Golden display by Harriers for Lancs
SEVERAL Harriers represented Lancashire in the Inter Counties fell championships on Saturday at Clougha Pike near Lancaster.
The event also incorporated the penultimate race in the Fell Runners Association’s junior championships, so vital points were at stake.
Joel Taylor showed fine form, finishing second in his U17 race and helped his county team to the silver medal.
It was the first of four team medals for Lancashire in one of the county’s best results for several years.
The U17 women couldn’t quite match the men but claimed the bronze medal with help from Daisie Young, who finished as the second team counter.
The U19s were faced with a longer course of eight kilometres and with a total of 381 metres of ascent.
Lancaster and Morecambe’s Matt Knowles led the Lancashire team home after 40mins 27secs, finishing in first place and Charlie Taylor had a good run for seventh place in 44mins 20secs.
Kurtis Mitton wasn’t well on the day but managed to get round the course, finishing in 20th spot and helping his team to the silver medal.
Emily Morgan and her U19 team went one better by finishing as third counter and thereby claiming
team gold, an excellent result.
Last Tuesday, the Musbury Tor mile, first run in 1911 and one of the oldest fell race races on the calendar, took place.
The race – which has had several different routes over the years – starts in Helmshore and climbs the distinctively shaped Musbury Tor before returning to the start for the seniors with a shorter option for the U13s.
Joe Hopley couldn’t quite claim the title but was only two seconds behind Holcombe Harriers’ Matt Driver, who completed the course in 12mins 20secs.
There was a tussle for sixth and seventh places with Michael Corbishley winning out by five seconds over Charlie Taylor.
Ben Kirkman wasn’t far behind in eighth and Dave Haygarth finished in 11th place, followed by Joe Ormrod in 15th. Evie Taylor claimed the honours for both first junior and first women with Ellie Richardson in second place. In the junior race young Rhys Dunn claimed the U13 title after 5mins 26secs and Lily Edmondson was the girl’s winner in 6mins 12secs.
Emily Morgan and her U19 team finished as third counter and claimed gold as a result