Demonstrating outstanding commitment, resilience, and sportsmanship, the students have achieved unprecedented success, securing team and individual victories across multiple age groups.

 

A Strong Start: Local Dominance

The season began with an impressive performance at the St Gabriel’s Cross-Country Relays, an event that welcomes both seasoned competitors and newcomers. Athletes from Years 5 to 10 competed against schools from across Berkshire, with the U11 squad standing out as they triumphed over competitors two-year groups above them. Ella Parsons, Matilda Saunders, and Elodie Burdett delivered particularly impressive performances, setting the tone for the season ahead.

At the Berkshire Schools Cross-Country Championships held at Newbury Showground (18 January), St Gabriel’s fielded a strong team. Despite tough competition, Jonah Lynch placed 8th in the Year 7 boys’ race, while the girls Junior squad (Years 8 and 9) of Harriet Saunders, Olivia Bentley, and Annie Warner secured 2nd place overall. Notably, these athletes were all competing against older students in their category, making their achievement even more remarkable. As a result, Harriet and Olivia were both selected for the county team and went on to compete for Berkshire at the Southeast Championships, with Harriet storming to selection for Berkshire at the English Schools Championships.

 

Regional Success: ISA Championships and Beyond

At the ISA Regional Cross-Country Championships, held at Sherfield School, St Gabriel’s athletes once again rose to the occasion, battling cold and muddy conditions with determination. Notable performances in the Junior categories included:

U9 Girls (Years 3 &4): Grace Bennis, Henrietta Wilson, Elizabeth Adams, and Constança Gordalina all ran with control and confidence, with Grace making an especially strong start.

U9 Boys (Years 3 &4): Barney Carpenter, Harvey McAree, and Austin Mason displayed fantastic teamwork, staying focused under pressure.

U11 Girls (Years 5 & 6): This team proved to be a dominant force. They hunted as a pack from the start, with Matilda Saunders running straight out hard to the first corner and never looking back. She held on into the finish to place a strong 2^nd. Teammate Elodie Burdett ran a great tactical race, always in the pack and chasing down the lead to gain a fantastic 5th, which was closely followed by Ella Parsons in 14^th, alongside a brilliant run from Jemima Baiao-Smith who moved through the field well.

U11 Boys (Years 5 & 6): Luca Bown, Henry Cox, Reuben Greasley and James Ryder took part in the final event of the junior races. Led aggressively by Luca, they charged as a pack to the first turn and ran with freedom as they approached this challenging course. The ground was muddy by this point and the conditions challenging. All four had a race to be proud of.

In the senior event the squads of Holly Ryder, Abigail Greasley, Milly Davies and Martha Clayton for the U12 (Year 7) girls and Jonah Lynch, Alex Chicken, Alexander Hollard and Zachary Adlam for the U13 (Year 7) boys ran superbly, staying in touch with each other throughout the race and working together to maintain good squad positions throughout. Jonah finishing with his second top 10 position of the season.

The most impressive display of the day though, came again from the U14 girls (Years 8 & 9). A standout performance from Harriet Saunders (1st), Olivia Bentley (2nd), and Annie Warner (6th) saw them completely dominate their race.

Following these outstanding results, six St Gabriel’s students—Harriet, Olivia, Annie, Jonah, Matilda, and Elodie—by finishing in the Top 10, earned selection to represent London West at the ISA National Cross-Country Finals.

In other regional races, the Junior Squads put on a dazzling display at the Thorngrove School Cross-Country Relays, where the same girls U9 team won convincingly, which was repeated 20 minutes later by the U11 girls, destroying the field and gliding into an easy victory by some margin. Strong performances from the boys U11 team, particularly Luca Bown, propelled them to finish in 3^rd place.

At the Area Cross-Country Championships held at Mary Hare School on 5 March, St Gabriel’s once again put on an outstanding performance and dominated the leader boards, with Jonah Lynch winning the Year 7 Boys Race, Liam Neil finishing 3^rd in the U15 boys’ race and Harriet Saunders winning the U15 Girls Race with Olivia Bentley in 2^nd, and Annie Warner in 4^th.

 

National-Level Achievements

The ISA National Cross-Country Championships (9 March) saw St Gabriel’s athletes compete against the best young runners in the country. Once again, they demonstrated incredible strength on the national stage with some outstanding performances. Amongst the Seniors, Harriet Saunders finished 2nd in her race, with Olivia Bentley 4^th, Annie Warner 15^th and Jonah Lynch achieved an impressive 7th place. In the Juniors, Elodie Burdett (7th) and Matilda Saunders (12th) secured top finishes in a highly competitive U11  (Years 5 & 6) girls' event.

These incredible results meant that all six St Gabriel’s athletes placed within the top 15 at a national level—a remarkable achievement for the school.

 

Junior Athletes Shine in Berkshire Championships

As the season drew to a close, St Gabriel’s junior athletes showed no signs of slowing down. At the West Berkshire & North Hampshire Primary Schools Cross Country (25 March) at Newbury Showground, a large-scale event featuring over 1,600 competitors the Year5/6 Girls Team placed 2^nd overall, with standout performances from Elodie Burdett (2^nd place), Matilda Saunders (3rd), and Ella Parsons (6th). The Year 3/4 Girls Team placed a hugely respectable 7^th place overall. While the boys teams had a strong showing with the Year 5/6 team finishing 28th and the Year 3/4 team placing 40th.

 

A Season to Remember

This historic season would not have been possible without the dedicated training and commitment of St Gabriel’s athletes. Many of these students also train with Team Kennet and Newbury Athletic Club, where they are coached by passionate volunteers who support grassroots athletics.

“We are immensely proud of our cross-country runners,” said Verity Brazendale, Cross Country Coach at St Gabriel’s. “Their success is a testament to their hard work, perseverance, and the incredible support from their coaches. To have so many students competing—and excelling—at a national level is a fantastic achievement. We look forward to building on this success in the seasons to come.”

With multiple team victories, county and regional selections, and top national finishes, St Gabriel’s athletes have set a new benchmark for excellence in cross-country running. The future is undoubtedly bright for this unstoppable squad.