English Schools Cross Country Championships - Liverpool - 8th March 2008

Sefton Park, Liverpool was the venue on Saturday 8th March for the English Schools Cross Country Championships and several Harriers were in action representing North Yorkshire at the event. Fergus Roberts and Marc Scott were amongst the medals once again, assisting the Junior Boys team to take the silver medal in their race, with some excellent running; Fergus finishing in 13th place and Marc well up the standings in 69th. James King also ran exceptionally well in the same race, completing the course in 215th position overall. Sam Wood and George Robinson took part in the Intermediate Boys event, putting in more strong performances to claim 186th and 215th position respectively from a large field of athletes. Doug Roberts moved up an age group this year and competed for the Senior Boys on this occasion, crossing the line in 95th place and as usual, ran a strong and convincing race. There were also two competitors in the Senior Girls race, with Jo Adams having a great run to take 175th place and Katie Roberts also having an excellent outing, taking 233rd on the day, as well as claiming her county colours along with all the other competitors.

RZH Results: Junior Boys – 13th Fergus Roberts, 69th Marc Scott & 215th James King, North Yorkshire Team 2nd. Intermediate Boys – 186th Sam Wood & 215th George Robinson. Senior Boys – 95th Doug Roberts. Senior Girls – 175th Jo Adams & 233rd Katie Roberts.

NYSD Cross Country - Richmond - 16th March 2008

The following weekend on Sunday 16th March, Richmond and Zetland hosted the final NYSD Cross Country fixture of the season at the new venue of Richmond Racecourse, which proved popular and was previously used in the 1950s to host the Men’s National Cross Country event. The U13 Boys got the proceedings underway, once again claiming a clear victory, which comfortably hands them the age group trophy, having won every race over the season. Fergus Roberts clocked up yet another triumph and the ever-speedy James King promptly claimed 2nd place, while Daniel Overin wasn’t far behind, finishing in 3rd. Paul Harmsworth crossed the line in 9th and with Thomas Bingley claiming a 12th place finish with some strong running, the team once again romped home to success.

Amy Coulson

The U13 Girls team had four athletes, who also finished as first team on the day, moving Richmond and Zetland further towards the President’s Aggregate Trophy. Amy Coulson claimed 4th place with a solid performance and Rosie Stirr promptly took 9th with another consistent run. They were followed closely by Abbie Fletcher, just 6 seconds behind in 10th and Kerry Robson brought the team home in 21st place, for a great team result. Sam Wood, Marc Scott and George Robinson once again battled it out in the Under 15 Boys race to finish in excellent, consecutive positions, with 3rd, 4th and 5th. This once again spelt success for the team, winning the age group trophy and taking victory in every race during the season. Maddy Winzer was the sole Harrier in the U15 Girls competition, but undeterred, led from the front and was awarded second place, after finishing in the same time as the leading runner. This meant that she deservedly claimed the individual trophy for her age group.

The ladies had a somewhat reduced squad, with several members training for the London Marathon and competing in longer distance events, nevertheless they managed a great result, finishing as 3rd team on the day. Jo Adams continued to climb the ranks and recorded her best result-to-date by taking 8th place and was followed by Katie Roberts, who finished in 10th position after being out for some time with injury and other sporting commitments. Fiona Hughes meanwhile raced home to take a well-earned and season’s best position of 16th place, while Laura Wrightley put in a solid and determined performance to claim 26th place and bring the team home.

It was a welcome sight to have 3 competitors in the Under 17 Men’s event and even more rewarding when they were the winning team. Doug Roberts was first Harrier across the line in 2nd place, while Liam Fletcher worked hard on the course to claim 5th overall and Adam Scott put in a gritty performance to take 7th position.

The men had more than a full team, with no less than 11 athletes on home soil. Rich Hunt was first Harrier home, taking a fabulous 2nd place overall, while Jon Orange had a great run to finish 4th and once again claim first place in the Vet 1 category. Ken Harker was next to finish in 7th, having run strongly over the whole season, while Shaun Purkiss claimed 12th place with some consistently-paced running, putting the team well up on the leader board. Tad Zaranko then took a deserved 13th position, while Paul Roberts tackled the course well to take 19th place. Ian Scott crossed the line in 32nd overall, while Chris Peacock and Taff Rogers had their usual encounter, with Chris finishing ahead in 47th place and Taff in 50th overall. Jim Robinson was runner-up in the Men’s Vet 3 category with another fantastic run, finishing in 54th place and Ian Hepworth enjoyed his outing on the new course claiming 70th place in the process and bringing the team across the line to another victory. After final standings were ratified, Richmond and Zetland were declared winner’s of the President’s Trophy, making them top team for the season, which reflects the effort of everyone throughout the season.

RZH Results: U13 Boys – 1st Fergus Roberts, 2nd James King, 3rd Daniel Overin, 9th Paul Harmsworth & 12th Thomas Bingley, Team 1st. U13 Girls – 4th Amy Coulson, 9th Rosie Stirr, 10th Abbie Fletcher & 21st Kerry Robson, Team 1st. U15 Boys – 3rd Sam Wood, 4th Marc Scott & 5th George Robinson, Team 1st. U15 Girls – 2nd Maddy Winzer. Under 17 Men – 2nd Doug Roberts, 5th Liam Fletcher & 7th Adam Scott, Team 1st. Senior/Vet/U17 Ladies – 8th Jo Adams, 10th Katie Roberts, 16th Fiona Hughes & 26th Laura Wrightly, Team 3rd. Senior/Vet Men – 2nd Rich Hunt, 4th (& 1st V1) Jon Orange, 7th Ken Harker, 12th Shaun Purkiss, 13th Tad Zaranko, 19th Paul Roberts, 32nd Ian Scott, 47th Chris Peacock, 50th Taff Rogers, 54th Jim Robinson & 70th Ian Hepworth, Team 1st.