A TRIO of Vale Royal Athletics Club’s rising stars helped England’s teams to victory during the Schools’ International Athletics Board cross country meeting last weekend.

Lucy Smith, Will Ashfield and Holly Weedall represented their country for the first time in Nottingham as a reward for their performances at the national schools’ championships earlier this month.

The latter, a student at Weaverham High School, made a determined start in the junior girls’ race at Wollaton Park before older rivals’ superior stamina told.

She classified 10th overall.

Ashfield, from Abbey Gate College near Chester, stayed with the leading pack over a twisting 4.5km course to finish eighth in the junior boys’ category.

Lucy Smith made a blistering start to the inter girls’ race, which she led for the first 1,000m.

The Malbank School student had regressed by the finish to take eighth spot as England again took team honours over rivals from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

England also prevailed in the inter boys’ category to complete a clean sweep of titles.

Meanwhile Holly Smith, Lucy’s sister, is preparing to run for England next week at the International School Sport Federation (ISF) World Schools’ Cross Country Championships in Paris.

It is a reward for the 16-year-old’s performances during the winter campaign, which includes a runner-up spot in the inter girls’ race at the county schools’ championships.

Meanwhile she was ninth at the national schools’ championships.

She has shone for her club too; following a fourth-place finish in the under 17s girls’ race at the English championships, she took silver for Cheshire in the same age-group category at the UK CAU Inter-Counties Championships.