Tadcaster and Canon Lee qualified for the National finals of the English Schools' Cross Country Cup by finishing in the top three in the north-east final at Skipton.

With an outstanding team performance Tadcaster won the junior girls race, despite losing one of the top runners who lost a shoe in the mud when well placed.

The revelation of the day was Year 7 pupil Georgina Batt who finished eighth of the 70 runners in her first race - and against Year 8 opposition from the top cross country schools in the north-east.

The national final will be held at Tadcaster on December 2.

The school had offered to host this two years ago, before they knew they would have a strong team this year and on Saturday's form they should do well in the final.

In the intermediate girls race Canon Lee gained the last qualifying place with one point to spare.

The same Canon Lee girls qualified for the national final two years ago as a junior team.

The flat, shorter course at Tadcaster will certainly suit the Canon Lee runners, most of their team being sprinters by choice.

They found the hills and mud at Skipton very demanding and, with conditions against them and training disrupted by floods, it was a great achievement to qualify.

St Peter's intermediates were only two points away from qualifying with a great team effort in the difficult conditions.

Lara Gibbs, in fourth, was the best placed York athlete on the day and Manor finished tenth in the junior boys race.

Individual placings were as follows:

Junior girls (all Tadcaster): 6 Nicola Lampard, 7 Kate Hollier, 8 Georgina Batt, 18 Michaela Peach - 70 ran.

Inter girls: 4 Lara Gibbs (St P), 5 Asha Hibbert (CL), 13 Kerry Waterworth (CL), 16 Anna Clarke (St P), 25 Louise Bonnie (CL), 27 Lara Turner (St P), 28 Julia Miller (St P), 30 Holly Atkinson (CL), 37 Sarah Kinnell (Sr P), 43 Gemma Greenwood (CL), 44 Samantha Ford (St P) - 52 ran.

Junior boys (all Manor): 17 Tom Bean, 27 Alex Janes, 48 Alistair Smith, 52 Anthony Middleton - 57 ran.

Key: CL= Canon Lee, St P = Saint Peter's.

* The U14, U16 and U18 county netball squads are all away to Lancashire on Saturday.

Each age group will have an 'A' and 'B' team who will play first against Lancashire, while the Under-16 'A' and 'B' team will also play against Humberside.

The North Yorkshire squads are:

Under-14 (coach Carol McNickle): Jenny Coates, Alison Bennett, Rachel Bosley, Emma Wilson, Elizabeth McCall, Ruth Griffiths, Eleanor Hinds, Lisa Halley, Lauren Schofield, Helen Barley, Sarah Davy, Sarah Beattie, Sarah Mallinson, Nichelle McQuade, Rochelle Pierce, Lynn Hardcastle.

Under-16 (coach Emma Humbles): Claire Gillick, Helen Birdsall, Jo Jenkins, Fiona Rogers, Fran Nelson, Natalie, Wilford, Marion Willis, Nicola Bailey, Laura Smith, Christie Barnard, Alex Proctor, Anneri Lamprecht, Katherine Clegg, Lorraine, Waudby, Janine Lumley, Kelly, Davison.

Under-18 (coach Pete Gill): Gemma Grant, Francesca Jones, Elizabeth Pickup, Sally Howes, Elizabeth Davis, Gemma Shaw, Helen Cordell, Amy Cunnington, Mellisa Moran, Julia Mathews, Phillipa Tindall, Rachel Hill, Emily McGuire, Kirsty Saint, Jenny Anderson, Sarah Turner.