Sunshine, blue skies and plenty of mud at Leverhulme Park for the third fixture in this years Red Rose Cross Country League saw some cracking racing with a number of races finishing in sprint finishes involving Blackburn Harriers athletes.
Full Results HERE
Series Results after Three Fixtures HERE
The U11 Boys got the Club off to a great start in the 76 strong field, taking 2nd team place and just missing the win by one point behind Bury. Kyle Pomfret who improves with each race led the Harriers team home in 6th place overall (7.31) and backed up with good runs from Rory Teare in 10th (7.38), Edward Lee (14th) in 7.50, Saul Sharp in 21st (7.58) and Oliver Gill in 44th position (8.41). The lads have everything to play for going into the final fixture at Rossendale as they currently lie just one point behind Clayton for the Series. In the Individual Standings Edward (5th) , Kyle (7th) and Rory (=9th) all lie in the top ten overall too.
Eighty nine runners in the U11 Girls which was great to see and a Race which saw the Harriers come 5th team of 12 teams competing. Leah Hoole continues to run well coming in 6th overall in a time of 7.42 to be the first Harrier home followed by another good run from Hollie Cubbon in 11th place (7.52). Amelia Tyson also had an improved run to finish 33rd in 8.40 with Kate Cookson just three places further back in 36th (8.47). Isabelle Hartley, as game as they come placed 55th in 9.16 and an equally game run came from Georgina Bleeks – and probably the smallest kid in the field at 8yrs of age – in 74th (10.05). Leah (5th) and Hollie (10th) are in the top ten for the overall Individual series.
(Command & Control Centre with Team Managers John Cookson & Danny Teare)
The U13 Boys lie in 2nd place in the Team Series Standings with 43 points to Horwich’s 30 and with Matt Ramsden 2nd overall in the Individual Standings and Jamie Teare 3rd which gives the lads every chance of picking up Team and Individual medals. On the day Matt Ramsden featured in a great tussle and a sprint finish with Francis Woodcock from Bury, just being edged into 2nd place by two seconds (11.33) and leading the Team to a 2nd placed finish on the day. Jamie Teare had a really good run too finishing an impressive 3rd place in 11.58 with Leon Thomas in 23rd (13.01) and Daniel Brown (27th) in a time of 13.30.
A very impressive run from Amy Davies in the U13 Girls in a 67 strong field which saw Amy and Charlotte Edwards absolutely battle for every stride in the finishing straight resulting in Amy winning the race by just one second. Eleesha Charnley also had a good run finishing 16th in 14.16. Amy heads the Individual Standings and looks to have won the Series.
Yet another win in a time of 17.09 for Maddie Elliott in the U15 Girls Race, her third in a row in this years Red Rose League and shows what a good cross country season she is having – and – like Amy in the U13’s, has already won the Individual Series. Also having a good solid run on the day was Hannah Cookson in 8th spot (17.59) and 8th overall in the Series with Chloe Bleeks in 19th (19.37) which took the Girls to 3rd placed Team.
Just three Senior Women out for the Harriers in a field of 135 runners won by Joanne Nelson who has now recorded three straight Individual and Vet Wins in all three Red Rose fixtures. The Harriers – finishing 16th Team on the day – saw Jan Buckingham come in first for the Club in 94th overall with a time of 29.53, Lorna Sharp in 101st (30.52) and Lindsay Davies 107th in a time of 32.12.
The Men’s Senior Race featuring 208 runners witnessed the third sprint finish on the day involving a Blackburn Harriers athlete. This time it was Rob Warner who in an eyeballs out finish with Tom Carson was given the same time of 34.49 but having to settle for 2nd place. After three races the Harriers are in 2nd place in the Team Standings with every chance of a Team Medal as is Tim Raynes in the Individual Standings lying in 4th place just one point off 3rd place.
Backing up Rob (1st in 34.49) and Tim (6th in 36.33) with good packing and helping the team to cement 2nd place were Chris Davies (22nd) in 38.19; Shaun Livesey in 23rd (38.34); Joe Howe who is doing a lot of racing for his university in 24th (38.38) and Brian Fogarty (50th) in 41.33.
Next in came Richard Fogarty (61st) in a time of 42.12 followed by Chris Balderson in 70th (43.01); Allan Hartley (82nd) in 43.43; Craig Greenhough (115th) in 46.53; John Cookson 130th in 48.11; Danny Teare in a time of 51.27 (163rd); Michael Sharp in 172nd (52.40) and Richard Taylor (174th) 52.56.
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Joe Monk and Evan Cook were out early at the Chorley Fire 10k this Sunday which resulted in good runs for both of them in a field of four hundred and five finishers.
Full Results HERE
Joe finished in 2nd place (33.45), to Anthony Valentine who won in 33.10. Evan took yet another V60 1st Prize when he finished 47th in a time of 41.30. This was Evan’s fifth 10k Race of the year and he has won the V60 Age Group in every one of them. Kaylie Panaro was just short of setting a new PB finishing 114th in a time of 45.38, just 13 seconds out.
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