Cross country round-up includes the British Masters Champs in Bangor.
START FITNESS NORTH EAST HARRIER LEAGUE, Eltringham, Northumberland, March 21
William Robson was first home overall as runners from three different starting packs vied for individual honours.
The North Shields Poly man was in the S Pack but fourth man home, Chris Larkin was a minute quicker as F pack runners also got in on the action.
To compete the mix, second and third home, Louis Gardiner and third home last time out Russell Walsh were M pack starters.
It had been Heaton’s Larkin who was second fastest in the February 28th round and first home in the race before that.
There was no mixing in the women’s race as the S Pack dominated with Tyne Bridge’s Anna Oswald leading the way. However, the fastest times were down in eighth, ninth and tenth places as Jess Eaton, W40 Jane Hodgson and Jennifer Berry followed each other through from the F pack.
Overall: 1 W Robson (NSP) 36:58; 2 L Gardner (NSP) 40:43; 3 R Walsh (Alnw) 40:56
M40: 1 C Franks (Gate) 42:59
M45: 1 B Wight (Crook) 43:42
M50: 1 P Tickner (Durh) 43:36
M55: 1 M Turnbull (Elsw) 42:43
M60: 1 T Horsley (Morp) 49:29
U20: 1 J Maley (NSP) 42:09
Fastest (net time): 1 C Larkin (Heaton) 35:48; 2 A Bellew (NSP) 36:43; 3 Robson 36:58
M40: Franks 37:44
M45: Wight 43:42
M50: Tickner 43:36
M55: Turnbull 42:43
M60: Horsley 49:29
U20: O Tomlinson (Morp) 38:42
U17: 1 J Shields (Durh) 22:04; 2 W Jardine (Durh) 22:20; 3 A Jones (Elsw) 22:26
Fastest: 1 Shields 19:21; 2 Jardine 19:37; 3 G Bryce (Blyth) 20:09
U15: 1 G McNally (T’dale) 13:26
Fastest: G Hunter (T’dale) 11:41
U13: 1 S Rigg (Sund) 14:27
Fastest: J Hopper (J&H) 12:50
Women: 1 A Oswald (Tyne Br) 31:30; 2 O Vasely (Durh) 31:52; 3 I Whaling (Elvet, U20) 31:58
W40: 1 J Hodgson (Morp) 33:49
W45: 2 J Heslop (Elsw) 34:30
W50: 1 L Lennox ((Tyne Br) 34:03
W55: 1 N McCoy (Morp) 36:05
W60: 1 J Murdy (S Shields) 37:50
U20: 1 O Simpson (Newc U) 32:43
Fastest: 1 J Eaton (Tyne Br) 28;32; 2 J Hodgson (Morp) 28:33; 3J Berry (Wallsend) 28:44
W40: 1 Hodgson 28:33
W45: Heslop 29:14
W50: L Short (T’dale) 30:54
W55: McCoy 36:05
W60: Murdy 32:34
U20: Whaling 31:58
U17: 1 E Hobden (Birt) 24:34
Fastest: P Mulligan (Prudhoe) 23:46
U15: 1 A Matthews (Tye Br) 14:54
Fastest: O Murphy (Birtley) 13:36
U13: 1 M Carr (Prudhoe) 15:32
Fastest: Carr 13:47
BRITISH MASTERS CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Bangor, North Wales, March 21
There was a small uptake in the younger men’s age groups but, even overall, numbers were less than 100 for what is supposed to be the premier masters event of the cross-country calendar.
It was local club Meirionnydd’s Daniel Kashi and Rhodri Owen who tied the M35 race from Brighton & Hove’s M40 winner Zared Arasaretname-Hale whilst, further back, the best of the older under-65 runners was Southport Waterloo’s Francois Rafferty.
The M55 was 13th overall, just ahead of top M60 Mike Whyatt but there were only 28 in the race.
Men aged 65 and over ran with the women and first home was Swansea’s Ifan Lloyd, the British & Irish Masters International winner, who headed fellow Welshman David Warren.
They both finished ahead of the first woman home, Sarah Winstone, who was nearly two minutes clear of the second, W45 Keri Weatherhogg.
Top W55 Rachel Coupe, from Telford was fourth woman to finish as, further back another British & Irish Masters winner, Sue Cordingly was top W65.
M35 (8km): 1eq D Kashi (Medd’dd)/R Owen (Merr’dd) 25:43; 3 Z Arasaretname-Hale (B&H, M40) 26:11
M40: 2T Bailey (Hallam) 26:39
M45: 1 M Gittins (Helsby) 26:46
M50: 1 C Hurst (Cov G) 33:42
M55: 1 F Rafferty (S’port W) 28:59
M60: 1 M Whyatt (Eryri) 29:04
TEAM: 1 Meirionnydd 7
M65, 6km (ran with women): 1 I Lloyd (Swan) 24:14; 2 D Warren (Card) 24:40; 3 P Merrison (Sund) 25:59
M70: 1 B Greaves (Royton) 27:21
M75: 1 A Daley (Glouc) 32:05
M80: 1 E Davies (R Hebog) 36:16
M85: 1 R Harrison-Jones 56:53
TEAM: 1 Prestatyn 6
Women
W35 (6km): 1 S Winstone (Soton) 24:57; 2 K Weatherhogg (Perth, W45) 26:40; 3 L Da Silva (TVH, W40) 26:52
W50: 1 M Hughes (Eryri) 29:42
W55: 1 R Coupe (Telf) 27:07
W60: 1 C Wood (Atrena) 29:44
W65: 1 S Cordingley (Bing) 30:07
W70: 1 M Statham-Berry (Ling) 31:54
W75: 1 K Bowler (Cumb) 40:44
TEAM: 1 Warrington 9