The English sisters are mudlarks. The Columba College girls dominated the Otago secondary schools cross-country championships in muddy conditions at Mosgiel yesterday.
Sian (17) won the senior girls title over the 4km course by 50sec in 14min 33sec from St Hilda's runners Meg McKay and Millie Gordon.
Younger sister Hannah (16) won her third age-group title in the girls under-16 race by 1min 11sec in 9min 58sec. Francziska Yanzick (St Kevi'ns) was second in 11min 09sec and Olivia Ollerenshaw (East Otago) third in 11min 16sec.
Sian finished runner-up last year and desperately wanted to win the title.
''I took the lead after 400m,'' she said.
''The hardest part was running through the boggy patches.''
When the runners came back on to the rugby field, Sian led by 23sec and then put her foot down to extend the winning margin.
The under 16 and senior girls team events were both won by St Hilda's.
Because of recent heavy rain, the event was shifted from Wingatui Racecourse to Peter Johnstone Park.
The senior boys event over 6km was the most exciting race of the day. Sam Bremer (Kavanagh College) won after a close tussle with Fynn Thompson (Wakatipu High School).
Both runners pushed themselves to the limit and lay on the ground exhausted at the end.
They were locked together when the first lap was completed in 9min 25sec. Jonah Smith (King's) was 9sec back in third place.
Bremer had a 3sec lead when the runners came back on to Peter Johnstone Park after emerging out of the muddy section by the river on the second lap.
Thompson (17), a member of the New Zealand under-19 elite triathlon squad, won the under-16 title last year.
He pushed Bremer to the limit over the tough sections but could not match his finishing speed. Bremer won by 11sec in 18min 18sec from Thompson 18min 29sec and Smith 18min 56sec.
The team event was won by King's High School.
Runners in the senior boys' race wore black arm bands to honour the memory of former Otago secondary schools deputy sports director Geoff Rodden who died this week.
Winners of the other events:
Boys under 14: Janus Staufenberg (Mount Aspiring College) 9min 43sec. Team: Otago Boys'. Boys under 15: Oli Chignall (John McGlashan) 13min 24sec. Team: John McGlashan. Boys under 16: Joe Matthews (King's) 14min 10sec. Team: Otago Boys'. Under 14 girls: Kia Wales (Dunstan) 11min 20sec. Team: Columba College. Under 15 girls, Jessie Murphy (Kavanagh College) 10min 49sec. Teams: Otago Girls'.
