FITZWIMARC School and King John were the two dominant forces at the Castle Point & Rochford district schools cross-country championships.

Ultimately, FitzWimarc School won the championships for a remarkable 26th straight year but they were given a fright by the King John squad whose girls in particular were a class apart.

King John teams won all three of the girls races but the Fitz girls teams stayed close enough and their boys did the rest by winning all three of their contests to ensure it was the Rayleigh school that came out on top.

There was a magnificent one-two-three for King John in the Year 7 girls race and it was Sophie Wetheridge who timed her charge to perfection to take the victory.

Lucy Brewster was next home and Hollie Rex completed the clean sweep for King John.

Alex Bragg was FitzWimarc’s first winner of the day as he strode to victory in the Year 7 boys race. Matthew Stevens-Brown (Appleton School) was the runner-up and Bragg’s Fitz team-mate Tom Franklin third.

Echo:

Alex Bragg

King Edmund School had individual winners in both the Year 8&9 races courtesy of Charlotte Brooks and Cameron Jarvis.

Brooks impressed in the girls race, finishing ahead of FitzWimarc’s Tilly Deacon and King John School’s Abby Rex.

Jarvis was triumphant in the boys race, getting the better of Craig Wheeler (Greensward Academy, second) and Henry Shields (FitzWimarc, third).

Max Jones (FitzWimarc) got the better of his Basildon AC team-mate Brandon Thorpe (Greensward Academy) to win the Year 10&11 boys race with King John’s Aaron Marshall finishing third.

Castle View School’s Jodie Judd added another district title to her CV in the Year 10&11 girls race with Year 10 pupils Sinead Clark (FitzWimarc) and Niamh Smith (King John) running well to finish in second and third.