STUDENTS at Holy Cross College can look forward to a bumper year of sporting competition thanks to their efforts in 2016.

From cross country and athletics to rugby union and netball, pupils at the Bury sixth form excelled at regional tournaments, setting up the chance to go for national glory.

Chris Shepherd, head of PE at Holy Cross, applauded the hard work his students had put in on the training field to seize their opportunities.

He said: “These achievements justifiably reflect the outstanding commitment and dedication from both students and coaches at Holy Cross.

“I’d like to congratulate all those who have been involved in some way.”

The Manchester Road college’s cross country team continued their successful reign at the AoC North West Cross Country Championships in October.

The team ran an outstanding race on what was a challenging course at Witton Park in Blackburn.

As well as helping the college win the team prize, students Michael Kingston and Rebecca Loonan also qualified to represent the North West team at the AoC national finals at Nottingham University in April.

Michael finished fifth in the boys’ race while Rebecca was eighth in the girls’.

That staying power on the cross country course carried over into success at the Greater Manchester Colleges’ Track and Field Championships.

The Holy Cross team took the inaugural tournament by storm, achieving podium places in nearly all the available events to be crowned overall champions.

It was a fantastic team performance and great preparation for the North West regional competition at Deeside College in Wales in April.

The college also continued to make its mark on the rugby scene, winning the AoC Sport Regional Sevens tournament for the second year running.

Mr Shepherd added: “After several weeks training, focussing exclusively on sevens rugby, the squad of 13 students displayed outstanding skill, not conceding a try until the final. Their effort, effective decision making and desire shone through.”

The college’s netball stars also kicked off their campaign with victory at the Under-19s National Schools Greater Manchester County tournament.

A number of the players involved will be participating in the North West regional qualifiers for the AoC national finals, which will take place over the Easter break at Nottingham University.