Harriers on a high

TROPHY TIME: Coach Derek Atherton (back row, left), Adam Howard and Jay Gilmore. Joseph Kershaw (middle, left), Luke Brierley, Christopher Hague and Christopher Brown. Nathan Hilditch (front, left) and Connor Colleavey.

OLDHAM and Royton Harriers’ young athletes are basking in the glory of a successful cross-country season.

They were spearheaded by Adam Howard who, as well as winning the Inter-counties Cross-Country Championships in Nottingham, was second in the North of England Championships, third in the National Cross-Country Championships and took first place in the South-East Lancashire Cross- Country League

Adam led the under-13s boys’ team of Robert Smith (second), Jamie Burrows (fifth), Nathan Hilditch (sixth), Christopher Hague (ninth), Jay Gilmore, Connor Colleavey and Matthew Lofthouse to first place over the four races which made South-East Lancs series.

Christopher Brown followed Adam’s example by winning the South-East Lancs title In the under-11s category.

He won all four races at his age group and was in the team of Luke Brierley (sixth), Joseph Kershaw (seventh) and Jack Pritchard.

Mike Smith performed with distinction in the under-15 boys category to finished second overall, while Jane Augsburger won the under-17 women’s category.

Away from the mud and the hills, the young athletes competed indoor at Sports City in Manchester, where Christopher Brown put the strength he has built up over the cross-country season to good use in the under-13s age group for the first time.

He ran in the 600m race on the fast indoor track against boys a year older and lined up on the outside to keep out of trouble.

After a fast start, Christopher moved up to second place on lap two and then struck for home with a devastating sprint over the last lap to win in one minute 52.2 seconds.

He went on to record 3.56m in the long jump and threw 7.0 metres in the soft javelin.

Jay Gilmore also made his debut at under-13s level and had a brilliant run of 9.8 seconds in the 60m, posted 2.85m in the long jump and threw the javelin to 9.0m.

Other results at the indoor event were —

Ethan Glasgow 1st, 200m (36.3s); 4th, soft javelin (8.00m); 6th, long jump (1.45m). Sophie Hall 1st, 200m (37.5s); 6th, SP (4.11m); 9th, LJ (2.02m). Alex Taylor 8th, 600m (2.28); 4th, soft javelin (12.00m); 25th, LJ (2.15m). James Kelly 1st, 600m (2.28); 1st, SP (7.16m); 3rd LJ (2.16m). Joshua Glasgow 3rd, 60m (10.5s); 8th, SP (7.93m); LJ 2.39m. Ellise Taylor 4th, 60m (13.3s); 7th, javelin (5.0m); 10th, standing LJ 1.10m. Heather Moran 1st, 60m (8.5s). Bobbie-Leigh Tindall 1st, 200m (27.9s).

On the road, it was the Vera Hirst 5k race in Littleborough. Results were —

Owen Flage 23rd (17:57); Mike Smith 37th (18:35); Simon Smith 77th (19:57); Karl Smith 101st (20:52); Pete Williams 108th (21:16); Mike Baron 114th (21:38); Sandrine Fraisse 124th (22:06); Natalie Mannings 195th (25:42).

In the Wilmslow Half Marathon, Mike Baron had a great confidence booster for the London Marathon later this month when he crossed the line in 1:39:34 for a new personal best.

Sandrine Fraisse set a PB, wiping more than six minutes off her previous best to finish in 1:42:17.

She was followed by Darren Clarkson (1:43:05) — also a new PB — Louise Clarkson (1:44.13) and Sara Bott in (1:56.57).