Inter Counties Championships – Wollaton Park, Nottingham - Saturday 9 February 2002

Faye Fullerton claimed a place in the GB World Cross Country Championships team with a superb second place in the U20 race in the trial held in conjunction with the Inter Counties Championships at Nottingham today. 

There was only ever one winner as Kent's in-form Charlotte Dale ran away to win by 62 seconds but Faye was the only athlete to go with Dale's the early pace. Running in "no man's land" between the leader and the chasing pack Faye held on to finish 100 metres clear of her nearest challengers, as Kent's duathlete Henrietta Freeman won the battle for third and Scotland's Freya Murray finished fourth, with Jessica Nugent (Shaftesbury Barnet) fifth and Lisa Dobriskey (Ashford) sixth. Lauren Deadman was 31st in the same race as Essex won silver in the team event.

Faye had had a low-key build up to the trials and while many of her main rivals for a place had hogged the limelight she had prepared with a series of domestic races in Essex .  With no obvious form against her opponents, apart from a disappointing run in Margate in November, it was hardly surprising that she didn't merit a mention in the pre-race previews and the race commentators were also taken by surprise.  After her brilliant runners-up spot Faye said "I was trying to focus on Charlotte. I was surprised how well I was able to keep going on my own but I really wanted to get in the top three, after being fourth last year as an under 17."

Copyright: Kieran Galvin (2002)

Faye Fullerton (Photo Copyright Kieran Galvin)

Faye's reward was automatic selection for the world event in Dublin next month where she hopes to improve on her 48th place in last year's event in Belgium.  But the disappointment is that she will now miss the English School's Cross Country championships at Chelmsford on 9 March as she will be on a warm weather training camp with the GB world championships squad. 

Another  outstanding result came in the u13 boys race but unexpectedly it went to Ross Clarke (pictured right) who claimed silver, missing out on gold by just one second to Matthew Clark of Dorset, with more fancied Ashley Reece placing fourth. Reece had been unbeaten in the age group all winter, with an impressive series of fast relay legs and victories, most recently in the South of England Championships two weeks earlier, but he entered the race not in the best of health and he was unable to claim the honours. Ross Clarke took full advantage of his team mate's position to claim his scalp for the first time to show his potential on the national stage as he placed second. The Essex team claimed gold, with Matthew Watkins in 37th outside the scoring four.

Debbie Sullivan came good when it mattered to place 8th in the senior women's event, gaining revenge on Jo Wilkinson who beat her convincingly in both Essex and South of England Championships.  Younger sister Jo Sullivan placed 171st as Essex finished 6th. Megan Foley did well to place 20th in the u15 girls event as the Essex team just missed bronze medals in fourth. County runner-up Charlotte Watkins was unavailable, away swimming in the National Schools' finals for her school. Katie Richardson also placed 20th in the u13 race, with teammate Lauren Clark just 22 seconds behind her but 45 places back in 65th as the Essex team claimed bronze in this race.