Zoe Gilbody celebrates GB call with another county gold
Zoe Gilbody capped a memorable couple of weeks by claiming more glory in the Shropshire Schools Cross Country Championships.
Hundreds of the best young athletes in the county took part in the 43rd staging of the Championships at Oswestry School, with rising star Gilbody powering to a fourth successive title.
The Thomas Telford School student left her rivals trailing as she bagged first place in the intermediate girls’ race.
Gilbody has followed up her victory in last summer’s English Schools 1500m with an outstanding cross country season that saw her dominate the recent Midland Championships and earn an England call-up.
There was more good news before the race when she learned that she had been selected for the GB Under-20 team, despite still being an under-17 runner, to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Australia later this month.
At Oswestry, she not only retained her title but also helped her team retain theirs, supported by Scarlett Willoughby (third) and Isobelle Standell (fifth). Beth Trow (Corbet School) took silver.
Shrewsbury School were second in the team standings with Meole Brace School third.
Beth Rawlinson (Concord College) comfortably won the senior girls’ race, her fourth county schools title.
Thomas Telford’s Maggie Preece was second with Sophia Urquhart (Shrewsbury School) third.
In the battle for team glory, Shrewsbury School won their third consecutive title.
Will Singleton (Shrewsbury School) won a close battle with Thomas Telford’s Dan Galloway to claim victory in the senior boys’ race by just eight seconds. Kristian Tung, the Malaysian 3000m record holder, came home third.
Shrewsbury won the team race for the 12th consecutive year, closely followed by Thomas Telford. Oswestry School were third.
Finlay Cullen, a Welsh international fell runner, became the first Bishop’s Castle student to win a county schools title since 2009 after claiming victory in the intermediate boys’ race.
He was just seconds ahead of the Harrison brothers, with Edward (Telford Langley School) finishing one second ahead of Paul (Thomas Telford School).
Shrewsbury School, with three boys in the top seven, won the team race for the seventh year. Thomas Telford took second with Haberdashers Adams, Newport third.
Wrekin College’s Chloe Stuart was a very impressive winner of the junior girls’ title – winning by almost a minute from the Church Stretton pair of Elsa Lovelock and Ruby Wright Smith.
Thomas Telford took the team honours for a fifth consecutive year after four of their runners finished in the top 16. Oswestry School were second.
Idsall’s Simon Bagshaw scored a narrow two-second victory over Jack Stockton (Oldbury Wells) in the junior boys’ race, with Burton Borough’s Lewis Howard third.
Shrewsbury School retained their team title, ahead of Haberdsaher Adams and Burton Borough.
Stanley Lammiman won the year seven boys’ title. Haberdasher Adams’ Ian Wang was second with Bedstone College’s Dexter Pile third.
Jayden Janicki led host school Marches to the team title. Haberdasher Adams took second and Thomas Telford third.
Church Stretton’s Megan Buckingham struck gold in the year seven girls’ race.
Emma Jayne Charman (Adcote School) was next across the line with Amber Wilcox (The Marches) taking bronze.
Shrewsbury High took the team title, followed by Church Stretton and Thomas Telford.
Shropshire Schools will now send county teams in the junior, intermediate and senior age groups to the English Schools Championships at Nottingham in March.
