Plenty of league action plus the English Schools Cross Country Cup in recent days in Britain

MANCHESTER AREA LEAGUE, Woodbank Park, Stockport, March 1

Emilia Platt won her second race of the season with a dominant front running performance at the final fixture on a sunny afternoon, Stephen Green reports.

The Salford Harrier and 2024 English National under-20 cross country champion was quickly into the lead and looked comfortable throughout.

Over the undulating course with a daunting hill climb, Platt went clear of Emily Haggard-Kearney, who also has two league wins this season, and won by over 30 seconds at the tape.

Aaron Doyle produced an equally impressive run in the senior men’s race and looked strong on the steep descent and challenging ascent through the woods. The Vale Royal athlete crossed the line over 100 metres clear of Horwich’s Joe Mercer, who moved clear of Ryan Worland in the final push to the finish.

In the under-17 women’s race, Buxton’s Constance Jenneson enjoyed a 200m plus margin of victory over Isobel Hall, with Rosie Philbin third.

The U17 men’s event saw a close finish as Trafford’s Jay Hutchinson edged team-mate Evan Lewis, with Michael Wood of Macclesfield third, as two seconds separated the top three.

Robyn Heywood-Young led a Sale Harriers one-two in the under-15 girls’ event, 14 seconds clear of Caitlin Whetton with Poppy Branch of Stockport third.

Jake Ireland of Macclesfield Harriers, fresh from taking the English National under-15 title the previous week at Parliament Hill, had to work hard to pull eight seconds clear of Stockport’s Harry Shatwell, with Ireland’s team-mate George O’Donnell third.

Mia Ford of Liverpool scored an 18-second win ahead of Nia Manson with Imogen Weatherhead third in the under 13 girls’ event as Alistair Riley took the under-13 boys’ race.

Men: 1 A Doyle (Vale R) 35:34; 2 J Mercer (Horw) 35:58; 3 R Worland (Salf) 36:05

M40: 1 A Norman (Alt) 36:57

M45: 1 R Coen (Wilms) 38;19

M50: 1 S Doyle (Vale R) 39:39

M60: 1 A Bramham (Horw) 43:47

U20: 1 J Catterell (Stock) 39:05

TEAM: 1 Chorlton

U17: 1 J Hutchinson (Traff) 23:13; 2 E Lewis (Traff) 23:14; 3 M Wood (Macc) 23:15

TEAM: 1 Trafford

U15: 1 I Ireland (Macc) 16:18; 2 H Shatwell (Stock) 16:26; 3 G O’Donnell (Macc) 16:34

TEAM: 1 Macclesfield

U13: 1 A Riley (Stock) 11:59; 2 L Alves (Saale) 12:11; 3 J Shearing (E Chesh) 12:43

TEAM: 1 Salford

Women: 1 E Platt (Salf, U20) 34:39; 2 E Haggard-Kearney (Warriors) 35:11; 3 K Fitzpatrick (Chor, W35) 36:39

W40: 1 L Lombard (Salf) 36:53

W45: 1 J Rosenberg (Alt) 40:03

W55: 1 W Higginbottom (Buxt) 40:15

TEAM: 1 Sale

U17: 1 C Jennison (Buxt) 27:13; 2 I Hall (Sale) 27:57; 3 R Philbin (Stock) 28:49

TEAM: 1 Sale

U15: 1 R Haywood-Young (Sale) 18:08; 2 C Wetters (Sale) 18:22; 3 P Branch (Stock) 18:33

TEAM: 1 Sale

U13: 1 M Ford (Liv) 13:00; 2 M Manson (W Chesh) 13:18; 3 I Wetherhead (Salf) 13:24

TEAM: 1 Salford

ENGLISH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CUP FINAL, Leeds, March 1

Leeds Grammar School hosted the event that was postponed from earlier in the year due to the winter storms and Owen Smith, the South East Schools Inter-Counties winner, headed the senior boys’ race from his Farnborough College team-mate Jacob Pearce.

They also took the team award from Millfield School.

Finn MacLennan, the South of England champion, added the inter-boys’ race to make it three wins out of three in 2025

The senior girls’ race saw the best quality race as South of England champion Katie Pye headed Zoe Gilbody, the 2024 English National under-17 runner-up, by a few metres as Evie Powell was just a second behind in third.

Kitty Scott made it a double for Guildford High School by heading team mate Poppy Guest in the intermediate girls’ race as Summer Smith took third in a repeat of their one-two in the South of England Championship at Beckenham in January.

Senior Boys: 1 O Smith (Farn C) 15:25; 2 J Pearce (Farn C) 15:43; 3 D Millard (Huish) 15:55

TEAM: 1 Farnborough Vl Form College 25; 2 Millfield 75; 3 Ilkley Grammar 85

Inter Boys: 1 F MacClennan (Perse) 12:25; 2 M Phelan (St Anselms) 12:53; 3 T Thake (S’dale) 12;57

TEAM: 1 Bournemouth 110; 2 St Paul’s 112; 3 Perse 113

Senior girls: 1 K Pye (Guildford) 10:44; 2 Z Gilbody (T Telford) 10:48; 3 E Powell (Headington 10:49)

TEAM: 1 Headington 86; 2 Highgate 107; 3 Millfield 110

Inter Girls: 1 K Scott (Guildford) 10:41; 2 P Guest (Guildford) 10:46; 3 S Smith (Coopers) 10:51

TEAM: 1 Guildford High School 19; 2 Chelmsford County 107; 3 New Hall 113

Junior Girls: 1 J Thake (S’dale) 8:11; 2 I Beddow (W Kirby) 8:15; 3 P Warman (Millfield) 8:17

TEAM: 1 Woodbridge 60; 2 Millfield 92; 3 Guildford 94

MID LANCS LEAGUE, Skelmersdale, March 1

Men: 1 J Johnston (Ross) 34:33; 2 C Almond (Lanc U, U20) 35:15; 3A Briffett (Wig) 35:42

TEAM: 1 Wesham 158; 2 Lancaster U 171; 3 South port W 178

M40 TEAM: 1 Wesham 48

M50 TEAM: 1 Southport W 32

M60 TEAM: 1 Southport W 14

U20 TEAM: 1 Lancaster U 12

U17: 1 J Eccles (L&M) 22:21

TEAM: 1 Blackburn 24

U15: 1 W Delamere (S’port W) 15:01

TEAM: 1 Southport W 8

U13: 1 N Cook (Barrow in F) 11;43

TEAM: 1 Southport W 20

Women: 1 E Simm (BWF) 23:40; 2 E McColm (Preston) 24:17; 3 S Jones (Walney) 25:39

W55: 1 J Gourney (Lyth) 29:21

TEAM: 1 Preston 21; 2 Liverpool PS 43; 3 Southport W 52

W35 TEAM: 1 Liv PS 18

W45 TEAM: 1 Liv PS 14

W55 TEAM: 1 CleM 22

U20: 1 J Milburn (Lanc W) 27:21

TEAM: 1 Lancaster U 11

U17: 1 C Monaghan (S’port W) 18:29

TEAM: 1 Sedbergh School 17

U15: 1 S Fortune (S’port W) 12:12

TEAM: 1 Chorley 23

U13: 1 S Hunter (St Hel) 9:55

TEAM: 1 BWF 34

START FITNESS NORTH EASTERN HARRIER LEAGUE, Alnwick, March 1

Louis Head crossed the line first but the fastest time went to Jarlath McKenna with a 35:54 split.

Overall: 1 L Head (Heaton) 38:57

Fastest: J McKenna (Tyne Br, M40) 35:54; A Bailes (Birt) 36:07; L McConnell (Birt) 36:35

M50: 1 J Clifford (Darl) 40:14

M60: 1 I Norman (Heat) 44:07

U17: 1 A Richardson (Durh) 15:40

Fastest: L McDonough (Alnw) 14:14

U15: 1 A Jobson (Blay) 13:38

Fastest: J Sturman (NSP) 12:23

U13: 1 F Waugh (Alnw) 14;29

Fastest: H Englehart (Durh) 14:25

Women: 1 C Penfold (NSP, W40) 27:04

Fastest: L Storey (Durh, U20) 26:26; 2 Penfold 27:04; E Downes (Tyne Br) 28;13

W45: 1 J Heslop (Elsw) 28:25

U20/U17: 1 H Cutler (T’dale, U17) 18:54

Fastest: E Booth (J&H) 17:35

U15: 1 E Waugh (Alnw) 14:28

Fastest: K Pye (Hought) 13;59

U13: 1 C Brown (Hought) 16:15

Fastest: I Hall (Birt) 14:55

OXFORDSHIRE LEAGUE, Henley, March 2

Ben Cole, the 2023 South of The Thames champion, scored his second league win of the campaign for second claim club Swindon Harriers.

Men: 1 B Cole (Swin) 26:37; 2 M Shantry (Head RR) 26:50; 3 J Davies (Oxf C, U20) 26:57

M40: 1 L Byrne (Swin) 28:09

M50: 1 J Bolton (W’stock) 29:27

M55: 1 F Campbell (Head RR) 31:26

M60: 1 C Bedford (Abing) 34:25

M70: 1 S Thorp (Oxf C) 42:44

TEAM: 1 Swindon Harriers

U17: 1 J Norton (Newb) 22:38; 2 J Hart (Radley) 23:11; 3 P Irvine (Abing) 24:12

TEAM: 1 Swindon

U15: 1 F Byrne (Swin) 18:45; 2 L Blyton (Bic) 18:48; 3 S Nixon-Gagg (Abing) 19:33

TEAM: 1 Swindon

U13: 1 J Spruce (Abin g) 9:25; 2 S Cousins (Radley) 9:27; 3 R Gray (Banb) 9:56

TEAM: 1 Reading

Women: 1 L Dickens (Head RR) 31:05; 2 V Bedecker (Hook N, W35) 31:22; 3 F Hannon (Oxf C) 32:30

W40: 1 L Fraser (Abing) 33:54

W50: 1 R Allen (Newb) 36:43

TEAM: 1 Headington RR

U17: 1 I Sheriden (Read) 24:40; 2 E Spencer (Swin) 26:48; 3 C Smith (Banb) 28:12

U15: 1 A Lorimer (Oxf C) 21:39; 2 S Eagland (Banb) 22:52; 3 V Marsh (Read) 23:08

TEAM: 1 Swindon

U13: 1 H Saunders (T Kennet) 10:42; 2 C Griffiths-Clack (Swin) 10:57; 3 T Tate (gst) 11:00

TEAM: 1 Swindon

WESTWARD LEAGUE, Redruth, Cornwall, March 1

Men: 1 J McDonald (Exe U) 27:28; 2 J Harrison (Exe U) 27:38; 3 B Harrison (Corn) 27:55

M45: 1 J Gilbey (Plym) 29:43

TEAM: 1 Exeter U 1457

M40 TEAM: 1 Newquay & Par 753

U17: 1 W Pearce (N&P) 16:52

TEAM: 1 Cornwall 284

U15: 1 T Hennessey (Tav) 14:29

TEAM: 1 Newquay & P 290

U13: 1 O Williams (Corn) 10:58

TEAM: 1 Plymouth 196

Women: 1 H Peters (Exe U) 18:43; 2 C Walker (Tav) 18:54; 3 Aarnold (Plym) 19:02

U17: 1 O Sear (Exe) 19:34

TEAM: 1 Exeter U 781

W35 TEAM: 1 Bideford 283

U17 TEAM: 1 Cornwall 294

U15: 1 A Sutton (Corn) 15:30

TEAM: 1 Newquay & P 192

U13: 1 A Little (Torbay) 11:51

TEAM: 1 Cornwall 290