Cross Country Thirsk November 24th 2002

Richmond and Zetland Harriers scored more success in the second NYSD X-C fixture on Sunday 24th November at Thirsk Racecourse - the Junior/Senior/Veteran Men won their second team race, the Under 13 Girls won their race and now head their class and the Club had three individual winners.

Results

The first race of the afternoon was for the Under 13 Boys and Douglas Roberts of RZH was a clear winner, 24 seconds clear after 3.0K of ploughed fields and farm paths. Tom Rennison just got the better of new boy Adam Scott, finishing in 17th and 18th places respectively and Nick Outhwaite in 22nd anchored the team to third place.

Scarlett Gray was the Club’s second winner in the Under 13 Girls race, her second successive League win giving her maximum individual points. Behind Scarlett there were five more Harriers in the next ten finishers. Jo Adams and sister Rosie missed the first fixture after contributing to the Allertonshire High School Junior Girls team success in a Regional final of the English Schools X-C Cup, and made up by finishing in 4th and 10th places. They were separated by Jessica Gray in 6th and Sophie Broadway, enjoying another most-improved season, in 8th place. With Katie Roberts in 11th and Francesca Fowden (who had run at Skipton the previous day) added into the equation, there are serious prospects next month at the County Championships.

The Under 15 Boys team was without Philip Fitzpatrick who had also ran at Skipton in the Harrogate & Craven Schools Championships, finishing 5th and qualifying for the Yorkshire Schools finals. They were also missing Athlete-of-the-Year Sam Stanislaus (injured), Titch Robinson (unwell) and several would-be footballers, leaving Chris Andrade to finish 9th and sprinter Marcus Clarke, with another excellent example of team spirit, to finish 19th.

There was a similar story with the Under 15 Girls team with Jessie Roberts back but Jade Cawthray having family business to attend. Jessie finished 2nd to her friend and rival Emma Macalister-Hall of Nestle Rowntrees over the extended 3.6K course and backed-up by Ashleigh Robinson 19th and Leah Jackson 24th, the team finished 4th on countback.

Carl Outhwaite was again a lone harrier in the Under 17 Boys race over two large loops, approximately 5.6K. Carl has turned his athletic attention to field events and multi-events in the two years since being part of a Yorkshire Championships bronze medal winning quartet in the mud of Boddington Park and the X-C season is part of his stamina training – 16th place was a fair result.

The Club’s third individual success came in the Ladies race when Marie Stansmore was disqualified as unattached, having not registered and run without a number, leaving 20 year-old Louise Jackson, a first year Senior, to score a maximum 10 points and move to the top of the individual

table. Behind her in 7th place, Rachel Robinson had a good day too, claiming some notable scalps and moving into 4th individual place. Amy Baines was third counter in 29th place, doubling her individual tally as 10th Under 17 Girl and Club Coach Fiona Hughes rounded-out the scoring four in 38th place (despite the agony of running in borrowed spikes, 3 sizes too big!) ahead of Sadie Potter and Jenny Fenwick in 47th and 67th places.

John Aspell

The last race of the day was the Mens race over 9.0K, three and a half loops of an increasingly muddy course with sugar beet and brussels sprouts to contend with. Martin Scaife, running as a guest was a clear winner, exactly one minute ahead of Alan Stimpson of New Marske Harriers (and Harrogate in the Summer Road Race League). John Aspell was the first Harrier home in 6th place, leading a winning pack with Jon Orange 10th, Ken Harker 13th, brothers James and Scott Wardman 18th and 27th and Club Captain Shaun Purkiss sixth counter in 31st place - total 105 points, 10 points better than the first fixture and 14 points better than runners-up Nestle Rowntrees. In the absence of fellow Veterans Ian Scott and Chris Peacock, Taff Rogers led the “B” team home in 59th place, followed by Brian McNabb 65th, Jim Robinson 66th (and 1st MVO50), Mike Brooks 73rd (and 2nd MVO50) plus Neil Piper rolling-back the years to outsprint Ian Hepworth and finish in 128th and 129th places respectively.