One of the traditional highlights of the district’s cross-country calendar, the Harrogate – Craven Schools Championships – proved to be a popular attraction once again at Giggleswick School on Saturday.

With the exception of the year seven athletes who can progress as far as a Northern Inter-Counties fixture, Satur- day’s event also represented the first stage of progression hopefully as far as the English Schools finals.

One of the attractions of the event is the fact it provides athletes from smaller schools – who do not have strong team numbers — the chance to impress as individuals.

The team element of the competition again witnessed strong performances from the Skipton duo, Ermysted’s and Skipton Girls High School.

Ermysted’s won the senior, intermediate and year seven boys titles, while Skipton Girls High School’s impressive year seven girls team recorded another win.

Once again the key figure in the Skipton Girls High School success was the talented Gargrave runner Katie Atkinson who took the individual honours.

Although not quite managing a team title, hosts Giggleswick did produce two individual winners.

Samantha Baker-Jones triumphed in the junior girls event and Eve Hutchinson won the year eight race.

Four Craven athletes finished as runners up in their races.

Ermysted’s Jimmy Lund was pipped by Ripon Grammar’s Toby Osman in the junior boys while Euan Brennan from Giggleswick was second to St John Fisher, Harrogate’s Tom Dudley in the year eight boys race.

Will Thompson (Ermysted’s) and Giggleswick’s Scott Taylor were second and third respectively in a year seven boys race won by Knaresborough’s James Jeal.

Giggleswick twins Maddie and Conn- ie Rockliffe-King were second and third behind Atkinson in the year seven girls event.

Ermysted’s Adam Sayedi was third in the senior boys race that was won by St John Fisher’s Ben Pye while there were fourth-place finishes from Chris Kemp, Ermysted’s, in the senior boys and Ruby Schofield of Skipton Girls High School in the year seven girls race.

With the exception of years eight and nine whereby a combined team from those two age groups progress, the top 12 in each event will now represent Harrogate–Craven in the North York- shire Schools Finals on January 18 at Tadcaster.

From there successful athletes will the progress to the English Schools finals. There will also be a limited number of guest places on the start line at Tadcaster, these having been reserved for athletes with proven form who did not feature last Saturday due to extenuating circumstances.

Giggleswick’s Alistair Scholey and his team of helpers deserve high praise for organising another highly-successful event over a good, old fashioned cross-country course.