The 2020 cross country was held on Thursday 28 May, in balmy conditions. For the first time in recent history, the course was planned around the inside of the school grounds. Although it was a flat course, it was longer than the track around Porritt Stadium, so the difficulty of the course came from distance rather than the terrain.

The unseasonal winter weather meant that it was sunny and warm, with some houses rewarding their runners with iceblocks at the end!

Participation was the highest that we’ve had in the past five years, with huge improvements from Hall and School in particular. Fitchett had the highest participation rate, with the fewest injuries and illnesses of all the houses

In the championship event (results from the top 30 runners per house) , Clark dominated, with a total of 533 points across the four divisions. The next best house in the Championship division was Sargood with 366 points.

For the overall points (championship plus non champion) , the higher participation rates from all houses meant that the competition was extremely close. There was a difference of only two or three points in some categories. In order to raise their performance next year, houses will need to improve on their placings rather than rely on just taking part.

Results:

Junior Boys:

1st Dylan Gardiner

2nd Ben Brown

3rd Liam Inman

Intermediate Boys:

1st Didi Lawson

2nd Sam Lints

3rd Toby Finlayson

Senior Boys:

1st Angus Riordan

2nd Oliver Larcombe

3rd Trey Lincoln

Girls:

Overall:

1st Belinda Wright (Senior)

2nd Katie Brown (Senior)

3rd Laura Littlejohn (Int) + another certificate for 1st in Intermediate Girls

Overall House Cross Country Points:

Kirby Cup plus non-championship points:

1st place - Clark
2nd place - Sargood
3rd place - Williams
4th place - Fitchett
5th place - School
6th place Hamilton and Hall