Elliott: How training with Jess has raised my running to the next level (From Echo)

Elliott: How training with Jess has raised my running to the next level

4:50pm Friday 10th February 2012 in Sport By Ryan Goad

GEORGE Elliott stormed to yet another cross-country victory at the weekend and afterwards revealed how training partner Jessica Judd was bringing out the best in him.

The 14-year-old, from Westcliff, dominated the junior boys race at the South East Schools Intercounties match at Basildon’s Gloucester Park on Saturday.

Indeed, even the Eastwood School pupil seemed surprised at his margin of victory as he crossed the line checking around to see where his opponents were.

Last year’s under-13 boys English Cross-Country champion has kicked on from last year, dominating the county events in his first year at under-15 level and shining in the top year of the junior boys when competing in schools’ events.

He puts his strong form down to a switch to Chelmsford AC where he is now coached by Jeremy Freeman and part of a group that includes Canvey’s middle-distance ace Judd.

And it is trying to match Judd’s efforts in training that has helped him take his running to the next level, according to Elliott.

“I’m feeling strong at the moment and moving to Chelmsford has helped,” said Elliott, previously a member of Benfleet Running Club.

“It has enabled me to train with Jessica and she really doesn’t like to be beaten or even overtaken when we are training. She just kicks again and I try to hang on!”

Being in the bottom year of the under-15s, the schools races represent Elliott’s best chance of success on the big stage this season.

In finishing eighth in the Southern Championships two weeks’ ago, Elliott was the second-placed Year 9 athlete, behind Herts Phoenix’s Jamie Dee and just ahead of last year’s intercounties champion George Butler (Southampton AC).

And it’s those two athletes Elliott considers to be his main rivals when the English Schools Cross-Country Championships come round at the end of March.

“I love the schools events and at the English Schools I will just try to get up there with those guys and do my best,” he said.

Elliott wasn’t the only one to impress in the junior boys’ race as the Essex team put on a real show of strength to win the overall team title.

Basildon AC’s Daniel Ashley showcased his continued improvement by coming in as second Essex scorer in fifth place, beating a clutch of Essex vests to the finish. Finishing in quick succession behind were Lawrence Willmore (6th, Southend AC), Max Jones (7th, Basildon AC) and Adam Jordan (8th, Southend AC). The final scorer was Basildon AC’s Christian Gray (20th).

*JESSICA Judd ran away with the senior girls title at the South East Intercounties Championships on a day which saw the claret vests of Essex dominate.

Judd and George Elliott were our county's two individual winners but in the team standings, Essex won four of the six races.

Keen to bounce back from her disappointment at finishing second in the Southern Championships a week earlier, Judd cruised to victory around the hills of Gloucester Park and led her team-mates to a just as comfortable team win.

Basildon AC duo Emily Ballard (10th) and Eleanor Johnson (15th) were scorers in the winning team.

The intermediate girls team were winners too as they dominated the indivdual standings.

Thurrock Harriers' Gemma Holloway just missed out on another victory after being pipped by team-mate Georgia Tuckfield, while Basildon AC's Kaylee Dodd was the final scorer in the Essex team in 14th place, an indication of how strong the team was and hopefully will be at the English Schools Cross-Country next month.

The Essex junior boys team were winners too, see main story, as were the senior boys, with Thurrock Harriers' Tom Richardson (14th) and Southend AC's Rhys Gillard (20th) part of the scoring team.

The Essex team in the junior girls race were led home by Jodie Judd (12th) closely followed in by Millie Smith (13th) as they finished third overall. Basildon AC's Isobel Ives and Benfleet RC's Victoria Hiscock were part of that scoring team.

It was third too for the intermediate boys team, with Southend AC's Rob Frith, Basildon AC's Adam Houchell and Benfleet's James Hall all contributing to that finish.