FINLEY Cauldwell and Bella Jacobson were the top individual athletes at the 14th annual Colmers Primary School cross country races in Symondsbury.

Eight primary schools took part in the event, with 17 boys’ teams and 13 girls’ teams heading off around a very wet and slippery course.

The conditions were not conducive to fast times and so the records for the one-mile course around the base of Colmers Hill were unlikely to be broken.

The girls set off at a good pace behind last year’s winner and course record holder Maddie Herbert.

Cecilia Jennings (Loders) took the lead, closely followed by Jacobson (Symondsbury).

Jennings lost her footing just 40 metres from the finish line and Jacobson seized her chance to claim victory in seven minutes 52 seconds.

This was 53 seconds slower than the course record but still a very respectable time considering the conditions.

Jennings recovered to take silver ahead of Symondsbury’s Loveday Found.

Symondsbury were the team winners with St Catherine’s second and Loders third.

The boys were next to go and a hot race was expected with Tom Kilcoyne, last year’s bronze medallist, likely to be competing for honours again.

St Catherine’s’ Cauldwell was first to show and he built up a healthy lead before winning in six minutes 24 seconds – this was 14 seconds inside the course record which had stood since 2005.

Second was Kilcoyne (Bridport), also inside the old record, and third was Jake Childs (Symondsbury).

St Catherine’s were the team winners, Symondsbury finished second and Bridport Primary were third.

Thanks go to Symondsbury Estates for the use of the land and the car park, Symondsbury Primary School for providing the refreshments and West Dorset Leisure Holidays.