Cross-Country 16 (1974-75)

The results indicate a fairly successful season for the Intermediate Cross-Country Team, although injuries and disappointing form, particularly in the Spring Term, hindered progress.

At fourth year level, there were six inter-school fixtures, of which the team won 4. We had easy wins against Richard Hale (first six runners home) Watford (first four runners home) and Slough (first three runners home). The match against our local rivals, Bishopshalt, was a closely fought affair, resulting in a four-point victory for the school. This was the best match of the season and proved the value of having had a joint Cross Country Training Camp in North Wales last September. Of our two defeats, the one against the strong St. Albans School was expected, although all the team gave of their best in this race. However, the same cannot be said about our defeat by Harrow County. Finally the match against Dr. Challoner's School was declared null and void because most of our runners went off course. We would probably have lost against this strong team but most of our team members seemed to have enjoyed their tour of the Buckinghamshire countryside in pouring rain and ankle-deep mud.

In races run jointly with the Fifth year, the team finished second to Bishopshalt in the Borough Championships and the Borough League. In the former, Nigel Newton finished eleventh and was selected to represent the Borough in the Middlesex Schools Championships. Jonathan Henley also had an excellent run in the Borough Race to finish fourteenth. In the Borough League, we lost to Bishopshalt in all five fixtures by ever increasing margins. Nigel Newton, Nicholas Jones and Jonathan Henley were our best performers but never finished high up enough to put the team in a winning position. Nigel Newton had the best individual record, finishing in sixth position overall.

Most success came in invitation races open to fourth and third years, mainly owing to the excellent support given by our outstanding third year team. We were third out of eighteen teams in the Joiner Trophy at Enfield, the best runs coming from Martin Johnson (22nd) and Mark Candler (24th) from a field of 140 runners. In the Highgate Harriers Schools Race, the strongest fixture of the season, the team finished eleventh out of thirty-six teams, a particularly good result as all the scoring runners were third years. Chris Cornwell came as close as he ever did all season to beating Martin Johnson, finishing just one second and one place behind in thirty third position. Nicholas Sebley was the other scorer in fifty ninth place from a field. of 148 runners.

In the Spring Term, we were placed fifth out of sixteen teams in our own Haste Hill Relay, just 33 seconds away from third-team medals. This was a solid performance, with only 33 seconds difference between the slowest and fastest member of the team.

At the beginning of March, we travelled to Hertford for the Skeeles Trophy Relay Race, hopeful of gaining medals. But it was not to be. Despite another spirited performance by the team, including a storming fourth leg by Martin. Johnson, giving him seventh fastest time of the day, we finished fourth. Our final fixture was the Langley Relay when we finished fifth; an excellent performance which augurs well for next year, as all the team were third years.

R.K.