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School houses in fierce battle for cross-country crown
House and individual medals were fiercely fought for at the annual Gad’s Hill School cross-country run, held in Higham.
Pupils aged from three to sixteen all took part in the run with gusto, despite the cold and muddy conditions, with many donning fancy-dress for the occasion.
They were joined by a new addition to the Gad’s family as Charlie the Lion, streaked in the school colours of gold, yellow and burgundy, arrived to the cheer on the crowd of runners.
While the Senior boy’s and girl’s honours were evenly distributed among members of Beatty and Haig houses, the junior race was a much wider affair, with Wellington, Beatty and Haig all placing a boy or girl in the top three finishers.
The Gad’s runners, spurred on by the raucous crowd, put in some terrific times with fifteen year-old Zak Warwood (Haig house) topping the senior boy’s three-kilometre race in 10 minutes 56 and eleven-year-old Amber Durrant (Beatty) in 14 minutes for the girls.
The two kilometre junior competition saw a clean sweep for the Bolton family, with ten-year-old twin brother and sister Oliver and Eleanor (both Beatty) picking up the top spots in their respective categories.
At the end of each race, each runners finishing time was combined to provide a ‘house’ score. This resulted in Beatty picking up the coveted Junior Cross Country Trophy and Haig house, the Senior Trophy.
Headmaster, Mr. David Craggs, who took part in the race alongside a number of other teaching staff. said: “While running about in the cold is not to everyone’s taste, making sure our youngsters are fit and healthy is just as important as ensuring they can read and write and perform maths to a decent level.
“We aim to teach our youngsters about the importance of teamwork by encouraging them to run the cross country on behalf of their house. It’s a fantastically fun – although muddy! - outlet for all, especially for those who struggle with academic work. Well done to everyone who ran and thanks to all those who came to support!”
The new mascot for Gad’s is taken from the school’s new logo which features it’s former owner's, Charles Dickens, family crest of a Maltese lion holding a cross.