TAVISTOCK Primary School hosted both the West Devon Years 3 and 4 Championships in the Primary Schools Cross Country Races and the first in the three race series for Year 5 pupils on a cold, blustery February day.

The West Devon Championship event was to find the best girls’ team and the best boys’ team to represent the area at the 2017 county finals on March 1.

Taylor Charlton-Cross, Elliott Pocknell, Lucas Pascoe, Oliver Decieco, Finley Lyle and Tal Pearson of Whitchurch Primary took the boys’ gold medals, with St Peter’s second (Seb Folland, Rafe Kinnear, Harry Witcher, Oliver Reeves, Ed Small and Kieren McLaughlin) and Seb White, Rory Cox, Noah Reid, Adam Wolfenden, Owen Fileman and Otto Malm (St Andrew’s, Buckland Monachorum) third.

The first five individual boys were Ceol Hickman of Gulworthy, Taylor Charlton-Cross, Adam Daymond (Bere Alston), Fynn Baker (Milton Abbot) and Seb Folland.

The top five individual girls were Lara Dix (St Andrew’s), Claudia Jones (Meavy), Clara Edwards (Horrabridge), Olivia De Wolf (Tavistock) and Orla White (St Peter’s).

St Peter’s won the girls’ team event (Lara Dix, Orla White, Emily Carty, Molly Henderson, Molly Hunt and Wren Beckett) and will go through to the county finals at Paignton. Horrabridge runners Clara Edwards, Emily Swift, Esther Derry, Rebecca Boyd, Lily Hilton and Bethany Crook were runners-up and Meavy girls Claudia Jones, Anya McCaulay, Esme Dunne, Katelyn Milburn and Robyn Callard came third.

After the championship races came the first race in the 2017 series of three races for the year five and 6 pupils.

The boys’ race was won by William White of Whitchurch with William Elliot of Tavistock second, Nicolas Muczugowski third, Ewan Dix fourth (both St Peter’s) and Rory Summers of Whitchurch fifth.

Hannah Walker of St Peter’s won the girls’ race with Emma Luckham (Whitchurch), who led for most of the race; second, Alba Stewart of Tavistock third; Charlotte Walker, Hannah’s twin sister, fourth and Jessica Griffiths of St Andrew’s fifth.

The team positions after the first race are: Large schools — 1, St Peter’s; 2, Whitchurch; 3, Tavistock and 4, St Andrew’s. Small schools - 1. Meavy; 2, Mary Tavy and Brentor; 3, Lady Modiford’s and 4, Lamerton.

Organisers OCRA thanked all those who marshalled and assisted at the finish line. The next race in the series will be on Thursday, March 9.