Club News and Results

10th/11th May 2008. Eighteen Golds and Four Club Records in Yorkshire T&F Championships.
The club was once again well represented at the Yorkshire Championships at the Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield, and came away with an even greater number of medals than last year. The club had an excellent haul of 18 gold medals, and with no fewer than 4 new club records being set. Thomas Atkinson easily won the U17 men's 800m in 1m 57.1s, and then broke the U17 400m Club Record with 50.69s when winning silver in that event. Lauren Proctor won silver in the U17 ladies 800m, improving her own Club Record with 2m 12.0s, and also came 2nd in the 1500m, trimming Tracy Johnson's long standing Club Record with 4m 36.4s. Josh Green won the U17 men's 400m Hurdles in a New Club Record of 58.87s, as well as winning the 100m Hurdles in 14.32s and the High Jump with 1.70m.
We had a strong contingent of our Senior Ladies competing, with wins for Zara Hohn (100m Hurdles 14.04s), Charlene Thomas (400m 56.75s), Kelly Johnson (800m 2m 06.51s) and Lucy O'Gorman (3000m 9m 42.87s).
In addition there were gold medals for Ricardo Francis (men's 200m 22.54s), Chris Price (men's 3000m Steeplechase 10m 17.13s), Chiedu Ufodiama (U20M Discus 40.00m), Jack Hallas (U20M 800m 1m 55.27s), Joe Charlesworth (U17M Javelin 52.04m), Dale Worton (U17M 1500m 4m 11.57s), Thomas Leyshon (U15B High Jump 1.76m), Grace Eyles (U15G Long Jump 5.03m), Sally Smith (U15G 1500m 4m 55.99s) and the men's 4x100m relay team with 44.95s.
Download Championship Results from Northern Athletics

7th May 2008. Results of 2nd WYT&F League Meeting at Wakefield.
The warm sunny evening ensured a good turnout for the 2nd WYT&F League Meeting at Thornes Park. Wakefield's men's winners were Benjamin Read (U11 600m 1m 57.0), William Mulroy (U17 HJ 1.80m), and Chris Brennan (Senior 200m 23.6s), whilst for the ladies victories were achieved by Zoe Kerins (U13 80m 10.8s), Grace Eyles (U15 200m 27.0s), Hannah Yates (U15 Shot 8.64m), Lucy Holmes (U17 200m 27.1s and Shot 8.38m), Faye Mitchell (Senior 200m 28.1s) and Dionne Jones (Senior LJ 4.86m).
Results from Wakefield :- Mens and Womens.

4th May 2008. First round of Young Athletes League Northern Premier Division.
In the opening fixture of the Young Athletes League at Wavertree, Liverpool the team were up against strong opposition in the Northern Premier division, and came 4th in a closely fought match. There were excellent grade 1 performances from Zoe Kerins in the U13 girls, winning the 75m in 10.2s and 150m in 20.2s, and from Grace Eyles who won the U15 girls Long Jump with 5.07m. We also had fine grade 2 performances from Marcus Nixey in the U17 mens 400m with 52.4s, Josh Green in the U17 mens 400m Hurdles with 59.1s, Thomas Leyshon in the U15 boys High Jump with 1.70m, Sally Smith in the U15 girls 1500m in 4m 59.7s and Bethany Porter in the U15 girls 75m Hurdles in 12.5s & Shot with 8.48m.
It was a good all round team effort, and special mention must be made of Emily Dent, who competed after having had major surgery on her spine only 5 months ago, an operation that left her in intensive care for 5 days. She hasn't yet resumed full training, but when she heard the team were short of U17 girls she asked Sally what she could do for the team, and competed in the 800m and the 1500m, and scored 6 out of a possible 8 points in the B string.
Match Result :- Liverpool Pembroke 362, Wigan 335, Sheffield 329, Wakefield 320.
Download full results in pdf

3rd/4th May 2008. Two Silver Medals for Zara Hohn in BUSA Championships.
On the first day of the British Universities Championships at Bedford, representing her Sheffield Hallam University, Zara Hohn finished a fine 2nd in the 100m in 12.33s, and then the following day won another silver in her main event the 100m Hurdles in 14.14s. Ruth Dales also made the final on the 100m Hurdles, and Nathan Elliot reached the semi-final of the 1500m. Results from BUSA.

3rd May 2008. First Round of North of England League Division 1.
In the first match of the North of England League Division 1 at Leeds the senior mens and womens teams were a bit below strength, and finished 5th out of the 6 competing clubs. Best performance was a runaway victory from Helen Singleton in the womens 1500m, with an excellent 4m 31.4s, but that was the only 'A' string victory apart from the mens 4x400m relay team, who won their race in 3m 28.4s.
Second places were gained in the mens events by U17 runner Thomas Atkinson in the 400m in 51.6s, U20 runner Jack Hallas in the 1500m in 4m 07.6s, Mark Lindsay with 53.19m in the Javelin, and Darren Thomas with 3.20m in the Pole Vault, this being the best of his six events as he led by example in the captain's role. For the ladies Kelly Johnson was 2nd in the womens 800m in 2m 10.9s, and Caroline Nutt also came 2nd in the Pole Vault with 3.20m. The mens 4x100m relay team and womens 4x400m relay teams also finished 2nd in their races.
Match Result :- Leeds City 389, Blackburn 381, City of Manchester 350, Trafford 336, Wakefield 318.5, Bolton 308.5. Download results in pdf

27th Apr 2008. Another Club Record for Lauren Proctor in National Junior League.
The club had a solid start in their opening match of the Humber Division at the Costello Stadium at Hull, finishing 3rd overall in both the mens and womens competitions.
James Mitchell gave the team a double win in the 100m and 200m, in the excellent times of 11.2 & 22.6, and Chiedu Ufodiama was a good winner of the Discus and Shot with fine throws of 40.63m & 12.97m respectively. Jack Hallas had a clear win in the 1500m in 4m 07.2s.
For the women Katie McHale had two 'A' string victories in the 800m with 2m 20.2s, and 1500m in 4m 47.4, whilst Mikeala Harrison had a narrow win in the 400m with 59.6s. There were many other fine performances, but the highlight was by first year U17 runner Lauren Proctor, who in her debut for the Junior team won the 800m 'B' race in a New Club U17 Ladies 800m Record of 2 mins 15.0 secs. This not only beat Katie McHale's U17 record, but also Helen Singleton's U20 record as well - a fantastic performance !
Match Result :- Rotherham 491, Kingston U Hull 473, Wakefield 423, Sheffield 334, Grimsby 303, Scunthorpe 214, Hull Achilles 103. Match Results.

26th Apr 2008. Thomas Atkinson Competes for Northern U20 Team in Malta.
Thomas Atkinson competed for the Northern Counties International Representative Team in Malta, where he won a silver medal in the 800m, only losing out in the final stage of the race to the Maltese record holder, who was ten years his senior. He also won a gold medal in the 4 x 100m relay after two of the sprinters were unable to race due to slight pulls, and ran a fantastic 3rd leg. Report from Northern Athletics.

20th Apr 2008. New League Record for Grace Eyles in 1st WYT&F League.
In the first WYT&F League Meeting at York, Grace Eyles was the star performer with a New U15 Girls Long Jump League Record of 5.11m, as well as a 2nd place in the 100m. Others to impress were Bethany Porter winning the U15 Girls 75m Hurdles in 12.3s and Lucy Holmes winning the U17 Ladies 300m in 43.7s in the damp conditions.
For the boys we had victories for Daniel Franks in the U13 800m in 2 mins 32.7s, Ethan Plumb in the U13 Discus with 16.09m, and Craig Simpson winning his first 100m race against senior opposition in 11.5s. Results from York :- Mens and Womens.

20th Apr 2008. Excellent Time from Jack Hallas in the Epilepsy Action Bradford 10k.
Just a few hours after racing over a Mile, 17 year old Jack Hallas showed his versatility with an excellent run in the Epilepsy Action Bradford 10k, finishing 2nd in the outstanding time of 33 mins 08 secs. His father Paul also ran well to finish 11th out of the field of 500 in 36 mins 26 secs, to complete a fine family double. Download Results in pdf.

20th Apr 2008. Harriers Competing in Rothwell 10k Road Race.
Several road runners took part in the Rothwell 10k Road Race, and Jonathan Prideaux made his debut for the club, running the fine time of 35 mins 47 secs for the distance. With Steve Tibbs making a welcome return from injury and Tony Smith as 3rd counter the team finished 9th. Race Results from ukresults.net

19th Apr 2008. Lauren Proctor & Sally Smith Break Club 3000m Records.
Many of the club's middle distance runners were in action at the Sheffield 'Festival of Athletics', with some excellent performances recorded. Star performers were Lauren Proctor, who although narrowly beaten, ran a New Club U17 Ladies 3000m Record of 10 mins 09.0 secs, in her first year in the age group, whilst Sally Smith was equally outstanding in winning the U15 Girls 3000m in a New Club U15 Girls 3000m Record of 10 mins 36.7 secs. Ben Homer won the U17 Men's 3000m in 9-13.7, whilst Katie McHale was 2nd in the U20 Ladies race in 10-29.1. Jack Hallas won the U17 Men's Mile in 4-32.0, with Dale Worton 3rd in 4-40.5. In the field Thomas Leyshon jumped 1.75m to take the U15 Boys High Jump, and clearly has Martyn Bernard's U15 club record of 1.81m in his sights. Download results in Excel.

13th Apr 2008. Excellent turnout at Harriers Spring Open Medals Meeting.
There was an excellent turnout of over 370 athletes for the Spring Open Medals Meeting, with visitors from all over the North of England visiting us at Thornes Park Stadium. It was good to see Zara Hohn using the meeting for her first run of the season outdoors, though she didn't have much opposition in the 200m. There were some good quality throwing competitions, and probably the best Wakefield performances were by Zoe Kerins, with an impressive 100m & 200m sprint double in the U13 Girls, and a 100m, Long Jump & High Jump treble from Grace Eyles in the U15 Girls. Grace was close to the club record with her Long Jump of 5.24m, and Lauren Proctor was also impressive in winning the U17 Ladies 1500m in 4 mins 38.4 secs, also close to the club record.
Full Meeting Results :- Mens and Womens.

13th Apr 2008. Wakefield Harriers Complete the London Marathon.
This year we had a small contingent of athletes taking part in the Flora London Marathon, with several new members taking part for the first time. Sean Stanger was first home from the club in 3 hrs 26 mins, with Alex Potter once again our first lady finisher in 3 hrs 30 mins. Other finishers were Daniel Benjamin, Pat Wood, Chris Sweeting, Sam Sproston and Diane Simmons (pictured below), and our congratulations to them all for completing the course. Race Results from London Marathon website.

Some of the Harriers who completed the London Marathon, proudly showing off their medals.

6th Apr 2008. Wakefield's Ladies team win Silver in the Snow at Northern 6-Stage Road Relays.
The club had a strong Ladies team out for the Northern Road Relay Championships, held in wintry conditions at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, and in an exciting finish the team of Katie McHale, Shirley Griffiths, Charlene Thomas, Kelly Johnson, Helen Singleton and Julie Briscoe just snatched the silver medals. The team were a fair way down the field after the first 2 legs, but on leg 3 Charlene had a storming run, passing 15 teams to bring the team into 5th place, and medal contention. Helen then passed 2 more teams to leave Julie to chase the 2nd team, and she managed to pass her and win the silver medals by a mere two seconds. Charlene's run was 2nd fastest of the day, whilst Julie and Helen were also amongst the top 10 fastest runners. The Men's team came 40th in the high class 12-Stage field, with Chris Price being the team's fastest runner.
Women's Results and Men's Results from race-results.co.uk.

Wakefield's Ladies team win Silver in the Snow at Northern 6-Stage Road Relays.

30th Mar 2008. Sharon Marshall Wins Ladies Prize in South Leeds 5 Mile.
Sharon Marshall was our sole runner in the South Leeds 5 Mile road race but came away with the Ladies Prize, finishing 10th overall in 34 mins 49 secs. Download Race Results

30th Mar 2008. Harriers in Action at Spenborough Winter Warm-Up Meeting.
There were quite a few of the younger club members competing at Spenborough's Winter Warm-Up Meeting, with some creditable performances. Download Results in Excel

30th Mar 2008. Julie Briscoe Wins Ladies Prize in Wakefield Hospice 10k.
The annual Wakefield Hospice 10k race round the Merrie City again proved popular, attracting over 1300 competitors, and over 30 from the Harriers. Julie Briscoe continued her recent spell of good form by taking the Ladies Prize in the excellent time of 35 mins 43 secs in the windy conditions. Helen Singleton also had a fine run, finishing 3rd woman in the good time of 36 mins 26 secs, and with Alex Potter finishing as 3rd scorer the ladies team came 2nd. For the men 16-year old Sam Bucknell made his road race debut, and was first Harrier home in 36 mins 25 secs, ahead of Paul Hallas and Richard West. Paul was first in the M45 category, and the men's team finished 7th. Wakefield athletes Jason Richards and Steve Williamson also did well, coming 2nd and 3rd in the wheelchair race. Download Race Results

16th Mar 2008. Zoe Kerins Breaks Club Record at Manchester Indoor Open.
Zoe Kerins broke her own Club Record for the U13 Girls 60m indoors at the City of Manchester Open Meeting, running in the U15 Girls race and finishing in 8.37sec. This currently makes her joint 2nd in the U.K for the U13 Girls 60m, and our congratulations to Zoe once again.

15th/16th Mar 2008. Two BUSA Indoor Titles for Zara Hohn.
Zara had her first major successes of the year when running in the BUSA Indoor Championships at Sheffield. She won double gold in the 60m Hurdles, in a time of 8.44s, and the 60m sprint in 7.63s. She is now the British Universities Champion for 2008/9 in both events, so our congratulations to Zara, and it is great to see her back on good form. Results from BUSA.

16th Mar 2008. Julie Briscoe Wins Yorkshire Half Marathon Championships at Ackworth.
The club had several runners competing in the Ackworth Half Marathon, which also incorporated the Yorkshire Half Marathon Championships, and Julie Briscoe won her first county title. She finished 40th overall in 1 hr 20:04, a good time in the cool and windy conditions, and was first lady home, winning the title by just 10 seconds. With Sharon Marshall 27th and Alex Potter 32nd the ladies team came 4th overall, but in the Yorkshire Championships they finished 2nd to win silver medals. Dave Brailsford was first male runner home in 68th out of over 700 runners, and had a good run to finish 4th in the M50 category in 1 hr 23:51. Race Results from Sportsoft.

15th Mar 2008. Harriers Run for Yorkshire in Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships.
Lucy O'Gorman was selected with several other Harriers to compete for Yorkshire in the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships at Nottingham, and she finished a very creditable 37th in the senior women's race to finish 5th Yorkshire runner, and help the county win the team race. Katie McHale came 48th and 2nd counter for Yorkshire in the U20 race, as the county came 9th, whilst Lauren Proctor was Yorkshire's leading runner in the U15 Girls race to finish an outstanding 6th place, and with Sally Smith 4th counter in 34th the team came home 2nd. Olivia Radcliffe was 112th in the U13 girls race and Jake Worton & Jack Mitchell came 151st and 228th respectively in the U13 boys event. In the U17 men's race Jack Hallas was 44th and Ben Homer 51st but didn't make the scoring 4 who won the team race. Report and Race Results in Excel from UK Athletics.

9th Mar 2008. Grace Eyles 7th in UK U15 Indoor Combined Events Championship
In the England Athletics Indoor Combined Events Championship at the EIS Sheffield Grace Eyles came 7th overall in the U15 Girls Pentathlon, and in the incorporated North of England Championship she came 2nd, winning a silver medal. Her performances of 60m Hurdles 10.77sec (a PB), High Jump 1.60m (another PB and just short of the 1.61m club record), Shot Putt 8.24m, Long Jump 5.10m (a PB) and 800m in 2min 44.18sec gave her a New Club Record U15 Pentathlon score of 2839. Bethany Porter also did well to finish 21st with 2366 points, with her best result being her 60m Hurdles in 10.13s. Results from England Athletics.

9th Mar 2008. Harriers Competing in East Hull 20 Mile Road Race.

8th Mar 2008. Wakefield Harriers at the English Schools' Cross Country Championships.
There were many club members representing West Yorkshire Schools and running very well in the English Schools' Cross Country Championships at Sefton Park, Liverpool. In the Senior Boys race Jack Hallas was 3rd counter in 39th place, and helped the county to team victory by the narrow margin of 2 points, the county's best result. The club were best represented in the Intermediate Boys race, where the Harriers runners made up no less than 5/6th of the county team who finished 10th out of the 43 counties. Sam Bucknell and Ben Homer were West Yorkshire's first 2 counters in 26th & 27th places, and with Dale Worton 3rd in 57th, Nathan Bolton 5th in 147th and Tom Coney 6th counter in 185th, it was almost a case of the Harriers taking on the rest of England !
In the Senior Girls race Chloe Patchett was West Yorkshire's leading runner in 48th, and with Katie McHale 2nd counter in 71st and Catherine Hillerby 5th counter in 199th the club made up half the county team which finished 21st. In the Intermediate Girls race Lauren Proctor was 2nd counter with an excellent 16th, and in the Junior Girls race Sally Smith was 78th and Lauren Brooke 162nd to help the county finish 19th. This was a great showing by runners from the club.
Full Results of all races from ESAA website.

2nd Mar 2008. Sprinters in Action at the Manchester Indoor Open.
Zoe Kerins equalled her own Club Record for the U13 Girls 60m indoors at the City of Manchester Open Meeting, running in the U15 Girls race and finishing in 8.47sec. Rebecca Watts was also quick with 8.39s as an U15, Ricardo Francis ran an excellent 60m in 7.15s, and Amy Wilson ran 8.30s in the Senior Women's race. Download Results from Sale Harriers.

2nd Mar 2008. Harriers Competing in Norton 9 Mile Road Race.
Matthew Dodsworth was our first runner home in the Norton 9, near Doncaster. He came 44th in a time of 57 mins 08 secs, and Stuart Anderson came 1st in the M70 category. Race Results from ukresults.net