Under 15s again among the medals



Athletics

Liverpool Pembroke Sefton were at the notoriously hilly Roundhay Park, Leeds for the Northern Cross Country Championships.

 

The Under 15 trophy, won convincingly twelve months ago, was returned and a new squad prepared to defend the title.

 

As usual the competition was fierce and although performing strongly Toby Loveridge(20), Mike Bride(49), Chris Hatton(54) and Ed Rimmer(61) saw they were out of contention and gathered for the trek home.

 

An announcement that they had indeed finished third team sent them scurrying back to the presentation stand for the bronze medals, an award which will boost their confidence ahead of the National Championships later in February.

 

As usual there was a good supporting crew of Sean Kirkbride(64), John Meakin(84) and Adam Goldfarb(159).

 

The Under 13 team has edged forward this season and again they packed solidly led in by Kyle Nicholls(36) followed by George Curran(49), Warren Turner(61) and Andrew Hutchinson(91) with David Reece(127) and Jonathan Bride(183) also in attendance.

 

A seventh team placing was their reward. The Under 17s were frustratingly short of a counter as David Forrester(38), Chris Hesketh(72) and Paul Roberts(95) ran solidly and the club could only field a single competitor, Clark Roberts(83), in the Under 20 race.

 

LPS also fell short in the Senior event but can take heart that Bernie Murphy(79), Adam Clansey(94), Sammy Rashid(109) and Jon Dudley(217) all finished in the top third of the field.

 

Courtney Birch tackled the Senior Women's event, over the same course where she had won a National title as a youngster. Still some way off her best she will deem 19th satisfactory.

 

Kirsty Longley's 58th looks less impressive on paper than the actual achievement. She has her own goals and is steadily ticking off the list of local rivals she has overtaken in the last 12 months. This is now down to single figures. 

 

Elsewhere in the U15 girls Jane Hyslop(115) and Nicole Garner(164) ran well and there was a courageous performance from Erin Devlin(215) in the U13s.

 

Another Northern Bronze

 

While the cross country runners were battling it out in Leeds not far away in Sheffield the Northern Indoor Championships were being held where under 17 Callum Burns was tackling the two lap 400m.

 

After winning his heat in 53.87 he took the initiative in the final grabbing the lead and was only fractionally overtaken by two other athletes in a blanket finish to record 53.39.

 

His courage and tactical awareness indicate he is yet another powerful addition to the super-400m club based at Edge Hill University.



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