The Primary Sports Canterbury Cross Country team has won the Phil Costley Shield for 2009 to claim bragging rights as the top Cross Country region for Primary and Intermediate school runners. In 2008 they had shared the shield with the strong Primary Sport Wellington team.
Over 100 of Canterbury’s top junior cross country runners went head to head with the best from Tasman (Nelson and Marlborough) and Wellington in the Inter-Regional Cross Country Championships for Primary and Intermediate schools at Saxton Field, Nelson, on Thursday.
The 344 young competitors were severely tested by a wet and slippery course and wintry weather conditions but some excellent performances were recorded with a large number of Canterbury athletes making it onto the podium.
The Year 5 girls’ race set the tone for what was to follow for much of the day with Canterbury runners well to the fore and taking the first four individual spots for an unassailable team total of 10 points. Harriet Bush (Cheviot Area School) led in Alice King (Loburn), Lorna Pairman (Cashmere) and Lucy Turner (Prebbleton).
The second race (Year 5 boys) saw Zander Wager (Prebbleton) have a brilliant sprint finish to take the silver medal and lead Canterbury to their second teams’ title out of two.
The Year 6 girls’ race turned into another Canterbury benefit, once again with the first four across the line. Georgia Freeman (Our Lady of Victories) captured her second Inter-Regional title, heading in Jesse Anderson (Weedons), Saskia Lane (Fernside) and Julie Briden (West Eyreton).
To complete its domination of the primary school grades Canterbury produced the same result in the Year 6 boys’ race. Greenpark School’s Angus Bailey dominated the race to win his second consecutive title. Second was William Boyd (Westburn), with Tom Moulai third (Paparoa Street) ahead of Declan O’Neill (Hampstead Shool, Ashburton).
Runners from the Wellington region became more prominent in the Intermediate grades, taking all four individual gold medals, but their teams were unable to match Canterbury's strength in depth with the red and blacks stealing another three team titles.
A superbly-paced run from Libby Vincent (Westburn) saw her claim a well-deserved bronze in the Year 7 girls’ race, which helped her team to Canterbury’s fifth out of five team titles so far.
In the Year 7 boys’ race, well performed Middleton Grange athlete, Caleb Stamper, was the first Canterbury runner home in 5th place with the Canterbury team taking their only silver teams’ medal of the day. Wellington’s Noah Billingsley won the race to claim a record three inter-regional titles in a row.
Primary Sports Canterbury Cross Country Team Captain, Zoe Ladd (Cust), never allowed the Year 8 girls race leaders to break away and with one lap of the 2.7km course remaining she was still challenging for the top three.
However, experienced Wellington runner Bridget Kiddle was able to pull away on the final hill climb leaving Ladd to claim fourth just behind South Island champion, Claire Erasmus of Tasman and two-time inter-regional champion Holly White, of Wellington. Nevertheless, Ladd’s performance helped Canterbury to another team gold.
The final race of the day saw local favourite Josh Barry (Nelson Intermediate) attempt to claim three inter-regional titles in a row also, and with smart tactical running taking him into the lead with 200m to go he looked likely to succeed only to be surprised by the home straight finishing pace of Wellington's Fletcher Greaves. Ben Oliver (Ashgrove) was just behind the first two to claim individual bronze for Canterbury. Again Canterbury took the team gold.
In the overall competition for the top region, Canterbury convincingly reclaimed the Phil Costley Shield (23 pts) ahead of Wellington (17 pts) and Tasman (8 pts).
2009 Inter Regional Cross Country Championships
Thursday 24 September, Saxton Field, Stoke, Nelson
W = Primary Sport Wellington, C = Primary Sports Canterbury, T = Tasman Schools (Nelson and Marlborough)
Year 5 Girls 1900m
Harriet Bush(C) 7.57 1, Alice King(C) 8.05 2, Lorna Pairman(C) 8.05 3.
Teams: (first 4 runners to count) Canterbury A 10 (Bush, King, Pairman, Lucy Turner 4) 1, Wellington A 31 2, Canterbury B 37 3.
Year 5 Boys 1900m
Arlo Herriot(W) 7.38 1, Zander Wager(C) 7.42 2, Pako Dunn-Seomeng(T) 7.42 3.
Teams: Canterbury A 23 (Wager, Jordan Spain 5, Cole Dwyer 6, Harrison Brown 10), Wellington A 28 2, Tasman A 31 3.
Year 6 Girls 1900m
Georgia Freeman(C) 7.40 1, Jessie Anderson(C) 7.44 2, Saskia Lane(C) 7.47 3.
Teams: Canterbury A 10 (Freeman, Anderson, Lane, Julie Briden 4) 1, Canterbury B 33 2, Wellington A 35 3.
Year 6 Boys 1900m
Angus Bailey(C) 7.11 1, William Boyd(C) 7.25 2, Thomas Moulai(C) 7.31 3.
Teams: Canterbury A 10 (Bailey, Boyd, Moulai, Declan O’Neill 4) 1, Wellington A 30 2, Canterbury B 41 3.
Year 7 Girls 2700m
Alison Andrews-Paul(W) 11.14 1, Kara Orr(W) 11.23 2, Libby Vincent(C) 11.25 3.
Teams: Canterbury A 20 (Vincent, Imogen Ineson 4, Natalie Dryden 6, Olivia Ireland 7) 1, Wellington A 23 2, Canterbury B 43 3.
Year 7 Boys 2700m
Noah Billingsley(W) 10.15 1, Hamish Ware(W) 10.18 2, Sam Mackay-Wright(T) 10.20 3.
Teams: Wellington A 13 (Billingsley, Ware, Logan Archer 4, Jonathan Beresford 6) 1, Canterbury A 36 2, Wellington B 47 3.
Year 8 Girls 2700m
Bridget Kiddle(W) 11.06 1, Claire Erasmus(T) 11.14 2, Holly White(W) 11.16 3. Teams: Canterbury A 22 (Zoe Ladd 4, Lucy Allison 5, Jessica Kikstra 6, Olivia Maisey 7) 1, Wellington A 29 2, Canterbury B 40 3.
Year 8 Boys 2700m
Fletcher Greaves(W) 10.02 1, Joshua Barry(T) 10.03 2, Craig Oliver(C) 10.05 3. Teams: Canterbury A 22 (Oliver, Daniel Coats 4, Guy Greenslade 7, Gregory Moore 8) 1, Wellington A 29 2, Tasman A 36 3.
Phil Costley Shield (overall top region)
Canterbury 23 1st, Wellington 17 2nd, Tasman 8 3rd.
