With the close of the 2008 track and field season the young athletes from the Harrogate Harriers junior training group turn their attention to the forthcoming cross-country season which gets underway the second weekend of October when Otley A.C. host the first West Yorkshire League meeting.

Results from various West Yorkshire Track and Field League meetings and Open Meetings are as follows. At the WYT&FL meet at South Leeds Stadium Harriet Smail won her heat of the under 13’s 800 metres, Ellen Brown placed fifth in the under 13’s discus throwing a personal best distance of 13.49metres. Georgia Aitken managed a PB in her of the under 15’s 200 metres and also equalled her best in the high jump competition finishing sixth overall. In the under 17’s ladies 200 metres Anna Grundy continued her good form by winning the event. At the next League meeting at Wakefield Will Havercroft was very successful setting three new personal bests in the under 13’s 75 metre hurdles, 80 metre sprint  and high jump placing 5th, 13th and 4th respectively. Whereas Dan Cheeseman didn’t set any new PB’s but did finish highly in all three of his chosen events. Dan placed second in the under 17’s long jump with 5.45 metres, third in the 400 metres and fourth in the 1500 metres. In the end of season Championship meeting held as per usual at Cleckheaton that man Cheeseman showed why he has been the training groups most successful, as well as being the most versatile, athlete of the season. He won a gold medal in the long jump with a final effort of 5.63 metres, which just happened be a personal best, then on the track he won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres and just missed out on a medal in the 800 metres. Harriet Smail also missed out on a medal with a fourth place in the under 13’s 800 metres with a time a few seconds behind her best. Another personal best was set by Georgia Aitken in the under 15’s high jump giving her a fifth place overall, she also ran in a very competitive 100 metres heat. A well deserved two gold medals were collected by Anna Grundy in the under 17’s 100 metres and 200 metres sprints.

In the City of York A.C. promoted Ingram’s League meetings Harriet Smail raced over 800 metres at the second event finishing in second place and Caroline Lambert competed at the third meeting winning both the under 15’s sprint hurdles and 800 metres and placing second in the 200 metres. At the recent City of York Open Meeting Georgia Aitken set a PB of 4.19 metres in the long jump and also raced in the 75 metre hurdles and 100 metres. Anna Grundy won the 300 metres in a personal best time of 43.7secs but in the 100 metres finished in eighth place and Dan Cheeseman on returning from a family holiday chose to compete in the 100 metres, 200 metres and long jump.

Senior members of Harrogate Harriers’ young athletes training group recently competed in the fourth and final National Junior League meeting of the season at Cleckheaton. On the day the team managed to place fifth overall beating both Bingley Harriers and a combined Wigan/Horwich team, and finished the season in sixth place overall. The womens team of Nicki Gears, Kath Coupland, Hannah Spruce, Hannah Brown and Rebecca Turner competed well despite top sprinter Anna Grundy having to pull out of the team because of illness. Nicki’s best result came in the 400 metre hurdles where she won the B race, she then went on to set a personal best mark of 4.51 metres in the long jump and race over 200 metres. Kath placed second in both the 3000 metres and 400 metre hurdles and set a PB of 19.37 metres in the hammer. Hannah Spruce scored valuable team points when placing second in the high jump, third in the 100 metre hurdles and fifth in the 200 metre sprint. In her last meeting before going to university, Hannah Brown, chose the following events; 100 metres (5th), long jump (4th), triple jump (4th), shot putt (2nd) and sprint relay. Hannah has been a valuable member of the Harriers YAL and NJL teams over the years and the Club are indebted to her for the contribution she has made to the success of the training group. Rebecca Turner managed a second in the B hammer, fifth in the 100 metres A race and fifth in the shot putt.

For the men Rob Seymour was another valuable member of the team who is off to university this month. Rob’s contribution to the Harrogate tally on the day came from his efforts in the 3000 metres (3rd), 400 metre hurdles (4th), 2000 metre steeplechase (3rd) and shot putt (2nd). Rob Coupland ended his Junior League season with personal bests in both the discus (19.65 metres) and javelin (29.61 metres), he also competed in the hammer and shot placing fifth in each event and has been the club’s most successful thrower in this competition this year. On the day sprinter Callum Postoyalko managed to clock his fastest time over 200 metres, he also raced in the 100 metres and long jumped 5.13 metres. Dan Cheeseman continues to bring his times down in the distance events smashing his 1500 metre PB by seven seconds recording 4mins 34.9secs for third place, a fifth place in the 800 metres and another fifth place in the triple jump were his other contributions to the team effort. Adam Couldwell and Alex Rhodes both set personal bests at the meeting Adam’s coming in the discus (15.90 metres) and Alex’s the long jump (4.86 metres).