Rugby & Northampton AC Under 17s are Midlands cross country champions

Finlay Ward on his way to 7th in the Under 20s race

Thrilling racing and outstanding performances at Mansfield

Rugby & Northampton took part in the annual Midlands Cross Country Championships at Mansfield on Saturday and experienced thrilling racing and some outstanding individual and team success.

The U13 girls race saw Olivia McGhee in contention from the off and she battled with the leading group before finally pulling away to be crowned Midlands Champion - the first female champion the club has seen since 2007.

The U15 girls have been steadily improving all season and this resulted in a stellar performance with Ava Rogerson, Jemima Cooper, Ava Farren, Rebecca Eaton and Evie Marston claiming the team silver medal.

Rugby & Northampton AC's Under 17s men with their gold medals

Not to be outdone, the U17 men went one better winning the team title. Dominic Evans in 6th, was followed home closely by Louis Starr, Thomas Brinkley and Ned Gilford.

There were other outstanding individual performances as Arthur Tilt and Nathan Lamb finished 8th and 12th respectively in the U15 boys race, Madeleine Jacks was in 6th in the U17 women’s race and Finlay Ward finished 7th in the U20 men’s race.

The senior women were led home in 56th by Tilly Lea while Dominic Jones and Jack Bond produced high-level performances to be 12th and 25th respectively in the senior men’s race.