Hickey win seals tenth league title
Central AC’s senior men took top honours at the final match of the East District Cross Country League at Deans Country Park in Livingston on Saturday.
Hamish Hickey enjoyed almost perfect conditions to lead a strong team to victory on the day as they clinched the League title for the 10th time.
The Under 20 runner showed his strength and confidence to win in 31.08 over the 9.6km three-lap course.
Alastair Hay’s fourth place (31.30) and back-up from Dale Colley (8th; 31.53), Matthew Sutherland (11th; 32.12), Michael Wright (12th; 32.26) and Under 20 runner Ben MacMillan (13th; 32.28), saw Central take team honours and lift the Senior Mens Team Trophy.
Essential back-up came from the top two Masters runners on the day - Ross Houston (15th; 32.40) and Scott Brember (19th; 32.58) while there were fine runs from Robert Russell (25th; 33.29), Luca Fanottoli (26th; 33.34) and Under 20 Telfer Gray (36th; 34.12).
The day began with the Under 11 races with both the girls and boys facing 1.6km runs. Finlay MacGregor (23rd; 6.51), Jake Drummond (25th; 6.52) and Joel Gillan (26th; 6.53) with back-up from Logan Bell (57th; 7.54) saw the boys finish fifth team on the day. Cuara Middleton (29th; 7.38) was the sole Central girl runner.
The Under 13 girls and boys had a full 3.2km lap of the course to negotiate. In the boys race Aaron Middleton finished ninth in 12.01 and with backfurther good runs from Joshua Kennedy (24th; 12.44), Henry Crossley (48th; 13.53) and Alex Dunlop (49th; 14.03) the Central team finished sixth on the day and an excellent third placing for the season. For the girls, Leah Brown was 44th in 15.04.
Connor Bell always looked in control of the 4km Under 15 Boys race coming home for an emphatic victory with 13.39. Euan Docherty had another strong run to finish 21st (15.35). For the combined U15/ U17 girls/ladies race, a fourth team place both on the day and over the season was achieved by some strong running by Summer McLean (12th; 16.28), Catriona Kane (13th; 16.39), Mirren Henry (20th; 17.24), Anna McKinnon (23rd; 17.41), Zosia Padden (33rd; 18.48), Leona Melville (40th; 19.32) and Heidi EikMaxwell (45th; 19.52).
Sole Under 17 Sam Grivell runner was 13th in 24.38 over the 6.4km two-lap course.
David Eckersley (99th; 38.37) helped Central’s Masters team to second place alongside Donald Shaw (103rd 38.48), Alan Hume (120th; 39.49), Ross McNaught (129th; 40.14), Tal Eidi (140th; 40.37), Iain Dunsmore (150th; 41.02) and Jens Subke (157th; 41.27).
Charles Graham-Marr (169th; 42.08), Hugh Buchanan (186th; 43.10), Colin Alexander (191st; 43.23), Roger Greenaway (211th; 45.21), Liam McCabe (218th; 36.17), Ben Noad (229th; 47.22), Allan Gall (243rd; 48.33), Colin Sinclair (251st; 49.46) and Cameron Campbell (257th; 50.17) all ran well as 27 Central runners finished the Senior Mens race making up a tenth of the total field.
In the senior women’s race over 6.4km, Catriona Buchanan was 13th in 25.24, supported by Claire Houston (26th; 26.47), Mandy Williams (29th; 27.39), Hazel Dean (58th; 29.48) and Jane Waterhouse (104th; 32.49) finishing the season in fourth place.