Eight BAC runners qualify for Beds Schools County XC Championships
A huge ‘well done’ to the eight BAC Juniors representing their various schools in this week’s Mid/North Bedfordshire Schools District Cross Country Championships who all qualified for next month’s County XC Championships − and won three medals between them.
Seven of the eight have been running regularly for BAC’s Chiltern XC League team this season and that experience showed as they battled their way round some very muddy courses, starting and finishing at Sharnbrook Academy, in the schools district event on Tuesday, January 21.
The three medal winners were headed by Theo Milner, who won the U-13 Boys (School Years 6 & 7) race – a great achievement! The other two were Oliver Weddell, 2nd in the Intermediate Boys (Yrs 10 & 11) event; and Lauren Bone, 3rd, Junior Girls (Yrs 8 & 9).
All three also qualified for selection to run for the Mid Bedfordshire team which will compete in the Bedfordshire & Luton Schools County XC Championships due to be held at Ampthill Park on Wednesday February 5.
The other members of BAC who have been selected for that team based on their finishing positons in the district races are Ross Bone, 8th, U-13 Boys; Isla Anderson, 15th, Junior Girls (another notable achievement as for BAC she is primarily a 100m/200m sprinter!); Austin Milner, 12th, Junior Boys (Yrs 8 & 9); Sidney Hammond, 5th, Intermediate Boys; and Henry Knox, 15th, Intermediate Boys.
● Finishing positions in next month’s Schools County XC Championships will go a long way towards deciding who will be selected for the Bedfordshire teams (8 athletes plus 4 non travelling reserves per age group) to run at the English Schools National XC Championships at Ardingly Showground in Sussex on Saturday March 15. However, the Bedfordshire Schools Athletic Association selectors stress those finishing positions will not be the sole criteria for selection. “Do not automatically expect to be selected because you finish in the top 8 or top 12.”
PHOTOS: Thanks to Heather Hammond who supplied the main photos to go with this report