Senior ladies take historic gold in West District event
Cambuslang Harriers ladies braced freezing temperatures to make club history this month as they became the first female senior team to win gold in the West District Championships.
Katie Bristow, who had made the long journey from the wind battered Shetland Isles to compete, finished fifth to lead Alex Lamond, Kirsty O’Brien and Jennifer Reid to victory in Irvine.
Jennifer, the leading over 60 female runner, Erica Christie and Bernie O’Neil were runners up in the masters team event.
And in the other races throughout the day on December 9, Cambuslang claimed four team gold medals and two team silvers.
There was also three individual gold medal winners while the under 13 boys captured team gold as did the under 20, senior and masters men.
Further individual gold medals went to under 17 runner Drew Pollock, under 20 Gavin Smith, Commonwealth Games bound senior Grant Sheldon and master Iain Reid with Robert Gilroy lifting the master silver award.
Harriers’president David Cooney commented:“The club would like to thank the West District committee and the North Ayrshire club for staging a well organised event.
“Congratulations are also due to all our athletes who competed in the sub zero conditions as well as thanking all our coaches, officials, parents and supporters who contributed to such a successful day for Cambuslang Harriers and to Colin Stephen for capturing on camera the agony and ecstasy of our runners in action.”
In the opening event of the day the under 13 girls team of Millie Nicholl, Eva Ritchie and Abbie McClue finished a worthy fourth, just outside a medal position and were backed up by Eilidh Kennedy and Morvern Cameron.
The under 13 boys team of Lewis Roddis, Stewart Millard and Fearghus MacGregor packed well to deliver the club’s first team victory in this event since 2001.
Next up were the under 15 girls trio of Niamh Riggins, Susie McLaughlin and Shona Carey who finished a creditable fifth in spite of Shona battling on gamely to complete the team while suffering from an ankle problem running on the frozen ground. The under 15 boys replicated the girls finishing position thanks to Brodie Aitken, Michael Black and Zak Povey and were supported by Robbie Woods and Mark Cassidy.
The under 17 boys event provided a thrilling finale as Drew Pollock made a strong late challenge over the last half mile to advance from fifth to first place and led Ryan Donnelly and Christopher McLew to team silver. Ruairidh MacGregor, Keir Crawford and Andrew Carey followed in next.
In the penultimate race of the day Gavin Smith ran confidently from the front to secure a comfortable victory and with able support from Struan Paton and Jamie MacKinnon Cambuslang won the team title for the third consecutive year.
Cambuslang also fielded 26 athletes in the senior and masters men’s 10K race. For most of the course there was a close individual tussle between Cambuslang’s Grant Sheldon, Inverclyde’s Andrew Douglas and Shettleston’s Lachlan Oates as well as an intriguing and fluctuating team competition between Cambuslang and local rivals Shettleston.
The individual title was only decided in the closing few strides when Grant squeezed past Andy.
The head to head team rivalry finally resolved itself with the tide turning in Cambuslang’s favour on the last lap as their six counters finished in the top 16.
Those involved; Grant with close backing from Craig Jardine, fourth, Stuart Gibson, seventh, Ben Hukins, 10th, club captain Iain Reid, 15th and Iain MacCorquodale, 16th, gave Cambuslang an 11 point victory margin.