In June, two Yrs. 5 & 6 Cross Country teams took part in a Ribble Valley competition at St. Michael & St. John's RC Primary School, Clitheroe, and all were eager to compete. Conditions were stifling but the children were undeterred by this!
First off for Gisburn was the girls’ competition. A fast start was made; 'A' led the race out leaving others to trail behind her. 'C', 'I', 'E', 'C' and 'A' were all closely grouped together toward the front of the field and had got into a quick running stride. As the race unfolded, 'A' led up until the final lap where she was passed. This set up a dramatic final two hundred meters to the race: the lead was exchanged by the two girls several times before 'A's perfectly timed lunge for the line gave her a well-earned win. She was shortly followed by 'I' (4th) and 'E' (5th), who both had tremendous races. 'C' was the next in for Gisburn and finally 'A' and 'C', giving Gisburn a great chance for a team prize!
After such an emphatic race, the boys had a lot to live up to… they did not disappoint. A ferociously paced first lap left a clear divide between the front runners and the rest of the field. 'B' was trying his best to hang on to the leaders but had fallen a little way behind. In the chasing pack, 'B' and 'T' were well positioned and were closely followed by 'T' and 'C'. The final lap approached: 'B' had not yet managed to bridge the gap but going down the grassy descent, he put in extra effort to chase down the leaders and settle into the group. This was immediately countered by one of the leaders, which only 'B' responded to, leaving the two boys out in front with clear daylight between them. The final stretch left both boys jostling for position before 'B' summoned all of his competitive determination and blasted off up the hill and into the finish to secure first place! As the rest of the competitors filed in, 'L' and 'T' were the next to finish followed closely by 'T' and 'C'. Scores were taken and yet again, Gisburn had high hopes for medal positions with their fingers crossed.
As the results were announced, we astonished to find out that the boys had earned a second place team prize. All the boys were pleased with their performance and overall position. The girls’ team however, went one better and took first place team to their delight.