Atightly knit and highly amusing
group of youngsters soon blended
into a team which was to enjoy
considerable success on the hills and
fields of the West Country, culminating
in the team win at the Exmouth Cliff
Race. Various individuals also stood out
by achieving a high level of personal
success, most notably national schools
competitors Amelia Evans and Oliver
Fox, but most runners showed a marked
level of improvement in fitness and
standard.
At the English Schools Cup event, staged
for the first time in Minehead, Oliver Fox
won the event and was ably supported by
a group largely a year younger but good
enough to take the team win, despite the
inhospitable nature of the wet and
exposed course. India Bannister worked
hard to lead the girls in, but their team
had to be content with fourth place. The
cool, wet conditions were still in place two
months later at the Somerset AA event, as
was Ollie Fox who recorded yet another
win: the event was notable for a gutsy run
from a struggling Jevon Garbutt, hindered
by an old rugby injury.
The teams arrived at Bicton just days after
the start of the Lent term, with the Under
15 boys' team of Henry Dufosee, Sam
Sprague, Dan Mead and Jack Gunningham
picking up bronze medals in glorious
weather. Both Amelia and Ollie finished
fourth in their events, cursing the effects
of ski holidays and the like, whilst Marcus
Gawronsky made an impressive debut in
hitherto alien conditions.
Marcus went on to gain a well-deserved
win at the Downside Trophy on an oldfashioned
style of course, over ploughed
fields and numerous stiles. Both the
senior and the junior teams did well thanks
to the efforts of a supersub in each team,
Lloyd Griffiths and the redoubtable Amelia
Evans, backed up by gutsy runs from
George Chapman and Aaron Williams. The
juniors were led home by Henry Willis and
Ralph Lawson, in the absence of Ollie Fox
who finished seventh in the Southern
Championships at Brighton.
At the Somerset Schools, Amelia and
Oliver both finished fourth, again, and
Marcus qualified for the county team but
for some reason opted to fly home to
sunny South Africa. Very good runs also
came from India Bannister, Morgan Tottle
and Ralph Lawson.
King's was then pipped into second place at
the Clatworthy Mammoth run by the Millfield
team, despite the best efforts of winner
Ollie Fox, who was closely supported by
Harry Billing, Henry Dufosee, Henry Willis
and Amelia Evans - amongst others.
Amelia proceeded to finish fourth (yet
again!) of the Somerset team at the South
West Schools Championships, on a
hideously wet, cold and miserable day -
going one better than Ollie Fox. These
two went on to represent Somerset at the
English Schools National Championships,
held this year on home turf near Taunton -
Cross-country
by Richard Llewellyn-Eaton
82