ATHLETICS BY SUE GARRONE
STOCKPORT Harriers have had some sensational results this week, both at home and on the international stage.
Undeterred by the freezing weather was Harrier Jack Martin, who won the 112th annual North Eastern Counties Athletics Association Cross Country Championships held at Redcar Racecourse with a fabulous run.
Jack, who hails from Sunderland, was rewarded with a 12-month custody of the Championship’s famous sword trophy after he slashed through the opposition on the flat, 12km three-lap course to give the competition the chop and break the tape in the remarkable time of 36 minutes and 42 seconds.
Facing sub-zero temperatures and a biting wind at the SPAR European Cross Country Championship in Samorin, Slovakia, Elle Vernon’s dedication and determination were rewarded when the British senior women’s team secured the gold with a haul of 23 points ahead of second placed Romania on 31 points – in this event points are awarded according to finishing position so the lower the tally the better.
A record 576 athletes from 37 nations competed and at the end of the day it was Great Britain that topped the medal table with five gold and four bronze.
In addition to the women’s senior race, Team GB took the gold in the women’s under 20 and under 23 races and senior mixed relay, with Harriet Knowles-Jones of Warrington securing individual gold in the U20 age category and Jess Judd the bronze in the U23 category too. Britain also took bronze in the men’s senior race, where Andrew Butchart took individual bronze, and in the men’s U23 race.
Just a week after his victory in the Hoka Stockport 10, Jack Morris headed for warmer climes and took the bull by the horns to earn his place on top of the podium at the Lanzarote half marathon.
Making the most of the warm weather he finished the fast, flat course in just 1h:10m:43s to log a 42-second lead over the Spanish athlete, Chema Martinez, who came second.
The Combined Events group also had an exceptionally good day at the Loughborough University Open, where Emily Misantoni ran a huge personal best of 8.28 seconds in the U15 category 60m sprint, and in doing so knocked almost twotenths of a second off her previous best – and then followed it up with a 60m hurdles personal best of 9.41 seconds.
Fellow U15 Abigail Pawlett won the hurdles in a strong 8.87 seconds and finished third in the 60m A race in 7.94 seconds.
U17 Katie Waterworth had a great competition, going sub-eight seconds in the 60m for the first time with 7.96 seconds before jumping to a second personal best of the day with a 5.56m leap in the long jump, while Holly Aitchison produced two consecutive 60m hurdles personal best’s and jumped an impressive 4.98m in her first long jump competition off her right leg since an injury in May.
Laura Hickey of Leigh Harriers, who runs second claim for Stockport, dipped under her recent 60m hurdles personal best of 9.06 with a 9.05 second performance and Sanna McLean, who has recently moved up to the U20 age group showed she is adapting well to the significant challenge of converting to new hurdle heights and spacings with a strong 9.69 second finish to go alongside a new 60m sprint personal best of 8.42 seconds.
Back outdoors the competition was hotting up at the Stockport Schools’ Cross Country League
‘Jack was rewarded by a 12-month custody of the famous sword trophy after his win’
though the weather was not, it was a cold and rather bleak Saturday morning when 215 primary school children from Years 3-6 braved the weather to do battle against each other.
In this series an athlete’s best four results count towards their final score, so it was possible that from this fourth of six fixture’s results would start to emerge, and so it was in both the younger age category races.
Congratulations to Imogen Hill, of High Lane, and Isaac Reed, of Rose Hill, who have both won all four of their races so far and in doing so have ensured that their score of four points cannot be beaten, though the contest is still wide open for the subsequent positions and in the schools’ competition.
Imogen finished her 1.5km race in 6m:13s ahead of Eloise Nickson (6m:30s) who lies in second overall on 10 points, and Sophie Clift (6m:33) in third – though in the series just eight points separate Eloise, Sophie and Sophie Bradford, who is currently in third in the battle for the remaining podium positions.
With three finishers in the top six and the brilliant low score of 11 points, Lady Barn were able to open their lead over second placed High Lane who scored 23.
As the best four results count there is the opportunity for athletes to improve their positions by finishing further up the field in the coming races than their previous worst result.
After Isaac stormed home in 5m:22s to secure his title with an unbeatable four points Bobby Tomlinson of Lacy Green arrived in just 5m:31s to tighten his grip on second place with his total of nine points followed by Christopher Parikh of Lady Barn House (5m:42s) who is currently in third with 15 points – at the moment High Lane school is leading this age category comfortably with 128 points to second placed St Peters of Hazel Grove’s 324.
Both of the older age category competitions are still open to contest. The girls’ year 5-6 competition was won, as we are becoming accustomed by some fabulous front running from Freya Murdoch of Pownall Green, who flew round the wet 2.5km course in 8m:53s chased by her Stockport Harriers team-mate, Sophie Ellwood, of Fairway, who arrived in 9m:05s.
Ella Buckley, also of Pownall Green, came in third (9m:30s) – and having competed in all four races so far (Freya and Sophie have each run three) took the overall lead with a total of 14 points ahead of a trio of athletes from Ladybrook: Niamh Mackintosh (17 points), Ava Walsh (21 points) and Aisling Brooks (31 points), whose front clustering helped Ladybrook maintain control of the schools’ league table on 69 points ahead of High Lane on 217.
Last up were the Year 5 and 6 boys.
The breakaway foursome of Will Bailey (Buxworth), Josh Garrone (Vernon Park) Harry Ahearn (St Christopher’s) and Finley McLaughlin (Lady Barn) was a familiar sight, as was the result as they slowly separated from each other in that order with Will sealing his third win of the series in the time of 8m:42s to pull two points clear of Josh (8m:46s), who would need to win the final two fixtures to pull equal with him.
Harry in third has 14 points but Finley, who has only competed in three events so far is well positioned on 11.
In the schools’ competition Vernon Park, who have 154 points, opened their lead slightly over High Lane (175 points) but this contest is by no means over. »»This week there will be fancy dress park runs including the one at Woodbank Park starting at 9am on Saturday, December 23 (register at parkrun.org.uk for a barcode) and festive fun runs such as the 5km charity ‘Star & Garter’ fun run in aid of Beechwood Cancer Care, which starts at the pub of the same name on Boxing Day at 10am and offers a wonderful opportunity to burn off some of those excess Christmas calories.