Ermysted’s pupil Thomas Blanchard missed out on a national cross-country title by just three seconds at the English Schools’ Cross-Country final in Newquay.

Ermysted’s had a 760 mile round trip to compete in the national final after over 400 teams from all over the country had set out in October in the competition.

To reach this Ermysted’s U-13 junior and U-15 intermediate teams were in the best 24 in the country.

Both Blanchard and his junior team won the NE of England round and had realistic hopes of high positions.

The Junior race began in windy conditions on a muddy, undulating course. The cavalry charge start was expected but still caught out many of the Ermysted’s team leaving them poorly placed and unable to recover.

With most of their runners struggling to get into the top half they had no chance of making an impression in the team competition. Blanchard started well, just behind the leaders on the first of two laps, and in contention for the title.

Climbing the final hill he tried to get on terms with the first three and approaching the final straight was within a couple of seconds of the leaders closing on third place. Fourth in a national final was however a superb achievement. Phil Done was 82nd with Joe Stapleton 83rd, Max Hamer 89th, Lewis Robinson 91st and Robert Thompson 106th.

Anything that could go wrong did for Ermysted’s injury hit intermediate team. Harvey Briggs tweaked a hamstring and had to drop out when leading their challenge. On the same lap George Meehan was doubly unlucky as somebody stood on his heel to pull his shoe off and then as he stopped to put it back on somebody else ran into him, badly damaging his calf and he had to drop out. The saving grace was the Muhammad Ali who had a great run, charging through the field, to finish 51st with Jack Beetham 89th, Laurence Wildman 127th and Harry Whyte 134th.