Jimmy Lund from Ermysted’s gained a superb individual victory in this North East of England Schools Cross Country Champion ships at Guisborough on Saturday.

But his joy was tempered by the fact that he will not be able to compete in the English Schools finals at Bolton next month as the Ermysted’s junior team failed to qualify after finishing seventh overall.

There was better news for the Skipton school’s intermediate team as they clinched their place in the national event by taking second place.

Lund underlined what a talent he is as he ran a tactically astute race.

He tucked in with two other leaders on the first short lap, before easing through the gears to win comfortably.

His team-mates did not find it as easy. Charlie Lowrie looked quite good on the first lap and was well inside the top ten before falling back to finish 22nd as an injury took its toll.

Next was Alfie Spain in 41st just ahead of Tom Barrett in 44th and Sam Jackson in 55th. Their team total for the finishing positions of the first four home was 108 and that was only good enough for seventh place in the 12-team event.

The team battled hard but the impact of the five withdrawals during the week prior to the event, was too big a handicap for them to overcome.

The intermediates had won the North Yorkshire title at Knaresborough and had high hopes of making the national final. They do not have any star runners, but they are a fine team.

Rob Thompson had been first back the last time they raced but Alistair Harvey has been working hard and seemed determined to be top dog for Ermysted’s.

They really pushed each other and Harvey finished ninth with Thompson 11th.

The team needed four highly-placed finishers not just two and with the Thompson Twins injured, it was left to George Maloney and George Graham-Roe to get the team into the final.

They ran side by side for a lap and three quarters. It was great to see their team ethic and competitive spirit as they dragged each other through the field of runners to finish inside the top 20.

George Graham-Roe had new spikes and lost one with half a mile to go, but he didn’t let it bother him and finished strongly for 13th just ahead of George Maloney in 16th.

Ermysted’s deserved their second place and the scoring runners were well supported by Ben Archer (35th) and Eddie Muirhead in 42nd.