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Pupils to go for gold at East Midlands Airport Derbyshire Schools Cross Country Championships

3 February 2010

Mount St Mary's College in Spinkhill, North Derbyshire, will again play host to the event on Saturday, February 6, with competitors racing over fields over a variety distances.

All the athletes taking part have qualified through a series of Area Championships held across the county, and almost every secondary school in Derbyshire will be represented.

Among those taking part in the East Midlands Airport-sponsored event will be some of the 2009 Champions, who will be hoping to take first place once again.

This includes Danielle Booth from Amber Valley, who won the Year 7 Girls race last year and has now moved up to Junior Girls. Danielle will face competition from more than 100 girls, including Amber Valley team mate and last year’s Year 7 runner-up Mollie Mee, who will be hoping to go one better and take the gold medal this year in the Junior Girls Championship.

Last year’s Junior Boys winner, Jon Douall from the Derbyshire Dales, has moved up to Intermediate Boys, and will be defending his title against more than 100 boys, including last year’s runner-up Terah Hooley from Erewash.

Meanwhile in the Intermediate Girls category competitors include Emily Erskine from the Derbyshire Dales, who won the Junior Girls race last year.

Last year’s Intermediate Boys winner, Ben Connor from Amber Valley, will be among those competing for the Senior Boys title, while in the girls’ senior race last year’s top three, Tamara Armoush from Amber Valley, Abbie Vernon from Chesterfield and Joanne Reeks from Erewash, are among the competitors who will face each other again. 

The timetable for the day is as follows:

• 10.15am - Year 7 Girls Championship                          

• 10.30am - Year 7 Boys Championship                          

• 10.50am - Junior Girls Championship                          

• 11.10am - Junior Boys Championship                       

• 11.35am -  Inter and Senior Girls Championship     

• 12 noon - Inter and Senior Boys Championship

This year’s Cross Country Championships are being sponsored by East Midlands Airport as part of the Derbyshire Schools’ Athletics Championships.

Anna Thomson, Community Relations Manager at East Midlands Airport, said: "Last year’s Cross Country Championships were a great success and we are looking forward to another day of keenly-fought competition. East Midlands Airport is proud to be supporting this event, and we wish all the cross country competitors a great race and the very best of luck."

Gold, silver and bronze medals will be up for grabs, and the top three athletes and top three teams in each race will receive a certificate. Presentations will be made after each race.

The top athletes in the junior, intermediate and senior championships will also be considered for a place in the Derbyshire team which will compete at the English Schools Championships at Heaton Park in Manchester on 20 March.

Liz Milne, Chair of Derbyshire Schools Athletics, said: “It’s great to see so many Derbyshire school pupils competing. The East Midlands Airport Derbyshire Schools’ Cross Country Championships is a fantastic event and a key part of the Derbyshire Schools’ Athletics calendar.”