SCHOOL sport competitions begin thick and fast at the start of the new term and cross country took centre stage at Barry Comprehensive School recently.

Initially all boys from Years Seven, Eight and Nine competed in the inter-house competition, where they gain points for their house. Then it was the turn of the senior athletes in the school to compete in their own race to find the school champion.

All races were exciting to the very finish with Jay Boulton triumphing in year seven, with Archie Williams and Joe Doughty coming in a close second and third.

Jack Pascoe won the Year Eight race with Jack Blackmore and Jack Cutajar coming second and third, while in Year Nine Callum Bellamy was victorious, closely followed by Kyle Booth and Jack Such in second and third position.

In the senior competition for boys in Years 10 to 13, Joe Hewings from Year 10 was an outright winner, followed by Jake McInery and Josh Harris in second and third place.

The top finishers from each of these races then formed the representative teams which lined up for the first and second cross country fixtures of the new season at Trelai Park. The Year Eight boys have shown strong competition against other Cardiff and Vale schools, ably led by Jack Blackmore who has been solidly consistent, while in the senior boys age group Joe Hewings has been the pick of the bunch from Barry. All in all a solid start to the season with plenty to build on the next fixtures in late October and November. Well done to all involved.