After two race cancellations due to poor weather, Eton’s Cross Country team was finally able to race for the first time in the 2013 season on February 2nd, at the Berkshire Championships at Wellington. The race was particularly important because the selection for the county team depended upon the results. Eton performed solidly in all three age groups, with James Tamlyn (RPDF) achieving a top placing of 21st in the Juniors. James Foord (College) came 9th in the Intermediates and Mark Austen (WFM) finished 7th in the Seniors. The senior team also came second in the team competition, with Wellington coming in first. As the top eight runners in each age category are usually selected for the county team, both Mark Austen and Jasper Taylor (NCWS), who came 7th and 8th respectively, are likely to have achieved a place in the Berkshire county team.
The second race of the season was also at Wellington – a five-leg relay race, which yielded relatively successful results, including a 4th place for the juniors, despite a broad and competitive field and cold weather.
Most recently, the team attended the Radley Relays on February 14th. Wet and very muddy conditions slowed the pace down, but Eton was again moderately successful – although final positions have yet to be confirmed, reasonable results were attained, including 6th for the seniors. A particularly notable performance was that of Jasper Taylor, who completed the senior course in a very fast time of close to ten minutes, putting the senior team in 2nd position after the first leg.
Mark Austen (WFM)
