Claire leads

Holmfirth Harriers’ Claire Leaver-Hewitt battles through the snow at Cleckheaton along with Bill Wade (top left) and Lucy Smith (top right) HOLMFIRTH Harriers gained success in the snow-troubled Yorkshire Veterans AA Cross Country Championships at Cleckheaton.

Conditions were good underfoot despite the bad weather, with a thin layer of snow on the course and the ground still slightly frozen.

Holmfirth were unable to field a full women’s team but had some great individual age-group successes.

Claire Leaver-Hewitt (F35) was in the first three the whole way round the 5.2k course and managed to outsprint Sarah Alwood, from Knavesmire, coming into the finish to win by just two seconds in 22min 26sec.

She was followed in 22nd by Lesley Ewart (2nd F60, 25-46), 23rd Judy Howells (F45, (2nd claim Holmfirth, running for Wharfedale, 26-06); 25th Jean Shotter (1st F55, 26-19); 70th Femi Sobo-Allen (F45, 34-26) and 71st Lucy Smith (F35, 34-34).

In the M70 race, Holmfirth managed a full team and actually had five runners, the most ever. They claimed second in the team event (three to score) and first in the all-tocount event.

First home for Holmfirth was 56th Richard Smith (M70 in 32-04) followed by 60th Bill Hunter (M70, 32-30), 69th Roger Bradley (M70, 34-10), 73rd Bill Wade (M75, 35-00) and 76th Norman Berry (M70 36-13).

The men aged 50 to 69 ran over a