ALLEYN Court School’s cross-country team have been crowned the Essex primary schools champions for the third year in a row.
The event started four years ago and the victory at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, saw the Thorpe Bay prep school secure their hat-trick.
And among the top performances were second places for Megan Samuels in the girls’ year six event and a second for national Independent Schools Association champion Mitchell Cox in the boys’ year six race.
“It has only been running for four years and we are over the moon that we have won three in a row,” said the Wakering Road school’s head of PE Paul Hart.
There was success too for Alleyn Court's rugby team at the years three and four tag rugby tournament organised by Southend's two school sports partnerships.
Played at Southend Rugby Club’s Warners Bridge home, the event saw schools divided into two pools.
Chalkwell, Barons Court, Heycroft & Westborough, Milton Hall and West Leigh represented the Southend East partnership, with Alleyn Court, Thorpe Greenways, Bournes Green, Bournemouth Park, Temple Sutton, Prince Avenue, Thorpe Hall and Earls Hall representing Southend West.
The final pitched pool winners Alleyn Court and Heycroft together and saw Heycroft 3-2 up at half-time. But Alleyn Court levelled the match at 4-4 and with a minute to grabbed a fifth try to secure the win at their first attempt.
The play-offs to settle third and fourth place saw West Leigh defeat Earls Hall 6-3.
Southend PE school sport manager Kirk Edwards said the huge improvement in skill and teamwork showed by all teams from last year was evident.