On 22nd of November, seven Sutton Valence School pupils went to Mote Park to compete in the annual Maidstone school’s cross-country competition.  There were six First Formers and just one pupil from the Fourth Form, Josh Fawell.  For some of us, it was the first time we had ever competed in a cross-country race.

First of all, it was the Year 7 girls’ 2 km race.  As we looked at the wet, muddy conditions and made our way to the start line, we started to feel nervous, even more so when we saw the 200 metre hill at the end, towards the finish line.  We need not have worried though, as Saffron Roberts finished in 17th position and Grace Manning-Greene came in at 37th, out of a field of 55 entrants. 

Next was the Year 7 boys’ 3 km race.  It was an incredibly fast race and the SVS boys did a fantastic job, with Archie Burden finishing 7th, Edward Dyer in 11th, Fabian Gooding in 20th and George Slater completing the course in 25th place, with a total of 50 boys competing.  This was a fantastic achievement and we all felt very proud of them. 

Finally, it was time to support Josh Fawell who was competing in the Year 10 boys’ 5 km race.  We were all very happy to see Josh finish in a fantastic 5th place out of a total of 20 runners.

Despite the wet, muddy conditions, we all thoroughly enjoyed our day out at Mote Park.  Huge thanks go to Mr Wells, our lovely gap students and our brilliant supporters who came along and cheered us on at the finish line.

Grace Manning-Greene and Saffron Roberts 

First Form