Young athletes took to Witton Country Park in Blackburn to contest the ESAA National Cross Country Championships

Abbie Donnelly was among the winners at Witton Country Park in Blackburn on Saturday as the Lincolnshire athlete took the senior girls title at the ESAA National Cross Country Championships.

Mahamed Mahamed won senior boys gold, the Hampshire runner maintaining a winning streak this year which has also seen him claim Inter-Counties and English National under-17 titles.

Almost 2000 schoolchildren took part in an event which for many will be the highlight of their winter seasons, though the top eight athletes from each of the junior and intermediate races will also be selected for England for the Schools International in Dublin on March 21.

The penultimate event on the undulating course was the senior girls race and Donnelly followed up her fifth-place finish in the under-20 race at Inter-Counties with victory, beating Essex athlete Gemma Holloway by 11 seconds. Hampshire’s Daisy D’Santos was a further four seconds back.

Mahamed secured his eighth win on the country this year, crossing the line 25 seconds clear of Somerset’s Oliver Fox. North Yorkshire’s Sam Dickinson was third.

Joining his older brother in victory was Zakariya Mahammed who was another clear winner, finishing ahead of Cleveland’s Joshua Cowperthwaite and his Hampshire team-mate Lachlan Wellington in the junior boys event. The junior girls title was claimed by Kent’s Inter-Counties under-15 champion Kathleen Faes from Hampshire’s Josie Czura and Leicestershire’s Hannah Seager.

Intermediate titles were won by triathlete Ben Dijkstra and Sabrina Sinha. Leicestershire’s Dijkstra finished 13 seconds clear of Kent’s Alasdair Kinloch and Tom Mortimer of Gloucestershire, while Kent’s Inter-Counties under-17 champion Sinha saw off the challenge of Surrey’s Niamh Brown and Kent’s Holly Page.

Top results

Senior boys

1 Mahammed Mahammed Hants 24:15
2 Oliver Fox Somer 24:40
3 Sam Dickinson NYorks 24:43
4 Gus Cockle Surrey 24:44
5 William Battershill Devon 24:46
6 Daniel Haymes Derby 24:52
7 Jamie Dee Herts 24:54
8 William Richardson HerWor 24:55
9 Emile Cairess WYorks 25:02
10 Michael Bartram Suffk 25:12

Senior girls

1 Abbie Donnelly Lincs 15:49
2 Gemma Holloway Essex 16:00
3 Daisy D’Santos Hants 16:04
4 Poppy Tank Devon 16:08
5 Olivia Gwynn Somer 16:17
6 Molly Betmead Lancs 16:21
7 Katie Astin Mersey 16:24
8 Katie Shiel-Rankin Surrey 16:24
9 Georgia Tuckfield Essex 16:31
10 Niamh Bridson-Hubbard Kent 16:32

Intermediate boys

1 Ben Dijkstra Leics 17:43
2 Alasdair Kinloch Kent 17:56
3 Tom Mortimer Gloucs 18:02
4 Archie Rayner Notts 18:05
5 Tom Dodd WMids 18:06
6 Scott Beattie Nland 18:07
7 Jamie Goodge Kent 18:08
8 Isaac Akers Leics 18:11
9 Hugo Milner Derby 18:13
10 Jack Boswell Hants 18:24

Intermediate girls

1 Sabrina Sinha Kent 12:39
2 Niamh Brown Surrey 12:42
3 Holly Page Kent 12:50
4 Kate Waugh Nland 12:53
5 Morven Goodrum Berks 12:55
6 Grace Goddard Berks 12:56
7 Jessica Keene Kent 13:00
8 Amelia Lancaster SYorks 13:05
9 Yoyo Barnsley Corn 13:07
10 Chloe Sharp Kent 13:07

Junior boys

1 Zakariya Mahammed Hants 11:39
2 Joshua Cowperthwaite Cleve 11:50
3 Lachlan Wellington Hants 12:04
4 Adam Searle Nhants 12:05
5 Harry Digby Berks 12:06
6 Marcus Dey GtrMan 12:07
7 Henry-James Cowie Kent 12:09
8 Finn Birnie Corn 12:13
9 Mohamed Mohamud London 12:14
10 Adam Caulfield Nhants 12:14

Junior girls

1 Kathleen Faes Kent 11:03
2 Josie Czura Hants 11:21
3 Hannah Seager Leics 11:39
4 Claudia Lance- Jones Surrey 11:43
5 Olivia Mason Cumb 11:43
6 Tilly Simpson Derby 11:46
7 Libby Coleman Notts 11:51
8 Tia Wilson Beds 11:53
9 Amelia Wills Hants 11:54
10 Sophie Morton Herts 11:54

See next week’s Athletics Weekly magazine for much more in-depth coverage, while full individual and team results can be found here

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