Young Swindon Harriers distance runner Finley Byrne enjoyed a remarkable weekend as he took home two silver medals across two different competitions.
It started on Saturday at the South West Schools Cross Country Championships in Newquay with the 15-year-old claiming a superb individual silver in the junior boys’ race and also leading his Wiltshire team-mates to second place in the county competition just six points behind champions Dorset.
When discussing his performances, Finley said: “I felt like I really controlled my race.
“The eventual winner went off hard from the start but I decided to sit back in the pack as I was racing again in the Oxfordshire League the next day.
“I then waited until the finish straight and made my move. It was alright.”
Clubmates James Mayneord and Jesse Bryant fought tenaciously to finish 12th and 13th respectively while Douglas Kirby and Max Jackson were both inside the top 20 to complete the Wiltshire team which comprised five Harriers.
In the same race, improving results for Ben Conway in 22nd and Dylan Necrews in 32nd added a team bronze for Gloucestershire as they finished as the third and sixth scorers respectively.
On Sunday, Byrne was back in action again finishing runner-up to his great Bicester rival Leo Blyton in the fourth Oxfordshire Cross Country League race.
That means both boys have won two races, with two second places each so it will come down to a winner-takes-all in the fifth and final match at Henley next month.
Back to the schools competition and in the senior girls’ race Ella Spencer finished fifth and second scorer for Gloucestershire as they lost out on the silver medals by just one point to Dorset. Emily Blackstock also deservedly got a medal as she finished as the final scorer for the team.
County champion Pipa Wall enjoyed a superb debut in the event finishing sixth in the minor girls’ age group with Bethany Brien also running strongly in 13th.
The junior girls certainly put on a great show and were led by Elsie Scrase in 19th, Charissa Griffiths-Clack came 32nd, plus Ellie Charlesworth and Freya McMeeking were also in the top 50.
Competing at the Welsh Indoor Championships, Jaiden Dix returned from injury to record a big personal best of 6.33 metres to finish runner-up in the under-20 men’s long jump and go top of the South West Rankings.
Meanwhile, in London, Delleah Belgrave cleared an indoor personal best of 5.91 metres to win the bronze medal at the South of England Indoor Championships.
