Cross Country Calendar – season 2025/26
Sat 18th October – County Trials – Himley Hall, Dudley. Qualification race for Inter County race below.
Sat 22nd November – Dave Sunderland Inter County fixture – Himley Hall, Dudley (hosting). (West Mids – Cheshire – Warks – Staffs – H&Worcs – Surrey – Shrops – Cumbria)
Sat 17th January – West Mids Schools XC Champs – Warley Woods.
Sat 14th March – ESAA XC Champs – Sefton Park, Liverpool.
Well done to all those who competed at the County Trials at Himley Hall. Results are below. Also below is a consent form to be completed and returned by those who finished in the top 10. Please return asap, but by latest Sun 2nd November. (*) If I don’t hear from you then I will assume that you cannot make the 22nd November and therefore wish to offer up your place to another athlete. 2nd November is also final submission date for any nominations from parents/coaches/clubs for the 5 places. (*) = if you have previously filled in a consent form, and all your details remain unchanged, there is no need to complete a new form. Just email me, confirming you are happy for your son/daughter to compete, provide consent and accept UKA Anti-Doping rules.
2025 – WMSAA XC County Trials – results
Well done to all those who competed for West Mids Schools at the Dave Sunderland Inter County. In very trying conditions I am delighted to say that West Mids won the overall Team trophy. An excellent effort! The Minor Girls won the team prize packing their 6 scorers into the top 15 places. There were also some great individual performances from Taylor Riches and Layla Williams (bronze in the Junior & Inter Girls respectively) and Sam Ball (silver in the Inter Boys race). The official results are below.
2025 Dave Sunderland Inter County XC – results
West Mids XC Champs – Saturday 17th January – Warley Woods
Timetable:- 10.00am Minor Girls (Yr.7) 1.9K, 10.20am Minor Boys (Yr.7) 2.3K, 10.40am Junior Girls (Yr 8/9) 2.3K, 11.00am Junior Boys (Yr 8/9) 3K, 11.20am Inter/Senior Girls (Yr 10/11 + 12/13)*3K, 11.40am Inter/Senior Boys (Yr 10/11 + 12/13)* 4.4K *The races will be split at the end and scored separately. Seniors will wear different-coloured numbers to differentiate themselves from the Inter runners.
Course is hilly, undulating parkland with some muddy sections suitable for cross-country spikes. See course map below. (Following Storm Darragh last year a felled tree has blocked off a section of the traditional course – section F1 on the map where runners have to turn into the meadow section earlier than they would have done in previous years). All runners will have numbers/recorded times. Athletes to report to the tent by the start line at least 45mins to an hour before their race to register, pick up their number and allow time to warm-up. The number must be securely pinned to the front of their vest/t-shirt. Safety-pins will be available on the day although we would ask athletes to bring their own pins where possible.
Presentations: Medals – 1st 3 in each race (awarded upon completion of each race). Qualification for ESAA XC Champs: – 1st 6 athletes in each of the Junior/Inter/Senior races will be automatically selected for the ESAA XC Champs and the remaining 2 spaces allocated on a discretionary basis, taking into account performances in previous races and current form (e.g. WMYACCL, County Champs etc). In the case of Senior Boys/Girls, performances in races such as WMYACCL and Area XC Champs will be taken into consideration. (N.B. there are no Minor Boys/Girls races at the ESAA). The team for the English Schools will be selected end Jan/early Feb and all successful athletes will be informed by email. Entry fee:- £2 per athlete payable in cash on the day.
Car-parking. Parking is available on adjoining roads (e.g. Abbey Rd, Barclay Rd, Lightwoods Hill) as well as side roads off Abbey Road (all within 5mins walking distance of the start/finish). Please note that, due to inconsiderate parking and access problems during previous cross-country events, some roads (e.g. Slatch House Road) have been designated as no parking zones. Therefore we would ask all parents/guardians, coaches, team-managers to, a) car share where possible & b) always park with consideration for local residents. Failure to comply may result in the right to hold cross-country events at the Woods being withdrawn. Thanks in advance for your full cooperation.
WMSAA XC Champs – Warley Woods course map 2025
Regards Henryk – West Mids Schools AA Cross Country Team Manager (henrykpiotrowski@yahoo.co.uk)