History was made last Sunday as the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League concluded its 2025/26 season. After five gruelling fixtures, the BRAT junior squad secured a magnificent 4th place overall—the highest league finish in the club’s history!
Breaking into the “Top 4” is a massive achievement and a testament to the depth and dedication of our young athletes. We finished the season with a massive 26,940 points, holding off fierce competition to set a new club standard.
🏆 Team Glory: A Hat-Trick of Podiums
It wasn’t just the overall table where we shone. Three of our boys’ teams produced outstanding campaigns to bring home league medals, showing the strength of our packing in these age groups.
- 🥈 U11 Boys: A phenomenal season for our youngest boys, who finished 2nd overall to take the Silver medals.
- 🥉 U13 Boys: Consistent high scoring saw them secure a fantastic 3rd place and Bronze medals.
- 🥉 U15 Boys: Not to be outdone, the U15 squad also climbed the podium, finishing 3rd overall to claim Bronze.
Our U17 Men also put in a strong shift, finishing just outside the medals in 4th place, while the U11 Girls secured a solid 6th place finish in a very competitive league.
🌟 Individual Standouts
Cross country is the ultimate team sport, but we also saw some incredible individual consistency. A huge well done to our athletes who fought their way into the upper echelons of the overall league standings:
U17 Men:
- Elliot Dawlatly led the charge with a superb 7th place overall finish.
- He was backed up brilliantly by Evan Tomlinson (13th) and Josh Taylor (15th), giving the team three athletes in the top 15.
U11 Boys:
- Leo Dunigan was our first counter, finishing a brilliant 8th overall.
- The team strength was underlined by Logan Pearce (11th) and Lucas Sacramento Guillaume (12th), creating a formidable pack at the front.
U17 Women:
- Amira Emery produced a fantastic campaign to finish 13th overall.
- Arriella Dalmedo also secured a top-20 spot, finishing 18th.
U13 Boys:
- Anaadh Singh showed his class to finish 13th overall in the individual standings.
U15 Boys:
- Will King was our top finisher in this age group, securing a strong 20th place overall.
Top Female Finishers:
- Nova-Annalise Saltmarsh was our leading light for the U11 Girls in 23rd.
- Sophie McKinnon led the U13 Girls in 28th.
- Orla Woodman was the first BRAT home for the U15 Girls in 37th.
A Massive Team Effort
Results like this are built on cold training nights, muddy weekends, and a huge support network.
A massive thank you goes to our XC Team Managers Cat, Laura, Julie, Henryk, Dan & Nick and the coaches who have supported the athletes every step of the way.
We also want to say a special thank you to our Trophy Secretary, Laura, for coordinating the silverware, and to our guide runners, Ian and Julie, whose support is invaluable to the team.
And finally, to the parents—thank you for the taxi services, the tent-pitching, and the cheering. This historic 4th place belongs to the whole BRAT family.
Roll on next season!
Results can be found here.
