2017 ESAA Cross Country Championships
Norfolk County Showground, Norwich
Saturday 18th March 2017
The 2017 English Schools Athletic Association Cross Country championships were held at the Norfolk County showground in Norwich on Saturday the 18th of March. Ten Kingston athletes were selected to represent the County at the championship event and the total number of competing athletes in Norwich was 1997. This event was the final cross country meeting of the 2016/2017 season.
The 7.2 Kilometre race for under 20 men included Kingston’s Baldvin Magnusson and Jack Brothwell as well as Jack Arnold of the Hull Achilles Club in the field of 324 competitors.
Baldvin Magnusson continued his tremendous run of form which he has carried throughout the current season that has seen him finishing way up in the top half of the field in all of the major cross country meetings achieving his highest ever finishes at both the English Schools and the Northern Championships and winning his first County title. He finished in an outstanding 19th place in Norwich and he ran the course in a time of 22:55 sec.
Jack Brothwell is a three times winner of the County Championship title and he was a silver medallist at this year’s event as well as taking another silver at the County Schools Championships where he was edged out on both occasions by his good friend and training partner Baldvin and he put in a strong performance at this year’s Northern Championship meeting which saw him finish in the middle positions. Another good effort at the Norwich event where he ran a time 23:54 sec gave him another finish in the middle rankings.
Jack Arnold was making his first appearance at the English Schools cross country championships he has been training and competing with the Hull Achilles club for the last four years, he is a distance runner and he is the reigning County track & field Champion over 3000 metres. Jack ran the 7.2 kilometres course in a time of 27:29 sec and he finished in the lower third of the field.
There were four Kingston athletes in the field of 345 runners in the under 15 boy’s 4 Kilometre race Harry Hudson, Harvey Roberts, Adam Fox and Thomas Smales.
Harry Hudson has been training in our junior middle distance group since this January he was the silver medallist at this year’s County Schools cross Country championships and the English Schools meeting was his second outing of the year. He covered the course in Norwich in a time of 14:03 sec which saw him finishing in the top half of the field.
Harvey Roberts has been training at Costello since September of last year he is a distance runner and he is also a biathlete who competes in biathlon events through Pentathlon GB. He made his County debut at last Septembers Inter County track & field Championships in Nuneaton where he ran in the 1500 metres race a second County appearance came at the UK inter County cross country event earlier this month and a week later gained his 3rd County vest at the English Schools event. He ran the course in 14:52 sec closely followed by training partners Adam Fox in 14:53 sec and Thomas Smales who ran a time of 14:55 sec, the three boys who all finished in the lower half of the field have enjoyed a good cross country season and can all be proud of their efforts and achievements.
The under 17 women’s 3.75 Kilometre race attracted a field of 345 runners with two Kingston athletes Connie Mounsey and Becky Chivers among the competitors.
Connie Mounsey was making her second appearance of the cross country season her previous outing coming at the County Schools championships in January where she was a 4th place finisher. She covered the Norwich course in a time of 15:52 sec. Becky Chivers made her 7th competitive appearance and collected her third County vest of the 2016/2017 cross country season at the Norfolk County Showground the talented young javelin thrower put in another solid performance which saw her complete the course in a time of 17:27 sec with both girls finishing in the lower half of the race.
The 2017 County silver medallist and County Schools champion Jodie Martin made her fourth appearance of the cross country season in the under 15 girl’s race where a total of 344 runners including Kingston athlete Katy McCabe who was making her third appearance of the year competed over the 3.25 Kilometre course.
Jodie put in another good performance which saw her finish fractionally outside the top 25% of the runners where she covered the course in a recorded time of 11:58 sec and crossed the finishing line in 89th place. Katy ran a time of 13:46 sec which saw her finish in the lower half of the race.
