Harriers hit

HOLMFIRTH Harriers ladies demonstrated their strength in depth in the Northern Athletics Road Relay Championships.

The event was held at Sport City in Manchester and the 6km, two-lap course, proved fast and a real test for all competitors.

Olivia Sykes got the ladies A team off to a flying start handing over in seventh place with a time of 21 minutes 12 seconds in a field of 83 on leg one.

Twins Lucy and Erica Byram ran consistently on legs two and three, returning in 11th (22.57) and 9th (22.28) respectively.

Ruby Sykes, took over the final leg and brought the team home in 12th place – clocking the same time as Erica.

The B team was also strong and consistent throughout, beating many other A teams as they finished in 15th place.

Veteran Maggie Sykes took on the first leg coming home in 29th (23.24).

Claire Leaver-Hewitt dropped five places on leg two (24.39) and Helen Berry, in her first race back after breaking an ankle, picked up 15 places (22.09).

Jordan Mullinger gained a further three places on the final leg (23.26).

Disqualifications from higher placed teams meant the Holmfirth women were awarded 11th and 15th places.

It was going to be a close call between the C and D teams with one made up of Holmfirth’s star sprinters, and the other of athletes more familiar with the distance.

Alannah Booth led off the D team pipped Zoe Storr of the C team, both running well and returning in 51st (25.26) and 57th (25.56) respectively.

The C team had Sophie Cromwell on leg two, using the race as a sharpener before her marathon debut at Nottingham this weekend.

Cromwell returned in 68th place (29.03) and Amy Kettlewell, in her first race in the senior ranks, picked up eight places (26.32).

Jo Bailey-Taylor completed the C team in 59th place (30.29).

The sprinters ran consistently well in the D team, with Vicky Rhodes in 69th (29.49), Naomi Harvey-Franklin picked up three places on leg three (29.38) and Aideen maintained the team position of 63rd on the final leg (28.44).

Again, with some teams disqualified, the final positions awarded were 52nd and 56th, respectively.

The women’s race was won by Leigh Harriers, with their final leg runner, Lauren Howarth clocking the fastest and only sub-20 minute time of the day in 19.47

The Harriers senior men failed to qualify for the Nationals for the first time in years, finishing 33rd when only the top 25 were going through to the Nationals at Sutton park on October 7.

Apart from Steve Green, it was a young team, while the B team came in 80th of 111.

Fortunately for the Harriers several teams were disqualified, and taking out the B teams meant the men just scraped into the qualifying positions, while the B team moved up to 70th.

The A team got a good start with Aaron Kettlewell finishing 23rd (20.19) and Ted Chamberlain, who has just moved up into