27 January 2008: Three Northern Indoor medallists at Sheffield

Sheffield's English Institute of Sport was the venue for the Under 15 / Under 17 Northern Indoor Championships on Sunday and ten of the Club's juniors were testing themselves against the best in the North.  Three went home with medals; a gold and a bronze for Josh Hughes, a gold for Lauren Brennan and a bronze for Jordan Kelly.
In the Under 15 Girls' events we had Lucy Whitehead and Eleanor Newton.  Both girls were in the 60m hurdles with Lucy running 10.46 in her heat and Eleanor 10.04 in hers.  Eleanor qualified for the final where she ran a great 9.80 secs to finish just outside the medals in 4th place.  9.80 compares with 10.17 run in Manchester last December!
Our Under 15 Boys were Elliot Barron and Joshua Hughes.  Elliot ran both sprint distances clocking 27.50 in the 200m and a PB 8.40 to finish 5th in his heat of the 60m.  Joshua had a great day, taking confident charge of the Under 15 age group now that James Armstrong has moved up to Under 17.  In the 60m, Josh won his heat with 7.62 and improved on that in the final with 7.61 for a 3rd place - and a bronze medal.  In the 200m, he ran the fastest heat time of 24.52 and took the Northern Indoor title, leading all the way in the final to win in a PB time of 23.70 secs.  The announcer recognised the significance of the championship title staying with Southport Waterloo - James Armstrong being last year's winner - a credit to both our sprint athletes and coaches.  Unfortunately, Joshua's coach, Tina Pilkington, was in hospital and didn't get to see her first northern title as a coach.  (There will be plenty more, Tina!)
Emma Lyons and Lauren Brennan were our Under 17 women, Emma having just moved up to this age group.  Both girls ran in the 300m heats, Emma finishing 4th in hers in 43.55 and Lauren recording the fastest heat time of 41.72.  In the final, she looked to be running even faster and, indeed, won convincingly in 41.21.  Lauren was last's year's champion so successfully defended her title.
Our Under 17 Men were Jordan Kelly, Rico Dalle-Mulle, James Armstrong and Josh Murphy who had mixed fortunes today, mostly as a result of injuries.  Jordan Kelly has had an injury so wasn't at his best for his first Northern indoors championships.  In the 60m he ran 7.89. In the jumps, he long jumped 5m 63 for 5th place but secured a bronze medal in the triple jump with 11m 13; somewhat short of his best 11m 98 but a well-deserved medal in these championships.
It was also Josh Murphy's first Northern indoors championships and he featured in the sprints.  Over 60m he was 6th in his heat with 8.51 and in the 200m he ran 27.77 for 5th in his heat.
Rico Dalle-Mulle did 8.91 for 60m hurdles 2 weeks ago in Manchester and beat that in his heat today, finishing 3rd in 8.87.  He qualified for the final but, slowing down at the end of his heat, he injured a quad muscle, received medical attention and had to retire.  There should be no lasting damage and we will hopefully see Rico back to full fitness very soon.
Finally, James Armstrong - last year's Under 15 200m national champion - appeared in his first Under 17 championships; but he has had a medical issue over the winter and pulled a muscle in training recently so he wasn't at his best for this meeting.  Nonetheless, in the 60m he ran 7.3 (manual timing) in his heat and 7.28 in the final.  That gave him 5th place with just 1/100th of a second separating 3rd, 4th and 5th.  In terms of short-race fitness, 7.28 compares with James' PB of 7.27 run at the AAAs last February!  In the 200m, James won his heat in 23.16 and was placed 4th in the final with 23.17.
These are an excellent set of performances at a very busy and competitive championships that can give the athletes every confidence for the rest of the indoor season and the outdoor track & field season.
Full results

27 January 2008: Sportshall girls and boys selected for Merseyside squad

Robbie Clark reports on the Boys.  The final qualifying round of the league, and also the final selection event for the Merseyside team for the Inter Regional events, took place at Kingsway Leisure Centre, Widnes.  The U13 Boys' team was well supported by 6 of our regular competitors, ensuring that the Team has qualified for the League Final at the beginning of March in Wigan.  On the boys' improving performances over the season they stand a very good chance of a top 3 finish against the top 6 teams.
The team has also been selected en-mass as part of the Merseyside team in the North West Regional Counties Final on 24/02/08 at Robin Park Wigan.
The team finished 2nd on the day to the West Cheshire team who have dominated this seasons events in most of the age groups, we also beat Halton & Frodsham who are currently 2nd in the league.
Individual Event Results are:
2 Lap Jordan Angel 27.7 -  Owen Williams 29.7 - Scott Rhodes 29.7 -  Gary Clark 30.6
6 Lap Gary - 1.41.9 _ Jack Longdon 1.49.8
Standing Long Jump Gary 1.88mtr - Jordan  - 1.65 - Alex Roome 1.59
Vertical Jump - Alex 36cm - Scott 32cm
Speed Bounce - Owen 70 - Jordan  -  69 - Scott  -  68 Jack  -  63
Shot - Alex  -  4.65 - Owen  -  4.60 - Jack  -  4.32
Relay - 2nd Owen – Scott – Gary – Jordan.

Brian Kelly reports on the Girls. Numbers were down for this meeting which was a shame but there were some very good performances.
The u11 girls team consisted of Alice Cribb, Lucy Hunter and Amy and Rebecca Sinclair. Alice took part in the four lap, standing long jump and chest push and gave a good account of herself in all of them. Lucy had a p.b. in the chest push and took part in the long jump and speed bounce.  Amy Sinclair competed in the four lap , long jump and speed bounce (a useful 48).  Her sister Rebecca came second in the speed bounce and was our fastest 2 lapper. She also achieved 4.80+ in the standing triple jump.
Once again we only had two U13 girls and I wonder why when I look at the numbers we have training at Litherland.   Sally Wareing and Ellon Hart put in their usual superb performances which have resulted in their being chosen for the Merseyside Sportshall team.  Ellon won her 6 lap race and Sally came very close in the 2 lap. Field results, at which they looked to do well, will soon be to hand.
With Jane Ingram injured, Sarah Murphy in London and Catherine Hulme suffering from yesterdays cross country, the u15 girls were determined to secure their place in the final. The ever dependable Laura Riley gave her all in four field events; long jump, speed bounce, triple jump and shot and gained valuable points.  Beth McBride and Katy Morris had superb runs in the two lap heats both at 26.3 according to my watch. Beth took first place in her heat and Katie was given second in what looked like a dead heat. Both went on to perform superbly in the 6 lap with Beth winning and Katie 3rd.   Sally and Ellon joined up with the u15's to make a super relay team which won easily  but no points sadly.
Thanks to Norman and Chris for valuable support.
Individual results for Club athletes  Ed: Laura Riley was the top scoring Under 15 Girl at this match!

26 January 2008: Three Top 20 finishes in Northern XC

With 60 to 70 mph winds forecast and flooding in some parts of Leeds over the past week, none of us knew what to expect as we approached Roundhay Park in Leeds for the Northern Cross Country Championships.  One of  the first things to notice was the complete absence of tents - not just club tents but no changing or registration marquees. The park authorities were clearly worried by the forecast high winds and decided that no tents would be erected.  Fortunately, it was a dry day and, although still quite strong, the wind speeds never got as high as forecast.
Roundhay Park has hosted the National Championships before but its 10 years since it was used last for a major event. The course itself was parkland with the grass cut shorter than some putting greens I've seen!  Apart from one area of soft ground, it was firm underfoot and the undulating course was a pleasure to run on.  The centrepiece for the runners was a very long, steep uphill section - the infamous Hill 60 - that forced some of today's runners to walk part of it but provided an excellent opportunity for spectators to give their vocal support to the runners.  The large lake in the park - Waterloo Lake - may also have been an omen for some!
Next Wednesday's final selection meeting for the remaining places in the Merseyside Inter Counties team for Nottingham on 15th March, provided an extra incentive for some to run well today.
26 of our runners took part in these championships.  The highest placed was Rhea Ellis, 15th in the Under 17 Women's race, Rob Berry, 16th in the Senior Men's race and Liam Ellis, 20th in the Under 13 Boys'.
The meeting started with the Under 17 Women where absences depleted our team to just 2 runners.  Despite a hesitant period mid-race, Rhea ran strongly.  With 2/3rds of the race run, she was lying in 20th place and then picked up no fewer than 7 runners, four of them as she powered up Hill 60, before being past herself by two girls on the run-in, for 15th place overall in 17:34.  Louise Leek was 78th in 20:42 for the 4.5K 2-lap course.  Only 7 Northern clubs fielded a team in this age group.
The Under 17 Men followed on their 6K course that took them out to the top end of the lake and back.  Harry Boyd went there as Merseyside champion and had another good run today finishing 27th in 21:25.  The brothers Vis were never very far apart in their race.  Recently, Patrick has not gone off as fast at the start and the change has given him more staying power.  After the first lap, the two brothers passed the pavilion 2nd time around in close order but it was Joe who again proved the stronger, finishing 50th in 21:59 - just 30 secs behind Harry - with Patrick 56th in 22:08.  David Gough was our 4th team counter, 112th of 162 finishers in 23:42, giving the lads a 7th team place.  Interestingly, Wirral were the only other Merseyside club to field a team in this age group.
Next up were the Under 13 girls where an injury during the week to one of our girls meant we didn't finish a team.  There hasn't been much between  Patsy Irizar, Sally Wareing, and Ellon Hart all season and that's the way they lined up in the pen.  However, Ellon was soon speeding past her team mates and although there was never much between them, Ellon was our first girl home, 82nd in 13:05 with Sally 87th in 13:08 and Patsy 93rd in 13:14 for the 3K 1-lap course; that's just 9 secs between all three girls!
In the Senior Women's race, we only had two entered and two finished.  Amanda Crook was 45th in a high quality field covering the 8K course in 30:40.  Michelle Spencer was 248th in 40:57 and clearly enjoyed her run.
Next were the Under 15 Boys, running a medium lap 4K course.  Jai Vernon-McGuigan was once again our only runner, 44th in 13:23.  Interestingly, even Liverpool Harriers didn't manage to field a team although with 200 finishers there are clearly plenty of runners in this age group.
The Under 15 Girls ran the same course as the boys so they too saw a fair bit of the park before returning up Hill 60 to the finish straight.  Just like the under 13 girls, there is not much between the four Under 15 girls who lined up in the pens today.  Katie Morris, our first home in the county championships, was again the strongest finishing 77th in 15:56 with Jenny Girdler 82nd in 16:01 and Catherine Hulme 83rd in 16:04.  Sophie Kelly was up with Katie half way round the short lap but drifted back to finish 91st in 16:16.  All four girls train together and make a great team, 13th in today's race of 186 girls.  But the girls won't have improved their chances of inter counties selection.
In the Under 13 Boys' race we again fielded a team with Liam Ellis, Chris Lawson, Gary Clark and Graham Boreham.  Again, all these lads train together but Liam is the standout runner, finishing 20th today  in 11:10 for the 3K course.  Chris Lawson was 75th in 12:03, Gary 111th in 12:27 and Graham was 145th in 12:55 to anchor the team in 17th place overall.
The last race with Club interest was the Senior Men's race where, although we had 10 entered, we just managed a team of 6.  Three times around Roundhay Park for a long 12K was tough but good preparation for those going on to the National Champs at Alton Towers next month.  Rob Berry was quickly up in a group behind the leaders as the 665 runners snaked out around the park. and his finish in 16th place in 39:25 was an excellent result.  Steve Wilkinson was 2nd counter, 114th in 43:37 with Richard Shearer 124th in 44:06.  Steve McLean was 334th in 49:48, Ray Handley 371st in 50:33 and team manager Steve James was the final team counter, 527th in 55:40.  The team was 24th.
Thanks to the various age group team managers and to Carlos Irizar for 4 of the 5 photos published here.
Full results Northern XC photo gallery

20 January 2008: Helsby Half attracts Club runners (by Rick Bowker)

The rain ceased for the duration of the 4 Villages Half Marathon only to return after we had finished racing. I drove down with Brian O'Reilly and Rob McGrath.  It's been 4 years since I ran a 1/2 and 7 years since I ran this race. 7 years ago, it snowed the night before and we ran the whole race on a soft carpet of white snow.  That year, I ran the Ashurst Beacon fell race the day before running the 4 Villages.  I ran 83 mins. This year, I was running on fresh but 7 year older legs!
At the end of the Preston 10 I got a bad muscle tear in my calf, so this was my first serious race back.
The Saturday before, I ran 23 miles with Rob McGrath and he gave me a very hard time for the first 15 miles before he faded. so I knew he might get the better of me here.
Race conditions were mild but we had a blustery wind to contend with.  I set off at 6.04 pace and ran with a group that was going for 79 mins.  I did not feel very comfortable but hoped I would get better as I warmed up. At about 5 miles, I started to feel strong and started pushing forward.  This lasted to about 7 miles at which point I could feel a slow build up of lactic acid in my muscles.
The route takes you along a gentle roller coaster ride through the quite country roads of Dunham on the Hill, Little Barrow, Mouldsworth, Manley and Alvanley.  Between 8 and 10 miles there is a steady uphill then mostly downhill to the finish; total climbing = 714 ft.
It was at about 10.5 miles when Gerry Lenehan came steaming past me, followed shortly after by Rob. I did all I could to hold Rob but the guy was really motoring! Both Gerry, 49th 1:21.11, and Rob, 53rd 1.21.28, set off at a more conservative pace and I was now paying the price of my faster start.  The miles ticked off real fast and all of a sudden I was sprinting in to the finish with the clock showing 1:21.37, in 55th position.
Rob ran his fastest 1/2 as a vet 40 and said he was more than happy.  First time 1/2 marathon runner Brian was very pleased to finish in1:32.06 a good sign for his London attempt in April.  He finished looking very fresh with a massive smile on his face!
Boyd Park was very happy with his run, and got a pb with 1:31.32 for 202nd.  Phil Dean felt he ran out of steam at 10 miles, but just tried to dig in for the last 3 miles;1:31.51 for 208th.
Anne Eggington was 29th lady in 1:32.45 but wasn't very happy with her time.  She hasn't run a half for a long time and hadn't felt up for it today.  John Vis broke 2 hours with 1:51.52
This was an excellent race, very well organized with a interesting route and it was a fantastic build up race for Brian, Rob and me who all planning marathons this Spring.
Results should be available on http://www.helsbyrunningclub.org.uk/ (but the site wasn't available earlier today - 22nd)

19 January 2008: Mud and blood at Ashurst Beacon  (by Rob Ashworth)

Recent persistent rain made the going soft and the stiles slippery on the Ashurst Beacon course.
This is an odd race starting with a fast descent from near the top down to the River Douglas, a hard push up Parbold Hill on the other side, a magical descent through Fairy Glen and then a grueling slog to the finish back at the Ashurst Beacon itself. Great fun was had with 137 runners taking on the 5.9 mile course and 900ft climb on the outskirts of Skem.
There was a good turn out from Southport Waterloo.  Sam Howard (39th in 45:21) won 3rd lady prize and Rob Ashworth (5th in 40:13) got the MV40 slot by default. John Sprackland was 21st in 43:25 followed by Steve McLean (26th in 44:01), Mike Cunningham (33rd in 44:33), Brian Davey (38th in 44:58) and Gary Kenny (51st in 46:30). (The top MV40 was John Hunt (38:07) taking 2nd place behind trophy winner Lee Passco (37:32). First lady was Katie Ingram in 42:07). Finally, there were prizes for anyone who stayed behind at the Prince William pub and had the skills normally reserved for the January sales.
Full results:

13 January 2008: Early season PBs for sprinters

With the Northern Indoors Championships coming up - Under 20 and Seniors next weekend and Under 15 /17 the weekend after - several of the Club's sprinters were sharpening up their race fitness at Sale Harriers' open meeting at Sport City on Sunday.
The results show those competing are benefiting from their winter training with performances well up to expectations so early in the season and three of the athletes exceeding expectations with 6 personal bests between them.  They were Joshua Hughes (7.58 for 60m and 24.39 for 200m), Lucy Whitehead (10.43 for 60m hurdles, 8.91 for 60m and 4m 37 in the long jump) and Jordan Kelly (24.85 in the 200m).
Results for club athletes are:

60m	Joshua Hughes	Under 15	7.58	200m	Josh Hughes	Under 15	24.39
	Jordan Kelly	Under 17	7.70		Jordan Kelly	Under 17	24.85
	Rico Dalle-Mulle	Under 17	7.71		Lauren Brennan	Under 17	26.35
	Josh Murphy	Under 17	8.29		Josh Murphy	Under 17	27.21
	Lauren Brennan	Under 17	8.29		Emma Lyons	Under 17	27.51
	Emma Lyons	Under 17	8.46		Lucy Whitehead	Under 15	28.61
	Katie McHale	Under 20	8.47		Chris Honess	Senior	29.73
	Chris Honess	Senior	8.67	60m hurdles	Rico Dalle-Mulle	Under 17	8.91
	Lucy Whitehead	Under 15	8.91		Katie McHale	Under 20	9.46
Long Jump	Lucy Whitehead	Under 15	4.37		Lucy Whitehead	Under 15	10.43

Full results

13 January 2008: Breakfast in Garstang (by Liz Stanfield)

Cold, windy and hilly is how I can describe this well known 10K in Garstang. I was pleased to see some friendly faces from the club.  An extremely well organised event with a great atmosphere. There were stalls selling the latest running gear, and If you were not running you could buy your breaky.  A lovely smell of bacon, sausage and burgers lingered in the air.  Oh why do I run I asked myself when I could spectate and eat a nice bacon butty.
It was a fast race with one smally loop and a large one.  The large one seemed to go on for ever.  First home for the club was Mike Walker 41.43, Andrew Bowker 42.25, Liz Stanfield 48.23, Christine Cutner 48.41, Margo Bowker 51.22, and Sheila Marshall 59.00.
Full results

12 January 2008: Ellis duo on form at Lancaster

After last weekend's county cross-country championships, the club's endurance runners were out again, this time running at Lancaster University in the Mid Lancs League.  I guess after tough championship courses at both Sherdley Park and Witton Park, the runners would have welcomed a less demanding course - like Leyland.  But Lancaster lived up to its reputation with overnight rain ensuring a water-logged ground with wide areas of mud.  Then there were up and down hill sections, equally difficult, fallen trees and ditches to cross in the top wooded area and a stream to ford twice in the bottom field.  The Northern Championships are only two weeks away and these tough courses are excellent preparation - as well as great training for those more interested in summer track running.
There were no outstanding results but a good solid performance by Southport Waterloo, with siblings Rhea and Liam Ellis the highest placed finishers, 3rd and 4th respectively in their races.
After smaller fields at Sefton Park, the Under 11 races were well supported with 44 girls finishing and 36 boys.  Regrettably, none of the 44 girls were from Southport Waterloo but three of our boys ran the course twice around the rugby pitches.  Scott Rhodes clearly enjoyed his run at Sefton Park and was back out today as our first finisher, 22nd in 5:58.  There wasn't much to separate Luke Spencer and Matthew Lawson, finishing 31st and 32nd in 6:23 and 6:26.
In the Under 13 Girls' race, we had a team with Patsy Irizar, Sally Wareing, Ellon Hart and Vicky Mawer.  Patsy, Sally and Ellon were never far apart but it was Patsy who finished as first counter, 12th overall in 6:46, with Sally and Ellon crossing the line together in 6:48.  Both Sally and Ellon crossed the line together at Leyland and in both cases the judges placed Sally first but there was really nothing in it.  Excellent running from both girls. Vicky Mawer also ran well to anchor the team, 37th in 7:19, for 4th team place; only the second time this season that the girls have finished a team in this age group. On a changed course this year, the Under 13 Girls' race was over a short distance making it more of a long sprint than an endurance event.  In the Leyland race in October, Sally and Ellon finished in 10:24, making today's course 4 minutes shorter!
After his bronze-medal run in the Merseyside Championships, Liam Ellis found himself behind the Merseyside gold and silver medallists in the under 13 Boys' race.  He was lying in 3rd place again but a Lancaster & Morecambe runner managed to pass him and he had to settle for 4th place today in 13:30.  Liam has set a high standard in his first season of cross country and is still a 1st year under 13!  There was an excellent turnout of under 13s today with 6 of our boys running.  Gary Clarke, another 1st year under 13, was our second counter for much of the race but Chris Lawson eventually got the better of him finishing 18th in 14:48.  Gary was 22nd in the end, in 15:00.  Graham Boreham was the final team counter, 34th in 16:41, with Sean Vis and Alex Roome just behind, Sean in 17:03 and Alex in 17:13.  The team finished in 4th place today, leaving us in 3rd place overall, just 1 point behind Liverpool, Pembroke & Sefton in the Divisional standings.  But Liverpool Harriers have scored well in the last two matches and if they compete at Hyndburn and Blackburn they could win the Division.
In the Under 15 Girls' race, we had several absences but still managed to field a team with Catherine Hulme proving the strongest today, our first counter; 9th overall, in 15:04.  Jenny Girdler eventually got the better of Katie Morris, our first girl home in the county champs.  Jenny always looks so under control and running effortlessly in cross country but there's a steely determination there.  Jenny was 16th in 15:41, Katie 18th in 15:52 and Sophie Kelly our final counter, 24th in 16:35.  The girls finished 5th team today, but that still leaves them in third position overall - although a strong performance by Liverpool Harriers or Blackburn at the final two fixtures would push them out of the medals.
In the Under 15 Boys' race, Jai Vernon-McGuigan wasn't back to full fitness but a 6th place from 45 finishers in 16:04 was a good result.
In the Under 17 Women's race, absences meant we didn't field a team today but remarkably the girls still lead the divisional standings!  In the past, there have been very few clubs able to field teams in the Under 17 Women category but this year no fewer than six clubs have put out teams and 5 of them are in the reckoning for medals.  A strong performance by our girls at the final two fixtures will be necessary if we are to finish with medals here.  In today's race, Rhea Ellis once again had to give way to the two Lancaster & Morecambe girls, Hannah Bateson and Annika Jarman, who finished 2nd and 3rd in the combined Under 15 Boys / Under 17 Women's race.  Rhea was 3rd girl in 16:46 and Rachael Flynn was 12th in 20:41.
The Under 17 Men's race saw a reversal of fortunes for the Vis brothers. Patrick ran a tactically different race and soon found himself making up ground from about 12th to 5th place.  Unfortunately, he then fell on this difficult course and lost time, finishing 7th in 25:56.  Joe Vis was still recovering from a virus infection but turned out to ensure we counted a team.  He was 12th in 27:22 and David Gough finished the team with a good run for 17th in 28:41.  A 4th team place today leaves us in top spot in the league but with only 2 points between the top 3 clubs and just 5 points between the top 4 clubs, the league remains very tight and, once again, a strong performance in the remaining fixtures will be required.
In the Senior Women's race just Sue Cooper, Tracey Peters and Michelle Spencer braved the hazards of Lancaster. Sue Cooper wasn't looking forward to this fixture but there was a definite look of satisfaction at the end - more a question of having survived it she would say!  Sue was 19th of 77 seniors, in 32:11.  Tracey Peters in her first Lancaster trip was 32nd in 33:09 and Michelle Spencer 48th in 35:59.  An 11th place overall for the team leaves us in the relegation zone in Division 1.  Hoad Hill look certain to go down but we could be saved by a good finish to the season!
In the Senior Men's division, we are looking for promotion up to Division 1 and remain on track, lying 2nd in Division 2 after today's fixture.  Eleven Southport Waterloo seniors toed the line with David Hamilton the first to show and, indeed, our first finisher, 31st of 213 finishers.  Rob Ashworth's fell running was helpful on this course and he was next home, 35th in 37:42.  Gerry Lenehan was 46th (39:32), Peter Roome 68th (40:58), John Sprackland 69th (41:05), and Steve McLean our final 'A' team counter 72nd (41:12).  Ray Handley was 84th in 41:44, Brian O'Reilly 127th (44:36), Gareth Williams 141st in 45:39, Carlos Irizar 151st in 46:50 and John Vis, 192nd in 52:33.
Once again, the conditions underfoot were tough today but the atmosphere was friendly and it was clear from the runners faces that today's races were enjoyed but all.  Thanks to all the team managers and to Carlos Irizar and Rachael Flynn for photographs.
The next cross country event is the North of England Championships at Roundhey Park in Leeds on Saturday 26th January.
Full results  Divisional standings

5 January 2008: SWAC women win 3rd successive title in tough Cross Country Champs; Individual wins for Rhea and Harry

"It was tough, possibly the toughest ever!"  That was how a number of the runners summed up the Merseyside Cross Country Championships held at Sherdley Park in St Helens. The course takes full advantage of the park's hills with a winding course that managed to include just about every bog and wet, muddy patch the park had to offer!  Despite the dry and sunny conditions, the clinging mud was energy-sapping and demanded full fitness to compete effectively.  Many of our runners passed the test, with some fine individual and team results.
Six runners took individual medals - Rhea Ellis and Harry Boyd took gold; Joe Vis, Amanda Crook and Rob Berry took silver; and Liam Ellis took bronze.  All these medallist are selected for the televised Inter Counties championships at Wollaton Park in Nottingham on 15th March.  In the team placings, our senior women successfully defended their title, winning for the 3rd year in succession, our senior men and Under 17 men took team silver medals and the Under 13 boys and Under 15 girls went home with team bronze.
The championships kicked off with the Under 13 Girls' race.  Having walked the course, Ellon Hart and Sally Wareing knew what to expect but it was Ellon who was best able to compete in these challenging conditions.  Ellon was 8th in 14:30 for the 3K course.  Lauren Clarehugh had not been well but she wanted to compete and in fact did better than anyone expected finishing in 17th place in 15:08 ahead of Sally Wareing, 18th in 15:18.
In the Under 13 Boys' race we had a team of 4 with Liam Ellis, Gary Clarke, Chris Lawson and Alex Roome.  Based on his form this cross country season, Liam was fancied for a medal and he was well up with the leaders early on although out of the medals in 4th position.  The Liverpool Harriers in 1st and 2nd place were never going to be caught but Liam was closing on the 3rd placed runner.  Liam has a lot of basic strength and as the 3rd placed runner tired Liam was there to challenge and with a little over 800m to go he came passed and the 3rd placed medal was his.  An excellent run covering the muddy 3K in 12:16.  Gary Clark was our 2nd counter, finishing 14th in 14:08, Chris Lawson was 16th in 14:35 and Alex Roome was 22nd in 16:21. The lads took team bronze, just 5 points behind the silver medallists.
In the Under 15 Girls' race there was a lot of changing of position and for a time it looked as though our girls could win the team event with 4 girls well up in the top 10.  In the end, it was team bronze, but just 3 points behind Liverpool Harriers!  Sophie Kelly was the first to show putting up a really strong performance in the first half of the race.  Jenny Girdler then came from way back and made up about 20 metres on one down hill section alone. But it was Katie Morris who had the fitness and stamina to last the pace and came home our first counter, 5th overall - and just outside the automatic selection for the Inter Counties - in 18:08.  Jenny Girdler was our 2nd counter, 8th overall in 18:34, Sophie Kelly was 10th in 18:49 and Catherine Hulme, our final team counter, 13th in 19:04.  Jane Ingram was 22nd 24:00.  Despite the testing conditions, it was great to see the girls really enjoy the race which was one of the most exciting to watch.
The Under 15 Boys' race was a bit of a disappointment.  We had two boys entered but, on the day, it was again just Jai Vernon-McGuigan who toed the line.  However, like many up and down the country he had succumbed to the dreaded winter vomiting virus and that is exactly what he did in the race and retired early!
In previous years, Rhea Ellis has easily won her Merseyside XC Champs race without much of a fight but, this year, Under 20 Charlotte O'Connell from Wirral AC was running in the combined Under 17 and Junior Women's race.  The older girl has consistently beaten Rhea on the track but it was Rhea who took the lead here and saw that lead increase as the race progressed. However, with just under a kilometer to go, a lapse in concentration sent Rhea off course!  She quickly recovered but a lead of 60 metres was halved in a matter of seconds!  In such circumstances it is crucial to stay calm.  Easier said than done, but Rhea now had a fight on her hands and despite a strong challenge she held on to her lead to win the combined race in 19:38.  Louise Leek also had a good race running with a style that looks effortless but certainly wasn't today. She was 11th in 23:30.  Rachael Flynn is still returning to fitness and hung in to finish the race in 15th place in 25:04.
The Under 17 Men's race was another cracker, particularly for the Southport Waterloo supporters.  Last year's winner, Harry Boyd, was quickly at the front, leading the field at the end of the first of two laps by quite a margin.  In the second lap, that margin increased although the mud and the hills was starting to take their toll.  Nonetheless, he won again, well clear of the next runner, in 23:17.  After the first lap, brothers Joe and Patrick Vis were working together but as they went off up the far hill Joe was starting to pull away.  Half way around the 2nd lap Harry was leading, then a group of three Wirral runners and then Joe about 10 metres behind them but in the last quarter of the race he managed to work his way through and finishing 2nd behind Harry was a great result, both for Joe and the Club.  Joe's time was 23:33.  Patrick Vis slipped back a bit and finished 10th in 24:32 with David Gough - running in trainers! - 20th in 26:35.  With Southport Waterloo in 1st and 2nd positions, the lads also took 2nd team spot and silver medals to add to their collections.
Next, the Club's Senior Women toed the line, knowing that they were the defending champions but probably thinking more about the challenges to come.  Notably, there were six Southport Waterloo women out of a total field of 24.  International runner Jenny Claque quickly established a lead from the Club's Amanda Crook and went on to win in 32:44.  Amanda was 2nd in 33:37 and there was nearly a minute and a half before the third runner crossed the finish line.  Sue Cooper and Tracey Peters finished the first lap virtually together but then Sue Cooper just seemed to take off.  It was just as though she said to herself  "right, I've been around the course and I know what to expect.  I can up the pace now!" Sue finished 6th overall in 37:44. with Tracey 9th in 38:28.  Karen Faloon was the final team counter, 14th in 42:39, just ahead of Liz Stanfield, 15th in 43:08 and 'Chelle Spencer, 17th in 43:22.  Good performances from all the girls ensured they emerged as team champions for a third successive year.  Sue took the vet 45 gold medal, Karen the bronze vet 45 and Liz took the vet 35 bronze medal.
Despite the ravages of winter colds and viruses, which confined team manager Steve James to the sidelines, we had 14 in the Senior Men's race.  Rob Berry went off strongly, running side by side with Richard Burney from Liverpool Harriers for most of the first of three laps.  However, on this tough course, Richard showed his strength, taking the hills and muddy ground in his stride.  Rob finished 2nd in 42:14, a fine performance in these conditions.  For a while, David Hamilton was our second runner but Steve Wilkinson worked his way through to finish 11th in 45:48 with David 14th in 46:25.  Mark Clarehugh had another good run but the course was telling on him by the third lap.  He finished 22nd in 47:50 with Rob Ashworth pursuing him, 24th in 47:57.  The final counter was Gerry Leneham, 29th in 50:11.  These performances were good enough to give the team 2nd spot and silver medals, ahead of Wirral AC who beat them last year into 3rd place.
Other finishers were John Sprackland, 35th in 50:41, Steve McLean, 38th in 51:13, Rick Bowker, 40th in 51:28, Peter Roome, 42nd in 52:23, Mike Cunningham, 45th in 53:12, Brian Davey, 51st in 54:30, Chris Dunn, 54th in 54:51 and Brian O'Reilly, 60th in 55:45.
In addition to a team medal, David Hamilton was 3rd vet 40, taking a bronze medal.
Thanks to all team managers and to Merseyside AA and hosts St Helens Sutton for a great day's cross country.
Full results
The cross country season continues next weekend when the Mid Lancs clubs meet up at Lancaster University.

And Carlos Irizar reports from the Lancashire Champs.     To the best of my knowledge, only Patsy Irizar took part on the Lancashire Cross Country Championship. Running conditions were not too bad but the ground was muddy and some strong wind was present at times. The under 13 Girls run a distance of 3.1K and included the famous and demanding 'saucer'. Patsy was feeling confident today and started the race too fast, leading for the first 400m. However, she started feeling tired and dropped positions to finish 14th in 15:03. She has learnt from the experience and is hoping to pace herself better next Saturday at Lancaster University. The winner was Florie McLeish of Preston Harriers in a time of 13:07.
Preston Harriers won the team event, followed by Ribble Valley AC second, and Blackburn Harriers in third place.

1 January 2008: That's the way to start the day
  And the New Year.  25 club members set off from the coastguard station at Hall Road in Blundellsands for the annual New Year's Day run along the Sefton Coastal Path to Weld Road in Birkdale.  Many will run all the 13.2 miles to the Fisherman's Rest, with Paul Cutner proving a refreshment stop in the Squirrel Reserve car park.  The weather was kinder than last year, providing pretty good running conditions as the runners started their year as they intend to continue.
Next year is the 20th anniversary of this run which should see record numbers taking part.
 

And Rick Bowker reports:  New Year's Day must have been one of the warmest on record.  After the start at Hall Road we were soon stripping off clothing as we over heated.
A fast section soon formed at the front and I found myself hanging on.  This was more like a race than a social run!
We regrouped at Lifeboat Road car park at 7 miles and took on refreshments.  After about 10 mins we took off again over the big sand dunes.  At this point we took a wrong turn and ended up taking a short cut, so it was decided to add in an extra loop of the pinewoods to increase the distance.
I was asked to take the lead after coming out of the woods which was a relief to me as I could control the pace a bit!
I led the guys back over the final sand dunes following the white posts back to Birkdale.   We hit the firm tarmac of the cycle track with just 1/2 mile to go, the pace picked up to a steady 10 mph and I was once again hanging to the back of Darryl, Steve and Rob. We ended up with almost 17 miles run at 7.5 mph average speed which is pretty fast going taking into account all the sandhills and soft sand. It was a very good start to our marathon training, as this year we have good teams going to Blackpool and London, both in april.
In the afternoon we relaxed sipping pints and playing pool at the Fisherman's Rest and then later went to Andy and Margot's house for there New Years Day party.
All in all a fantastic way to start the New Year.