Youngster Stella is setting her sights (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Youngster Stella is setting her sights

1:06pm Friday 8th March 2013 in Sport

BUDDING athlete Stella Jones has her sights on representing her country at the highest level.

The Barnard Castle School pupil, 11, from Darlington, is the under-13 champion for the North Yorkshire and South Durham League.

Stella, who has been a member of the Darlington Harriers since 2009, competes across the region including Darlington, Middlesbrough, Filey and Richmond in 5km crosscountry races.

Stella, who joined the schoolinSeptember,joined her peers from Barnard Castle when 30 pupils from the school represented South West Durham at the Durham County CrossCountry Championships, held at Meadowfield.

To qualify for this event, pupils had to compete in the South West Durham Championships against 11 other schools. Of the 70 pupils aged between 11 and 16, 30 were chosen to go on to represent South West Durham at the Championships against eight other districts from across the county.

Stella won the year 7 race by a very good margin, making her county champion for that age group. Kat Stewart finished a creditable 16th.

Other results included year 7 boys Connor Maguire eighth, Caleb Ellis tenth and Cameron McKnight12th. JuniorboysWill Body was 18th, junior girls Ellie Shannon was 21st, inter boys Sam Leeming was 11th, Harvey Barkes 19th and senior boys James Watson was sixth.

Stella Jones, Connor Lewis, Caleb Ellis, Sam Leeming and James Watson qualified to represent the County at the InterCounty competition last weekend. As James Watson came 22nd, he qualified for the English Schools’ Championships withSamLeeming who finished 37th. Stella was second in her race, however there is no year 7 event at national level.