BOFRA Championships

Garry Bastow

Gary Bastow has again flown the flag for Richmond and Zetland Harriers in the British Open Fellrunners (BOFRA) Championship Series. There are 28 races on their calendar, starting at Sedburgh in May and finishing at Buttermere in October, with 13 designated as Championship Races and BOFRA members must complete at least 8 to qualify for awards. The Series has really taken-off this year with 50 plus runners in most races and with several big names in the fellrunning world including Nick Fish, Mark Croasdale, James Mason and Teesside’s Joe Blackett mixing-it at the sharp end. Gary has had another birthday and is now classified M45 but he started his season running as well as ever. His first three outings included Championship Races at Sedburgh and Coniston, sandwiching an Open Race at Cray (in upper Wharfedale, between Kettlewell and Aysgarth), and he finished with two second places and a first in category. Race four, at Kettlewell in June, was a different story when Gary inadvertently put a foot into a rabbit hole, strained his ankle ligaments and hobbled home in last place. A month off injured meant missing three Championship Races and having to compete in six out of the remaining seven to stay in the hunt but Gary was straight back amongst the big guns. The Hawkswick Dash on 18th July is a triangular course from the valley bottom, diagonally up the big hill to the cairn at the top, along the ridge and then straight back down - Gary finished 10th overall and 2nd M45. His latest race was at Cracoe, between Skipton and Grassington, and was a little longer; approximately 2½ miles starting from the field behind the village, up to the stoop and back - he finished 23rd overall and 4th M45 in an identical time to that he ran two years ago. Leaving aside the Kettlewell result, Gary now has 9 points from four Championship Races and is leading his category.

North East Veteran's League Monkton Stadium 24th July 2004

Elsewhere over the weekend, there were Harriers in equally varied competition. On Saturday 24th, in the North East Veteran’s League fixture at Monkton Stadium, Jarrow, John Wild won the javelin with a throw of 32m41 and then came second to former Veteran World Champion, Peter Gordon, in the discus with a PB throw of 41m54.

NYSD Track & Field Shildon 25th July 2004

The fifth NYSD T&F League fixture was on Sunday 25th at Stadium 2000, Shildon, and there was a good turnout from the Club across all the events. In order to increase participation, the League introduced competition for under 11 boys and girls, the long jump, 75m sprint and 600m races, and the boys race provided one of the highlights of the afternoon with the Grandstand on it’s feet, cheering 10-year old Marc Scott of Northallerton as he battled his way to victory. Marc also won the 75m sprint and, not to be outdone, brother Robert Scott won the long jump. Similar victories came for Jon Orange and Louise Jackson in their respective 1500m races as reported in AW and full results will be here next week. On the same Sunday, Paul Scott of Leeming lined-up with more than two hundred runners in the Burton Leonard Feast 10K and finished 44th in 45:33 and further north, at Castle Bolton near Leyburn, Brian McNabb finished 4th in the James Herriot Trail Race, a little way ahead of Rachel Robinson and her Dad, Jim, who is all-but-recovered from his 50 mile exploits a week earlier.