Abingdonian 2017

35 www.abingdon.org.uk Lent Term athletes raced over 5.3km with all five Abingdon athletes in the lead pack as they rounded the lake and started up the slippery muddy climb. Henry Insley (first) led from the front with Alexander Pennington (second) in hot pursuit. Nobody could keep with Henry’s pace as he finished with a commanding lead. Abingdon once again had four runners inside the top ten. The senior runners set off last chasing down the rest of the field. The title was fiercely contested between Ivo Brown (first) and Calum Steer (second) who entered the finishing straight neck and neck. The determination and will to win was etched on both of their faces, and a dip on the line was all that separated them at the finish line. Special mention must go to all five runners who finished in the top six. All Abingdon boys ran superbly to claim the Vale Trophy with a clean sweep of team victories in the U13, U15, U17 and U19 races as well as a number of individual medals. Reading Half Marathon 2017 On Sunday 19 March a group of Abingdon pupils and staff members lined up to take on the 13.1miles of the Reading Half Marathon in aid of Blue Skye thinking, the Charity set up by former Director of Sport Andrew Hall. It was a fantastic event with supporters lining the streets of Reading and Madejski Stadium. The first Abingdon representative across the line was Mr Simon James, running a time of 1hr 23 seconds. In total the pupils raised a total of £330 for Blue Skye Thinking. South East Schools Championship On Sunday 26 February Abingdon travelled to Harrow to compete in the South East Schools Cross-country Championships. Harrow’s notoriously hilly course was made even tougher with a fierce headwind and driving rain. The wet weather made the technical sections of the course particularly boggy but the Abingdon boys finished in respectable positions. Special mention must go to Ivo Brown, Henry Insley and Freddie Cunningham for finishing inside the top ten in their respective age groups. Marlborough College On a glorious spring afternoon the cross-country squad travelled to Marlborough to compete in the penultimate race of the season. The conditions were perfect with the sun and wind having dried out the course from the rain that had fallen. The Abingdon pupils tackled the spectacular and undulating course with strong team performances, winning the senior and junior races, and finishing second in the intermediate event. Special mention must go to senior’s Ivo Brown and Calum Steer who finished in first and second place respectively, as well as intermediate athlete Henry Insley who finished second. St Edward’s Relays The last race of the season saw Abingdon take two teams to the St Edward’s Relays. A perfectly still day, with freshly mown grass and little undulation made for a quick course around the St Edward’s playing fields. The senior team made up of Ivo Brown, Calum Steer, Josh Crichton and Daniel Lawson ran well to hold off a strong John Fisher squad and finished third on the podium. The intermediate team, made up of David Bunn (fifth year), Henry Insley (fourth year), Alexander Pennington (fourth year) and Freddie Cunningham (third year), ran a superb race, finishing eighth, ahead of many senior athletes, and are a team to watch in the future. Representative Honours The following athletes represented Oxfordshire at the English Schools Cross-country Championships: Ivo Brown, David Bunn, Josh Crichton, Henry Insley, Daniel Lawson, and Calum Steer. Congratulations to all those who competed and represented Abingdon at cross-country this year. Elliot Birkbeck