melbourne Park, Chelmsford, broken down into the various age groups.

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS

JODIE Judd and Gabrielle Quigley should both have booked their spots at the English Schools Championships with wins.

Judd (Castle Point & Rochford) was the dominant winner of the 1,500m but her time of 4m 47.99s was just outside the national standard qualifying time.

However the Canvey teenager already has that time in the bag and should be on the coach to Gateshead.

As should be FitzWimarc School’s Gabrielle Quigley whose winning discus throw of 35.57m was a bit short of the required distance but she too already has the qualifying mark.

Behind Judd in the 1,500m was another FitzWimarc School pupil Sinead Clark (4m 54.53s) while there was double success for King John School in the 3,000m with Kiera Tippett winning (11m 13.24s) and Niamh Smith finishing second (11m 27.41s).

Beauchamps School’s Mae Bullman won the high jump (1.60m) while her Basildon AC team-mate Shannon McNeil (Basildon) won the 100m in 12.93s, just edging out her club-mate Sophia Mullings (Castle Point & Rochford) who won silver.

Zoe Stannard (Basildon) picked up a bronze medal in the 200m (27.25s) while Megan Cross (Castle Point & Rochford) was third in the 800m (2m 28.73s).

JUNIOR GIRLS

LAURA Runciman confirmed her spot at the English Schools Championships by winning the hammer in convincing fashion.

Runciman, of Sweyne Park School, threw 42.63m which was more than seven metres further than her nearest rival.

Southend’s Blythe Pearson was third in the same event with a best throw of 25.45m.

Mayflower School’s Connie Forman was another to book her spot at the English Schools Championships.

She leapt out to 5.07m to win the long jump.

Dolita Shaw (Southend) won the 100m in 12.73s with Castle Point & Rochford’s Yasmin Robinson winning bronze in 13.28s.

K Maskell won the pole vault with a clearance of 2.25m.

Eleanor Butt, pictured below, won the javelin with a throw of 32.47m while her Southend High School for Girls colleague Elena Iruskieta was the silver medallist in the 75m hurdles (11.72s).

Another Southend High pupil, Joanna Rimmington, won bronze in the 1,500m (4m 53.86s) in a race won by Thurrock’s Amber Pullinger, and Kendra Nwaelene (also Southend High) won silver in the 200m in 26.75s.

YEAR 7 GIRLS

JESSICA Krise (Castle Point & Rochford) was the clear winner of the high jump with a clearance of 1.45m.

Holly Lawrence (Southend) won the 70m hurdles in style clocking 11.61s, while Enya Davies-Collins (Southend) won the 100m in 13.31s and team-mate Lily Esan the 200m (29.65s PB).

India Perry (Southend) won a 200m silver (29.01s).

Echo:

Albert Wilton won the intermediate boys pole vault

INTERMEDIATE BOYS

BILLY Praim-Singh won the battle of the big hitters as he won the hammer with 62.73m and confirmed his place at another English Schools. Southend’s Alex Skingle was third with 47.08m.

Albert Wilton (Castle Point & Rochford) won the pole vault with a clearance of 3.45m while Parama Obi (Castle Point & Rochford) won the high jump on countback from Thurrock’s Joe Winn after they both cleared 1.90m.

Adam Liddell (Castle Point & Rcohford) won the triple jump by the slenderest of margins, getting the better of Fluke Ladphanna by a centimetre with Liddell leaping out to 12.95m and Ladphanna 12.94m.

Victor Adebiyi won the shot with a distance of 14.48m which earns him English Schools selection and puts him eighth in the national rankings.

Connor Maskell won the javelin with a throw of 50.19m.

Reigning English Schools champion Michael Shields made amends for his defeat at the Essex AAA championships by winning the 100m hurdles in 13.07s, four hundredths of a second in front of Mayowa Osunsami (Havering) who beat him a few weeks earlier.

Southend’s Toby Wright won a tactical 1,500m in 4m 14.07s while Basildon’s Joe Wakerley dipped inside two minutes for the first time on his way to winning the 800m in 1m 59.35s.

Mason Webb (Basildon) won bronze in the 3,000m in 9m 29.54s.

JUNIOR BOYS

Jolaoluwa Omotosho booked his spot in the Essex team for the trip to Gateshead with a dominant display in the hammer.

Omotosho’s best effort of 52.10m was nearly 15m further than anyone else.

Also in the Essex team will be Sebastian Dickens (Castle Point & Rochford) who won the shot with a putt of 13.43m.

Joe Hall (Castle Point & Rochford) won the pole vault with a clearance of 3m.

Michael Akhigbe (Southend) won the long jump with a leap of 5.79m.

R Bennett won the triple jump with a best effort of 12.31m.

Sam Bennett (Southend) won the highest class race of the day, the 80m hurdles.

Bennett’s time of 11.02s was the fastest in the country this year while Thurrock’s William Adeyeye had to settle for silver despite running the third fastest time in the country of 11.15s.

Oliver Lill (Basildon) won the 800m in 2m 6.80s.

O Johnstone (Southend) won the 300m in 38.33s.

YEAR 7 BOYS

BASILDON’S Richard Olahiyan stormed to victory in the 100m with a clocking of 12.73s while Stanford-le-Hope youngsters Joe Harding (long jump) and Samuel Alajiki (shot) also won gold medals.