Parklife for 700 youngsters as Primary colours are flown

1:10pm Tuesday 3rd March 2009

By Dick Marshall

SOUTH-EAST Essex enjoyed tremendous success when just under 700 youngsters competed in the County Primary Schools’ Championships for years five and six at Basildon’s Gloucester Park.

Thorpe Bay’s Alleyn Court took the overall gold honours on the day on the team front with their performance being highlighted by victory in the year six girls.

They were second in the year five girls, third in the year five boys and 13th in the year six boys to pip Chalkwell Hall to team honours by just four points.

It was no surprise when the year six girls’ event was won by Grove Wood, Rayleigh’s Millie Smith.

Despite her tender years, Millie is already an established athlete with Basildon AC, having earned herself a spot in the under-13 girls’ team for the UK Inter-Counties Championship in Nottingham next Saturday.

Millie had won the year five girls’ race at the inaugural County Primary event in 2008 and will now make the move up to secondary schooling in the autumn with a record that can only be equalled, never beaten.

The result of the year five girls' race will send a shudder down the spines of all young aspiring girl cross-county runners.

For, after years of domination by Jessica Judd on the local scene, the Thurrock Harriers’ international’s younger sister Jodie showed that athletics runs through the veins of the family.

Jodie, a pupil at Canvey's Leigh Beck School where her sister, now at Castle View, also attended, won the race in a time of 4 mins 51 secs - 16 seconds ahead of her nearest rival in a finishing line-up of 156.

Third local success came in the year five boys’ race where Max Jones captured glory for Edward Francis School, Rayleigh, in a time of 6.34. This saw him seven seconds clear of his nearest rival in a 182 finishing line-up.

Chalkwell Hall were most successful south-east Essex school in the year six boys, won by the team from St Andrew's, Halstead.

The saints also provided the individual winner in that year’s team event in the shape of Oliver Swallow in 8.39. There were 184 finishers. The Championship’s main organisers were Thundersley’s King John School.

Results (Top 20 individuals and leading 10 teams): Year five girls - 1, Jodie Judd (Leigh Beck) 4 mins. 51 secs; 2, Molly Jappy (Woodford Green) 5.07; 3, Abigail Pocock (Chalkwell Hall) 5.08; 4, Gabriella Pearson (Earls Hall) 5.11; 5, Olivia Nugent (St Joseph’s Upminster); 5.12; 6, Emily Rome (Maldon Court) 5.12; 7, M Samuels (Alleyn Court) 5.14; 8, N May (Alleyn Court) 5.29; 9, Laura Bazan (Chalkwell Hall) 5.32; 10, Megan Sharpe (St Andrew's Halstead) 5.33; 11, Ellie Robinson (Woodside) 5.35; 12, Molly Robinson (Baddow Hall); 13, Lilly Mae Evendon (Woodside) 5.37; 14, Kierra Tippett (South Benfleet) 5.39; 15, Saffron Earl (Woodford Green) 5.39; 16, Rachel Johns (Long Ridings) 5.39; 17, Lucy Blackmore (St Andrew's Halstead) 5.41; 18, Courtney Reid (Chingford) 5.41; 19, Katie Wood (Kents Hill); 20, Amy Baggs (Branfil) 5.44. Team: 1, Woodford Green (76); 2, Alleyn Court (104); 3, Chalkwell Hall (104); 4, St Andrew's Halstead (148); 5, Branfil (153); 6, Edwards Hall (179); 7, Woodside (187); 8, Mountnessing (207); 9, Baddow Hall (222); 10, Crowstone (232).

Year five boys - 1, Max Jones (Edward Francis ) 6.34; 2, Freddie Freestone (Woodford Green) 6.41; 3, Tommy Cropper (Friends) 6.48; 4, C Lockhart (Alleyn Court) 6.53; 5, Lewis Stantiall (Baddow Hall) 6.57; 6, H Smith (Alleyn Court) 6.58; 7, Nathan Brearley (Baddow Hall) 7.01; 8, Alex Margiotta (Chalkwell Hall) 7.01; 9, Mitchell Belson (Edwards Hall) 7.01; 10, Jason Rucker (Chetwood) 7.04; 11, Rhys Phillips (Woodford Green) 7.05; 12, Jake Brocklebank (Branfil) 7.07; 13, Matthew OCallagham (Friends) 7.08; 14, Ryan Bushnell (Danbury Park) 7.09; 15, Rory Bohea (The Willows) 7.13; 16, James Wakefield (Woodford Green) 7.14; 17, Josh Jones (Edward Francis) 7.14; 18, Bayley Newell (Woodside) 7.15; 19, Alex Emsden (Friends) 7.18; 20, James Clarke (Ingrave Johnstone) 7.21. Team: 1, Woodford Green (50); 2, Friends (58); 3, Alleyn Court (94); 4, Edward Francis (118); 5, Edwards Hall (119); 6, Branfil (173); 7, Woodside (196); 8, Baddow Hall (200); 9, Fairways (202); 10, Chalkwell Hall (202).

Year six girls - 1, Millie Smith (Grove Wood) 6.38; 2, Kinza Lewis (St Andrew's Halstead) 6.55; 3, Hannah irwin (Friends) 6.58; 4, Erin Minton-Branfoot (Chetwood) 7.06; 5, L Kidwell (Alleyn Court) 7.16; 6, Daisy Ponting (South Green) 7.18; 7, I. Hoskyn Staples (Alleyn Court) 7.18; 8, Brogan James (Woodford Green); 9, Ella Stapleton (Westerings) 7.22; 10, Casey Caldenk (Chingford); 7.24; 11, Beth Armitage (Colchester High) 7.31; 12, Shellie Sumpter (Stanford-le-Hope) 7.32; 13, Tilly Canham (Chingford) 7.32; 14, Phoebe Maloney (Ardleigh Green) 7.33; 15, Lydia Ballard (Maldon Court) 7.34; 16, Bethan McElroy (Grove Wood) 7.34; 17, Laura Forster (St Andrew's Halstead) 7.34; 18, G Friswell (Alleyn Court) 7.34; 19, Bethany Frost (Chingford) 7.35; 20, Jordan Ace (Kents Hall) 7.36. Team: 1, Alleyn Court (79); 2, St Andrew's Halstead (88); 3, Chingford (101); 4, Grove Wood (145); 5, Friends (153); 6, Westerings (177); 7, Kents Hill (193); 8, Chalkwell Hall (194); 9, Maldon Court (210); 10, St Mary's Shenfield (266).

Year six boys -1, Oliver Swallow (St Andrew’s Halstead) 8.39; 2, Mitchell Delves (Riverside) 8.44; 3, George Elliott (Earls Hall) 8.53; 4, Josh Brett (Branfil) 8.59; 5, James Redman (Colchester High) 9.03; 6, Sean Jacks (Ardleigh Green) 9.04; 7, Tony Cobain (Chalkwell Hall) 9.05; 8, Adam Foster (South Benfleet) 9.13; 9, Sonny Hopson (Crowstone) 9.15; 10, Jordan Stoneham (Fairways) 9.16; 11, James Murrell (Colchester High) 9.20; 12, Nicholas Wade (Upminster Junior) 9.22; 13, Sean Wilson (Branfil) 9.24; 14, Theo Park (St Andrew's Halstead) 9.25; 15, Theo Park (Long Ridings) 9.27; 16, Tom Leigh (Our Lady of Lourdes) 9.28; 17, Edward Green (St Andrew's Halstead) 9.29; 18, Connor Sansum (St Andrew's Halstead) 9.30; 19, Daniel Frimley (Edwards Hall) 9.32; 20, Liam Hepworth (Northwick Park) 9.34. Team: 1, St Andrew's Halstead (50); 2, Chalkwell Hall (139); 3, Ardleigh Green (163); 4, Colchester High (186); 5, Branfil (207); 6, St Mary’s Shenfield (211); 7, Northwick Park (215); 8, Long Ridings (229); 9, Edwards Hall (243); 10, Kents Hill (273).

l Overall team: 1, Alleyn Court (19 points); 2, Chalkwell Hall (23); 3, St Andrew’s Halstead (32); 4, Branfil (37); 5, St Mary’s Shenfield (39); 6, Woodside (44); 7, Kents Hill (52); 8, Baddow Hall (64); 9, St Joseph’s Upminster (66); 10, Westerings (68).