Down to the wire.

  Our U11 girls team. Left to right : Amelia Peeke, Lily-Mae Pagan, Lois Ford, Ava Sheppard, Marijke Tear-Verweij, Annie Silvers and the race winner Tessa Parkin. The U13 boys team. Left to Right : Joe Lewis, Henry Wheeler, James Day, Seb Hillard, Alex McMillan, William Mayes and Hugh Markham. It's been a busier week this week. Once again our junior XC runners excelled. Despite the absence of two key runners due to injury and another top runner being injured during the race and not being able to finish, the 63 team members earned the right to go in to the final fixture of the season a mere 18 points off top spot, having accumulated 18631 points against Wolverhampton and Bilston's 18649. Birchfield Harriers are in 3rd place on 18436 points. It could hardly be closer. The final fixture is the 9th February on Wolverhampton's and Bilston's home patch. Down to the wire ! Elsewhere our Senior and Masters male and female XC teams did us proud, battling the elements. Ferguson Allison enters the new year in fine form following a prolonged period of injury. Drew Sambridge and Rob Minton were in excellent form in Anglesey and finally, four of our intrepid runners competed in the Fladbury Festive 5. Best Wishes David Jones. The U15 boys team. Left to right : Theo Skirvin, Taylor Stubbins, Caleb Spriggs, Adam Taylor, Alex Adams, Tom Francioni and Ed Holcroft. Our 3 race winners, from the top : Georgie Campbell, Alex Adams and Tessa Parkin. One of the performances of the day was by Marijke Tear-Verweij West Midland Young Athletes’ Cross Country League. Report - Dave Parkin Our junior XC runners secured three individual victories in the West Midlands Cross Country League at Nuneaton, a first for the club. The course was being used for the first time since 2014 and it presented a significant technical challenge for our young athletes – heavy mud, tight corners, minimal overtaking spots and short, sharp climbs. We were able to field full teams in all eight races with individual wins for Georgie Campbell (U17W), Alex Adams (U15B) and Tessa Parkin (U11G). Sixty-three athletes participated for Stratford and the club finished 3rd on the day. We now sit in 2ndposition in the league with 18,631 points, just 18 points behind rivals Wolverhampton and Bilston going into the final race in February. The U17 women’s team were weakened by the loss of Ellen Taylor, but fielded a full team nonetheless. Georgie Campbell (1st, 15:50) led from the start and eventually won by a dominant 40 seconds from Louise Hackett of Wolverhampton & Bilston, the biggest winning margin of the day. Gigi Thomas (20th, 18:53) ran very well and secured her highest position of the season and Charlotte Gravelsons (42nd, 23:00) completed the team and the scoring positions. Maxime Verstraeten (10th, 08:15) has battled illness for much of the Christmas period, but had a solid return to racing, starting well and holding his position throughout the U11 boys’ race. Verstraeten…