Ben leads Dorset’s charge (From Dorset Echo)

Ben leads Dorset’s charge

2:38pm Tuesday 12th February 2013 in Sport By Echo Reporter

THOMAS Hardye School students helped Dorset to some excellent results in the South West Counties Cross Country Championships at Blaise Castle in Bristol.

Top-10 runners in each age group from Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Avon and Gloucestershire competed over a very muddy course and the star of the show for the Dorchester school was Ben Westhenry, who won the senior boys (Years 12/13) race in exciting fashion.

Having let Gloucester’s Alex George pull away from him on the second lap, Dorset star Westhenry showed an impressive turn of speed over the last 400m win to take the victory on the home straight by half a stride.

Chris Perham, also a Year 13 at Thomas Hardye, was the second Dorset ace home taking sixth place overall on the 7km course, well clear of the next athlete. The pair also led the Dorset senior boys to the team title.

For the inter girls (Years 10/11), Tara Chittenden was the second marker for Dorset with an impressive seventh place while Amy Buttle was fifth marker, coming home in 27th. Elsewhere, Lizzie Fernley and Sophie Easterbrook were sixth and seventh Dorset markers in 37th and 42nd respectively, ensuring the county girls came third overall in the team competition.

In the inter boys race (Years 10/11), Fergus Johnson finished 15th, while Flora Johnson claimed 23rd spot in the junior girls’ race.

Finally, Jed Skilton took first in the minor boys (Year Seven) with Grace Copeland second in the minor girls (Year Seven) as Dorset went on to achieve a total of 22 top-20 places.