Harriers Close in on Winter Cross Country Titles
March 6th, 2006Gala Harriers are closing in on the senior and junior Winter XC Series team titles after their efforts at Peebles last Sunday. Scottish U13 champion Alice Haining led her team mates home with a fine third placed finish in the junior race but she still has one more race to run in to clinch the individual U13 girls title.
Cameron Fair produced another strong run to finish 5th overall and leave him in the same position as Alice, needing to run well in the last race of the series to take the U13 boys title. Murray Lemmon has no such worries, finishing 6th overall, he is uncatchable in the U11 boys category, which he has dominated all series but he's been chased all the way by Dylan Howell who finished 10th but needs a strong run in the last race to claim second spot in the U11's boys.
James Haining was a couple of strides behind Dylan in 11th place and should have done enough to take 3rd spot in the U13 boys category. Iain Frater held off a determined chase by Cammy Gowans to finish 15th, with Cammy taking 16th place and they were followed home by Claire White, who should have done enough to get into the prizes in the U13 girls category, finishing 25th overall from the 35 runners in the field.
Euan Jardine had to again accept second place behind Haddington's Brian Marshall, with the HELP runner just too strong on the sprint to the finish in the senior race. Euan was followed over the line by Damon Rodwell in 3rd place, in a race which was over a new venue around Hay Lodge park before heading out along the banks of the Tweed and running below the ramparts of Neidpath Castle.
The course was praised by all who ran it, with its mixture of parkland, riverside paths, forestry trails and hills, it will surely be a favourite venue in the future. Ewan Lindores wasn't taking too much notice of the scenery on his way round to finishing 16th and third counter for the harriers, he was more interested in keeping in front of Hawick's Stuart Fraser in the race for the junior men's title.
Ewan's, Damon and Euan's efforts put the harriers in a commanding position in the team championship but with race hosts Moorfoots behind by a mere 16 points, it will all be down to the final race.
The harriers ladies XC Champion Kate Jenkins has been having a great battle with Carnethy's Lucy Colquhoun all series in the senior ladies competition. Kate's determination and strength, pushed her to an 11th place finish overall and should ensure her of the ladies title if she runs well at Norham.
Martin Clarke was next harrier home in 17th place with a strangely lethargic Tony Lunn next over the line in 20th, this could have had something to do with his liquid celebrations after Scotland's Calcutta Cup victory the day before! Robin Murray running one of his better races of the series chased Tony all the way to the line to finish 21st and in front of Jack Knox (26th) and fellow follically challenged team mate Alastair Laurie (28th).
This race was one of the best turnouts of Gala Harriers runners in the series and there was a steady stream crossing the finish line, with John Cairns (30th), Graeme Jones (35th), Jim Langsdale (39th), a limping Graham Capper finished 40th to push himself into 2nd place in his new 50+ Vets category.
Leanne Haining was a few steps behind Graham finishing 41st and clinching the 40+ ladies veterans title in the process, Malky Gowans was next in 44th, with Will McDermott (49th), Tim Howell (50th), Karen Haldane (56th) and 3rd female vet, Allan Gordon (58th) and John Patterson (60th).
Caroline McDermott finished (78th) and has pushed herself into the prizes in her age category, while Fiona Shepherd was trying out a cross country race for the first time and surprised herself by finishing 80th, which left it up to Susan Howell (81st) to complete the 23 strong turnout of harriers.
