31st Dec 2007. UK Track & Field Junior Age Group Rankings for 2007.
In the UK Age Group top 20 rankings, published recently in Athletics Weekly, the club has several athletes ranked, with the U13 Girls being our strongest age group last year :-
U13G Grace Eyles was 4th in the Long Jump (4.84m), 5th in the 100m (12.9), 11th in the 150m (20.1) & 10th in the 200m (27.2) ; Beth Porter was 11th in the 100m (13.1) ; Zoe Kerins was 17th in the 200m (27.5) ; Olivia Radcliffe was 12th in the 1200m (3:58.9) ; Hannah Yates was 10th in the Discus (24.95m) & 17th in the Shot (9.03m)
U15B Craig Westerman was 19th in the Discus (35.46m) ; Joe Charlesworth was 19th in the Javelin (45.31m)
U17M Thomas Atkinson was 10th in the 800m (1:55.4) ; Jack Hallas was 11th in the 1500m (4:00.5)
U17W Rosie Hackney was 12th in the 300m (40.5)
U20W Mikaela Harrison was 12th in the 400m (56.3)

31st Dec 2007. UK Track & Field Senior Rankings for 2007 - Club has 9 top 50 Ranked Athletes.

In the UK top 50 rankings, published recently in Athletics Weekly, the club's pride of place this year was Martyn Bernard, with his 1st place in the High Jump with a world class jump of 2.30m. This performance made him equal 21st in the world for 2007. Such is his talent he was also ranked 37th in the UK in the Triple Jump (14.63m) and 46th in the Long Jump (7.63m), after filling for the team in the Northern League !

The club had 8 athletes in the top 50 in the UK Senior Women's rankings, with 3 making the top 4 ! :-
Emily Freeman was ranked with 4th in the 200m with her new club record (23.15w), 6th in the 100m with her new club record (11.36) and 14th in the 400m with yet another club record (53.31) ;
Aine Hoban improved yet again to 3rd with her new club record in the 10000m (32:45.95), 6th in the 5000m (club record 15:53.42i), and 23rd in the 3000m (club record 9:24.49i) ;
Charlene Thomas (Snelgrove) was 7th in the 1500m with her new club record (4:09.64), and 20th in the 800m (2:04.71), as well as topping the Mile rankings with her new club record (4:27.95) ;
Naida Bromley was 11th in the Heptathlon (5278 pts), 13th in the Javelin (44.46m) and 37th in the Shot (12.24i) ;
Zara Hohn was 25th in the 100mH (14.26), and would be in the 100m rankings if wind assisted times were included (11.72w) ;
Ruth Dales was 37th in the 100mH (14.52) ;
Caroline Nutt was 49th in the Pole Vault (3.20m) ;
Fiona Thomas was 50th in the Shot (11.89m).

29th Dec 2007. Harriers Compete in Sheffield Open Cross Country Races.
A team of Harriers performed well in the Sheffield Open Cross Country Races, a new event organised for the first time this year. Report from Dave Radcliffe and Results from Steel City Striders

26th Dec 2007. Charlene Thomas Selected to Run for an England Cross Country Team in Spain.
As a result of her recent good form Charlene has been selected to compete for an England team in a team Cross Country event at Elgiobar in the Basque region of Spain. We send her our congratulations.

20th Dec 2007. Lauren Proctor Wins 2007 Junior Christmas Handicaps.
There was a good turnout of runners in the younger age groups on a cold night, with Lauren Proctor taking the honours this year, and also setting the fastest time on the 3400m course. She was followed by Eleanor Richmond and Olivia Radcliffe. Report and Full Race Results.

20th Dec 2007. Mark Whitehouse Wins 2007 Senior Christmas Handicaps.
Former Club Treasurer Mark Whitehouse made a surprise and welcome return, and showed us that he had been doing some secret training to win this year's race from the in form Sam Bucknell. Helen Singleton was the fastest lady as she finished 5th overall. Report and Full Race Results.

16th Dec 2007. Chris Price Finishes 2nd in Denby Dale Travellers 6
Several Wakefield Harriers battled the cold winds and the many hills around Denby Dale to take part in the annual Travellers 6 road race, with Chris Price finishing an excellent 2nd, and Stuart Anderson winning the M70 category. Download Results from Denby Dale Travellers and Photographs from Tony Audsley.

15th Dec 2007. Harriers In Action at the Second North of England Open.
At the second North of England Open Meeting at the EIS, the club had several athletes in action. Once again athletes of different ages competed together so all the results are mixed up.
Download Results from NoEAA.

9th Dec 2007. Distance Runners Compete in Calderdale Way Relay
The club once again had a team in this tough event, which consists of 6 legs with 2 runners from each club running as a pair, and many of the country's leading fell runners were taking part. The club had very mixed fortunes this year, and with several late withdrawals through injury and illness the team had to be rearranged at the very last minute. As a result the leg 4 runners hadn't been able to recce their route, and towards the end they were unfortunate to follow the team in front who led them hopelessly off course. This resulted in a loss of around 12 minutes, and cost the team 11 places overall, resulting in a final 66th place from the 112 teams. On the plus side there were 2 excellent legs from Chris Ward & Matthew Dodsworth on leg 3, and Dave Brailsford & Paul Hallas on leg 6, who ran club best times on their legs in wet and very muddy conditions. Results in Excel from Halifax Harriers

4th Dec 2007. Harriers Invited to Compete in Race in France.
The club have been invited to take part in a relay race at Castres, France over the first weekend in February. This is a long distance event for senior runners, and more information is available here.

2nd Dec 2007. Harriers Successfully Host Fourth West Yorkshire League Cross Country.
The Harriers successfully hosted the 4th and final league meeting, in wet and sometimes quite blustery conditions, which no doubt reduced the number of competitors. There were team victories again for the U17 Men and U13 Boys, but the U15 Girls were just beaten on countback, despite an individual win for Lauren Proctor. She was followed by Lauren Brook in 9th and Samantha Brook 14th. There was another excellent victory in the U13 Girls race by Olivia Radcliffe who lead the team to 2nd, with Bethany Sharpe 14th and Libby Greatorex 15th. The U11 Girls team of Anabel Mason 9th, Heather Ludvigson 15th & Jessica Eyles 28th finished 5th again. In the senior women's race we welcomed back Julie Briscoe who came a fine 3rd, and Katy McHale returned to form in 7th, with Chloe Patchett 16th as the team finished 4th.
Jake Worton 2nd, Jack Mitchell 5th, Daniel Franks 6th & Jack Richmond 10th dominated the U13 Boys race as they won their team race convincingly. In the U17 Men's race this time it was Sam Bucknall's turn to come out top, and he finished 5th, ahead of Ben Homer, and with Dale Worton 8th, Tom Coney 9th & Joe Hargreaves 10th team easily won their race again. The senior men improved to 9th, with Chris Price the leading runner, followed by Paul Hallas and Neil Dutton.
Results of All Races and Photographs from Howard Miller. and more.

In the overall individual league standings we had Lauren Proctor as champion of the U15 Girls, and Olivia Radcliffe finished 2nd in the U13 Girls, Jack Worton 3rd in the U13 Boys, Katy McHale & Chloe Patchett were 2nd and 3rd in the U20 Women, whilst Dave Brailsford took bronze in the M50 category.

In the overall team league standings the U15 Girls & U17 Mens team came out as champions, whilst the U13 Girls came 2nd, the Senior Women 5th and Senior Men 10th. In the Senior Men and Women (combined) competition the club came a creditable 9th out of the 32 competing clubs.

The races also incorporated the Club Cross Country Championships, and the winners were :- U11 Girls Anabel Mason, U13 Girls Olivia Radcliffe, U15 Girls Lauren Proctor, U20 Ladies Katy McHale, Senior Ladies Julie Briscoe, U13 Boys Jake Worton, U15 Boys Jamie Lunt, U17 Men Sam Bucknall, U20 Men Chris Price, Senior Men Paul Hallas.

Here are some of the U13 & U15 medallists, Jack Mitchell. Lauren Brooke, Samantha Brook, Libby Greatorex, Jake Worton and Beth Sharpe..

25th Nov 2007. Good Performances in Leeds Abbey Dash Road Race.
There were some great performances by Wakefield Harriers in the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k road race.
16 year old Jack Hallas did outstandingly well for someone so young, finishing in 41st place in a time of 32 mins 44 secs, out of the huge field of nearly 5000 runners. He was followed home by father Paul, who was the next Harrier home in 101st place (and 6th in his M45 category) in 35:27, just in front of Helen Singleton, who finished 5th lady in a new PB of 35:30. Steve Lowe was next home in 37:53, and Chloe Patchett was 24th lady in 41:53, although she was badly held up at the start by the mass of runners, as her 'chip' time was more than a minute quicker.
Results available from www.raceahead.net and Photographs from Howard Miller.

24th Nov 2007. Charlene Thomas Finishes 9th in Trial for European Cross Country.
A handful of athletes from the club took part in the UK Cross Challenge at Liverpool, which attracted many of the UK's top runners, and for the senior athletes was acting as the trial race for the European Cross Country Championships. Charlene Thomas finished an excellent 9th in the Senior Women's race, and Lucy O'Gorman was also well up in 37th. In the U15 Girls race Lauren Proctor and Sally Smith ran well to finish 14th and 26th respectively in a large field, and Dale Worton came 66th in the U17 Men's race. Report & Results from UK Athletics and Photographs from Howard Miller.

24th Nov 2007. Wakefield Harriers In Action at North of England Open.
At the North of England Open Meeting at the EIS, the club had many athletes in action. With athletes of different ages competing together all the results are mixed up, but they can be Downloaded from NoEAA.

18th Nov 2007. Helen Singleton Wins Ladies Race in Barnsley 10k.
Helen showed what good form she is in by finishing first lady in the Barnsley 10k road race. She finished 22nd overall in a time of 36 mins 55 secs, not far behind the Harriers first man, Steve Lowe, who finished 16th overall in 36 mins 40 secs. All the times were slow due to the poor weather conditions.
Download Race Results from Barnsley AC.

17th Nov 2007. Three Team Victories in Third West Yorkshire League Cross Country.
The Harriers had a good afternoon at the third West Yorkshire League Cross Country meeting at Knavesmire, York, with team victories once again for the U15 Girls and U17 Men, and also the U13 Boys. In the U15 Girls race Lauren Proctor was a clear winner, and with Sally Smith an excellent 3rd and Lauren Brook backing them up in 10th the girls had another clear team victory. The U13 Girls had their best result so far, finishing 2nd team, with Olivia Radcliffe 4th, Bethany Sharpe 7th and Jasmine Porter 25th the scoring trio. The U11 Girls team of Anabel Mason 11th, Jessica Eyles 18th and Heather Ludvigson 23rd finished a creditable 5th. In the senior women's race Katy McHale had an off day after her recent good form, and Chloe Patchett was our first finisher in 14th place as the team came 7th, with Chloe's mother Jayne making a welcome debut for the club.
Jake Worton 4th, Jack Mitchell 5th and Daniel Franks 8th were too strong for the opposition in the U13 Boys race as they won their team race convincingly. In the U17 Men's race Ben Homer was our first counter this time in 4th, just in front of Joe Hargreaves, and Dale Worton closed the team in 7th, as the team won their race again. Tom Coney also had a fine run in 10th place in this race. The senior men improved to 10th, largely due to the welcome return to form of Chris Price, who finished a fine 12th. Paul Hallas made his cross country debut for the club, and he was the second counter in 54th, followed by Steve Faulkner and Neil Dutton, who also had good runs to finish 65th and 71st respectively.
Results of All Races and Photographs from Howard Miller.

Ben Homer leading the U17 race in the early stages. Picture from Howard Miller.

12th Nov 2007. Martyn Bernard and Emily Freeman Get Top Lottery Funding.
Martyn Bernard and Emily Freeman were amongst the list of 43 athletes announced to be on the UK Athletics top tier of lottery funded athletes, which are those considered to be potential Olympic and World Championship medallists. Martyn finished 12th in this year's World Championships High Jump final, whilst Emily was part of the 4 x 100m relay team that finished 4th.

10th Nov 2007. Harriers Compete in Gateshead International Cross Country.
Several Harriers competed with distinction in the Gateshead International Cross Country races, which attracted many of the country's top runners. Sally Smith finished an excellent 11th in the U15 Girl's race, and in the U20 Women's race Katie McHale and Chloe Patchett finished 17th and 20th. For the male runners Chris Price was 28th amongst the U20 Men, and Joe Hargreaves 45th in the U17 race.
Report and Results from UK Athletics and Report and Photographs from Howard Miller.

4th Nov 2007. Harriers Road Runners Compete in Guy Fawkes 10.
Several Harriers were competing in the Guy Fawkes 10 mile race from the historic grounds of Ripley Castle, over a hilly route near Harrogate. First Harrier home was Matthew Dodsworth, with Alex Potter our first lady finisher. Race Results.

3rd Nov 2007. A Successful Day at the English National Cross Country Relays.
The club had a very successful day at the English National Cross Country Relays at Mansfield, with 4 teams finishing in the top 15 against the best of all of England, and 2 athletes finishing in the fastest 6 individuals in their races.
The Senior Women's team of Charlene Thomas, Helen Singleton & Kelly Johnson finished a very creditable 11th, and were indeed leading for half the race after Charlene's wonderful first leg victory, in what turned out to be the 2nd fastest time of the day. The U15 Girl's team of Lauren Procter, Sally Smith & Eleanor Richmond went one better in finishing 10th, with Lauren being 6th fastest overall, whilst the U13 Girl's team of Olivia Radcliffe, Libby Greatorex & Beth Sharp also put in an excellent performance to come home 13th in their race.
On the men's side the best result was from the U17 Men's team of Dale Worton, Sam Bucknall & Ben Homer, who continued their fine form with a 14th place finish, whilst the U13 Boy's trio of Jack Mitchell, Jack Worton & Jack Richmond finished in 31st place. The Senior Men found it tough against the best cross country runners in the country, with their first team of Steve Faulkner, Neil Dutton, Dave Brailsford & Steve Lowe finishing 103rd team. In the U20 race Nathan Elliot and Chris Price both had fine runs, but were short of a third counter to complete a team.
Results of all races from the English Cross Country Association.

27th Oct 2007. Another Good Turnout in Second West Yorkshire League Cross Country.
There was another good turnout of Wakefield runners in the second West Yorkshire League Cross Country meeting at Bramley Park, near Leeds, with team victories once again for the U15 Girls and U17 Men. In the U15 Girls race Lauren Proctor and Sally Smith had excellent runs to finish 3rd & 4th, and Lauren Brook backed them up in 12th to give the girls another clear team victory. The 'B' team again won the 'B' competition, led by Louisa Long in 19th. The U13 Girls finished 5th team, led home by Libby Greatorex who finished a fine 6th, whilst the U11 Girls team of Anabel Mason 7th, Heather Ludvigson 15th and Jessica Eyles 29th came 4th. In the senior women's race there were superb runs from U20 stars Katy McHale and Chloe Patchett who weren't afraid to take on the senior competition. Katy finished strongly to clinch 3rd in the final half mile, whilst Chloe finished an excellent 6th, and with newcomer Tammy Chow making an encouraging debut in 62nd the team came 7th.
In the U17 Men's race Dale Worton came an excellent 3rd, and with Joe Hargreaves 6th, Ben Homer 9th, and the improving Tom Coney 10th the team won their race again. The senior men finished 12th out of 22 competing clubs, led home by Steve Faulkner, and Dave Brailsford doing well to finish 3rd in the M50 category. Other fine individual performances were by Daniel Franks (6th U13 Boys) and Jake Worton (12th U13 Boys).
Results of All Races and Photographs from Howard Miller. and more Photographs from Tony Audsley.

Joe Hargreaves and Dale Worton leading the U17 race in the early stages. Picture from Howard Miller.

21st Oct 2007. U13 Boys Team Finish 13th in ERRA Young Athletes Road Relays.
In the England RRA Young Athletes Road Relay Championships at Sutton Park, Birmingham it was the turn of the U13 Boys team to be first Harriers team home, finishing an excellent 13th overall. The trio of Jack Worton (14:38), Jack Richmond (15:25) & Daniel Franks (14:36) were always well up, and were easily the first Yorkshire team home. The U17 Men's team of Dale Worton (12:25) Sam Bucknall (12:44) & Ben Homer (13:10) were probably a bit disappointed to finish 16th, but as they are all in the first year in the age group they should be up there in medal contention next year. We also had a strong 'B' team of Joe Hargreaves (13:22), Nathan Bolton (13:33) & Jack Hallas (12:19) who finished a fine 30th, the 3rd 'B' team to finish, and Jack's fast final leg was the quickest of all the Wakefield runners.
The U13 Girls team of Libby Greatorex (16:19), N Dermody (17:24) & Sally Spurr (17:20) finished a creditable 38th in their race, and the U15 Girls team of Sally Smith (14:22) Lauren Brooke (15:31) and Eleanor Richmond (16:28) finished an excellent 21st in theirs. Results of all races from Sportsoft

20th Oct 2007. Senior Women Finish 13th in National 4-Stage Road Relays.
In the ERRA Women's 4 Stage Road Relays at Sutton Park, Birmingham the team of Charlene Thomas (14:17), Helen Singleton (15:11), Chloe Patchett (15:48) and Katy McHale (16:18) finished an excellent 13th out of all the clubs in England, and were the 2nd Yorkshire club home. Charlene finished 4th on the first leg, in what was the 8th fastest time of the day, and young Chloe and Katy performed very well in their first senior national competition.
Report and Photos from Howard Miller and Race Results from Sportsoft

The Ladies team celebrating after their race

14th Oct 2007. Good Turnout in first West Yorkshire League Cross Country.
There was an excellent turnout of Wakefield runners in the first West Yorkshire League Cross Country meeting at Nunroyd Park, near Leeds, highlighted with team victories for the U15 Girls and U17 Men. The best individual result was the U15 Girls race win by Lauren Proctor, and she was backed up by fine runs from Sally Smith in 4th and Lauren Brook in 11th to give the girls a clear team victory. The 'B' team led by Eleanor Richmond in 16th also won the 'B' competition. The U13 Girls did well to finish 2nd team, led home by Olivia Radcliffe in 2nd and Libby Greatorex in 13th, whilst the U11 Girls came 5th, with Anabel Mason our leading runner in 8th. The senior women welcomed Julie Briscoe back to competition, and she finished 5th, and with Katy McHale 9th and Chloe Patchett 11th they finished 4th team.
In the U17 Men's race Dale Worton came an excellent 2nd, and with Sam Bucknell 4th and Ben Homer 6th the team won their race easily, as expected. There were similar top quality performances in the U13 Boys, where Jake Worton 2nd, Jack Mitchell 4th and Jack Richmond 11th ran very well, but were short of a 4th counter to complete a team. The senior men finished an encouraging 11th out of 22 competing clubs, led home by Chris Price in 31st and Steve Lowe in 59th. Other fine individual performances were by Jamie Lunt (17th U15 Boys) and Kathryn Hillerby (7th U17 Ladies). Results of All Races

14th Oct 2007. Encouraging Runs from New Members in Bridlington Half Marathon.
In the Bridlington Half Marathon Alex Potter was the first Harrier home as some of the club's new runners ran their first half marathon. Report and Photos from Pat Wood and Race Results.

The Ladies team celebrating after the Bridlington Half Marathon.

7th Oct 2007. Medals for U17 Men and U15 Girls in Northern Young Athletes Road Relays
The club did exceptionally well in the Northern Young Athletes Road Relays at Croxteth Park, Liverpool, coming away with 2 sets of team medals. The U17 Mens team of Dale Worton (11:13), Jack Hallas (11:21) & Ben Homer (11:38) won silver medals in finishing 2nd overall. They were always in contention, and there was also an excellent run from Sam Bucknall (11:18) in the 'B' team. The U13 Boys trio of Jack Mitchell (11:48), Jack Worton (11:37) & Jack Richmond (12:29) also did well to finish 7th in their race.
The U15 Girls team of Lauren Brooke (12:15), Lauren Procter (11:03) & Sally Smith (11:22) were also in the medals, finishing 3rd, and only 1 second behind the 2nd placed team. Indeed they were leading at the end of the 2nd leg after Lauren's storming run, which was the 2nd fastest of the day. Olivia Radcliffe (12:15), Libby Greatorex (13:00) & Beth Sharp (13:07) also put in a fine performance to come home 9th in the U13 Girls race. Race results from SportSoft

7th Oct 2007. Good Turnout of Harriers in the Harewood Trail Race
A large contingent of Wakefield Harriers converged on the Harewood Estate in Leeds to compete in the Harewood Trail 10 Mile race, with new recruits Chris Ward & James Wilson leading the club home.
Race results from Valley Striders

1st Oct 2007. New Members Elected to Harriers Committee at AGM.
At the Annual General Meeting there were a few changes to the Club Committee, with a few new members volunteering to help out. The main changes are on the Executive, where John Newsome was elected President, filling the shoes left by the late Douglas Bedford. Michael Brennan steps up to take over John's previous role as Chairman, with Chris Bedford filling Michael's former position as Vice Chairman. Other new appointments include Terry Risdale, who returns to his former position as Senior Women's Team Manager.