KATIE ROWE’S fourth place was the highlight when four Guernsey runners competed in the English Schools Cross-Country Championships at Catton Park, Derbyshire, on Saturday.

A year after finishing second in the junior girls’ race, Rowe was competing as an intermediate this time around and ran a very smart race as she targeted a spot in the England team for the Home International Cross-Country in Wales this weekend.

The top eight are selected for that team and the main contenders got a gap and she stayed in the hunt for the team places, coming through strongly towards the end to take fourth in 13min. 25sec.

Winner was Annabel Mason, who is an international already in mountain running and who in Birmingham the previous week narrowly missed out on selection to the GB under-20 cross-country team for the World Cross.