Cross country

Northern Athletics Championships

Witton Park, Blackburn: 23 January 2010

Halifax Harriers were well represented at the Northern Cross Country Championships at Witton Park, Blackburn. Although the snow had melted, the ground was wet and muddy as a result.

As always there was the expected big hill to climb but this time the organisers had slipped in an extra hill, not quite as long but brutally steep.

First off were the under-17 ladies with Hannah Pilkington and Lorna Gill both giving good accounts of themselves.

Best result of the day came in the next race with Sam Kerfoot-Roberts, bronze medallist in the West Yorkshire cross country series, racing down the home straight in the under-17 men for a fine 21st place.

Molly Traviss gave a solid performance in her first ever big championship race finishing 53rd out of over 200 girls in the under-13 race, as did Edan Whitelaw in the under-13 boys.

There was a gutsy run from Holly Callaghan, still on her comeback and trying to regain the form that saw her just missing winning the Yorkshire title last year. She was 48th with Molly Jagger in 124th.

The only full team the Harriers managed to run came in the under-15 boys race with it being a close run race all the way between Max Wharton and Jerome Castelow.

Chasing hard all the way, Jerome could not quite close down the gap on his teammate as the lads finished 41st and 52nd respectively.

With Michael Gladstone and Ciaran Wilson-Baig only seconds apart in 157th and 166th place, the team finished 15th.

Positions:

Under-13 girls

• 53rd Molly Traviss 13.16

Under-13 boys

• 82nd Edan Whitelaw 12.33

Under-15 girls

• 48th Holly Callaghan 17.13
• 124th Molly Jagger 19.20

Under-15 boys

• 1st Max Wharton 14.41
• 52nd Jerome Castelow 14.46
• 157th Michael Gladstone 16.36
• 166th Ciaran Wilson-Baig 16.44

Under-17 ladies

• 48th Hannah Pilkington 24.56
• 67th Lorna Gill 27.03.

Under-17 men

• 21st Sam Kerfoot-Roberts 21.53

Senior men

• 81st Ben Crowther 45.32
• 129th Andy Thorpe 47.58
• 555th Heath Reilly 1.07.18
• 575th Bill Sage 1.09.42

Senior women

• 134th Carole Fryer 41.48

Results

• Under 13 boys
• Under 13 girls
• Under 15 boys
• Under 15 girls
• Under 17 women
• Under 20 women
• Under 20 men
• Senior women
• Senior men

Photos of the Northern Athletics Cross Country championships are available on flickr (courtesy of Adam Kerfoot-Roberts).