HIGHGATE Harriers' William Laing led UCS to third place in the London Schools Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill Fields last week. Laing, competing in the Intermediate boys' race, finished fifth in a time of 19 minutes 33 seconds. He was

HIGHGATE Harriers' William Laing led UCS to third place in the London Schools Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill Fields last week.

Laing, competing in the Intermediate boys' race, finished fifth in a time of 19 minutes 33 seconds.

He was followed in by team-mates Hamish Birrel (20mins 19secs) 11th, David Mobbs (21mins 48secs) 33rd, and Max Coventry (21mins 57secs) 36th.

In the senior boys' race, Harriers' Atak Ding achieved the highest individual placing of all the local runners, coming fourth in 21mins 36secs for William Ellis.

His school-mates Lawrence Matthewman (22mins 40secs) 10th, Max Onslow (26mins 29secs) 29th, and Lee Lovelock (36mins 54secs) 40th helped the team to fourth overall.

In the intermediate girls' race, Harriers' Alice Keane came fifth (15mins 2secs) for City of London, while the Camden School team of Kitty Drake (16mins) 14th, Amber Fahey (17mins 7secs) 26th, Rachel Horrigan (17mins 51secs) 30th and Gloria Cronin (18mins 8secs) 35th, came fifth overall.

Hampstead finished eighth overall in the same event thanks to strong runs from Feven Solomon (18mins 49secs) 38th, Emma Hannah (19mins 5secs) 42nd, and Diana Jashari 61st.

In the junior girls, Harriers' Samara Williams (Acland Burghley) came sixth in 9mins 53secs, ahead of Amy-Jane Cotter of North Bridge House (11mins 4secs) 24th, Matilda Bridge of Marylebone CE 39th, Rochelle Rodney 72nd, Kathleen Jopling 75th, Eucalypta Bradley 89th - all Parliament Hill - and Esme Garner-Purkiss (Acland Burghley) 91st. Acland Burghley came 17th while Parliament Hill were 18th.

In the senior girl's race, Camden School's Claire Cassi (14mins 57secs) finished fourth, just ahead of Harriers' Aneira Roose-Mclew of Parliament Hill (15mins 30secs) fifth.

In the junior boys' race, George Laing of UCS was the best local finisher (13mins 32secs) in eighth, ahead of Lazlo Henry of Acland Burghley (14mins 7secs) 25th, Sheenwar Siti of Acland Burghley (14mins 13secs) 30th, Jake Jeal of William Ellis (14mins 15secs) 32nd, Patraic Collas of William Ellis (14mins 15secs) 33rd, Ivo Glasser of Hampstead (14mins 28secs) 43rd, and Matteo Quispia-Salinas (14mins 37secs) of Hampstead 48th.

Other top 90 finishers included CJ Burke of UCS 56th, Leo Jaggs of UCS 57th, Luka Dako of Acland Burghley 68th, and Adam Shuman of UCS 82nd.

UCS were 10th, ahead of Acland Burghley 12th and William Ellis 16th.