Thirsk Cross Country 18th November 2007

The weather took a turn for the worse during the recent NYSD Cross Country league meeting on The Flatts at Thirsk, providing an extra challenge for those athletes competing on Sunday 18th November. The number of Richmond and Zetland competitors was down on this occasion, with colds, injuries and other commitments all playing a part. Nevertheless, the Club continued to take both team and individual victories across the board, more noticeably in the Under 13 and Under 15 Boys’ events, while there was another well-earned second place for the ladies team.

Kerry Robson

The Under 13 Boys kept their 100 percent winning record in tact, with Fergus Roberts once again well clear of the field, while James King proved to be a more than worthy runner up. Paul Harmsworth and Daniel Overin then finished in close proximity in 5th and 6th position overall, giving the team a fantastic lead. Andrew Parkinson was next home, taking 19th place, with Thomas Bingley just behind him claiming 20th, while Alex wright brought the team home by claiming 26th position and rounding off another highly successful day. The Under 13 Girls kept the momentum going, when the team took 3rd place, with Amy Coulson finishing in 3rd position, followed by Abi Fletcher in 12th place and the ever-present Kerry Robson, who ran another good race to claim 19th overall.

Another team defending their so far unbeaten record was the Under 15 Boys, where Sam Wood reiterated his current form by taking 2nd place, closely followed his omnipresent team mate, Thomas Allen, who promptly claimed 3rd overall. George Robinson and Marc Scott then finished within a second of each other in 6th and 7th positions respectively, handing the team another fine victory. The ladies squad underwent yet another reshuffle, with some athletes missing and others stepping up to the mark, but with 5 competing athletes they easily held their own in the standings, with another excellent 2nd place on the day. Kelley Haniver was again the front runner for the ladies, taking 7th place and Tamsin Clark produced another strong performance, finishing in 10th position, while Jenny Hands was not far behind and next home in 11th. Katie Roberts made her seasonal Cross Country debut, finishing strongly in 17th place, while Roise Adams completed the line-up and brought the team across the line with 23rd position. There was a welcome addition to the Under 17 Men’s team with 2 athletes competing at this event; Adam Scott claimed a brilliant 8th position, while Liam Fletcher had a very positive run, making his way into 9th place overall.

The men’s team also had some runners for the sharp end missing this time around, with 11 athletes in total lining up. Ken Harker was first on the score board for the Harriers in 8th place, moving up several positions on last time, while Ian Scott gave a great account of himself, promptly claiming 19th, with Shaun Purkiss also finishing well up the field in 22nd. Another seasonal debutant, Rob Bowles, displayed solid racing form, taking 51st overall, while Chris Peacock made a very welcome return from injury to cross the line in 53rd place. Taff Rogers was another working hard this time out and promptly claimed 55th position, while Tony Ditchburn enjoyed another successful outing, crossing the line in 61st. Jim Robinson continues to lead the Vet 3 category overall and did not disappoint on this occasion being 79th across the line. Ray Robson had an excellent race and moved well up the ranks to finish in 79th position overall, his best finish to date, with Paul Goad also putting in some good, consistent running to claim 93rd place. Ian Hepworth returned for his first race following the Amsterdam Marathon, finishing comfortably inside the top 100, in 96th position.

RZH Results: Under 13 Boys – 1st Fergus Roberts, 2nd James King, 5th Paul Harmsworth, 6th Daniel Overin, 19th Andrew Parkinson, 20th Thomas Bingley & 26th Alex Wright, Team 1st. Under 13 Girls – 3rd Amy Coulson, 12th Abi Fletcher & 19th Kerry Robson, Team 3rd. Under 15 Boys – 2nd Sam Wood, 3rd Thomas Allen, 6th George Robinson & 7th Marc Scott, Team 1st. Under 17 Men – 8th Adam Scott & 9th Liam Fletcher. Senior/Vet/U20/U17 Ladies – 7th Kelley Haniver, 10th Tamsin Clark, 11th Jenny Hands, 17th Katie Roberts & 23rd Rosie Adams, Team 2nd. Senior/Vet/U20 Men – 8th Ken Harker, 19th Ian Scott, 22nd Shaun Purkiss, 51st Rob Bowles, 53rd Chris Peacock, 55th Taff Rogers, 61st Tony Ditchburn, 71st Jim Robinson, 79th Ray Robson, 93rd Paul Goad & 96th Ian Hepworth, Team 4th.