Ermysted’s Grammar School took two team gold medals and clinched the overall title in the English Schools’ Fell Running Championships.

Their Year 7 and Year 8/9 squads both won while the Year 10/11 and seniors finished second in their respective events at Calder Valley High School, Mytholmroyd.

Ermysted’s find it hard to win the overall event as they only have boys at the school. However with such good showing in the four races they can enter, they finished top of the pile on Sunday.

It proved to be a good day for Skipton Girls’ High School whose teams triumphed in the girls Year 7 and Year 8/9 categories.

Skipton’s Lily Carr produced a super run to win the Year 7 race where her colleague Alice Jones was runner-up.

There was also individual glory for Skipton Academy with Joe Hudson winning the boys Year 10/11 race.

For the Ermysted’s runners the championships were their third race in five days and the Year 7s and Year 8s really couldn’t have done much better.

After winning at Bingley last Wednesday and again in a fast flat relay at Manchester Grammar School on Saturday, they showed their versatility by doing the same up a big steep hill on the national stage.

They set off at a fair lick across a flat field and up a road, where they met the hill and suddenly everyone knew the difference between a fell race and other cross-country races.

Even the leaders were brought to little more than walking pace as they strained manfully to get to the top. Alex Thompson led the way for Ermysted’s coming back in sixth place with Jath Lee tenth and Will Atkinson 15th.

Their total of just 31 points for the total positions of the first three home was the lowest and so won them a National Title. The school’s non-scorers, who all shared in their team’s success, were Hamish Wills, Ben Rees and Ruben Francis.

Louis Hudson led the way for Ermysted’s Year 8s and pushed hard for the individual title. However, he had to concede in a sprint finish and came second. Harvey Lewis, who had looked set to earn a medal, tripped as he returned to the school playing fields and had to settle for fourth place. His cousin Arthur Peel was 12th and Ermysted’s secured the team title with just 18 points. The seschool’s non-scorers were Sebastian Seggar Staveley, Matthew Kenneth, Will Thompson, Laurie Petrucci and a shoeless Joe Carnelly.

The Year 10/11 race saw England international Jimmy Lund take to the hills. He had high hopes after his past victories at Year 7 and Year 8 and started off well as he led the field to the top of the hill.

However, Lund had not broken the others and when the hill plateaued he dropped back and eventually finished just outside the medals in fourth. His team-mates ran well and Ben Jackson came back in 25th, but Sam Jackson lost many places on the descent after cracking his ankle on a rock near the summit. Their team total was good enough for second place behind Isle of Man Schools. Sam Thom was the non-scorer in 43rd.

The seniors were running five miles with 355 metres of climb, all the way to the top of Midgeley Moor on the Calderdale Way. Rob Thompson, fresh from running the fastest leg at the Manchester Relays on Saturday, led the challenge.

He came back in ninth and had good support from Ben Archer 20th and Matthew Jackson 29th.

Their total of 58 points was good, but an amazing performance from Sedbergh’s team meant Ermysted’s were second.

Ermysted’s great day was crowned when they were confirmed as overall champions.