STRATFORD-upon-Avon Athletic Club’s junior athletes continued their West Midland Young Athletes Cross Country League season at Warley Woods in Birmingham.
The athletes were greeted by fog and freezing temperatures with the under-17 ladies first to take to the course.
Niamh Hillard led Stratford home in third place for the third consecutive race with Maisie-Joy Spriggs just behind in fourth while Abbi Cooper in 17th and Martha Peters in 28th both impressed.
Further back, Emma Francioni marked her return from injury with a 39th place finish with Tilly Campbell 40th as the ladies moved up to second place in the league table.
The under-17 men were led home by Zak Lambert who finished third with Will Mayes 10th, James Day 24th, Henry Wheeler 25th and James Mayes 32nd as Stratford sit third in the standings.
In the under-11 boys race, Robin Gallagher came home in second place for the third meeting in a row supported by Toby Ledgard 48th, Dexter Sharpe 50th and Reuben Joyce 55th on debut.
Next to finish was Oliver Hollis in 58th with Reuben Wheeler 64th to leave the boys in seventh place in the table.
In the under-11 girls race, Maggie Silvers produced a sensational run to finish sixth with Amelie Marshall 14th, Lyla Turner 16th and debutant Fflur Jones 26th.
Further back, Elsie Pippitone 36th, Saskia Atkins 45th and debutants Poppy West 89th, Quinn Lancaster 97th and Layla Sparrow 102nd see the girls third in the overall standings.
In the under-13 girls race, Portia Nabney 37th, Georgia Sharpe 64th, Jasmine Mothershaw 72nd and Rachel Sparrow 91st all completed the race with the team 13th in the table.
And Kipp Stevens 23rd, Reece Yarnold 26th, Alistair Durrance 47th, Eli Ford 49th and Henry Thomas 69th competed for the under-13 boys who sit fifth in the standings.
In the under-15 girls race, Marijke Tear-Verweij opened her season with an 11th place finish with Annie Silvers 18th, Lois Ford 25th, Ava Sheppard 38th and Amelia Peeke 50th.
Further back, Brooke Rossney 54th, Bayleigh Stubbins 56th and Harriet Black 61st helped the girls to 10th place in the standings overall.
Lastly, in the under-15 boys race, Sam Lambert emulated his elder brother Zak to finish third with Tom Fisher 10th, Will Hovell 16th, Joel Ledgard 19th, Aran Cooper 21st and Josh Harrison 34th as the boys remain top of their league.
Overall, Stratford finished second on the day out of 22 teams and sit fourth in the league standings.
