New Balance ESAA Cross Country Championships 2016
The 48th Girls and 56th Boys New Balance ESAA Cross Country Championships 2016 will take place on Saturday 5th March at Wollaton Park in Nottingham. Nottinghamshire Schools have previously hosted five other championship events and in 2011 the ESAA Cross Country Championship was also held at Wollaton Park.
There are six races covering three age groups with the first race starting at 12.30pm. The top eight from each of the Junior and Intermediates go to the Schools' International in Falkirk, Scotland on 19th March.
You will be able to follow all the action at www.englandathletics.org/liveevents or on our Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/englandathletic (@englandathletic)
Note that there is a free coaching workshop prior to the racing: "Preparing Young Athletes for International Competition" will take place from 9.30am to 11am, led by Charlotte Fisher the National Coach Mentor for Youth Development (Endurance). Click here to find out more and book a space.
12.30pm Intermediate Girls. Holly Page (Club: Dartford Harriers, Coach: Jason Marchant, County: Kent) who was third last year in the same age group is one to watch as is Josie Czura (Club: City of Portsmouth, County: Hampshire) who was second in the Junior Girls' last year but is now an Intermediate; on Saturday at the Nationals in Castle Donnington she came away as champion.
1pm Junior Boys. Adam Caulfield (Club: Rugby & Northampton, County: Northants) was tenth last year. In the Nationals last Saturday there were two very good runners who will now run under 15 for the Schools; Tommy Dawson (Club: Leeds City, County: West Yorkshire) took 1st place in the Under 13s, and Harley Norman (Club: Epsom & Ewell, County: Surrey) 3rd place at Castle Donnington.
1.30pm Junior Girls. One of those to watch will be Olivia Mason (Club: Border, Coach: Graeme Mason, County: Cumbria) who was fifth last year, and she won the Northern Championships. Last Saturday at the National she achieved third place.
2pm Inter Boys. The first three from last year have now moved into the Seniors, but there were three very good Juniors last year who will be looking to make an impact as Intermediates: Zakariya Mohamed (Club: Southampton, Coach: Peter Haynes, County: Hants), Joshua Cowperthwaite (Club: Middlesbrough (Mandale), Coach: Martin Peevor, County: Cleveland) and Lachlan Wellington (Club: City of Portsmouth, Coach: Vince Stamp, County: Hants) who all took medals at last weekend's National.
2.35pm Senior Girls. This race is another that promises to be an exciting one. Last year's third and fourth placed athletes from the seniors: Daisy D’ Santos (Club: Aldershot, Farnham & District, Coach: Mick Woods, County: Hants), and Poppy Tank (Club: City of Plymouth/Armada, Coach: Simon Anderson, County: Devon) return. In addition, seventh from last year Katie Astin (Club: Manx AC, County: Merseyside) is entered, plus last year's Intermediates winner, now a Senior - Sabrina Sinha from Kent (Club: Cambridge Harriers, Coach: Peter Mullervy). Niamh Brown (Club: Aldershot, Farnham & District, Coach: Mick Woods, County: Surrey) won the under 17 race at the Nationals on Saturday, so also one who is running very well.
3.05pm Senior Boys. Last year's winner is still a Senior - Mahamed Mahamed (Club: Southampton, Coach: Peter Haynes, County: Hants) as is last year’s fourth position, William Battershill (Club: Erme Valley, Coach: Kirk Salmon, County: Devon). Also now seniors are Ben Dijkstra (Club: Leicester Coritanian AC / Beacon Hill, Coach: Alan Maddocks, County: Leicester) and Tom Mortimer (Club: Stroud, Coach: Christopher Brown, County: Gloucester) who finished 1st and 3rd in the Intermediates last year plus Scott Beattie (Club: Morpeth, Coach: Mike Bateman, County: Northumberland) who finished in second place for the Under 20 race last Saturday.
- The main entry for spectators is on Lime Tree Avenue (NG8 1BT).
- Cars and Minibuses are charged at £5 per vehicle.