Melissa Hawtin maintained her unbeaten record at the Oxfordshire Schools’ Cross Country Championships by claiming a remarkable fifth successive title.
Hawtin, from Gosford Hill, Kidlington, who is not 17 until later this month, came home clear of Gemma Bridge (St Helen & St Katharine, Abingdon) in the under 19 girls’ race over 4.1k at Radley College, with Bloxham’s Fiona Warren third.
It completed her five-timer after she had posted a brace of wins in each of the under 15 and under 17 events in the previous four years.
Hawtin’s younger sister, Beth, made it a family double with victory in the under 15 girls’ race.
She crossed the line ahead of Victoria Mobley (Tudor Hall, Banbury) and Gosford Hill schoolmate Elissa Clark in the 2.9k race.
And the Hawtins were only denied an amazing treble when Melissa and Beth’s sister, Lauren, finished runner-up in the under 17 girls’ race.
She had to give second best in the 3.4k contest to Headington’s Beth Swords, who had finished runner-up to Melissa in this age group 12 months ago.
Lauren, a winner at under 15 in 2008, was finishing runner-up for the second successive year, having been beaten by North Oxon Academy’s Connie McMillan last year.
Imogen Kempton (St Helen & St Katharine) took the minor honours.
Heavy rain made conditions tough, but they couldn’t stop Abingdon School recording a one-two in the under 17 and under 19 boys’ races where they also repeated last year’s team triumphs.
Alex Muir turned the tables on Tom Watkins, his conqueror at last week’s Vale of White Horse Championships, to retain his county title in a repeat of last year’s finish to the under 19 race over 7.5k.
George Miller (Cokethorpe, Witney), who was runner-up 12 months ago at under 17, finished third this time.
This year’s under 17 race over 5.8k was a re-run of last week’s Vale race with Alistair Duff beating Abingdon schoolmate Stuart Jones.
James Bennington (Magdalen College School, Oxford) stepped up on his fourth-place finish of 12 months ago to take the minor honours.
Christian von Eitzen (European, Culham) also completed an Oxfordshire-Vale double with victory in the under 15 boys’ race.
He stormed home in the 4.6k event from Matthieu Marshall (Cherwell, Oxford) and Ben Upjohn (Matthew Arnold, Cumnor).
The top eight in each race – with the exception of the under 19 boys’ race where Charlie Bennett (Cherwell, Oxford) and Josh Kempton (Abingdon) are unavailable – now go on to represent Oxon in the English Schools’ Championships at Heaton Park, Manchester, on March 20.
Bennett and Kempton are replaced by Abingdon School brothers Robert and Alex Veal, who finished ninth and tenth respectively.
Boys Under 19: 1 A Muir (Abingdon), 2 T Watkins (Abingdon), 3 G Miller (Cokethorpe), 4 C Bennett (Cherwell), 5 J Ridley (Abingdon), 6 J Kempton (Abingdon), 7 S Ferguson (Chipping Norton), 8 M Baumgart (Abingdon), 9 R Veal (Abingdon), 10 A Veal (Abingdon). Team: 1 Abingdon, 2 St Edward’s, 3 Blessed George Napier.
Under 17: 1 A Duff (Abingdon), 2 S Jones (Abingdon), 3 J Bennington (Magdalen College School), 4 J Purcell-Lacey (Chltern Edge), 5 J Humphreys (Chipping Norton), 6 L Terry (Abingdon), 7 R Meredith (Lord Williams’s), 8 G Adams (Bloxham). Team: 1 Abingdon, 2 Magdalen College School, 3 St Birinus.
Under 15: 1 C von Eitzen (European), 2 M Marshall (Cherwell), 3 B Upjohn (Matthew Arnold), 4 J Tack (Lord Williams’s), 5 O Morrton (Gillotts), 6 N Meredith (Gillotts), 7 T Binnie (Magdalen College School), 8 S Humphreys (Chipping Norton). Team: 1 European, 2 Gillotts, 3 Abingdon.
Girls Under 19: 1 M Hawtin (Gosford Hill), 2 G Bridge (St Helen & St Katharine), 3 F Warren (Bloxham), 4 C Bradley (Marlborough), 5 L Berg (Oxford High), 6 S Mills (Bloxham), 7 J Sutherland (John Mason), 8 S Stanley (Cokethorpe). No team race.
Under 17: 1 B Swords (Headington), 2 L Hawtin (Gosford Hill), 3 I Kempton (St Helen & St Katharine), 4 R Byren (Rye At Antony), 5 B Warne (Oxford High), 6 C McMillan (Warriner), 7 J Walker (Cheney), 8 C Parker (St Helen). Team: 1 Headington, 2 Tudor Hall, 3 St Helen & St Katharine.
Under 15: 1 B Hawtin (Gosford Hill), 2 V Mobley (Tudor Hall), 3 E Clark (Gosford Hill), 4 S Lloyd (King Alfred’s), 5 L Hindley (Headington), 6 R James (Our Ladys), 7 L McKean (St Helen & St Katharine), 8 C Clarke (Marlborough). Team: 1 Tudor Hall, 2 Headington, 3 St Helen & St Katharine.
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