News report weekended 17th March

Last weekend was Clydesdale Harriers own race the Clydebank 5k (Dunky Wright 5k) which started in Clydebank Business Park and finished on the Forth and Clyde Canal. It always has the reputation of being a fast, flat course which always produces fast times at the sharp end. Fastest harrier was Gerry Montgomery finishing in a time of 18.11, followed by Pamela McCrossan (19.39), Paul McKendry (19.59), and Dewar Stuart (20.53).

Also that weekend three of our more mature members travelled down to Herrington Country Park near Sutherland to compete in the British Masters Cross Country Championships. Pete Cartwright, Brian Campbell and Watson Jones ran well to finish as Bronze medallists in the team competition, and Pete also won Bronze in the M70 individual competition.

The previous Saturday had two races. The first was the Jack Crawford 10k in Bishopbriggs. Fastest harrier was Paul McKendry (42.52), followed by Alan Dick (43.15), Yvonne Green (46.26 and 3^rd vet over 50), and Gerry Kane (47.35).

The same day several thousand miles away several members of the club joined other SVHC (Scottish Veteran Harriers Club) for their annual holiday to the Canary Islands. This year it was Fuerteventura. Apart from the usual relaxing in the sun a 5k was organized. It was an out and back route along the promenade and sand in hot conditions. Fastest harrier and 2^nd overall was Gerry Montgomery (19.03), followed by Hugh Laverty (19.24), Mark Rudzinski (20.38), Pamela McCrossan (20.45), Marina McCallum (21.24), Martin King (21.53), Stuart Allison (23.11), Hugh Watson (24.15), Christine Duncanson (24.38), David Mitchell (25.15), and Colin Gray (26.40).

At the beginning of the month was the Buchlyvie 10k which had Alan Dick finishing in a time of 43.01, followed by Stephen McKee (49.46).

After the highly competitive indoor winter league meetings, Clydesdale Harriers saw two teams qualify for The Scottish Athletics Indoor League Finals on the 24^th of February at the Emirates Stadium.  They were the under 20 Women and under 17 men’s team.

Before the two teams battled it out against the toughest of opposition in a thoroughly enjoyable day of athletics, it was the turn of the relay teams, and for the first time in many years Clydesdale was fielding multiple teams. There were some exceptional runs and some of the teams narrowly missed out on a place in the final while every team gained valuable experience.  New athletes were introduced to the atmosphere and excitement of competition, which will stand them in good stead, as the club prepares for the up coming summer outdoor leagues.

The relay teams were –

Under 13 Girls- Cara Jordan, Natasha Shaw, Chloe Allan and Sarah Goggins.

Under 15 Girls- Iona Allan, Rachel Campbell, Rachel Meehan and Anna Haddock.

Under 17 Girls- Erin Ball, Heather McEwan, Emily Paxton, and Abbie Warrington.

Under 11 Boys- Zak Shannon, Stuart Aird, Andrew Donohue and Arran Boyle.

Under 13 Boys were Aiden Fegie, Aaron Belkevitz, Ronan Ross and Nathan Kerr

Under 15 Boys-David Daly, Brian Aird, Lewis McLeod and Lewis Hay.

There was a wide range of events to be contested in the S.A.I.L Final following the relays. On the track there was 60m sprint, 60nhurdles, 200m, 400m and 800m races.  The field events were long jump, high jump, triple jump and shot put.

The under 20 women’s team were Claire Reid, Victoria McHugh, Rachel Liddell and Kirsty Kelly.  The four girls knew they had their work cut out for them and worked hard against quality teams from Giffnock, Central, Whitemoss and Lasswade.  Despite tough competition they were determined to show what they were made of and they demonstrated their desire to succeed with determination and enthusiasm. The hard work paid off as the points accumulated and they laid claim to their silver medal podium place.

Well done girls-everyone is very proud of your well deserved achievement.

The under 17 Men’s team were Tobi Akinkunmi, Darren Dolan, David Campbell and Andrew Hunter.  Two of the boys, Andrew and David had been finalists together as under 15’s.  They were   eager to repeat their success in this more competitive age group and were undaunted by the strong opposition in the form of Central, Edinburgh, Giffnock and Victoria Park.  As the day rolled the pressure intensified as each team fought hard for points in every event.  The Clydesdale boys showed off their athletic skill and determination, scoring significant points and finishing in the top three, in six out of the nine events.
They achieved many individual successes over the course of the day and they were delighted with the  team’s success as they finished in second place to claim the silver medal. Everyone in the club is very proud of their success.  Well done boys!   


Marina McCallum
Press Officer 

U15 Boys Relay Team

U17 Women's Relay Team