TADCASTER Grammar School’s Jaye Riley is pounding an impreessive cross-country beat in the footsteps of her brother.

The 13-year-old, pictured, is currently the West Yorkshire League Under-15 girls’ cross-country champion with still another year to run in this age group.

In the four league races at various venues during October to December, she won three times and came second on the other occasion.

She has recently qualified to run for Yorkshire U15 girls in the UK Inter-county Cross-Country Championships in Nottingham on March 8.

Also the reigning York Schools’ junior girls’ champion, she revealed that her brother Joel was her inspiration.

Said the teenager: “I was initially inspired to run by my brother, Joel, now aged 23 and who also attended Tadcaster Grammar.

“He was North Yorkshire Schools’ cross-country champion, firstly at junior boys and then senior boys.

“He also ran for Yorkshire and was part of the U20s team who were national champions.

“I watched all his races and wanted to be like him.”

Riley was today representing York Schools at her home Tadcaster Grammar School base hoping to qualify to run for North Yorkshire in the English Schools’ 2009 cross country championships at Leicestershire in March.

Her athletics club is Skyrac AC based at Guiseley, where her coach is Gordon Agar, whom she thanked for her progress as she did Mrs Collinson of Tadcaster GS PE department and North Yorkshire schools’ ace Dave Paver.