English Schools Cross Country Cup Final - Leeds 3rd December 2005

Leeds Grammar School was the venue for this year’s English Schools Cross Country Cup Final on Saturday 3rd December, where the top 24 schools in the country competed. Richmond and Zetland Harriers had one runner, Marc Scott, who was representing the Allertonshire School. Marc finished an extremely creditable 20th out of 142 competitors in the 3k race, on what was a very muddy and hilly course and helped his school achieve 3rd place overall.

NYSD Cross Country - Guisborough 4th December 2005

Marc was also competing in the third NYSD cross country league fixture, which got underway on Sunday 4th December at Laurence Jackson Sports College, Guisborough, following a change from the normal venue at Thirsk Racecourse, due to it being recently re-seeded. Thirty Richmond & Zetland athletes, comprising five teams, competed on what was a very muddy and slippery course, with recent wet weather and a further downpour during the proceedings making the conditions difficult for running.

U13 Boys Team

As usual, the Under 13 Boys got the races underway and Richmond and Zetland found the winning formula, finishing as first placed team. Fergus Roberts, making his cross country debut, lead the Harriers home in 2nd place, followed closely by Marc Scott in 3rd, Thomas Allen in 11th, Sam Wood in 14th and Rob Scott in 20th place. The Under 13 Girls also continued their good form, with Maddy Winzer retaining her position in the leading pack, finishing in 4th place overall and 3rd in the NYSD league, due to a guest runner winning the race, Amy Coulson in 20th displaying a brave run following a fall on the Hartlepool course and Kerry Robson in 35th.

Whilst unable to field teams in the Under 15 Boys and Under 17 men, the girls flew the flag admirably, achieving 4th team overall in the Under 15 girl’s race. A controlled run by Rosie Adams saw her finish as first counter in 15th place, along with Ruth Hill in 20th and Jane Thornton in 22nd over the 3.9k course.

The women’s race covered 5K and included Under 17, Under 20, Senior and Vet Women. Although some athletes were still missing for various reasons, Richmond and Zetland put forward a team of 6 ladies and finished in a credible 4th place in the team standings. Jo Adams enjoyed the muddy course and was first Harrier to cross the line in 13th place, followed by Heather Halliday in 16th and Fiona Hughes in 28th. Katie Roberts also displayed good form in the conditions in 30th place, with Sarah Gregory, unable to find her usual speed on this occasion in 36th and Cara Penfold in 42nd.

The men covered a distance of 8.8K and also incorporated the Under 17 men (covering 6.8k). Despite one of the front runners still absent with an injury, the team moved firmly up the rankings to an excellent 3rd place, lead round by the in-form Nick Zissler in 5th place overall, supported by solid performances from Jon Orange in 9th and Ken Harker in 13th positions. Shaun Purkiss and Ian Scott had their usual head-to-head, with Shaun having the upper hand on this occasion in 34th place and Ian close behind in 36th. Taff Rogers displayed strong form again finishing as 6th counter in 51st and Brian Halliday, quickly finding his footing in 57th. Mike Brooks showed good character to cross the line in 67th, tracked by his son Dan Brooks in 70th position, meanwhile James Brownfield-Pope showed good improvement on his previous performance in 93rd and Ray Robson continues to improve his standing, coming home in 107th position. Ian Hepworth and Neil Piper also elected to run in the mud, demonstrating firm stamina to finish in 120th and 128th places respectively from 144 competitors.

RZH Results: Under 13 Boys – 2nd Fergus Roberts, 3rd Marc Scott, 11th Thomas Allen, 14th Sam Wood & 20th Rob Scott, team 1st. Under 13 Girls – 4th Maddy Winzer, 20th Amy Coulson & Kerry Robson 35th, team 6th. Under 15 Girls – 15th Rosie Adams, 20th Ruth Hill & 22nd Jane Thornton, team 4th. U17, U20, Senior & Vet Women – 13th Jo Adams, 16th (2nd V2) Heather Halliday, 28th Fiona Hughes, 30th Katie Roberts, 36th Sarah Gregory & 42nd Cara Penfold, team 4th. U17, U20, Senior & Vet Men – 5th Nick Zissler, 9th (2nd V1) Jon Orange, 13th Ken Harker, 34th Shaun Purkiss, 36th Ian Scott, 51st Taff Rogers, 57th Brian Halliday, 67th Mike Brooks, 70th Dan Brooks, 93rd James Brownfield-Pope, 107th Ray Robson, 120th Ian Hepworth & 128th Neil Piper, team 3rd.