Whitworth High cross-country duo help Rossendale to win county competition

Sam Wellington and Oliver Brooks after the cross country competition

Whitworth Community High School students Sam Wellington and Oliver Brooks helped the Rossendale team win a county competition.

Sam, 11, and Oliver, 12, along with eight other students from Rossendale High Schools, completed a muddy 4k course at Witton Park in Blackburn.

Sam said: “There were about 70 runners and I came in 16th while Oliver was 41st.

“We had a mixture of emotions. Nervous because we wanted to do well, worried that we might not do well and excited and determined because we wanted to show that we could do well.

“It was exhilarating, and we are happy with how well we did, especially as we are not runners.”

Oliver described the run as exhausting because the ground was wet and so the second time around the course it was very muddy.

He said: “I managed to keep a sprint finish and that enabled me to get past about three others on the way to the finish line.”