THERE were two individual triumphs and four team victories as Skipton's grammar schools qualified in style for the National final of the English Schools’ Cross-Country Cup.

Ermysted’s Alex Thompson gained a superb individual victory in the individual boys race while Skipton Girls High School runner Alice Jones led from start to finish in the junior girls event.

The Ermysted's junior and intermediate boys and the Skipton Girls High School junior and intermediate girls teams will now be chasing national glory at Formby on December 3.

They followed up their title-winning performances in the recent North Yorkshire round with impressive performances at Middlesbrough’s Stewart Park.

The Ermysted's juniors had a great low score in last month’s competition and expected to do well. It was soon apparent they would be challenging for the top honours as all six of their runners were towards the front of the 72-strong field.

Thompson led a group chasing the lone leader, while Will Atkinson and Jath Lee were trying to get inside the top ten.

There was also a fantastic battle between Ben Rees, Hamish Wills and Donnabhan Rudden to be the team's final scorer.

The leader was gradually reined back in by Thompson, but it wasn’t until the final 100 metres that he hit the front for a fantastic individual victory. Atkinson took eighth place and Jath Lee was tenth.

The final scorer was Rees in 21st for a low team total of 40 points, which after a ten-minute wait, proved to be a winning score.

The non-scorers were Wills 28th and Rudden who slipped back to 51st. Upper Wharfedale also had a team in this race who came ninth of the 13 teams. Their runners were Lewis Carr 16th, Sam Headley 25th, Archie Smith 46th and David Lister 50th.

Harvey Lewis led the Ermysted's intermediate team challenge. He set off on the first of his three laps just behind the leader and ran strongly to finish second

The rest of the team were running together just inside the top ten and looked well set for a good low score. It wasn’t until the third lap that Louis Hudson made his move and secured sixth place with Will Thompson tenth and final scorer Sebastian Seggar-Staveley 11th.

Their team total of just 29 points was the best winning score of the day and gives them hope of challenging for top honours in the final.

Charlie Wood in 12th showed Ermysted's strength in depth and Matthew Kenneth was their other non-scorer in 24th place.

Skipton Girls were equally impressive. Jones dominated the junior race from the start and was ably supported by third-placed Lilli Carr.

They were backed up by the rest of their team who were together inside the top 20. The second lap saw Emma Peel and Freya Mitchell push forward to finish 15th and 16th respectively and record another low winning total of 35 points. The non scorers were Mia Petrucci and Hannah Jackson in 26th and 27th.

Many of Skipton’s Inter team were hoping to make the final for the fourth successive year and set off in determined fashion.

Emily Jones was their highest-placed runner in fifth but the rest of the team were not far adrift as Ruby Firth came seventh, Katie Atkinson 12th and Teegan Elson 17th. Their total of 41 points gave the Skipton schools a cleansweep of the team titles and meant another final for the girls. Their non-scorers were Lucy Fryers in 24th and Eleanor Root 32nd.