READING Athletic Club teenager Kirsty Walker ran magnificently to finish sixth in the National Cross Country Championships Under-17s women’s race at Wollaton Park in Nottingham on Saturday.

In the boy’s’ race, contested on a testing 6km course which included stretches of waterlogged mud, Chey Blatchford-Kemp battled hard to grab 16th position in a time of 21m 27secs. Eddie Steveni came 30th in 21:46, with Nick Wiltshire finishing in 22:04 for 50th spot.

The scoring team was completed byHarry Roe, who came home 108th in 23:29, meaning giving Reading’s a points total of 204 gave them a splendid fourth place behind Tonbridge, Aldershot and Charnwood.

The team’s three non-scoring runners also ran well, with Max Martin finishing in 23:56, Tom Nike in 24:55, and Adam Halbert in 25:43.

In the U13s 3km race, Berkshire champion Reuben Henry-Daire took 30th place in a time of 13:04, and Dylan Lowther’s secured 106th in 13:45.

Laurie Baker had the misfortune to lose a shoe in the mud, but he kept going for a finishing position of 189th, recording 14:12.

Young Harry Moor completed the team with a determined effort of 16:07, which enabled Reading to finish 27th of the 48 complete teams.

The three U15s who took part in their 4.5km race ran with their usual competitive spirit. First home was Joseph Mott, who fought hard to finish 99th in 16:15, while Mattie Raynor’s determination gave him 198th place in 17:17 and Olly Moor also ran well for to endto finish in 18:01.