At the North Yorkshire Schools Cross Country Championships held recently at Tadcaster Grammar School members of Harrogate Harriers’ junior training group performed well on a bright but cold day with conditions underfoot very good. For those athletes in the junior, intermediate and senior age group races a place in the top six would guarantee them a place in the North Yorkshire team for the English Schools Championships to be held on Saturday 21st March down in Leicestershire.
The Harriers’ linked athletes were representing the Harrogate/Craven Area at the meeting having run well enough at the Area Championships at Skipton last November to qualify for the County event.
The area boy’s teams were on top form winning the team element in all four races, whereas only the Year 7 girls team were victorious for the girls. Ciara Martin was the third counter for the area in the Year 7 race finishing in ninth place overall and would have represented the County in an inter counties event at Kirby Stephen, Cumbria, the following weekend but for the snow. In the junior girls race (for school years 8 and 9) Hannah Turner placed outside the top twenty but considering that she is a year eight pupil her performance was admirable. Hannah’s older sister, Rebecca, was one of five Harriers’ in the intermediate girls race with Carolina Blane first of the five across the finish line in ninth place followed by Caroline Lambert (11th), Kath Coupland (15th), Ellie Smith and then Rebecca.
Tom Moulson went into the County race as Area age group champion and this should have been a good pointer as to where he would finish in the junior boys race against the three other Area champions, one of whom was last seasons age group champion in the country. Arguably this was Tom’s best ever cross country race too date, he ran such a mature, positive, well judged race to finish in third place and automatically booked a place on the coach to the English Schools Champs.
In the intermediate boys (for school years 10 and 11) Matt Hipkin was in fine form, as he was at the Yorkshire Championships earlier in the month. Against boys a year older he battled it out in the early stages of the race and managed to get into a top six position staying there and coming across the finish line in fifth place. Matt now looks forward to representing North Yorkshire Schools next month at the English Schools Championships as well as representing Yorkshire at the Inter Counties Championships in Nottingham on the 7th March. Also in the inters race were Dan Cheeseman and Alex Rhodes, the pair placed 13th and 15th respectively and received an invite to run for North Yorkshire at Kirby Stephen only for the event to be cancelled because of the bad weather, this was more of a disappointment for Dan as he is running very positively at the moment.
The senior boy’s race (for school years 12 and 13) saw Duncan Birtwistle and Dan Birch from the club representing the Harrogate/Craven area. This was a first for Dan Birch, who’s enthusiasm on training nights is infectious and a positive force within the group, and well deserved too after his performance on the tough Aireville Park course at the Area Championships. Dan was delighted to finish in fourteenth place in this a County Championships and looked comfortable throughout the race, it is hoped that his School will honour his achievements by presenting him with his Area representative badge. International orienteer Duncan Birtwistle managed to secure eighth place and because the inter counties meeting was cancelled has been invited to represent North Yorkshire, along with fellow Harriers’ Matt Hipkin and Tom Moulson, at the English Schools’ Championships. Well done all three boys.
The previous weekend Caroline Lambert placed 27th and Harriet Makin 62nd in the under 15’s race at the North of England Cross Country Championships held at Sherdley Park in St. Helens. Kath Coupland ran well to finish 35th in the under 17’s women’s race with Duncan Birtwistle and Alex Rhodes finishing highly in the under 17’s men’s race.
