LARA Gibbs of St Peter's School, was the pick of the York runners in the English Schools' Cross-Country Championships at Brighton.

She stormed home in 15th place from a field of 300 after producing a strong finish.

Aimee Collett (Tadcaster) was 40th, her best position in an English Schols event in her final year.

The race winner was Danni Barnes, who was eighth in the European Junior Cross-Country Championships and is going to the World Championships. She was followed home by Charlotte Moore, who finished sixth in the 800m Commonwealth Games final.

Emma Macalister-Hall (St Peter's) finished 23rd out of 340 in the junior race.

Other top-100 finishes were achieved by Philip Graves (Archbishop Holgate's), who was 78th out of 330, Victoria Needham (Canon Lee) 100th in a field of 340 and David MacQuarrie (Sherburn) who finished 90th in the senior boys' race which attracted 320 runners.

Other York finishers were Ed Guiver (Ampleforth) 114th, Chris Sparrow (Ampleforth) 201th, Alastair Smith (Manor) 319th, Nina Griffith (York College) 109th, Clair Duck (York College) 156th, Ruth Tinsley (York College) 238th, Nicola Lampard (Tadacaster) 169th, Lauren Mason (Tadcaster) 262nd and Charlotte Maxted (Tadcaster) 115th.

FOOTBALL

YORK City Boys Under-11 continued their good form with a comfortable 2-0 win over Barnsley in a league fixture at Dorothy Hyman Centre.

After a spell of Barnsley pressure, York went ahead after good work down the left by Joe Dale.

They doubled their advantage when Billy Gregory netted the second and York had to defend stoutly in the second half with centre back Joel Dixon impressing.

York travel to Chester le Street this Saturday to contest the finals of the English Schools FA seven-a-side tournament at the Riverside complex. Players should meet at Wyevale Garden Centre, Poppleton, at 9.15am.

HOCKEY

QUEEN Margaret's School, have been crowned York and District Under-18s hockey champions without conceding a goal.

They beat Joseph Rowntree 3-0, Bootham 6-0 and Fulford 4-0 in their pool matches. That put them through to the final where they beat the other pool winner, Huntington, 4-0.

Updated: 09:02 Wednesday, March 12, 2003