Ace Baker reigns in Spain

On her first England call-up of the 2013/14 cross-country season, she bettered last year’s second place in Vente de Banos with a superb win in the junior women’s race at the international cross-country in Soria, northern Spain.

Pett-based Baker defeated a high quality field as the event doubled up as the trial for the Spanish team to compete in the forthcoming European Championships in Begrade, Serbia, next month.

The Bexhill College student joked after the event that she had won the trials, but unfortunately in the wrong country. Baker will have to battle again in Liverpool in two weeks for a place in the Great Britain team for the championships.

Inclusion in the squad would be no mean feat as Great Britain has dominated this event at junior women’s level for the past few years and will be hot favourites to triumph again this year.

Aldershot Farnham & District athlete Baker, who spends much of time training with Hastings Athletic Club, will take huge amounts of confidence from

the win, which will hopefully spur her on to Belgrade.