CIARAN Cooper and rookie Harriet Hillman have been crowned the new Wiltshire cross country champions.

The pair, who are both members of Swindon Harriers, took the honours at the event which was held at Bath University on Sunday as part of the Tri-Counties Championships also incorporating the Avon and Somerset events.

Cooper won the under 20 men’s title while Hillman, who this summer represented Great Britain in an international Biathle event in Italy where she won a team gold, won the under 11 girls’ race.

“I don’t think I ran as well as I did in the Oxford League last week but it is nice to win a county title and I am pleased with that,” said 18-year-old Cooper, who lives in Lower Stratton.

“Cross country is a means to an end for me and my next event now will be indoors in the new year when I race over 800m in the South of England Championships.”

Cooper’s expected clash with training partner and clubmate Will Crisp didn’t materialise as the latter pulled out of the competition.

Cooper finished 12th overall in the combined race while Hillman of Cricklade beat all her Avon and Somerset rivals as well as her Wiltshire opponents, who dominated the race with Phe Phe Pye of Moonrakers AC runner-up and New Forest Juniors’ Lilly Jones third.

For Hillman, who is coached by John Dill, it was her first county title. During the summer she was runner-up in the 75m sprint at Tidworth and won a bronze in the long jump.

Coach Bryan Clinton has been pleased with the progress of Ethan Pierce this winter and the 15-year-old maintained that with a hard-earned bronze medal in a competitive under 15 boys’ race.

Marlborough and District Junior Club also won two medals at the event. Sophie Smith was third in the under 13 girls’ race and Freddie Webb came second in the under 11 boys’ age group.

For the senior titles it was more of the same as recent Swindon 10k champions Simon Nott of Calne Running Club and Ruth Barnes of Avon Valley Runners were crowned champions with decisive performances.

There were also solid runs by the Swindon pair of Chloe Hayward and Sophia Bonnetti in the under 15 girls’ race finishing fifth and eight respectively.

Full Results

Senior men: 1 Simon Nott (CRC) 35:42; 2 Ben Brewster (So) 35:59; 3 Mike Towler (AVR) 36:56; 4 Heath Bampton (Oxon, M40) 37:11; 5 Thomas Hemming (Sw) 37:43; 6 Dan Thomas (Sw) 37:49; 7 Tom Davies (TB) 38:21; 8 Mike Rose (AVR) 39:16; 9 Justin Peters (AVR, M40) 39:33; 10 Steve Underwood (So) 40:16.
M40: 3 Steve Brett (A) 40:58.
M50: 1 Sean Butler (TB) 4247; 2 Mark Hooper (CH) 43:32; 3 Nick Parry (TB) 44:29.
M60: 1 Phil Harding (AVR) 47:03; 2 David Griffiths (AVR) 49:38; 3 Frank Lamerton (AVR) 50:31.
Teams: 1 Team Bath AC 124; 2 Wells City Harriers 137; 3 Avon Valley Runners 142.
U20 men: 1 Ciaran Cooper (Sw) 20:01; 2 Joseph Morrison (CRC) 23:41.
U17 men: 1 Frederick Webb (TB) 19:18; 2 Jaymee Domoney (CoS) 19:33; 3 Robert Howorth (TB) 19:36; 4 John Howorth (TB) 20:31.
U15 boys: 1 Rory Howorth (TB) 12:45; 2 Otto Copping (TB 13:16; 3 Ethan Pierce (Sw) 13:19; 4 Niall Thorne (AVR) 14:00; 5 Henrik Humphries (AVR) 14:19; 6 Jack Wosika (TB) 14:26; 7 Shashwat Chahar (Sw) 14:35; 8 Harry Webb (TB) 14:52.
U13 boys: 1 Robert Gordon (NF) 10:45; 2 James Gordon (TB) 10:47; 3 Will Morris (Unatt) 10:50; 4 Nile Battey (CoS) 10:51; 5 Sam Butt 10:55; 6 Bertie Pettit 11:11; 7 Nathan Burn (CoS) 11:28; 8 Joseph Knibb (Sw) 11:32; 9 Oliver Welbourne (TB) 11:36; 10 Alex Reeves (unatt) 11:48.
U11 boys: 1 Lawrence Martindale (TB) 7:04; 2 Freddie Webb (MADJA) 7:08; 3 Will Andrews (TB) 7:24; 4 Max Sullivan (Sw) 7:42; 5 Joseph Martindale (TB) 8:00; 6 Callum Slade (AVR) 8:01 ; 7 Callum Angell (CH) 8:10; 8 Matthew Vincent (NF) 8:31; 9 Henry Pinn (Sw) 8:51; 10 Ollie Vincent 9:30.
Senior women: 1 Ruth Barnes (AVR, W35) 24:29; 2 Imogen Wolsey (TB) 25:08; 3 Jackie Rockcliffe (AVR, W45) 26:41; 4 Denise Grech (CRC,W45) 27:23; 5 Cordula Hurcum (CH, W35) 27:50; 6 Tess Warnes (CH) 28:08; 7 Claire Frances (CH, W35) 28:10; 8 Claire Howard (AVR, W35) 28:16; 9 Eilidh Bell (CH) 29:53; 10 Sarah Warren (CoS, W35) 30:37.
W45: 3 Helen Gibbs (CH) 31:51.
W55: 1 Ali Sloane (CoS) 32:18.
Teams: 1 Bristol & West AC 36; 2 Team Bath AC 411; 3 Avon Valley Runners 43.
U20 women: 1 Gemma Shepherd (TB) 17:23; 2 Izzy Dickson 21:46; 3 Holly Newman (AVR) 22:23.
U17 women: 1 Ellie Isaacs (AVR) 25:30.
U15 girls: 1 Abigail Burn (CoS) 14:28; 2 Louise Webb (CoS) 15:36; 3 Lucy Fitzpatrick (TB) 15:41; 4 Caroline Brenchley (TB) 16:03; 5 Chloe Hayward (Sw) 16:07; 6 Sarah Brett (A) 16:16; 7 Catriona Edington (MADJA) 16:39; 8 Sophia Bonnetti (Sw) 16:43; 9 Sophie Capel (Sw) 16:53; 10 Mia Ralph (AVR) 15:55.
U13 girls: 1 Eleanor Webster (TB) 11:18; 2 Olivia Roderick (IF) 11:32; 3 Sophie Smith (MADJA) 11:35; 4 India Ibbotson (TB) 11:38; 5 Eva Porter (Ci) 11:48; 6 Rose Warren (CoS) 11:50; 7 Imogen Tanner (IIF) 11:51; 8 Rachel Oram (Swi) 11:59; 9 Isabella Wolsey 12:18; 10 Ebony Hammond (TB).
U11 girls: 1 Harriet Hillman (Sw) 7:11; 2 Phe Phe Pye (M) 7:25; 3 Lilly Jones (NF) 7:32; 4 Ciara Newcastle (TB) 7:43; 5 Freya Buglass (AVR) 7:53; 6 Lottie Brown (AVR) 8:07; 7 Edie Noble (MADJA) 8:09; 8 Jade Griscti (NF) 8:10; 9 Molly Brophy (CH) 8:35.

  • Wiltshire Cross Country Championships, Bath University (key): A=Andover; AVR=Avon Valley Runners; CH=Chippenham Harriers; Ci=Cirencester AC; CoS=City of Slisbury; CRC=Calne Running Club; orough & District Juniors; M=Moonrakers AC; MADJA=Marlb NF=New Forest AC; Sw=Swindon Harriers; So=Southampton AC; TB=Team Bath AC.