Yorkshire Track & Field Championships - Cudworth 12th & 13th May 2007

Leanne Shaw & Ruth Hill

No less than five medals and two Yorkshire Champions were the order of the day for Richmond and Zetland’s junior athletes at the Yorkshire Track & Field Championships at Cudworth over the weekend of 12th and 13th May. Outstanding performance of the meeting goes to sprinter Leanne Shaw, who won an exceptional 3 medals in the sprint events, claiming the Yorkshire title over the 100m and 300m distances in the Under 17 Ladies age group, as well as silver over 200m, despite finishing in a dead heat with the eventual winner. Team mate Ruth Hill also took a fantastic silver medal in the 300m in the same category as well as 7th overall in the 200m event, competing for the first year in the this age group. Fergus Roberts also claimed his second Yorkshire Championship title of the year, first at Cross Country in January and now over 800m on the track, winning by a huge margin of more than 8 seconds in the Under 13 Boy’s category, finishing well ahead of the rest of the field to claim his gold medal.

Nick Outhwaite also finished in an excellent 4th position in the Under 20 Men’s Pole Vault event with 2.70m, while Paul Harmsworth put in brilliant performances, showing his versatility in the Long Jump, 800m and 100m. Amy Coulson competed well over 80m and in her favoured 800m for the Under 13 Girls, narrowly missing the final in the latter with a time of 2.45.9. Brogan Fraser was another sprinter in fine form early in the season, producing a 13.7 time over 100m for the Under 17 Ladies, again her first year in this age group, while Rachel Holloway ran a solid time of 14.7 in the Under 15 Girls 100m. Thomas Allen narrowly missed out on the bronze medal for the Under 15 Boys in the 800m event, with a fantastic time of 2.11.7 and Jessie Roberts produced a great run in the Under 20 Ladies 1500m, with a time of 5.04.7 to claim 8th place overall.

RZH Results: Under 13 Boys – Fergus Roberts, 1st (& Yorkshire Champion) 800m 2.18.0, Paul Harmsworth, 13th Long Jump 3.54m, 100m Heat 14.7 & 6th 800m Heat 2.39.1. Under 13 Girls – Amy Coulson 6th 80m Heat 12.6 & 3rd 800m Heat 2.45.9. Under 15 Boys – Thomas Allen, 4th 800m 2.11.7. Under 15 Girls – Rachel Holloway, 6th 100m Heat 14.8. Under 17 Ladies – Leanne Shaw, 1st (& Yorkshire Champion) 300m 42.6, 2nd 200m 26.3 & 1st (& Yorkshire Champion) 100m 12.8, Ruth Hill 2nd 300m 43.4 & 7th 200m 27.3, Brogan Fraser, 6th 100m Heat 13.7. Under 20 Men – Nick Outhwaite, 4th Pole Vault 2.70m. Under 20 Ladies – 8th 1500m 5.04.7.

Wensleydale Wander & Three Peaks Fell Race

Neil Piper has been busy once again on his long distance, off-road adventures. On the same day as the London Marathon got underway in Greenwich Park, Neil was further north competing in the Wensleydale Wander; a 22 mile race from Leyburn, finishing with wife Liz in 4.43. Only a week later he was back on the trails, taking in the famous Three Peaks Fell Race, a much more serious affair over 24 miles on challenging terrain. Rob Jebb from Bingley, claimed the honours yet again, this time in 2.53, while Neil was pleased with his time of 4.45.58, putting him in 359th place from 510 competitors. This is 17 minutes faster than last year, showing that the hill training has really paid off over the last few months.