A recap of all the action from the North of England men’s 12 and women’s 6 stage road relays .
NORTH OF ENGLAND MEN’S 12 & WOMEN’S 6 STAGE, Carlisle, Cumbria, March 28
City of Leeds triumphed in both the mens’s 12 and women’s 6 stage relays in Carlisle, with the Yorkshire based outfit impressing throughout the day.
Men
Leeds regained the men’s title that they lost to Salford last year and did so by one minute from 2023 winners Morpeth, with the holders a further minute down in third.
The rest of the clubs might well have been in a different race as fourth placed Vale Royal were almost ten minutes adrift of the podium placings.
They had started well with Joe Firth clocking 20:14 over the 7km distance, and held the advantage on the short stage two when Ossama Meslek posted the quickest leg with 14:58.
This was before Morpeth’s long-time servant Carl Avery took Morpeth into the lead on the long stage three, which was then held by Liam Roche before they lost the advantage.
This was because Leeds’ Jensen Connell’s ran 20:30 for his 7km, before Daniel Franks extended their lead on stage six – the eventual winners now being 23 seconds clear.
That lead extended further after Richard Allen posted the fastest 7km effort of the day with 20:06.
James Tilly and William de Vere Owen ate into the Leeds advantage on stages nine and 10, but Gavyn Chalmers sealed things with his 14:43 second fastest short lap of the day.
Harry Wakefield consolidated Salford bronze medals with a 14:28 effort. Earlier they had started off fifth on the opener, went third on second, then fourth before assuming their finishing third placed slot on lap five.Then they were around a minute adrift of Morpeth at the half-distance.
Men (legs 1,3,5 & 7: 7km, others 5km): 1 Leeds 3:23:53 (J Firth 20:14, O Meslek 14:58, J Beattie 20:55, N Marsh 15:12, J Connell 20:30, D Franks 15:23, R Allen 20:06, W Tighe 15:00, A Smith 15:41, L Wheeler 15:36, S Flanaghan 15:30, G Chalmers 14:43); 2 Morpeth 3:24:55 (F Brodie 20;15, G Lowry 15:08, C Avery 20:19, L Roche 15:31, L McCourt 20:50, A Swinburne 15:31, C Coulson 20:23, J Fiddaman 15:23, J Tilley 15:21, W de Vere Owen 14:58, S Hancox 15:54, E Hetherington 15:15); 3 Salford 3:25:37 (M Brown 20:33, J Wood-Doyle 15:26, D Barratt 20:53, K Darcy 15:28, C Davidson 20:49, T Cornthwaite 15:21, J Birmingham 20:40, J Moores 15:15, T Hodgson 15:20, C Rowlinson 15:41, G Beardmore 15:36, H Wakefield 14:28); 4 Vale R 3:35:12; 5 Leeds B 3:38:20; 6 Salford B 3:38:58; 7 NSP 3:39:48; 8 Gateshead 3:42:40; 9 Keswick 3:43:23; 10 Border 3:44;15
Just 35 teams finished
Fastest (7km): 1 Allen 20:06; Firth 20:14; Brodie 20:15; Avery 20:19; Coulson 20:23; Connell 20:30
Fastest (5km): Wakefield 14:28; Chalmers 14:43; de Vere Owen/Meslek 14:58; Tighe 15:00; F Day (Sale) 15:07; Marsh 15:12
Women
Leeds were always there or thereabouts after being in third spot on lap one, then second before taking the lead and holding it from the half-distance.
It had been Border who led on the opening 7km stage through 24-year-old Esme Davies’ 22:46, with Leeds’ Heather Townsend back in third behind Trafford’s Bethany Reid’s 23:13.
Border kept the lead through Olivier Mason on leg two, as Leeds edged up to second thanks to Georgia Malir, before Charlotte Van Zeist hit the front mid-race.
They were then half-a-minute clear of Border and inched further ahead on stage four before really extending on five thanks to Eilidh Bell’s 17:22.
All four of Leeds’ short stage runners’ times were in the top six fastest, whilst Townsend’s and Potter’s long were third and fourth best.
Border staged a late rally to try and salvage things but it was too late and even Kate Maltby’s fastest short stage time of the day at 16:55, was not enough and they wound up over a minute down.
Third placed Salford were four minutes further adrift, after having hit that position after stage three following a steady start back in seventh. Fourth placed Trafford made a fight of it but the rest were nowhere.
Women (legs 1 & 4: 7km, others 5km): 1 Leeds 1:57:30 (H Townsend 23:25; G Malir 17:24; C Van Zeist 17:47, S Potter 23:40; E Bell 17:22, S Luker-Edwards17:49); 2 Border 1:58:50 (E Davis 22:46, O Mason 17:52, S Addison 18:31, R Brown 23:43, R Douglas 19:00, K Malby 16:55); 3 Salford 2:03:23 D Slattery 25:13, I Appleby 18:27, E Russell 18:16, J Wright 24:06, K Reynolds 18:30, A Bratt 18:49); 4 Trafford 2:04:19; 5 Steel City 2:10:26; 6 Bury 2:12:12; 7 Sale 2:12:41; 8 Keighley & Craven 2;13:16; 9 Keswick 2:16:53; 10 Border B 2:17:11
Just 25 teams finished
Fastest (7km): Davis 22:46; B Reid (Traff) 23:13; Townsend 23:25; Potter 23:40; Brown 23:43; Wright 24;06
Fastest (5km): Maltby 16:55; Bell 17:22; Malir 17:24; N Moynihan (Sale) 17:42; Van Zeist 17:47; Luker-Edwards 17:49;