National sporting success for Woodbridge School
Shortly before the end of last term, three of Woodbridge School’s four cross country teams competed in the ESAA XC National Cup, a competition for day and boarding schools in England. Having already done well in the area and regional rounds to get the Nationals, the runners could be fairly confident, although they were all, understandably, rather nervous at the start.
The Intermediate (under 17) girls were first to go. The start proved difficult, with all 140 competitors jostling for position. It wasn’t much easier for their supporters waiting at the finish line, anxious to see Woodbridge vests cross, but finally they came into view. A true team effort, with only the first four counting towards the final score, the other two runners knew they needed to work hard to prevent the oppositions’ third and fourth runners from getting a better placing. Achieving 10th, 33rd, 52nd and 96th put the team 12th overall out of 24 teams.
Next to go were the Junior (under 15) boys. Knowing they had to work hard to get themselves in a good position at the start, all six got away well. After another anxious wait for the supporters, they crossed the finish line in some great positions but there were a few issues with the results, so everyone had to wait until after the next race before they could know how the boys had done.
The Junior girls’ race run, seeing them come 19th out of 24, finally the Junior boys’ results were in and they had come first! Having finished 14th, 22nd, 23rd and 54th, Woodbridge Junior boys were National Champions by just one point, making it an extremely exciting and close competition!
All three teams can be extremely proud of their achievements – just getting to Nationals was a superb achievement, so winning was phenomenal. We are delighted to add our congratulations to all involved – runners and coaches alike.
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Photo courtesy of Woodbridge School
