MORE than 400 runners turned out for the thrilling finale of the East Cornwall Primary Schools Cross Country Series, sponsored by the Cornish Times and Parkes & Pearn Estate Agents, at the beautiful grounds of Lanhydrock.

Despite the steep hills and demanding terrain, the standard of running remained high as young athletes battled it out for top honours in the final round of the popular schools series.

In the Year 3/4 Girls race, Millie O’Brien from Bishop Cornish Primary School maintained her remarkable unbeaten record for the season. She held off strong competition from a talented trio from Stoke Climsland – Amelia Mullard, Lottie Gorman and Senara Handford – to secure another victory.

The Year 3/4 Boys race saw another dominant performance from Jack Saunderson of Antony. He made it four wins from four this season, finishing ahead of Zachary Taylor (Menheniot) and Nico Flood (Carbeile).

In the Year 5/6 Girls event, Theia Jones returned to winning form for Bishop Cornish, claiming her third victory of the series. She edged a close contest with Emilia Kennedy of Pensilva, while Faye Nottle from Upton Cross finished third.

There was also a strong finish in the Year 5/6 Boys race, where Jacob Sweeney secured victory. The Saltash runner finished clear of Christopher Weatherall from Millbrook and Cameron Edwards of Burraton.

Race organiser Revis Crowle said: “Congratulations to all the runners who have taken part in this year’s series. Weather hasn’t always been our friend, but thankfully we had great conditions for the final race at Lanhydrock. It was a testing final run, but to have over 400 runners again shows how popular the series remains with both the runners and the schools.”

The annual series presentation night takes place on Thursday, March 26, at St Mellion Golf and Country Club.