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It proved to be another excellent day’s work for Richmond and Zetland athletes, at the National Cross Country Championships, Leeds on 27th February.  The course was certainly challenging, with a steep climb, and foggy conditions.  The U13 Boys produced some top results, with Max Robson having a fantastic run take 68th on the day, from over 374 competitors, along with Miles Worner looked strong and crossed the line in 255th place.  There were 3 representatives in the U13 Girl’s event, with Freja Nicholson having a strong race to take a highly commendable 326th, while Hannah Najafi ran extremely well to claim 364th overall and Rosie Stirr continues to progress well, claiming 405th place overall.

The U15 Boys team was down to 2 runners on this occasion, but were more than able to cope with the fast pace on the day.  Top result of the day went to none other than Fergus Roberts, who produced a fabulous performance to finish in 7th place overall, which really highlights his talent, having won the Yorkshire Championships the previous week.  Daniel Overin was another athlete having a marvellous run, taking 80^th position from 387 competitors.  In the U17 Women’s race, Maddy Winzer had a great outing on the course to claim a fantastic 28th place in the field and looks set for bigger things, as she is still at the younger end of this age group.  The silver medalists from the Yorkshire Championships were next up, with Marc Scott displaying more of his excellent form to claim 46^th overall and a place within the top sixth of all competitors for the U17 Men.  Sam Wood had a great outing on the course and crossed the line in 168^th, while George Robinson finished a highly creditable 205^th overall.

Doug Roberts was another athlete in great shape and promptly took 88th position in the Junior Men’s race, in what was a highly competitive arena, while team mates Adam Scott and Liam Fletcher put in determined performances to cross the line in 160^th and 169^th positions respectively.  Sisters Jo and Rosie Adams were both running in the Junior Ladies event and did exceptionally well, with Jo taking 31^st place and a top third finish and Rosie a well-deserved 79^th overall.

The Senior Ladies were next away, with 3 representatives from the club.  Sandra Johnson has really found her form recently and put in a great effort, taking 335th place, while Fiona Hughes was not far behind and inside the top 350 places, crossing the line in 346th position and Laura Dunphy ran consistently once again to take 534^th on the day.  The men’s field meanwhile, boasted no less than 1428 competitors, underlining the popularity of the event, amongst which, there were just 2 Richmond and Zetland athletes.  Top senior male runner on the day for the club was Tad Zaranko, who has been benefiting from regular racing throughout the winter and this paid off with a finishing position of 464^th; a welcome achievement, while Ian Scott displayed excellent form by taking 545th place overall, rounding off a great day’s results for the club.

 

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Richmond and Zetland Harriers collected no less than 3 medals at the Yorkshire Cross Country Championships at Wakefield on 20^th February, with 1 individual and 2 team podium finishes,  3 athletes also finished high enough in their races to represent Yorkshire at the Inter-County Cross Country Championships later in the season.

In the Under 13 Girl’s race, 3 athletes represented the Club, with Freja Nicholson finishing well up the field in 35th position.  She was followed closely by Hannah Najafi in 39^th and Rachel Stirr in 62^nd, which brought the team into 11^th place.  Hopes were also high for the 3 entrants in the Under 13 Boys race.  Glen Ient and Max Robson, got off to a flying start and were front runners, while Miles Worner got into his stride amongst the main pack.  Glen took a wonderful 4th place overall and will compete for the Yorkshire team.  Max put in an excellent performance, finishing in 11th, as did Miles, who took 33rd overall, brining the team into 4^th place, narrowly missing a medal.

Rosie Stirr was the sole runner in the Under 15 Girls event and faired very well amongst stiff opposition to take 60^th place overall.  The Under 15 Boys had the familiar duo of Fergus Roberts and Daniel Overin taking part.  Both achieved brilliant results, with Fergus crossing the line in first place, 13 seconds ahead of the next runner, to become Yorkshire Champion once again.  Daniel quickly claimed 12th position, underlining another great run.

Marc Scott, George Robinson and Sam Wood flew the club colours in the Under 17 Mens race and had a fantastic outing against the larger city clubs.  Marc kept within striking distance of the leaders from the off and managed to finish 4th, which will once again see him go forward to the Inter-County Championships.  George also put in a fine performance and finished strongly in 15th position, while Sam took 23^rd and claimed a fantastic silver medal for the team!  More medals were yet to come with the U20 Men now on the course and with Doug Roberts at the helm, the team took the second gold medal of the day!  Doug finished in 8^th place, followed by Adam Scott in 19^th and Liam Fletcher in 20^th, all having marvellous outings to claim the top prize.

The Senior Ladies were up next and had just 3 representatives this year.  The course was a testing one and slippery in places, however, Sandra Johnson ran strongly, to claim 81st overall, while team-mate Fiona Hughes finished well in 90th place.  Laura Dunphy faired well to claim 104th place overall and bring the team across the line in 24th position.  The Senior Men were rather thin on the ground this year, with only 3 athletes making it to the start line.  Ken Harker started well and had a good result, taking 69th place from over 200 runners,while Tad Zaranko also did extremely well, finishing well up the field (and the MV50 category) in 75th position, while Ian Scott completed the team with a convincing run, finishing in 101st place.

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Tad Zaranko and Ken Harker had a busy weekend of Cross Country, as they competed in the Yorkshire Vets Championships at Graves Park, Sheffiled on 6th February, where they both put in excellent performances.  Tad finished 4th overall, narrowly missing out on the medals by 10 seconds in the MV50 race, while Ken took 9th place in the MV35 event and is now looking forward to the remainder of the season.

The next day was the NYSD fixture at Acklam, where 15 Richmond athletes competed in the league Cross Country.  Miles Worner was the only Harrier in the U13 Boys race, but had a fantastic run to finish 3rd overall.  The U13 Girls had 2 runners; Freja Nicholson, who achieved 10th place and Hannah Najafi, who produced another strong performance to cross the line in 12th.   Daniel Overin had a fantastic outing in the U15 Boys race and claimed first place, which shows he has certainly got the speed to challenge at the front.

The U17 Men had only one athlete this time, as the club generally saw a fall in those competing again on this occasion, however, Sam Wood was always well up with the pace and also ran very strongly to claim 2^nd overall. 

The senior women at last had a full team out with 4 representatives and came home in 7th place on the day.  Sandra Johnson performed strongly once again and was first home in 23rd place, while Fiona Hughes is showed a return to form with 25th.  Rosie Adams made a welcome appearance from university, helping the team by taking 37th position and Laura Dunphy brought the team home with 45th place, enjoying the undulating course.  The Senior Men faired better, taking 2nd place with some excellent running and all finishing within the top 35 places.  Ken Harker, fresh from the previous day, was first home in 12th, while  Adam Scott moved up the rankings yet again to take 15th position.  Tad Zaranko was up with the pace once more and took 18th place, as well as being top MV50 on the day.  Team-mate Tony Ryder had a great run, not far behind in 20th overall and Ian Scott claimed 25th place to put Richmond firmly in the running.  Liam Fletcher is another improving every week and didn’t disappoint by taking 34th position.

With one race left at Richmond, there is all to play for with Liam Fletcher (U20) and Tad Zaranko (MV50) currently leading their respective age groups and Fergus Roberts lying 2nd in the U15 Boys standings, having run a race less than the current leader.  Both the Senior Mens team and U17 Mens team currently top the rankings and would certainly like to consolidate this on home ground.

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There were some excellent performances from the 18 Richmond and Zetland athletes competing at the Northern Cross Country Championships at Witton Park, Blackburn on 23rd January, where conditions were extremely foggy and damp.  Performances of the day went to Fergus Roberts and Marc Scott.  By finishing an amazing 5th overall in the U15 Boys event, Fergus set the standard for the day and Marc followed this up with 19th place in the U17 Mens age group. 

Max Robson was the only Harrier in the U13 Boys race, putting in a strong performance to take 43rd from over 180 runners in the field.  The Under 13 Girls also had one runner, Rachel Stirr, who achieved 204th overall against stiff opposition.  Her sister Rosie Stirr produced another strong performance in the U15 Girls race by crossing the line in 150th.  Paul Harmsworth and Daniel Overin made up the trio of runners in the U15 Boys race, along with Fergus Roberts, with Paul taking a brilliant 75th place and Daniel 113th and with another runner, could they have featured strongly in the team event.

The Under 17 Men’s field had over 125 runners and following Marc Scott home, was George Robinson in 57th place, having put in some top performances recently.  Sam Wood was always well up with the pace and also ran very strongly to claim 91st overall, another good result and again another runner could have seen a great team finish.  In the U20 Men’s race, Doug Roberts was the top Harrier on the day, claiming 38th place in the event and producing a fine performance, regaining his form of later.  Adam Scott has improved no end recently and continued to do so on this occasion, crossing the line in 68th, while Liam Fletcher also displayed good form to finish in 76th.

The senior women had 3 representatives on this occasion and flew the flag admirably.  Sandra Johnson performed strongly at this event and claimed a pleasing 153rd place, while Fiona  Hughes crossed the line in 169th position, returning to form.  Laura Dunphy brought the team home in 220th place, enjoying her outing on the day.  The Senior Men’s field was the largest of the day, boasting over 600 runners, with 3 of them belonging to Richmond and Zetland.  First home was Ken Harker, producing another excellent run to complete the course in 141st.  Next was Jon Orange, crossing the line strongly in 155th position and within the top third of all competitors.  Tad Zaranko was not far behind in 194th, still running extremely well and is a result, which will have placed well up the order in the MV50 rankings.

Over the same weekend, Sarah Gregory returned to competition at the Brass Monkey Half Marathon in York, following the birth of her son in later summer.  This was something of a test to gauge where she was in training and ran a time of 1.37.00, Sarah now plans to continue training for the London Marathon. 

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Despite the recent weather conditions, Richmond and Zetland managed to field 20 athletes for the NYSD Cross Country at Whitby on 17th January, although this is still down on numbers compared to last year.  Nevertheless they claimed two team and two individual victories throughout the day.

The U13 Boys started promisingly once again, with Glen Ient taking a fantastic 3rd place, while Max Robson rightly claimed 5th overall and Miles Worner brought the team home in first position with a well deserved 8th.  Hannah Najafi and Freja Nicholson were the only runners in the U13 Girls race, but faired very well to finish in 20th and 22nd positions respectively.

With no Richmond runners in the U15 Girls, it was up to Fergus Roberts to make up the points once more in the U15 Boys event, finishing well clear of the field on yet another occasion to take 1st position, while stalwart team mate, Paul Harmsworth, had another excellent run to finish in 7th.  The U17 Men’s race was also very positive, with the team claiming another victory, thanks to Marc Scott winning very comfortably.   George Robinson and Sam Wood then exchanged places from the last outing, claiming 5th and 12th places.

The ladies team had 3 athletes, which meant they finished 6th overall on the day, a marked improvement on no runners in the last fixture.  Maddy Winzer is getting stronger all the time and finished as first U17 lady and 3rd overall, Fiona Hughes had her first outing since before Christmas and ran well to take 35th, while Laura Dunphy finished in 52nd place to bring the team across the line.

The senior men’s team faired even better, taking 2nd place on the day, with some pleasing results to match. 

Doug Roberts

 Doug Roberts was first Harrier across the line in 5th position, showing that he really is back to form, while Jon Orange was again in the top 10, finishing in a well-deserved 9th place.  Next home was Tad Zaranko, in 13th place, giving another great account of himself on the course, while Ken Harker crossed the finish line in 15th.  Tony Ryder continued to hold his form and claimed 30th place, while Liam Fletcher had another strong outing in 52nd position.  Shaun Purkiss put in a good effort to finish close behind in 53rd and will look to use the rest of the season to bring him back to full fitness. 

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Second claim athlete, Andrea Woodvine, has been doing some serious training and achieving amazing times in New Zealand recently.  On 5th January, she broke her 10,000m PB by over 2 minutes, stopping the clock at 33.29.94; a time which currently ranks her number one in the UK for 2010, at least until further races are run on the track during the summer season later in the year.  This is certainly a great achievement for Andrea, who also ran a PB over 3000m in the same location on 1st January 2010, bringing her time down to 9.28.74, this currently ranks her second in the UK at present over the distance.

Despite the recent arctic conditions, Richmond and Zetland Harrier Paul Goad, had a busy festive racing period, with two league fell races.  Braving the elements on Boxing Day with 200 other hardy souls, he competed in the Guisborough Woods race, where he completed the 3-lap course in 62 minutes, just pipping his main rival, Paul Haydon, on the final descent.

Five days later Paul ran in the New Years day Captain’s Cook race in heavy snow.  The race starts and finishes at the Royal Oak in Great Ayton and climbs 885 feet up to Captain Cook’s monument on top of the North Yorks Moors.  Paul struggled with conditions, but his 26th place in the M40 category, gave him enough points to climb to 17th in the North Yorks Moors Fell league standings.  With three more races in February and March, Paul is still targeting a top ten finish in the league. 

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Richmond and Zetland Harriers were still markedly down on numbers for the third of the NYSD Cross Country league meetings at Flatts Lane Country Park, Upsall on Sunday 15th November.  With only 16 competing athletes, the club fielded only half the number of runners as this time last year.  Despite this, they claimed one team and two individual victories throughout the day, on the hilly and testing course.

The U13 Boys got proceedings underway once again, with Max Robson well up the field in 5^th place, while Miles Worner took a fantastic 8th position overall.  Hannah Najafi continues to get better and stronger in the U13 Girls age group, coming in 12th overall on the day.

Amy Coulson moved convincingly up the ranks in the U15 Girls race, beating close competition on this occasion, to claim 7^th place.  Fergus Roberts was on form once more in the U15 Boys event, finishing well clear of the field in 1^st position, while consistent performer, Paul Harmsworth, ran well once again to finish in 7th.  Rather disappointingly, the senior ladies team had no competitors at all on this occasion, the first time for many years and is mainly down to injury, recovery and non-availability of the squad.  The U17 Men’s race was rather more positive, with the team claiming an outright victory, thanks to Marc Scott winning by almost a minute, Sam Wood rightfully claiming 4^th position and George Robinson finishing 28 seconds later in 5^th place.

The senior men’s team faired well too, taking 3^rd team place on the day, which makes better reading.  Jon Orange was again up with the leaders, finishing in a well-deserved 10th place overall, scoring highly for the team.  Next home was Doug Roberts, only 8 seconds adrift in 11th place, giving another good account of himself on the undulating course, while Tad Zaranko crossed the finish line in 16^th and was first in the Vet 2 category.  Tony Ryder continued to hold his strong form and claimed 35th place, while Taff Rogers had another excellent outing in 40^th position overall.  Shaun Purkiss put in a good effort to finish 53rd, while U20 athlete Liam Fletcher, asserted himself on the terrain with 55th place. 

After a lay-off of over 16 months, Richmond and Zetland Harrier Paul Goad kicked off his winter fell running season last Sunday at Claybank in the North York Moors Winter Fell Series.  The 4.2 mile course has over a 1000 feet of climbing and Paul was pleased with his 11th place position in his age group, completing the course 30 seconds faster than when he last did the race in 2007.

Taff Rogers

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A total of 12 Richmond and Zetland Harriers enjoyed Richmond 10K road race on Sunday 18th October, which is quite literally on their doorstep.  It is a challenging route, taking in Sleegill and several steep climbs, before entering Catterick Garrison and turning back towards the town to finish in the grounds of Richmond castle.  Jon Orange is certainly in form at the moment and managed to keep up an excellent pace around the course, taking all the hills in his stride to cross the finish line in 35.10 and 3rd place overall, which also earned him the prize of top Male Vet 45 on the day.  James Wardman was next home in 8th with a fantastic run and finishing time of 36.22.  Tad Zaranko was next home in 15th position, with a great time of 37.56 and claimed top Male Vet 50.  Tony Ryder was another in good shape, putting in an excellent performance to finish in 38.09, taking 16th place overall and 3rd Male Vet 45.  Dan Brooks was the next Harrier across the line, completing the event in 40.40 and 33rd position, while team-mate Taff Rogers was only 18 seconds behind, claiming 38th place with a solid time of 40.58. 

Tony Ditchburn was another putting in a strong performance over the 10K distance and was duly rewarded with a time of 42.33 and 62nd place overall, while Jeff Thurlback finished just under 2 minutes later, claiming 85th position with a time of 44.26.  Jim Robinson managed to run off with the prize for 3rd Male Vet 60, with a sound time of 47.25 and 139th place, while Ian Hepworth produced another solid run, stopping the clock at 49.25, which earned him 188th overall.  Ray Robson wasn’t feeling his best on the day, but ran at a consistent pace over the whole route, finishing in a very respectable time of 50.13 and Paul Goad was quite at home on the hills, making his way around the course in 52.57.

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There was a fair turn-out of Richmond and Zetland athletes for the first NYSD Cross Country league meeting, which took place at Croft on 11th October.  The Club managed to take both team and individual victories, more noticeably in the U17 Men’s and Senior Men’s events.

With no RZH competitors for the U13 Boys, it was up to the U13 Girls to get the momentum going, where the team took 3rd place, with Hannah Najafi finishing in 14th position, followed by Freja Nicholson in 15th place and Rachel Stirr, who ran a good race to claim 20th overall.  The U15 Boys only had 2 competitors, having lost some athletes to older age groups, but Fergus Roberts showed his usual zest to claim overall victory and Daniel Overin had a strong race finishing in 10th place.  Amy Coulson then put in a sterling performance to finish 11th for the U15 Girls.

The U17 Men had a strong squad on the day, with Marc Scott transferring his newly-earned national status on the fells to the cross country, finishing well clear in first place overall.  Sam Wood reiterated his current form by taking 3rd place and was followed his omnipresent team-mate, Thomas Allen, who promptly claimed 8th overall, earning them first team on the day.  The ladies squad was somewhat depleted with injures and post-natal recovery on the agenda, however, some newer athletes stepped up to the mark and gained valuable points for the club.  New recruit, Sandra Johnson, was the front runner for Richmond, taking a well-deserved 23rd place and Caroline Allen produced another fine performance, finishing in 31st position, while newly-wed Laura Dunphy, completed the line-up and brought the team across the line with 43rd position, giving the team 10th place overall. 

The men’s team had the strongest squad on the day, with 10 athletes in total lining up.  Jon Orange was first on the scoreboard for the Harriers in 7th place, also claiming the top Vet 1 position, while Tad Zaranko promptly claimed 16th and was first in the Vet 2 category.  Ian Scott also finished well up the field in 22nd and Tony Ryder once again displayed solid racing form, taking 23rd overall.  Liam Fletcher had an excellent race to cross the line in 35th place and Taff Rogers was another working hard to claim 40th position.  Shaun Purkiss is working hard to find his form again, coming home in 54th, while Tom Osorio looked comfortable off-road to take 65th position.  Jim Robinson narrowly finished second in the Vet 3 category and raced well, being 82nd cross the line, while Ray Robson had a solid outing to finish 92nd overall and complete the team line-up.

Paul Harmsworth rounded off the track season in style at the Tartan Games in Gateshead at the end of August.  Competing in the U15 Boys events, he took 5th over 400m, 7th in the long jump and a silver medal in the triple jump with a PB of 9.96m.  He also competed in the Junior Great North Run over 3 miles, finishing in a magnificent 52nd place from over 1300 runners in a time of 14.44.

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Marc Scott has been in action once again on his preferred, off-road surface of the fells and was selected to represent England in the British & Irish Junior Hill Running Championships at Sedbergh on 4th October, which is a fantastic achievement.  This is a five nations race, with England, Northern Ireland, Eire, Scotland and Wales participating.  He qualified by winning the last two English Championship races; one in Lancashire and the final one at Carlton Bank on 22nd September, which placed him 2nd overall, as the best 4 results from 6 races count.

In preparation for the big event, Marc took part in the English Schools Fell Championships on 27th September, which was a 3.6 mile race with 1315 feet of climbing.  He duly won this in a time of 30.10 and was a full 43 seconds clear of his closest rival.  The international race itself was 2.7 miles long, with 1150 feet of climbing to tackle in the process and Marc came through with flying colours once again, taking an individual silver medal and the team gold!  The race was won by a Northern Irish athlete in a time of 19.53 and Marc was only 16 seconds behind the winner, despite falling twice on the very slippery descent.  The team medals were decided by the first 3 counters from a team of 4 across the line, where Marc was the first runner home and the two other athletes finished in 4th and 9th places respectively, earning the English team a wonderful gold medal on the day.  Scotland took the silver medal and Eire the bronze in an exciting race.

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The 6th and final NYSD meeting took place on 21st July, at Darlington, where Richmond and Zetland finished 2nd club on the night, meaning that they win the league outright, which is a fantastic result and a boost to the club.  It was certainly a night for the sprinters, with a total of 4 athletes winning their events, starting with Emma King in the U13 Girls 100m with 15.0, while Evan Findlay managed to do the same for the U13 Boys over 100m in 14.06.  Karl Murray was also victorious in the same event for the U17 men, with a time of 12.6, while Fergus Roberts did not disappoint, well clear of the field in first place in the U15 boys 1500m, clocking a time of 4.25.8. 

Charlotte Conn and Rachel Stirr took 2nd and 5th places in the U13 girls 100m, in addition to 5th and 6th in the long jump.  Sophie Talbot and Abbie Fletcher meanwhile, performed well in the U15 girls 100m, taking 2nd and 5th places respectively, plus 2nd and 4th in the long jump event.  Callum Findlay clocked 12.7 over the same distance to take 2nd position for the U15 boys and Matthew Dunne also looked quick over 100m with a time of 12.8 to take 2nd position.  Rosie Stirr and Amy Coulson had strong runs over the longer distance of 1500m, taking 5th and 6th overall, with 5.54.6 and 6.01.9, as well as 3rd and 4th in the discus.  Paul Harmsworth had one of his usual busy evenings, with 4th in the U15 Boys 1500m, 2nd in the long jump with 4.68m and 2nd in the discus.

There were 5 Richmond athletes in the senior men’s 1500m race, with Nick Zissler first home in 3rd place and a strong time of 4.21.8 and Ken Harker 5th across the line in 4.32.0.   Tony Ryder was next home in 6th with 4.49.3 and Tad Zaranko took 8th overall with a clocking of 4.52.2.  Paul Conn then finished 10th for the team in 5.36.8, guaranteeing Richmond and Zetland’s retention of the trophy as league winners by a safe margin.

On Saturday 15^th August, Doug Roberts took on a very different challenge, electing to swim the length of lake Windermere, in order to raise money for his trip to Everest Base Camp in the autumn.  The weather was not kind on the day, making for some large waves in the centre of the lake, meaning that he completed the marathon swim in just over 7 hours, which is a long time to be in the water.  He had already covered 4km in training in the pool in well under an hour, so had not banked on it taking so long on the day, stretching 11 miles from end to end and is the equivalent of swimming half way across the English Channel.

His challenge was made even harder by the current, as the lake drains from north to south, but with the wind blowing in the opposite direction, he needed to swim extra hard to overcome this.  He was however, pleased to finish and accomplish what he set out to do on the day.

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Congratulations go firstly to Fergus Roberts and Rhiannon Allen-Ross for competing in the English Schools Championships at Sheffield on 11^th July, where Fergus finished 5^th overall in the Junior Boys 1500m in a magnificent time of 4.10.86, which is a national standard time!  Rhiannon then threw 9.60m in the Junior Girls shot put, which earned her 12^th place overall, short of her personal best, but a fantastic achievement all the same.

The 3rd meeting of the Northern Senior League was held at York on 6th July, where Richmond and Zetland only finished 5th on the day and they now occupy an unenviable 6th place in division 3E.  Once again sprinters Paul Kilsby, Tim Burn and Matt Prosser all faired extremely well in their events, with strong performances over 100m, where Paul recorded 11.4 and the 200m and 400m, where Tim easily won with excellent times of 23.0 and 50.8.  Matt ran well in both the 100m and 200m B string races, in addition to finishing 1st in the 110m hurdles with 21.2.  There was also a win for Paul in the Javelin, with a great throw of 38.14m and team captain Chris Peacock took on several running and throwing events, while Tony Ryder finished a very competent 5th over 5000m in 17.52.4.  Tom Allen and Sam Wood also boosted the team with their efforts over 800m and 1500m, with excellent times of 2.10.3 and 4.12.2, while Ken Harker also looked sharp over 800m. The men then went on to comfortably win both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay events.

The ladies were equally on form, with Fiona Hughes and Laura Wrigley handed the hard task of covering many of the running events, ranging from 100m to 3000m, while Jo Adams won the 400m with 61.1 and took 3rd over 200m.  Rosie Adams also claimed 5th over 100m, as well as taking on several throwing events.  Jenny Fenwick also represented the team in the B string of the 200m, long jump and javelin, while Katie Roberts scored valuable points in the discus, javelin, long jump and triple jump.  Caroline Allen enjoyed competing over 1500m for the first time, before the team went on to take 5th in the 4x100m and 3rd in the 4x400m relays.

The 5th NYSD took place on 7th July, with nine athletes winning their events outright.  There were victories for Matt Libera in the U13 boys 200m and 1500m in 28.7 and 4.59.9, while Callum Findley also won over 200m and 400m for the U15 boys.  Karl Murray was equally on form over 200m for the U17 men and not to be outdone, Tim Burn won the men’s 400m.  Sam Wood ran a very strong 3000m to win in 9.50.5 and Rosie Stirr continued her winning streak in the U15 girls high jump event, clearing 1.25m.  Paul Kilsby was victorious in the same event for the senior men, with a height of 1.55m, in addition to Paul Harmsworth retaining his form in the U15 boys triple jump with 9.47m.  Strong performances from numerous other athletes also helped to maintain Richmond and Zetland’s first position in the overall leag

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Ripon Runners hosted the Handicap Race on Tuesday 14th July, which signals the end of this season’s Harrogate and District Road Race League.  The weather was fine, as numerous club athletes got underway at staggered start times, with the aim being that everyone finishes at least in close proximity.  The 9.2K course takes in part of the scenic Studley Park and is a mixture of undulating on and off-road running.

Eleven Richmond and Zetland runners made the short trip to Ripon and enjoyed the competition, as well as the presentation for the league awards afterwards.  First Harrier home and overall winner was Paul Conn in 42.25 running strongly on the evening and racing well.  Unfortunately he was not eligible to collect a prize, as he has not competed in previous league races throughout the season.  Tony Ryder was enjoying another great outing, crossing the line in 29th with a time of 32.18, while Jim Robinson as fastest MV60 on the night in 45th position with 39.43.  Marc Scott was fastest Harrier on the night, showing his form both on and off the road, which earned him 58th place on the night in 30.30 and Taff Rogers had another strong race, to finish well up the final order in 33.33 and 61^st position.  Ronnie Corbett was also home in good time, with a solid run over the course in 74th overall and 34.13, while team mate Tamsin Clark proved that she still has the speed, finishing in 34.13, which meant she claimed 107th place.  Ray Robson once again enjoyed the race and had an excellent run, taking in the atmosphere and finishing in 110th position with 40.46, with Tony Ditchburn not too far behind in 124th, running a solid time of 36.01.  Adam Scott continued to improve his form and looked in great shape, as he completed the distance in 34.25 and was 138th, while Ian Hepworth rounded off the team effort in 166th place with a competitive time of 44.08.

Presentations were then made for the overall individual and team winners of the league’s 5 races, which began back in May.  Jon Orange was first up to take a shield, as top athlete in the MV45 category, which was well earned with some fine performances.  Marc Scott also won the junior age group, easily accumulating enough points to ensure his victory, even though he is still under 16 years old.  Tony Ryder then collected the shield for the men’s winning veteran team, earned by several Richmond and Zetland athletes throughout the 5 races, which was a great result and one, which has been retained over the last 3 years.  Tony also took 2nd place overall in the MV45 category and Tad Zaranko was runner-up in the MV50 age group, while Tamsin Clark was 2nd senior lady overall.  The team also finished 2nd overall in the main competition, as well as the elites category; a feat not achieved since 2002, which rounds off another great series.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

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RESULTS

The final Harrogate Road Race event was held at Otley on 2nd July, covering approximately 10K, with a long climb uphill after the first 2 miles.   Ten Harriers made the journey and finished in 5^th place on the night, as well as top in the vet’s competition.  Jon Orange is practically assured another individual title in the MV45 category, after crossing the line in 4th place with 35.41.  Ken Harker also ran well, finishing in 10th place, displaying great form with 37.42 and Tad Zaranko had a good result with 14th in 38.03.  Tony Ryder claimed 27th place and was next home with 39.39, while Taff Rogers continued to improve with every race, finishing 30th overall in 39.46.  Tamsin Clark was next with 41.06, which earned her 45th position and 2^nd lady overall, while Tony Ditchburn followed in 67th place with a time of 43.17.  Jeff Thirlbeck continued the run of form in 85th with 44.40, then Ray Robson emerged to take 153rd overall in 49.04, while Ian Hepworth rounded off proceedings with 162nd place in 49.46 from over 270 runners.  The Harriers finished 2^nd team overall in the league; their best result for some years, as well as 2^nd overall in the elite category, not to mention sealing victory in the vet’s competition once again.

The 3rd NYSD took place on 2^nd June, at Darlington, where Richmond and Zetland managed to retain their overall top place in the league, with 4 athletes winning their events outright.  There was victory for James King in the U15 Boys 1500m in 4.46.0, while Rosie Stirr once again clinched the U15 Girls high jump event and Paul Kilsby was victorious in the same event for the senior men, with a height of 1.55m, in addition to winning the 200m in 23.7.  Emma King had a good outing for the U13 girls over 200m, taking 2nd place, which earned her female athlete of the match, as well as 2^nd in the high jump.  Sophie Talbot took 4^th place in the U15 girls 200m with 28.7, while Abbie Fletcher, Rosie Stirr and Amy Coulson all performed well over 1500m taking 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th places respectively.  Freya Nicholson and Hannah Majafi covered the same distance for the U13 girls, taking well-deserved 3^rd and 4^th places, while Karl Murray and Matthew Dunne looked quick over 200m with times of 24.4 and 25.8.  Paul Harmsworth had another busy evening for the U15 boys, with 2nd in the 1500m and discus, then rounded it off with a win in the triple jump.

Tony Ryder and Tad Zaranko competed in the men’s 1500m, with Tony 6th across the line in 4.53.1 and Tad 8^th with 4.56.4, while Fergus Roberts put in a great performance over the same distance for the U17 men with 4.22.5.  Laura Wrigley finished 6th for the ladies over the same distance, guaranteeing Richmond and Zetland’s retention of first position in the overall league standings.REPORT 392 E-Mail To The SPORTS DESK

RESULTS

Two Richmond and Zetland junior athletes; Fergus Roberts and Rhiannon Allen-Ross, were chosen to represent North Yorkshire at the English Schools Championships, following their performance at the North Yorkshire Schools Championships at York on 13th June.  There were great performances from eight athletes, including Fergus, who comfortably won the Junior Boys 1500m in a time of 4.19.2, breaking the previous record, which had stood since the 1980s!  Rhiannon was also well ahead of the field in the shot putt, for which she was selected, with a magnificent distance of 11.00m, which is approaching national standard.  She also finished 2nd in the javelin, with a fantastic throw of 28.13m.

James King also ran strongly over 800m in the Junior Boys race, clocking a time of 2.16.1 and finishing 2nd, while Paul Harmsworth also put in a great performance in the long jump with 4.41m.  Sophie Talbot was in action over 200m in the Junior Girls age group, clocking 29.0 seconds and taking 4th place.  Sam Wood had an excellent race, winning the Intermediate Boys 3000m, with a brilliant time of 9.49.8 and Marc Scott put in another sterling performance over 1500m in 4.29.9, which earned him 3rd place.  There was also another worthy winner in the form of Paul Kilsby, who took the honours over 100m in 11.5 for the Senior Boys.

Ken Harker was also in form the following weekend of 20th June at Jarrow, when he collected 2 medals in the North East Vets Championships.  The first was a bronze over 1500m in 4.37 in the MV35 age group; he then went on to take the coveted gold medal for his preferred distance of 800m in 2.12, making it a very successful days racing.

The Harrogate Road Race League also had its 4th race at Richmond on Thursday 18th June; the club’s home fixture.  The course covered approximately 5.4 miles and over 200 runners gathered at the start of the hilly route.  Richmond and Zetland fielded 15 athletes and got off to a flying start with James Wardman taking 4^th place with a brilliant time of 32.31, while the young U16 pace-setter Marc Scott took a fantastic 6th place in 33.23 and Jon Orange had another solid run to be first MV45 and 13th overall in 34.41.  Tony Ryder was next home in 16th with 34.46, while Tad Zarenko was only a second behind in 17th with 34.47.  Ian Scott was next Harrier across the line in 20th and a time of 34.57, while Adam Scott moved up the ranks once again to finish in 23rd place with a time of 35.24.   They were followed by Paul Roberts, who promptly claimed 33rd position, crossing the line in 36.09, with Ronnie Corbett hot on his heels in 34th place with 36.14.  The next athlete was Taff Rogers, holding the team together in 51st and finishing in 37.36, while Tamsin Clark finished as the 59th competitor (and 4th lady) in 38.04, just ahead of Tony Ditchburn in 69th with 38.45.  Jeff Thurlbeck took 75th position with 39.16 and Ray Robson enjoyed another league race with 117th place in 42.21.  Jim Robinson took the top vet 60 position, with 130th place and a time of 43.04, while Ian Hepworth concluded the team round-up with 151st position in 44.59.  This allowed the team to retain the lead in the vet’s category, as well as a magnificent first place overall on the night!  The cumulative results also show Richmond and Zetland 2nd team overall and 2nd in the elite category.