Young Harriers in fine fell race finish
AFTER a five-race campaign in the Fell Runners Association Junior Championships starting in May, the Harriers have finished in second place overall from fifty seven clubs after a great effort from the juniors at Sedbergh on Sunday.
Wirral AC emerged as the winners but it’s a major achievement for the Rossendale youngsters who were up against clubs from as far afield as the border of Scotland right down to the Midlands and the U13 Girls team went one better by finishing in first place in their age group.
The races started in sunshine up in Sedbergh but the day quickly deteriorated and the runners had to contend with torrential rain but that didn’t put off Elsie Duffy in her U9s race in which she finished in eighth place and second girl.
Whilst the U9s and U11s aren’t part of the junior championships they nevertheless serve as good competition experience for the youngsters and throughout the season they have attracted large fields.
Harry Walker in 15th place was the first Harrier in the U11s race followed by Arthur Grenfell in 19th and Rory Masser in 24th.
Charlie Dobson has run well all year and his third place on Sunday in the U13s race was enough to cement his overall second position after the five races, a just reward for his effort and commitment.
Alice Carr has also excelled throughout the season and her fourth place and 17th overall in the race mean that she finishes in third spot in the girls table.
Holly Nicholls, Iona Bell and Lyla Duffy have also figured in the championship races, as has Ruby Cleaver who wasn’t available for Sunday’s races,
and together they have secured third team place overall, a great achievement as most of the team are in their first year on the fells.
Tilly Duffy in 40th place and Alfie Walker in 41st were the only Harriers in the U15s race and Joe Ormrod was the sole Rossendale competitor for the U17s but he finished in second place after a tussle with his England team mate, Wirral’s Alex Poulston, with just 12 seconds separating the pair at the finish of their race on Sunday.
In the U19s Will Curry has just missed out on an overall medal in the championships but his second place to Horwich’s Isaac Battye on Sunday was an excellent result especially given that he put over 30 seconds between himself and the FRA junior champion William Longden from Buxton AC.
Jon Cleaver and Andy Mellor were competing in the prestigious Saucony sponsored 5K races on a wet and windy Leicester cycle track on Saturday.
Both athletes went in
the C race for 15mins 30secs/16mins 30secs runners which was aimed at supporting quickish female runners chasing personal bests and all the runners raced in identical kit which was provided by the organisers.
Wycombe Phoenix Harriers’ Thomas Crockett ran out an easy winner after a solo run of 15mins 08secs but for the rest of the field it was a tactical affair which resulted in fourth place for Mellor with 15mins 52secs, just pipping his team mate by two seconds, although
the veteran Cleaver was rewarded by bettering his previous best by just one second, quite an achievement in the conditions.
Elsewhere on the roads on Sunday the ninth race in the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix series, the Gerry McCabe’s Hendon Brook 13.5 mile race, a hilly affair with over 2000 feet of ascent, attracted 192 runners, 16 of them Harriers.
Clayton’s Aidan Holgate won after 1hr 20mins 12secs and Stephen Corbishley was an impressive third, with 1hr 24mins
06secs, behind Barlick’s Tom Corrigan.
There were three first places in the veteran categories. Anne-Marie Hindle ran a very good time of 1hr 43mins 32secs to take the FV50 prize, Steven Melling was the first MV65 and Ken Taylor was first MV75 and Sissel Lundberg-Berry placed third in her FV55 category.
Chris Snell, 29th, Alex Frost, 46th, Paul Young, 47th, Matthew Clawson, 54th, Sophie Howard, 95th, Michelle Young, 125th, Henna Chaudry,
135th, Paul Wolstenholme, 145th, Austin Welsley, 161st and Christine Smith, 166th also ran.