KEVIGS cross country aces impress at national finals - including a fourth-place finish

Will Phillips finished fourth in the national schools' cross country finals - as youngsters from Louth' s King Edward VI Grammar School turned on the style.

Competing in Newquay on the Cornish coast last month, the first race saw a huge field of 27 schools compete for the junior national title.

Around 180 pupils ran in this final, seeing some of the best cross-country runners in country compete for individual and team glory.

A challenging course in difficult wet and windy conditions, was beaten into submission by an incredible individual performance from Will Phillips, who finished an outstanding fourth.

His teammates Will Sutton (42nd), Isaac Shepperd (94th), Oli Shoubridge (138th ) and Charlie Hammond (142th) all finishing strongly to secure a 19th place team finish – an achievement the boys can be proud of.

The senior boys' race again had a very strong field with a huge number of GB athletes competing.

With around 150 runners taking part and the course having taken a hammering with the volume of runners going through, the boys' race tactics became essential for a good performance.

Already at a disadvantage only having four runners, the boys were confident they would represent the school with pride and determination.

They didn’t disappoint with three out of the four runners finishing and only a last lap injury preventing Zohair Shazad completing the race.

Callum Smith (112th), Andrew Morgan (115th) and Luke Haynes (129th) all did themselves proud.

The teams booked their places in the finals at the regionals at Spinkhill, Sheffield.

Having made it through the first round in Peterborough, the junior and senior boys' team along with the intermediate girls' impressed.

The field was incredibly strong at all age groups with the usual private and state grammar schools dominating many races.

In the first race of the day the senior boys - comprising of year 13s Andy Morgan and Luke Haines with year 11s Callum Smith, Zohair Shazad and Will Day, completed the first major success, with Andy finishing fourth, Callum ninth, Luke 12th, Zohair 14th and Will 15th.

This saw the team comfortably qualify for the finals.

The next race featured the junior boys' Will Phillips, Will Sutton, Callum Padbury, Isaac Shepperd, Oli Shoubridge and Charlie Hammond, all from year eight.

With the top four runners counting, the team finished second out of 14 other regionals schools, only two points behind the winners.

Will Philips and Will Sutton finished second and third respectively, Isaac just missing out on a top 10 as he crossed the line 11th.

The girls competed fantastically well with the stand out performance by Tilly Carrotte, coming in seventh in an exceptionally strong field.

Olivia Anstey, Poppy Barnbrook, Elsie and Ivy Hall and Evie Roscoe all represented the school exceptionally well.

The girls placed ninth overall, an outstanding achievement.

As the weather held for the District Cross Country event at Louth AC, 11 schools met to compete for qualification to individual county events.

Out of the six events, KEVIGS were victorious in four team events – the year seven girls, junior girls, inter girls and inter boys.

Florrie Hensman was the winner of the Y7 race with Poppy Price, Elysia Smith and Helena Sharpley finishing second, fourth and fifth respectively.

Tilly Carrotte, Ava Rhodes, Olivia Anstey and Lyla Norman finished second, trhird, fifth and seventh in the junior girls' race.

In the intermediate girls, Ruby Leak, Caitlin Hall and Evie Roscoe finished fourth, seventh and eighth.

Luke Brumpton, Callum Smith, Josh Brindle and Tom Allis finished first, second, third and fifth in the inter boys' race.