SOUTHEND High School for Girls teams dug deep to ensure the school will be fully represented at the English Schools Cross Country Cup final on their own turf later this month.

Both their junior and intermediate girls teams made it into the top three at the regional qualifying in St Albans last Saturday and so qualified for the final, ensuring plenty of sighs of relief from staff at the school who will be hosting the cup final in their school grounds on Saturday, November 30.

Southend High School for Boys will also be fully represented after both their junior and intermediate boys teams made it through, with the latter squad particularly impressing by taking the overall win in St Albans.

They just pipped a third south Essex school to the win, the Eastwood Academy, but their second place ensured they too will be competing in the final.

Individually, Southend High School for Boys’ intermediate boys team were led home by the impressive Mosope Oyelola who finished fourth, with Harrison Smith (seventh), Adam Harley (13th) and Harry Long (16th) completing the scoring team.

Gus Withers finished fifth and first Eastwood scorer, one place ahead of team-mate Rob Allabaster with Jack Stabielli (11th) and Rushwan Lewis (24th) rounding out their team.

FitzWimarc School were one place off making it a clean sweep from south Essex teams in the top three, finishing fourth, one spot outside qualification, while King John School were 10th.

In the junior boys, Southend High qualified in the third and final spot thanks to good packing from Mitchell Lawrence (12th), Harrison Oakley (14th), Thomas Jorge (15th) and Noah Chilvers (22nd).

FitzWimarc School’s James Perkins was the star south Essex performer individually as he finished in fifth spot with his team finishing in the same position overall.

King John School were seventh, St Bernard’s eighth and FitzWimarc 13th.

There was a strong south Essex feel to the standings in the intermediate girls placings.

Sinead Clark, of FitzWimarc, had a great run to finish third, one spot ahead of the first Southend High School for Girls scorer Katie Feint.

King John had Kiera Tippett (seventh) and Niamh Smith (ninth) both in the top 10 but the Thundersley school just missed out on a qualifying place by eighth points.

Feint’s strong run ensured the Southend High team finished second as Natasha May (17th), Megan Richardson (23rd) and Iona Doyle (32nd) backed her up well.

Other schools competing in the intermediate girls race were FitzWimarc (eighth), Eastwood (13th) and St Bernard’s (14th).

The Southend High junior girls team ensured they claimed the third and final qualifying spot with strong runs from Joanna Rimmington (eighth), Lucy Hagger (15th), Elena Iruskieta (19th) and Juliette Le Mare (22nd).

King Edmund School’s Georgia Goble had a fine run to finish 10th and helping her school finish fifth overall with King John in seventh, St Bernard’s eighth and FitzWimarc 13th.

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