L to r: Rory Fraser, Ben Remnant, Freddie Huxley-Fielding, Charlie Tait-Harris and Sophie Pelling

An early bid for glory came from The Grove in their final year as a boys' boarding house, though their lead at the front of the pack was rather short-lived, and by Pulley Lane, most of the tipped athletes had positioned themselves in the top 20 or 30 runners.  A strong start was made by Huntsman Rory Fraser (Ch), who got out of the blocks quickly and was unhindered by the charge of the masses at the gun, which many have likened to the hordes of migratory wildebeest on the Serengeti Plains. 

Mr Haworth took to the front up Pulley Lane, and this was a lead that was never in doubt, with ageing Housemaster Mr Middleton struggling to keep pace behind.  Fraser came under attack from Fourth Form challenger Freddie Huxley-Fielding (R) who last year pulled off an incredible feat by placing 4th as a Third Former.  Huxley-Fielding's bold move was resisted, however, and by Farmer Tucks' fields, a new challenger had emerged in Fraser's fellow Churchillian Ben Remnant.  By the end of the race, the gap had narrowed to three seconds, but much to the Fraser family's delight, it was Huntsman and Head of School Rory who took the tape as first pupil home, and he was duly presented with the Hector Rose Bowl, the much-coveted winner's trophy. 

With Remnant just metres away, and Huxley-Fielding taking up the final podium spot, next year's race looks already to be a very exciting contest between our talented juniors, with fellow Fourth Former Charlie Tait-Harris (S) only seconds behind Huxley-Fielding, and Fifth Former Oscar Dickins (R) not far after that in 5th. 

Despite the difficult conditions (wet and muddy, with little traction in the fields), the top ten boys all ran under 20 minutes.  In the girls' race, we were all excited to see what new entrant Tory Mobley (EDH) could do, and given her pedigree (5th place in the national Knole Run in 2013) she was sure to give many of our top boys a run for their money.  Sure enough, Tory was right in the thick of it from the start, and despite the scrum at the start, had nestled in to the top 50 runners by Pulley Lane.  Her stamina proved the deciding factor in moving swiftly through the positions, and not only did she comfortably come home as first girl (by nearly two and a half minutes), but she came home in the top 30 pupils, a superb achievement, and well-deserved! 

Individual silver went to Girls' Captain of Running Lucie Cornwell-Lee (MSH), with 3rd place going to an ever-improving Sophie Pelling (EDH).

To view Andrew Spicer's video of the Tucks, please click on the link below:
The Tucks 2013

Back row (l to r): S Pelling, C Rogers, J Dempsey, R Fraser, C Tait-Harris, O Dickins, F Huxley-Fielding
Front row: C Godman, C Cornwell-Lee, T Atkins, T Mobley, W Hayward, B Remnant

Results
IPH 17.41
PJM 18.18
1 R Fraser (Ch) 18.22
2 B Remnant (Ch) 18.25
3 F Huxley-Fielding (R) 18.39
4 C Tait-Harris (S) 18.45
5 O Dickins (R) 19.15
6 C Godman (M) 19.35
7 J Dempsey (Ch) 19.38
8 W Hayward (R) 19.50
9 C Rogers (Rb) 19.57
10 T Atkins (M) 20.00

1st Girl T Mobley (EDH) 20.59
2nd Girl L Cornwell-Lee (MSH) 23.25
3rd Girl S Pelling (EDH) 24.14