AFTER the appalling conditions at Bideford, Truro and Bristol, Penair's cross country athletes were delighted to be greeted with bright sunshine for a change when they visited Paignton on Saturday.

Underfoot, however, the ground was still very wet; sodden, marshy ground covered much of the course. That, and the fierce, cold wind which swept across the open valley, made conditions difficult - but it is so often these very conditions that bring out the best in the youngsters from Penair School who regularly train in all weathers.

With many of their runners away on a school skiing trip or incapacitated by illness, Penair's teams were, on this occasion, greatly reduced both in numbers and experience. As this was the penultimate event in this season's Westward League programme, there was considerable doubt as to whether Penair School could maintain its strong position in the league in which, among the specialist athletics clubs of the South West, it is the only school entered.

It is a tribute to the sheer depth of talent among the Penair runners, that even with scratch teams, they won three out of the four team events in which they were entered on Saturday. That they did not succeed in the fourth was due to injury when Craig Cadwallader, running strongly in the under 15 Boys event, was edged into the boundary tape which caused him to fall badly.

Even in the absence of Lizzie Gard, the under 13 Girls team performed outstandingly. After some confusion at the start when the whistle created some uncertainty as to whether the race had actually begun, the Penair girls quickly got into their stride and recovered lost ground. With only three runners in the team, it was essential that each of the Penair girls must be well-placed if the overall team position in the league was to be maintained. With Clare Regan crossing the line in second place closely followed by Katy Parry (3rd) and Ellie Parkyn (11th), they needn't have worried!

Full report in this week's issue.