XC Championship

Further details will appear here in due course

Key Details

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Key Details

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Date

13th March 2021

Location

Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent.

Age groups

Juniors (under 15)
Intermediates (under 17)
Seniors (under 19)

Coronavirus update

As at 9th Novermber, it looks doubtful whether the 2021 XC championships will be possible on 13th March, but we are still planning ahead and we are due to make a final decision in January. If counties cannot hold their own championships at the end of January because of restrictions on the sport, this would be the natural time to make the decision to cancel the championships.The venue is still proposed to be Hop Farm in Kent.

Making a decision in January should give counties time to cancel their accommodation and buses hopefully without incurring costs.

Kent have said that they will host again in 2022 if the championships are cancelled this time around.

The ESAA National Cross Country Championship is the most eagerly anticipated event of the winter for young athletes. Organised entirely by volunteer teachers, we bring together the best athletes in each of the 46 Counties in England to compete for the honour of being the best in the Country.

Entry to the event is by virtue of athletes being selected by County Team Managers to represent their County. County Championships are normally held in late January or early February and a preliminary County Team is then selected. One or two weeks later, County Teams may compete between other neighbouring Counties in an Inter-County match, after which the team to represent the County at the National Championship is finally selected.

Teams comprise a maximum of 12 athletes, of which only 8 are allowed to compete. The first 6 finishers in each team count towards the team competition - finishing positions are added up, and the team with the lowest score wins. If teams are tied, the team with the highest 6th finisher takes precedence.

In addition to individual championships, there is also a team competition between Counties. The Inter-County competition is split into 4 groups, where each group contains Counties of similar sizes as defined by the number of eligible pupils. The team aggregate results reflect each group: big Counties, medium, not so big, and little Counties.