For the second week in a row it was another mud fest at Leigh for the third fixture in this years Mid Lancs Cross Country League following on from the Red Rose cross country at Marl Pits the week before. Watching the European Cross Country Championships the day after, the experiences of Sefton Park (Cross Challenge), Marl Pits and Leigh couldn’t be in more contrast!
It was a very consistent day of running for the Harriers with two Team wins, two Team second and two third places alongside Individual wins for Matt Ramsden in the U15 Boys and Joanne Nelson in the V45 Women’s Race.
First up was the U11 Girls – finishing 4th Team – which featured seven of our U11 Girls and led home by Molly Grimshaw in a very good 11th place (7.29) out of the seventy two strong field. Next Harrier in was Hannah Davies (21st) in a time of 7.40 with Isabelle Hartley in 26th spot (7.53). Charlotte Sousa finished with her characteristic sprint to take 37th place in a time of 8.15 followed by Imogen Robinson (58th) clocking 9.07, Tippi Francis (59th) in a time of 9.09 and Lulu Sharp in 60th position (9.14).
(R-L Tippi Francis – Charlotte Sousa – Imogen Robinson – Lulu Sharp – Isabelle Hartley – Hannah Davies – Molly Grimshaw)
The Club’s U11 Boys Team came 4th overall out of the eleven teams and seventy five runners competing. Daniel Smith was first Harrier across the line in a time of 6.40 (12th) with Oliver Gill in 19th place (6.56) and Matthew Smith 20th clocking an identical time of 6.56. Jacob Joyce was the next one home in 35th spot (7.16) followed by Charlie Howarth in 40th place (7.19), Harry Russel having his first race for the Club came 43rd in 7.23 and he was followed home by William Dudgeon (46th) posting a time of 7.26, George Ramsden in 51st (7.33), Felix Thompson 58th running a time of 7.57 and another young runner taking on his first race for the Club Sam Craven.
The U13 Girls placed 5th Team on the day out of the ten Clubs competing totaling seventy runners. Hollie Cubbon came home 14th in a time of 8.25 with Caroline Woodworth in 24th clocking 8.53, Lucy Ramsden in 44th spot (9.24), Holly Sousa (64th) with a time of 10.46, Charlotte Clapham in 67th (11.14) and Libby Neal 68th (11.19).
First Team win of the day came for the U13 Boys and it was another very good run from Isaac Butler after his Sefton Park performance saw him finish 2nd in a time of 10.45 to lead the team home to victory. Second place for the Harriers went to David Holman in 8th (11.22) with Joseph Joyce having a very solid run in 12th spot (11.36). Kyle Taylor-Pomfret was the next home for the Club in 14th clocking a time of 11.40 and backed up by Saul Sharp in 34th (12.30), Codie Dewhurst in 47th position (13.15) and Sebastian Burton 59th with a time of 14.58.
(L-R Isaac Butler – Kyle Taylor-Pomfret – Joseph Joyce – David Holman – Sebastian Burton – Codie Dewhurst)
In the U15 Girls Race Eleesha Charnley came home 11th in the 43 strong field in a time of 11.55 with Amy Davies in 16th spot posting a time of 12.07.
The U15 Boys provided the second Team win of the day taking four of the first eight places. Matt Ramsden set off with real intent from the off and never let up with Leon Thomas right behind. Matt comfortably won the race by half a minute in a time of 12.58 with Sam Hodkinson working his through the field to take 4th place in 13.36. Leon Thomas was just two places further back in 6th (13.50) with Jamie Teare a further two places back in 8th position clocking a time of 14.05 and Ethan Barbarewicz in 34th running a time of 15.51.
(L-R Leon Thomas – Ethan Barbarewicz – Matt Ramsden – Jamie Teare – Sam Hodkinson)
Maddie Elliott running without spikes which in itself was testing to say the least in the prevailing conditions placed 5th in the U17 Women’s Race (15.47) whilst Joe Gebbie had a solid run in the U17 Men’s Race taking 7th spot in 21.01.
The Harriers Senior Women took 3rd place in the Team Race, 2nd Team in the Veteran’s Race and Joanne Nelson won the Women’s V45 race. Joanne finished 4th over all out of a field of 137 runners and 1st V45 in a time of 21.55 and followed home by Carmen Byrne in 10th place (22.49), Sarah Toms who ran her third race of the last eight days placing 19th in a time of 24.16 and Lindsay Davies 48th clocking a time of 26.47.
(L-R Carmen Byrne – Sarah Toms – Joanne Nelson)
The old adage that ‘every place counts’ was never more apt than in the Senior Men’s Race where the Senior Men finished 2nd Team with the same number of points as Preston who took the race on countback. As well as the mud, the Senior Men had to endure a ten minute period of driving hail which didn’t make things any easier for any of the runners out on the course.
Tim Raynes was involved in a tussle with Karl Darcy and Alasdair Russell on the second and third laps which saw Tim finish 4th overall in a time of 36.33 and he was backed up by a strong run from Jack Hindle in 12th spot (36.58) and Ben Costello in 17th clocking 39.06. Next in was Chris Davies (20th) in a time of 39.51 and 2nd V40 on the day, Jacob Watson running his first race for the Club in 45th (41.47), Nick Smith in only his second Senior Race taking 50th spot (42.25), Craig Greenough (128th) in a time of 48.07, Danny Teare (159th) in 50.27 and Richard Taylor making his seasons debut in 221th position (56.31).
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Longridge 7 – Sunday December 10th
Three hundred and seventy four finishers in this years Race run on a cold snowy morning which saw three Blackburn Harriers competing – Chris Davies, Lindsay Davies and Paul Jeffries.
Chris, who had run the Mid Lancs cross country race at Leigh the previous day, finished 4th overall and 1st V40 in a time of 41.31. Paul Jeffries was running only his second race of the year and had a pretty good run in 48th place with a time of 50.17. Lindsay also ran the Mid Lancs the day before and she finished 94th in a time of 55.37 and 2nd V45.
Down in Chichester Blackburn Harrier V55 Ian Barnett ran in the Sussex Cross Country League on December 2nd – (RESULTS) – finishing 96th in the one hundred and fifty eight strong field with a time of 37.07 and first in the V55 category. The week after he finished 5th in the Chichester Oaklands Park Run (RESULTS) in a time of 20.28.
