The second round of this years Red Rose Cross Country League took place on Saturday Ocotber 28th at Bolton’s Leverhulme Park, with the weather for the most part, warm, little wind about but soggy underfoot and all with a ‘river’ to run through on each lap to add to the fun and genuine nature of cross country racing. (Provisional Results)
(PHOTOGRAPSH ON BLACKBURN HARRIERS FACEBOOK PAGE)
Morgan Watson got the day off to a great start in the U11 Boys race taking 2nd spot with a time of 6.54 behind Bury’s Ethan Statham who won the race in 6.37. Theo Addy – struggling with a cold – finished in 25th spot running a time of 8.07 and hats off to Hector Kezemi who ran his first ever race finishing in 28th spot with the team placing 4th overall. Congratulations go to Sophie Douglas who was the sole runner in the U11 Girls Race – placing 11th out of a field of 40 with a time of 8.01 and showing real determination throughout her race.
Morgan Watson
Theo Addy
Hector Kezemi
Sophie Douglas (91)
Despite having two runners in the first seven places our U15 Boys team finished 3rd overall behind Bolton in first and Rossendale in 2nd. Theo Robinson had a fine run to place 3rd overall in 15.50 as did Max Belshaw who is improving with each race, coming home in 7th place with a time of 16.22 and backed up by a strong run from Liam Bennison in 16th position (17.46) with Loucas Lancashire in 25th spot (21.13) and in his first cross country race since March 2022.
The run of the day came in the U15 Girls Race which saw Emma Robertshaw take her first win in a cross country league race with a time of 17.16 and backed up with good runs from Lottie Hesketh in 6th spot (18.17), Isabelle Perry (11th) running a time of 19.10, Bella McCredie in 14th place ( 19.40), Lottie Smith in 15th place (19.42), Evie Fort running 20.29 in 18th spot and Tamzin Osborne in 20th position running 21.22.
Theo Robinson (113)
Max Belshaw
Liam Bennison (107)
Loucas Lancashire (112) – Isabelle Perry (126)
L-R Lottie Heketh – Tamzin Osborne – Lottie Smith – Isabelle Perry – Emma Robertshaw – Bella McCredie – Evie Fort
Emma Robertshaw
Lottie Hesketh
Isabelle Perry
Bella McCredie
Lottie Smith
Evie Fort
Tamzin Osborne
Challenging for the run of the day was the run of Louisa Powell-Smith in the Senior Women’s race as she came home in 2nd place in 21.46 and was also the first V45. Also taking the the Vets first prize was Rebecca Ward who told us she “enjoyed the race” finishing in 12th spot with a time of 24.03 and the first V40 in the race. Leah Hoole was our third counter taking 22nd spot overall in 25.05 and 4th place in the U20’s with our fourth counter Freya Neild in 44th spot running a time of 27.29 in her first ever race over this distance – the team finishing 4th out of 12 teams behind Bury in first, Todmorden in 2nd and Clayton 3rd.
Louisa Powell-Smith (159)
Rebecca Ward (161)
Leah Hoole (143)
Freya Neild (132)
Unfortunately there wasn’t a senior men’s team with just five athletes running on the day in a race which was won comfortably by Chris Holdsworth in 34.44. Richard Addy was the first Blackburn athlete home in a time of 40.06 in 28th place out of the 182 strong field. Next in was Danny Maynard in 55th spot running 42.57 followed home by David Almond, the V55 running 44.19 in 74th spot and finishing the race despite a bad fall and having to be taken to hospital after the race to have his leg wounds seen too. V55 Chris Balderson was next across the line in 101st spot (47.05) with V50 Mark Almond running 49.52 in 128th place.
Richard Addy
Danny Maynard (202)
David Almond (173)
Chris Balderson
Mark Almond (172)
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The day after it was the running of the annual Accrington 10k Road Race – won by Clayton’s Peter Mackrell (34.53) – with close to 400 runners – which had two Blackburn Harriers running – V45 Ste Turner who clocked 41.52 in 33rd place which was a new PB by close to half a minute and V45 Paul Jeffries in 73rd spot running 46.49. (RESULTS)
Ste Turner ( Photo courtesey of David Belshaw)
