UNDER-13 GIRLS BRING HOME THE SILVER FROM STIRLING!
December 10th, 2007Gala Harriers made their way on Saturday to a soggy, cold and uninviting Stirling and the East District Cross Country Championships. In weather that started poorly and got progressively worse, there were some rays of sunshine in terms of performances that brought warmth to the otherwise chilly afternoon.
The courses were wet and arduous but the Under 13 girls’ squad put in some great times over their 2-mile course and brought home the silver medal for the Club, beaten only by the big guns of Edinburgh AC. First over the line for Gala in a competitive field of 43 runners was Hannah Jones in 13 minutes and 25 seconds, followed very closely by Victoria Douglas (7th in 13.33) and Lucy Morris (12th in 14.00), these three being the first 3 counters for the team’s spectacular second placing. Emily Jones (14th in 14.09), Charlotte Brown (15th in 14.14), Martha Douglas (18th in 14.20) and Laura Anderson (23rd in 14.40) would have taken the 4th place on the day, an excellent effort. Congratulations to them all for their performances in conditions that were horrendous and not for the faint hearted!
Also not faint-hearted was Gillian Ingles who was the only Gala representative in the Under 17s and she put in a gutsy effort to finish the increasingly slippery longer route in 22.37. Her former club-mate, Laura Goodson, running in the East District for her Edinburgh club, put in the fastest time in her team (19.03), to win the silver medal for Edinburgh AC.
The senior women were without Dianne Lauder but despite this finished an impressive 5th overall over the 4.5 mile course, with superb performances by a motivated Kate Jenkins, first home for the Gala club in 9th place (25.25) and, as a result, getting close to a East District call-up again. Katy Anderson (19th in 26.14) and Rachel Fagan (41st in 27.57) made up the other counters for the team to finish in 5th position. Signalling a return to her cracking form of recent years was Andrea Pogson (43rd in 28.02), and also running strongly were Fiona Dalgleish (51st in 28.36), Melanie Goodson (60th in 29.30) and Eileen Nicol (87th in 31 22) out of 115 runners overall.
11 senior men lined up for the club for the tough, 3-lap, 6-mile course that had by this time turned into a mudbath complete with driving rain. First into the warm showers was Euan Jardine (30th in 35.02), followed by Club-captain Graeme Murdoch (43rd in 35.50), Fergus Johnstone (58th in 36.41), Alan Goodson (126th in 39.50), Alistair Wright (161st in 41.43), Al Laurie (166th in 42.06) Malky Gowans (170th in 42.14), Graham Pogson (173rd in 42.27), Derrick Brydon (186th in 43.04), Allan Gordon (219th in 46.11) and Davy Darroch (237th in 50.12). The men’s team came in 13th place overall on the day.
The next outing for the Harriers is their own staging of the 3rd race in the Borders Winter Cross Country series from Gala Swimming Pool on SUNDAY 16th December at 11.30 for juniors and 12 noon for seniors.
