HARRY Parker impressed once again at the third round of the Essex Cross-Country League at the Braintree Discovery Centre.

The youngsters ran superbly to finish second in the under-13 boys race and was well supported by team-mates Ben Prior (13th), Finlay Lowe (14th) and Mason Hambledon (28th), while Henri Willett was 38th and Ross Livingstone 51st.

This group look very likely to challenge for the Essex Championship early next month.

The under-17 men, led by Jody Meredith in 11th, retained their third place in the league. The slightly off-form Sam Smith (27th), Oliver Mann in his first cross-country race (34th) and Luke Strudwicke, who picked himself up from a mid-race crisis to finish in 43rd were the Harriers scorers.

In the senior men’s race, Alex Houghton showed he is running into form with a 16th-place finish. Scott Rice remained in touch with individual medals in the V40 group by finishing 33rd. Don Lawless, in a rich seam of form, was second in the V50 group and 58th overall.

Other senior finishers: Keith Willett 23rd, Jon Metcalf 82nd, Iain Scott 105th (PB), Paul Mitchell 117th (PB) and Bernie Johnson 129th. Toni Noble was 20th and fifth in the V35 age group in the senior women’s race while Jodie Farrell had her best league finish of 30th.

The under-15 boys team produced a solid performance with Jack Exley (17th), Taylor Newell (18th), Sarab Dhillon (31st), Reece Scott (37th) helping the team to fifth.

Amber Pullinger impressed in the under-15 girls race finishing in eighth. Behind her were Heather Peters (17th) and Lucy Ball (19th). Brooke Mensah had her best race of the winter to finish 11th in the under-17 girls race. Other female finishers came in the under-13 group where Keira Scott and 18th, Amy Raven was 26th and Stevie Critchall 32nd.

* Thurrock Harriers’ Demi Eaves stormed to success in the Thurrock Primary Schools Cross-Country Championships at Blackshots.

She triumphed in the Year 6 girls’ race and will now run in the Essex Schools cross-country next year.