ATHLETICS: THREE Wyre Forest runners qualified for the National Schools Cross-country Championships in the county competition at Bromsgrove on Saturday.

Alison Young, of Bewdley High School, Elizabeth Dourneen, of King Charles I High, and Steve Truelove, who attends Heathfield, qualified for the second year in succession.

They will go on to Chelmsford on Saturday, March 10, and several other athletes could get a call-up following their performances at the weekend.

Sixty runners represented the Wyre Forest area and competed for county team places with seven other districts.

The county takes teams of eight runners to the English Schools AA Cross-country Championships in March with the first six runners gaining automatic entry.

The course was relatively flat but there were some testing inclines and hard frost made conditions tricky, especially for the junior girls, who ran first.

In a field of about 90 runners, Young came fourth and Dourneen fifth, while Laura Eaton and Amanda Carrick, both from Sladen Middle, were 10th and 26th respectively.

The senior boys ran three laps of the course to complete 8,000 metres. After leading at times, Truelove finished second, while Bewdley's Tommy Robinson came 15th, just beating his school-mate Chris Gillespie.

The junior boys' race was over 4,000m and leading the Wyre Forest team home were Stourport High's Sam Strange in 11th place and Danny Foster, 16th.

The inter-girls ran the same distance. Charlotte Geggie, of Haybridge High, was 12th, while Tenaya Webb and Alison Bolton, of Stourport High, were 26th and 27th respectively.

Michael Hall-Evans, of Haybridge High, finished the 5,500m inter-boys race in 11th place with Matt Baker and Mark Harper, of Stourport High, 21st and 26th.

Rhea Gittings Broughton and Hayley Stelling, of Bewdley High School, raced for the line at the end of the 4,400m for 10th and 11th places in the senior girls race. Stourport High students Charlotte Mensah and Katy Billingham were 12th and 16th.

Team managers were PE staff Karen Holt, Lynn Payne, Martin Clarke, Rachel Croxton, Jeanette Thomas, Stuart Bell, Paul Yeomans, Kay Hodgetts and Joe Dourneen.

Other finishers:

Junior girls: 39 Hannah Norton, 42 Alison Mallard (both France Middle), 43 Rebecca Palfrey (Holy Trinity), 47 Samantha Grove (Wolverley High), 49 Tanya Ward (Burlish Middle), 67 Holly Smith, 69 Holly Evans (both Holy Trinity), 71 Kirsty Wright (Harry Cheshire High), 72 Helen Calvert (Holy Trinity), 74 Sarah Sargeant (Harry Cheshire), 79 Tania Partridge (Haybridge), 80 Chelsea Hopkins (Holy Trinity).

Junior boys: 37 Matt Phair (Franche Middle), 38 Mark Light (Harry Cheshire), 39 Paul Smith (Stourport High), 45 Ben Warnett, 46 David Knight (both Bewdley High), 52 Adam Cotgrove (Sladen Middle), 53 Liam Preece (Stourport High), 57 Daniel Mills (Sladen Middle), 58 Ben Preece (Harry Cheshire), 65 Martin Morris (Bewdley High), 68 Matthew Preece (Burlish Middle), 69 Mark Bowl (Stourport High).

Inter girls: 31 Becky McGowan (Stourport High), 38 Ellen Lobb (Harry Cheshire), 42 Jayne Thompson (Holy Trinity).

Inter boys: 30 Michael Green (Bewdley High).