Jess leads the way in Wakefield

HEDON runner Jess Lonsdale further demonstrated what great form she has been in over the winter months after another impressive cross country performance.

The Kingston upon Hull AC athlete came second in the under-15 girls race at the first ever combined Yorkshire and Humberside Championships at Thornes Park in Wakefield.

With the two championships being run at the same time, separate medals were still given out to athletes from Yorkshire and Humberside – meaning the colour of the medal Lonsdale left with was actually gold.

The South Holderness College pupil came close to winning the race outright only to fall just shy of eventual winner Katy Wood from York Athletic Club.

The performance marks a fine season for Lonsdale, who came into the event on the back off head-turning runs at Liverpool at the start of the season and then at the Northern Championships last month.

It was double gold for the teenager as Kingston won the outright gold, beating all the other clubs from Yorkshire to take the team first spot, this after Katie Michaels came sixth and Ellie Wilson 13th.

It ended up being a clean sweep for Kingston in the under-15 age group as the equally impressive James Lamswood came second in the race and first in Humberside.

Along with Adam Oxley (16th) and Richard Pearson (18th), Lamswood picked up team gold in the process, while a good performance was put in by Beverley's Peter McGill (8th) in the same race.

Kingston's third overall team gold on the day came in the under-13 boys as Michael Adlard was third and first Humberside boy home.

He was well supported by Andrew Hess (7th) and David Mason (16th) to take home the team honours, while Goole's John Boardman also impressed in 15th in the same race.

Other Kingston boys to shine against their rivals from Yorkshire was Josh Rowe (11th in the junior men's race) and James Gilbert (12th in the under-17 race) – both finishing as first Humberside runner past the post.

In the under-13 girls race, Kingston's Chelsea Walker (13th) and Lucy Witherwick (19th) both finished in the top 20, while the Beverley trio of Danya Arnott, Jessica Chapman and Kelly Dawson also ran well, coming in the top 50.

Hull Achilles' best finisher on the day in the junior races was Lewis Suddaby, who was 25th in the under-17 boys competition.