THE town’s high schools once again dominated this year’s Southend Schools Cross-Country championships.

Southend High School for Girls won all five of the girls’ races at Blenheim Park, in Leigh, while the High School for Boys won three of the five of the boys’ events.

Both schools won the overall team event, but Eastwood High School pushed them all the way, finishing second overall in both the boys and girls events.

Meanwhile, Shoebury Boys achieved their best position since 1984 by coming third. Shoebury Girls also finished in the bronze position.

In the Year 7 boys 3.6km race, Southend High School for Boys’ Adam Kidd beat Robert Alabaster, from Eastwood, by just two seconds, with Callum Smith, also from Southend High School for Boys in third.

It was a similarly close race in the Year 8 boys 3.5km, with George Elliott, from Eastwood, beating rival Laurence Willmore, from Southend High School, by a mere two seconds. A further 15 seconds back was Adam Jordan, of Shoebury Boys.

Josh Mann got Shoebury Boys’ sole victory of the day in the Year 9 boys 3.6km race, beating James Nadin, from Eastwood, by five seconds, and Alfie Barton, from Southend High, by 33 seconds.

It was a clean sweep in the Years 10 and 11 boys race as Southend High made it a one-two-three courtesy of Jon Kerridge, Richard Stennett and Oliver Kyriakides.

In the Years 12 and 13 boys’ race, Alex Short, of Southend High, beat team-mate Jack Fitsall into second, with George Moxon, of South East Essex College, third.

Abigail Pocock started the dominance of Southend High School for Girls by winning the Year 7 girls race by ten seconds from Gabriella Pearson, from Eastwood, and Natasha May, also from Southend High.

It was another clean sweep in the Year 8 girls event, with Southend High School for Girls dominating the race. Liberty Good led them home, five seconds ahead of Olivia Sofroniou and Abigail Uden.

Olivia Tidd, from Southend High, won the Year 9 girls race, followed by schoolmate Emma Jarvis. Eastwood’s Poppy Aifmarri was third.

Aimee Garnett comfortably won the Years 10 and 11 girls race, beating Eastwood’s Emily Bullis into second and clubmate Emily Crow in third.

The final race of the day was the Years 12 and 13 girls, which was won by Southend High’s Holly Gillard. Camilla Smee, of South East Essex College, was second and Southend High’s Amelia Kyriakides third.