NYSD Cross Country Whitby - 8th January 2006

The fourth NYSD Cross Country league fixture took place on Sunday 8th January and 26 Richmond and Zetland Harriers tackled the testing course at Caedmon School, Whitby. The overall turnout was down on previous meetings, most noticeably in the mens race, where a number of front-runners were absent for various reasons, this however, did not dampen the team spirit.

The venue itself is a testing course, with a sharp climb at the end of each lap and the ground was soft, due to the recent wet weather, meaning that later races had to be competed on an increasingly muddy course.

Fergus Roberts & Marc Scott

As usual the Under 13 Boys team, kept the flag well and truly flying by winning in style, with Fergus Roberts and Marc Scott taking 3rd and 4th places, followed by Sam Wood in 12th, Thomas Allen in 13th, Rob Scott in 19th and Rob McLean in 27th place. Similarly the Under 13 Girls maintained their fine form, with Maddy Winzer achieving yet another top 5 finish, while Charlotte Dinsdale made a welcome return, with her seasonal cross country debut, finishing strongly in 30th place. Kerry Robson also put in another worthy performance to finish in 40th place.

Douglas Roberts was another athlete making a return after injury in the Under 15 Boys age group and finished 2nd, despite being unable to run for some time and still working his way back to full fitness. The Under 15 Girls team also had noticeably less Richmond and Zetland competitors on this occasion, however, Rosie Adams continued her excellent run, finishing in 16th place, with solid support from Jane Thornton in 22nd place.

The women’s race covered 5.5K and Richmond and Zetland fielded an excellent squad of 8 athletes, with results to match, which saw them take 3rd team overall. Heather Halliday improved her standing even further and was the first Harrier across the line in 12th place; winning the ladies Vet 2 category in the process. Jo Adams was close behind in 17th place and Jessie Roberts finished in 21st after returning from injury. Katie Roberts put in another strong performance to finish in 32nd, tracked closely by Fiona Hughes in 35th. Cara Penfold held her own to complete the course in 41st position, with the hardworking Jenny Fenwick in 61st and Shirley Mathurin finishing 64th overall.

The men’s race was over a distance of 9K, with 128 competitors opting to tackle the course. Several key players for Richmond and Zetland were missing on this occasion, but this did not deter the 6 hardy athletes making it to the start line. Jon Orange was first counter for the team and 6th overall, also achieving first place in the men’s Vet 1 category. He was supported by solid runs from Brian Halliday in 43rd and Chris Peacock in 46th positions, who went head to head on their way around the course. Mike Brooks was next across the line in 98th place and the ever-improving Ray Robson was positioned well in 105th overall, with Neil Piper once again displaying good stamina to finish in 116th place.

RZH Results: Under 13 Boys – 3rd Fergus Roberts, 4th Marc Scott, 12th Sam Wood, 13th Thomas Allen, 19th Rob Scott & 27th Rob McLean, Team 1st. Under 13 Girls – 5th Maddy Winzer, 30th Charlotte Dinsdale & 40th Kerry Robson, Team 7th. Under 15 Boys – 2nd Douglas Roberts. Under 15 Girls – 16th Rosie Adams & 22nd Jane Thornton. U17, U20, Senior & Vet Women – 12th Heather Halliday (& 1st Female Vet 2), 17th Jo Adams, 21st Jessie Roberts, 32nd Katie Roberts, 35th Fiona Hughes, 41st Cara Penfold, 61st Jenny Fenwick & 64th Shirley Mathurin, Team 3rd. U17, U20, Senior & Vet Men – 6th Jon Orange (& 1st Male Vet 1), 43rd Brian Halliday, 46th Chris Peacock, 98th Mike Brooks, 105th Ray Robson & 116th Neil Piper, Team 10th.