As the North of Scotland Schools Athletics Association covers the vast area of Highland, Moray and the Western Isles, over 40 schools gathered at Dornoch Academy to register and then make their way to Dornoch Caravan Park where they lined up for the start to tackle the challenging course laid out on the Dornoch links and beach.

The highlight for the locals was the double success of girls' champion Eilidh McGill, Dornoch Primary, and boys' champion Ross Golan, Edderton Primary.

In fact the Dornoch Firth area had a great day, with Stephanie Andrew, Dornoch Primary, sixth girl home, and in the boys' race Inver had an eighth place with Harry Richardson, while Rogart pupil Alasdair Cooper took ninth and Lewis Holmes from Bonar Bridge was tenth. All were medal winners on the day, and all should be considered for the Scottish Schools event in April.

There was even more to celebrate when the team positions were announced. In the boys' smaller schools category, for schools with a school roll of 150 and under, Edderton Primary won the team shield, beating Teanassie and North Kessock into second and third places. In the girls' category it was the Golspie team coming second that raised the roof.

The North Schools are indebted to several locals for their support to stage the event: Billy MacRae for the use of the caravan park grounds to set out the start and finish and for parking, and Rick Bramley and Cliff Redden for the hours they put into setting out the course, which was fit to stage a national championship.

With the course winding its way in and out of the dunes and over the undulating terrain, then turning onto the beach and heading back to Dornoch before a left-turn took the runners along the edge of Dornoch Burn and back to the caravan park, it was sure to provide a challenge for the best cross-country runners in the north. This it did, but what was astonishing was how closely packed the field was in both races. This is an indication of the training and commitment of the pupils to prepare for this championship race, the highlight of the schools cross-country calendar.

Schools from as far away as Mallaig, Mosstowie in Moray, and Stornoway made the trip for this year's championships. Schools from around the Dornoch Firth featured regularly in individual medal places, with six medals split between Edderton, Dornoch, Inver and Bonar Bridge. However runners from the Inverness area took nine places in the top 20 with Balloch, Muirton, Kirkhill and Lochardil all featuring. It was a shame that Paible, Daliburgh, Carinish and Balivanich schools from the southern Western Isles had to withdraw on Friday as the ferry from Lochmaddy to Uig in Skye was cancelled.

The Stornoway pupils were unsure of the weather and their ferry to Ullapool, but they appeared at Stornoway harbour and across the Minch they came. Landing after a rough trip, they found their hired minibus was nowhere to be found. After a delay they set out and mobile phone contact informed them they would have to detour round Dingwall as the direct route was closed due to a landslide. The patience of the 500 runners, teachers and parents has to be praised as everyone waited in cars and buses, out of the strong wind, for Daleys Deals minibus to appear over the horizon!

Maybe it is the 4.30am rise and the 5.30am ferry crossing that prepares the Lewis runners, because they took fourth and sixth places in the boys' race and their team headed home with silver medals for their second place to the winning Kirkhill boys' team in the section for schools with a role over 150 pupils. Caol Primary team all the way from Fort William lifted the bronze medals.

The girls team event for larger primaries was an Inverness affair with first team place going to Balloch and Kirkhill 'A' taking silver and Crown the bronze.

The smaller schools team event (school roll 150 and under) saw Teanassie take gold and Golspie lift the silver. In the boys' team race for smaller primaries, North Kessock in third were just pipped by Tomnacross. Winning the boys' smaller school team event was Edderton Primary.

It was the same finishing order in the boys' individual championship race that saw Ross Golan, Edderton Primary, win the 2008 Primary Boys Championship from Rory Murphy of Tomnacross Primary. The girls' race was a great contest between Susan Smith, Balloch, who never gave up on chasing local lass Eilidh McGill, Dornoch Primary, all the way but with Eilidh lifting the Girls' Championship for 2008. All four and several other runners should do well at the Scottish Schools Primary Cross-country Championships in April.

A big field at the start of the boys' race.

Jim McGillivray, ex-pupil at host school Dornoch Academy and a Highland councillor for East Sutherland and Edderton, presented the medals and shields to the successful runners.

Councillor McGillivray, himself a "late-comer" to distance running, praised the runners for their ability in coping with the stiff test of the championship course. He was delighted to see so may parents coming north to support the work of the school staff and coaches. With over 500 people attending it was a busy day for Dornoch.

Race organiser Willie MacKay thanked the many parents of Dornoch pupils who turned up to marshal on the course. He thanked the many teachers and active school co-ordinators who gave up their Saturday to accompany their pupils.

"The standard of running was exceptionally high, with very few gaps as the runners were strung out along the course," he said. "With 165 boys and 116 girls in the two races is was a measure of the work by the active schools team, PE teachers and class teachers that those entered ran so well in the windy and damp conditions.

"There has been a significa nt increase in cross-country after-school clubs and this will hopefully bring more medals north from the Scottish Championship in April."

Results:

Girls – 1 Eilidh McGill, Dornoch Primary; 2 Susan Smith, Balloch Primary; 3 Lucy Cameron, Balloch Primary; 4 Emma Ball, Muirton Primary; 5 Levi Norrie, Kirkhill Primary; 6 Arianne Ross, Kirkhill Primary; 7 Stephanie Andrew, Dornoch Primary; 8 Joanne Kennedy, Balloch Primary; 9 Rhiannon Melrose, Lochyside Primary; 10 Hannah Mackay, Miller Academy Primary.

Boys – 1 Ross Golan, Edderton Primary; 2 Rory Murphy, Tomnacross Primary; 3 Alex Byham, Kirkhill Primary; 4 Connor MacLean, Stornoway Primary; 5 Cameron Stuart, Lochardil Primary; 6 Ross Alison, Stornoway Primary; 7 Steven Deay, Balloch Primary; 8 Harry Richardson, Inver Primary; 9 Alasdair Cooper, Rogart Primary; 10 Lewis Holmes, Bonar Bridge Primary.

Girls 2008 North of Scotland Schools Primary Cross-country Champion – Eilidh McGill, Dornoch Primary.

Boys 2008 North of Scotland Schools Primary Cross-country Champion – Ross Golan, Edderton Primary.

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