STEETON'S Alex Thompson produced a storming run to be crowned national junior boys champion in the English Schools Cross Country Championships at Formby.

The Ermysted's pupil produced the top individual performance by a Craven athlete on a day when his school and Skipton Girls High School each had their junior and intermediate teams competing.

Thompson, who recently won the West Yorkshire League title and a prestigious Power of Ten race at Liverpool, found himself up against Will Hugill from Harrogate’s St John Fisher School who had beaten him twice this year in the first round of this competition and again in the area championships.

Thompson led the field out of the school grounds onto the sand dunes where most of the race was run.

His nearest company at this point was team-mate Will Atkinson who was in second place just five yards adrift, with Hugill on his shoulder.

They ran one large lap of relatively flat terrain and when they came back into view the race was still well and truly on with just a second or two between the leaders.

Thompson still held a slender lead but in the remaining half mile he drove on relentlessly pulling away for a relatively comfortable victory and an awesome end to the calendar year.

Atkinson ran on well for a tremendous sixth place but they had to wait a bit for the rest of their team.

The junior girls race saw Lothersdale's Alice Jones going for individual glory. She had won the county and North East rounds and showed why as she took third place in a quality field.

She was part of a leading group of five on the way out to the sand dunes but as they returned one runner had broken clear. Jones entered the school grounds in second place but had to settle for third as she lost out in a sprint finish.

She had great support from Lilli Carr who was just behind in seventh place.