Southend High School for Girls’ talented cross-country team made history by winning their second English Schools Cross-Country Cup final.

Liberty Good, Victoria Hiscock, Emma Jarvis, Abigail Uden, Olivia Tidd and Olivia Sofroniou won the intermediate girls crown at the championships in Rugby, Warwickshire.

It follows on from the team’s junior girls victory in Newquay in 2009 which only Uden was not a part of.

The victory was also the first intermediate girls win in the competition for Southend High School for Girls since 1996.

Head of PE at the school Sue Simpson said: “It’s absolutely brilliant. They were up against the best schools and best runners in the country and have come out on top.

“These girls have trained so hard, three times a week, every week, since September and have hardly ever missed a session.

“They are all so committed.”

The team’s victory was nothing short of emphatic too.

Such was the strong packing from the whole team, they finished 36 points ahead of Essex rivals Coopers Coburn, from Upminster.

And that was no surprise to Simpson.

“We all say they are like Kenyans in the way they run as a pack.

“They are all so strong and you never know who is going to be the first home of them all.

“They are all so closely matched.”

Just like in Newquay in 2009, it was Good who led the team home with a seventh place finish.

The whole team followed her home within 37 seconds.

Victoria Hiscock was one place behind in eighth, followed by Emma Jarvis (15th), Abigail Uden (21st), Olivia Tidd (25th) and Olivia Sofroniou (35th).

“It’s a great achievement,” added Simpson. “Because, let’s face it, getting girls to do cross-country is not an easy thing!

“But we try to make it enjoyable for them and have training sessions on the Cliffs and at Hadleigh Country Park.

“They have all worked so hard and deserve the win.”

Plenty of pride for all our schools

THOUGH not achieving the same success as Southend High School for Girls the three other south Essex schools competing in the English Schools Cross-Country Cup final returned with much to be proud about.

All the schools finished inside the top five in their respective events with Southend High School for Boys fourth in the intermediate boys race and fifth in the junior boys.

Eastwood School were fifth in the intermediate boys and Thundersley’s King John School were fifth in the junior girls.

Eastwood’s George Elliott was south Essex’s highest placed finisher in any of the races, coming home in fourth in the intermediate boys race.

He was followed closely by team-mate James Nadin in eighth, while the rest of the Eastwood squad was made up of Daniel Frimley (71st), Joe Ray (75th), Connor Peralta (110th) and Jack Wakefield (119th).

Southend High School for Boys’ Laurence Willmore was first home for them in the same race in 15th place, followed by Henry Snell (35th), James Blenkinsop (38th), Benedict Greenway (49th), Adam Foster (60th) and Ben Cockrill (78th).

Joe Kidd led the Southend High School for Boys’ junior boys team home in 15th and was well supported by Mitchel Cox (28th), Harry Long (31st), Adam Harley (37th), Simon Jones (47th) and Harrison Smith (110th).

Kiera Tippett was the leading King John athlete home in the junior girls’ race, securing a 11th placed finish. Close behind was team-mate Niamh Smith followed by Francesca Roast (39th), Emily Warren (77th), Briony Findley (103rd) and Sophie Bright (120th).