Runners battle elements
DAVID COONEY
Cambuslang Harriers wrapped up their year with success at the West District Cross Country Championships in Balloch – despite the challenge of both a hilly course and terrible weather.
Rain poured down and made the course slippery, but the Cambuslang senior and masters men, along with the U17 men, were among the medals.
The senior men lifted their third successive team title, the masters men their fifth successive team gold and the U17 men gained their fourth team silver in a row.
The senior men hold an incredible record in this event with 26 team victories, 12 silver and four bronze medals – amassing 42 team medals over a period of 45 years.
An individual senior silver for Craig Jardine and individual bronze medals for senior Fraser Stewart and M40 Kenny Campbell were further icing on the cake.
The U13 girls and the U13 boys opened proceedings. Lucy McGrandle and Olivia McNicol did well crossing the line in 21st and 24th place, while in the U13 boys Sam McCarthy took 11th spot to gain automatic selection for the West District team for the Scottish Inter Counties in January. Sam was well supported by Reece Duncan, Chris Black, Dylan Stefani and Lewis Cook, with the team being a creditable fourth.
U15 girl Abbie McClue ,in seventh place, will also represent the West in January.
With support from Eva Ritchie and Eilidh Kennedy the trio finished fifth.
There was no team in the U15 boys, but Feargus MacGregor secured the final automatic place for the Inter Counties, while Finlay Robb ran well for 24th position.
The U17 ladies race was a mirror image of the U15 boys, with only two Cambuslang competitors taking part.
Seventh placed Susie McLaughlin filled an automatic spot for the West Inter Counties team and Peggy Nan Rodgers stuck to her task well in deteriorating conditions. Unfortunately U20 Rachel Wardrope was forced to retire unwell.
Cambuslang did manage to have an U17 men’s team in spite of the late withdrawal of Lanarkshire Champion Jack MacKinnon due to illness and Brodie Aitken, Michael Black and Zak Povey took team silver, with the added bonus of West District selection for Brodie and Michael.
The U20 men also ran with the U17s, albeit running an extra loop.
Illness also played a part in the club not finishing a team. Struan Paton started but had to pull out mid race, and Chris McLew and Andrew Carey recorded ninth and 14th place respectively.
The senior and masters ladies did well to finish seventh in the senior ladies and sixth in the ladies masters event.
Master athletes are allowed to count for their senior team as well as their masters team. Senior lady Kirsty O’Brien led home masters Bernie O’Neil, Jennifer Campbell and Lyn Angley to count for the senior team and Bernie, Jennifer and Lynn were the counters for the masters.
Next home for the club was Lesley McArdle.
The final race of the day incorporated the senior and masters men.
With six counters in the top 16 Cambuslang were clear winners ahead of Shettleston and Inverclyde and the club was unofficially fourth as the next six club runners occupied 18th to 40th spot.
The winning sextet was spearheaded by silver and bronze medallists Craig Jardine and Fraser Stewart with support from Ryan Thomson fourth, Alasdair Campbell, sixth, Stuart Gibson 11th and Colin Reilly 16th.
The first four are automatic picks for the West team.
The finishing order of the next six runners was Jamie MacKinnon, M40 Kenny Campbell, Ritchie Carr, M40 Ben Hukins, M40 Stuart McGeachy and Andrew Anderson.
With Kenny, Ben and Stuart third, fourth and fifth in the M40 category another emphatic masters team victory was achieved again over Shettleston and Inverclyde.
A further string of Cambuslang athletes crossed the line in the order of Justin Carter, Iain McDonald, Gordon McDonald, Johny Macnamara, Mick O’Hagan, Dave Thom, Frank Hurley, Dan O’Connell, Des Dickson, Iain Crawford, David Stirling and Peter Ogden.