GEMMA Holloway added to her growing list of titles by winning the Essex Schools Cross-Country Championships last weekend and many other south Essex athletes will be joining her in the county team heading to the English Schools Cross-Country Championships.

The Palmer’s College student won the senior girls title at a frozen Hilly Fields, Colchester, in commanding fashion, setting her up nicely for her challenge at the Southern Cross-Country Championships in Brighton tomorrow.

Elsewhere there were notable runs from Southend’s Joanna Rimmington who was second in the junior girls race, Castle Point’s Jodie Judd who was runner-up in the intermediate girls race and from Mason Webb who was third in the intermediate boys contest despite being the youngest year in the age group.

The top six in each race will automatically go on to represent Essex at the English Schools Cross-Country Championships in Blackburn in March, with two other selectors’ choices up for grabs.

As well as Holloway, Rimmington, Judd and Webb, other south Essex athletes to make the team are Hayley Instance (Thurrock, fifth in junior girls), Jack Exley (Thurrock, sixth in junior boys), Sinead Clark (Castle Point & Rochford, intermediate girls), Max Jones (Castle Point & Rochford, fourth intermediate boys), Isobel Ives (Havering, fifth senior girls), Adam Houchell (Mid-Essex, fourth senior boys), George Elliott (Castle Point & Rochford, fifth senior boys) and Christian Gray (Castle Point & Rochford, sixth senior boys).

Others who have given themselves a real chance of selection by finishing in the top eight, but must wait for the selectors to decide, are Amber Pullinger (Thurrock, eighth junior girls), Katie Faint (Southend, seventh intermediate girls), Niamh Smith (Castle Point & Rochford, eighth intermediate girls), Brandon Thorpe (Castle Point & Rochford, seventh intermediate boys) and Joe Ray (Southend, seventh senior boys).