Taylorian 2020

102 T he cross-country season started with the well-established and hotly-contested whole-school House Cross-Country. The house spirit on show was extraordinary; it was a riotous atmosphere as boys bludgeoned their way through the farmer’s field and were seen flying down Warrior Field to try and grab every last point: Spenser won out, again. At the top end, the races were thrilling. Sam Bickerstaff (U6th, Clive) became the first athlete to win the event in every year he has spent at the school, on this occasion with a time of 17.30. However, with the Inters and Seniors running together, Sam was pushed hard by two Divisions students, Sam Amdor (Clive, Highgate Harriers) and Finn Combe (Spenser, Ealing), with the former closing in 16:59. The Junior race was equally thrilling, with Jake Bridge (Manor) pushing seasoned athlete Luca Spaccatrosi (White, 4ths, Highgate Harriers) right to the end. Luca’s performance was professional and classy. The main protagonists from the House Cross-Country continued to impress in the Middlesex Championships, on that historic course at Harrow School. Even though many boys were running at the bottom of their two-year age group, there were some impressive results which promise much for next year. Finn had an exceptional run, and the standout performer was Luca, who finished 11th in the Junior Boys race, and as such qualified to represent Middlesex at the ESAA National Championships. The Nationals took place at Sefton Park, Liverpool on Saturday 13th March. Luca ran extremely well: individually, he finished 275th in the country, and his Middlesex team secured 10th place. We congratulate Luca on carrying on a proud tradition of Merchant Taylors’ boys at the Nationals. The ESAA Cross-Country Cup provided manyof this season’s highlights for the team. The competition started locally at Harrow School. The Junior team ran superbly for 2nd and clinched an unexpected qualification. Jake Bridge stunned the field, winning the race a year below his age group. It is a team event though and if it was not for the efforts of Jake’s U3rd teammates — Marcello Caronti (White), Tommy Embleton (Mulcaster), Ubaydullah Baig, Luca McCormick and Jenson Ives (all Manor) — we would not have made the cut. The Inter Boys cantered through the local round, as expected. Sam Amdor, Finn Combe, Ari Moneke (Andrewes), Alex Bickerstaff (Clive), Luca Spaccatrosi and Sammy Knight (Spenser) finished 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 13th and 21st respectively to earn a staggeringly low 24 points. Next, both the Junior and Inter Boys team would brave the hills of Verulamium Park in St Albans for the regional round. The Inter Boys ran with guile, but also a degree of professionalism, as they cruised through to the final. Sadly for the Junior Boys, this is where their cup journey would finish. This team are not club runners and to get to the regional round was an achievement in itself. The team finished 11th on the day with Iago Palmer (Mulcaster) and Kian Shah (Andrewes) coming into the team after excellent House Cross-Country performances. Then came the final. The Inter Boys team had now reached the ESAA Cross-Country Cup National final three years in a row between 2017 and 2019, and this year aimed to stay injury-free. The race took place at Mount St. Mary’s College, Sheffield. It was an epic setting – a proper northern cross- country. The boys all ran exceptionally and to single one out here would be wrong. Watching them shoot out of the woods on a downhill, straight finish, gunning for extra places, picking off runner after runner, really was a sight to see. We finished 10th by only a point, proving that every ounce of that effort counted. They have not only grown as athletes over these past four years, but also as young men. But there is more progress to be made! As such, we sought a competition in which this team can test themselves every year until U6th. Mr Gazeley suggested the King Henry VIII School Relay Race. This fixture, challenged annually by the top cross- country schools, is run in Coventry around a short but testing course. Divisions boys Sam, Ari, Finn, and Alex – joined by 5th formers Josh Bailey (Andrewes) and Bertie Daniels (White) - were pitted against teams composed wholly of Sixth Formers. Against such odds, we were delighted to come 23rd (20th school). This is a remarkable debut and a fixture to watch. All in all, 2019-20 has been the most successful cross-country season in recent memory. We are incredibly proud of the achievements of all the boys and are hopeful it will inspire a new generation of Taylors’ runners to take up the baton. Mr J D Manley Sport Sport Cross Country