NYSD Track and Field Darlington 18th May 2004

Richmond and Zetland Harriers enjoyed another bright evening at Eastbourne Sports Complex on Tuesday 18th May in the second NYSD T&F League meeting, hosted by Darlington H&AC. The Club had twenty three athletes competing and had four winners. Ruth Hill is improving all the while as a sprinter/jumper; she won her long jump by nearly 20 cm and was only half a second behind the winner in her 200m. Sophie Broadway and Leanne Shaw continued their competitive season with another one-two in their 200m and Georgina Zissler showed the opposition a clean pair of spikes with another impressive win in the Under 17 Women’s 200m. Dan Brooks was the Harriers’ winner number four, in the high jump, the third of five events he contested as he continues his preparations for the World Double Decathlon Championships at Hexham in August. The Club had a boost before competition began when Scott Livermore was credited with 56.1 for 400m at the first fixture, gaining points and moving the team up one place although this may change when the scrutineers have their say. Billingham Marsh House H pipped the females for first but the males put in a better showing to finish fourth. The standings after two fixtures show the females equal 1st with BMH on 23 points, the males up to 5th with 16 points and equal 3rd with Darlington in the combined tables behind joint leaders BMH and M&C.

RZH results, alphabetically: Jo Adams (U15G) shot 6m63; Rosie Adams (U15G) shot 6m21; Chris Archer (U17M) 1500m 4:47.5; Jack Baldwin (SM) 200m 30.9; Kim Bartram (JW) 200m 28.7 & long jump 4m22; Sophie Broadway (U15G) 200m 28.2; Dan Brooks (SM) triple jump 9m85, 200m 27.1, high jump 1m40, 1500m 4:46.3 & shot 7m42; Mike Brooks (VM) 1500m 5:06.8; Shane Darby (U15B) 200m 26.6 & triple jump 9m84; Jenny Fenwick (JW) 1500m 6:22.3; Ruth Hill (U13G) 200m 31.0 & long jump 3m65; Fiona Hughes (SW) 1500m 5:32.7; Louise Jackson (SW) 1500m 4:49.4; Tom Keavney (U13B) high jump 1m00; Erica Moks (U17W) 1500m 5:46.0; Matt Prosser (JM) 200m 26.0; Edd Richards (JM) 1500m 4:34.2; Jessie Roberts (U17W) 1500m 5:18.9; Katie Roberts (U15G) shot 5m72; Simon Robson (U17M) 1500m 4:33.0; Leanne Shaw (U15G) 200m 28.2 & long jump 3m90; Tom Walker (U13B) 200m 33.4 and Georgina Zissler (U17W) 200m 28.1.

Harrogate Midweek League 20th May 2004

Unfortunately, the Club couldn’t muster a similar turnout two days later for the second midweek league Road Race at Harrogate and now trail Swaledale Road Runners, their home-town rivals, in four out of five race categories - all bar the Vets. The race was an over-distance 10K from the Railway FC at Starbeck and “Invincible” Ian Fisher started the race in single-minded fashion, knowing that the course narrowed by a building site after a quarter mile, and determined to keep his feet in the slippery section through the Nidd Gorge. He was never headed and won in 32:47, almost a minute and a half clear and leading the Otley Elite team home by more than five minutes. Jon Orange finished 2nd again (and 1st M40 again, giving him a commanding lead in the individual Veteran’s category) ahead of Neil Cayton of Otley and Alan Stimpson of Harrogate H&AC, who made a welcome return to racing by leading his 10 in 34 team-mates to 1st place in the Open team category. Ilkley H won the Ladies team race; Dragons RC won the Ladies Vets team race and Harrogate won the Men’s Vets - the only category where the Harriers are anywhere rather than nowhere! The standings after two fixtures show the Club 10th in the Open with 1717 points, 1817 behind Otley; 10th in the Ladies and Ladies Vets; 5th in the Men’s Vets with 450 points, a mere 166 behind Ripon and 7th in the Elite with 207:08, 21:59 behind Otley.

RZH results: 2nd (& 1st M40) Jon Orange 34:12, 32nd (& 2nd M50) Mike Brooks 39:08, 66th Taff Rogers 42:31, 105th Danny Alexander 46:23, 116th Sarah Gregory 47:00 and 198th (& 4th W60) Grete Buck 61:31.

There were 556 finishers in the Pier-to-Pier Race on Sunday 23rd May, the second race in the 2004 Saucony/Northern Runner series, advertised as 8 miles on cliff paths and sand, from South Shields to Sunderland. Tom Doughty of Sunderland H was a clear winner in 38:10 and, after pulling-up with a stitch, Dan Brooks placed 94th in 49:19.