Whiteoak gets England call-up
STOCKPORT Harrier Katie Whiteoak is indeed near the top of her game when it comes to high quality results in this winter’s cross country season.
A stunning run in the Northern Cross Country Championships at Knowsley Safari Park saw her finish in fifth place out of 55 competitors and for her efforts has been awarded a junior women’s England vest.
Whiteoak will be running internationally for the country in Madrid on Sunday.
On a none too easy, hilly and wet course, colleague Mollie Williams also went in the junior women’s event to record a useful eighth finish position.
There were also high up places for grabs in the senior men’s event with Andrew Davies and Jack Morris in 14th and 17th finish positions respectively out of a huge field of 676 competitors.
Life vice president of Stockport Harriers, Dr Ron Hill MBE, has finally had to hang up his road shoes after an incredible training regime in excess of 19.000 days from 1964 to the present and at the grand age of 78 and will no doubt be seeking slightly less activities.
Hill helped to cement the Harriers’ track and field team to high team finishes in the 1980s and in addition to his marathon wins at both the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and the Boston Marathon, gave the running fraternity the Tour of Tameside from 1981 to 2000 in which many of today’s older road and fell runners participated.
There was a good mix of both personal bests and season’s bests at the Sale Harriers Manchester sponsored open meeting at Sportcity with Stockport’s Emilio Ramirez going great guns for a second finish in the 60 metre under 17s sprint (7:65 PB).
He then upped the distance to 200 metres to finish in bronze position in his graded 200 metres event (24:84 SB).
For the girls, Rebecca Jones accomplished a personal best in the under 20s 200 metres (31:29 PB) and club colleague Amy Battle also went in the under 15s 200 metres sprint to record 28:65 for yet another personal best.
These and other athletes have got plenty more to go at in the indoor season with the junior Northern championships and open meetings still to be contested at the English institute of sport in Sheffield.
Cometh the man, cometh the hour as Manchester Cross Country League specialist Jack Morris will be going for a clean sweep (mud excepted) in the final match which takes place at Stockport on Saturday (midday).
But he’ll have his work cut out as there may well be more Stockport contestants than usual wishing to enjoy the home advantage and the familiar surroundings of Woodbank Park.