NYSD Cross Country Sunday 13th January - Whitby

James King

The busy January race calendar continued on Sunday 13th, with the 5th NYSD Cross Country fixture at Caedmon School, Whitby. The wind made is hard going in places and the one major hill on the course proved a muddy affair as the ground became churned up. The Under 13 Boys got things started and kept their fantastic record with yet another victory. Fergus Roberts was first Harrier home once again, claiming another fine win, well clear of the rest of the field. James King also took another well-deserved 2nd place with a strong run, while Daniel Overin put in a great performance with 4th overall and Max Robson was in great shape, finishing in 13th to bring the team home in first place. Andrew Parkinson crossed the line in 14th place, with exactly the same time as Max, running well together and with excellent running from Thomas Bingley in 17th and Alex Wright in 20th, the team look set to continue their success.

The Under 13 Girls had 2 competitors on the start line at Whitby and Abi Fletcher was 10th overall, showing consistent form in the league and Rosie Stirr kept the composure she has shown in previous meetings, finishing in 18th overall. The Under 15 Boys had the dynamic trio of Sam Wood, Thomas Allen and George Robinson out in force once again, pacing each other around the course. Sam took a fabulous victory, 5 seconds clear of the next competitor and with Thomas finishing in a brilliant 3rd position and George in 6th, the team easily took first place in their age group once again and look set to retain their league title.

Maddy Winzer was the sole representative in the Under 15 Girls race and did another fantastic job, keeping all her competitors at bay to cross the line in first place, well ahead of the others and looks in good shape to take the league title in her first year in this age group. The Senior Ladies were next, with some athletes missing from the usual line-up, however, those competing did so with gusto and claimed 3rd team place this time around. Tamsin Clark produced another great result, finishing 3rd overall to ensure that the team got off to as good a start as possible, while Sarah Gregory was next team counter across the line in 13th position, with a pleasing run. Jo Adams was close behind in 14th place, finding her form again off-road and running strongly, while Fiona Hughes continued with her good form, bringing her into 20th position. Jenny Fenwick and Laura Wrightley conquered the course admirably to complete the team in 36th and 37th place respectively.

The men managed to improve on their previous team standing and move up to 3rd overall, with some excellent performances and 4 athletes finishing in the top 20 places. Ken Harker looked in great shape and was first Harrier across the line in 8th place, with Jon Orange returning from injury and Shaun Purkiss not too far behind, claiming 12th and 13th positions overall. Tad Zaranko was the 4th team member finishing well up the ranks, with a strong run in 20th, while Richard Hunt took 45th after cycling to the event and Steve Lambert rounded of the team scoring in 58th with a fine performance. Jim Robinson was once again the clear winner in the Men’s Vet 3 category, by a minute from his closest rival, proving that he remains in the running for the league title, along with 60th place on this occasion. Ray Robson clearly enjoyed the event and made a welcome return after a back complaint, finishing in 77th this time around.

RZH Results: U13 Boys – 1st Fergus Roberts, 2nd James King, 4th Daniel Overin, 13th Max Robson, 14th Andrew Parkinson, 17th Thomas Bingley & 20th Alex Wright, Team 1st. U13 Girls – 10th Abi Fletcher & 18th Rosie Stirr. U15 Boys – 1st Sam Wood, 3rd Thomas Allen & 6th George Robinson, Team 1st. Under 15 Girls – 1st Maddy Winzer. Senior/Vet/U17 Ladies – 3rd Tamsin Clark, 13th Sarah Gregory, 14th Jo Adams, 20th Fiona Hughes, 36th Jenny Fenwick & 37th Laura Wrightley, Team 3rd. Senior/Vet Men – 8th Ken Harker, 12th Jon Orange, 13th Shaun Purkiss, 20th Tad Zaranko, 45th Rich Hunt, 58th Steve Lambert, 60th Jim Robinson (& 1st Vet 3) & 77th Ray Robson, Team 3rd.

Clay Bank East Fell Race 13th January 2008

On the same day, Rob Bowles and Paul Goad opted for another off-road competition in the form of the Clay Bank East Fell Race, where the weather was blustery but dry. There were over 100 runners participating in the event, which is part of the NEHRA Winter Series and covers over 4 miles with plenty of ascent thrown in for good measure. Rob put in a strong performance to finish in 26th place overall, with an excellent time of 44.58, while Paul was pleased to take 64th position and finish well up the MV40 category with a fine time of 52.00.