31st Dec 2015. Club has 5 Top 30 Ranked Athletes in UK Senior Rankings.
In the UK top 30 rankings published recently in Athletics Weekly, the club did well to have 5 athletes in the UK top 30 in 2015,
4 women and 1 man.
Charlene Thomas was 3rd in the 1500m (4m 08.92s) & 15th in the 3000m (9m 11.07s).
Abby Ward (U20) was 9th= in the High Jump (1.80m).
Sally Smith was 26th in the 800m (2m 05.32s).
Jenna Wheatman was 28th in the Hammer (50.84m).
Martyn Bernard was ranked 10th in the High Jump (2.16m).
23rd Dec 2015. Thornes Park Stadium Indoor Athletics Meetings.
Wakefield Harriers and Thornes Park Stadium will once again be putting on two indoor meetings,
on Thursdays 14th January & Thursday 11th February, commencing at 6.00 pm withthe U11 events.
For all age groups there will be 2 x 50m sprints and the long jump, and
there will also be a 50m hurdles for the under 13 age groups upwards.
Entry is on the night, and the fee is £4.00 per number.
22nd Dec 2015. Beth Oates Wins Junior Christmas Handicap Road Race.
Beth Oates was a narrow winner of this year's Junior Christmas Handicap Race, beating Callum Gaunt by just 2 seconds,
with Lavinia Gavaghan taking 3rd place.
Callum was fastest on the night, with Abbey Brooke the fastest girl. Download Race Results in Excel.
22nd Dec 2015. Rebecca Zserdicky Wins Senior Christmas Handicap Road Race.
32 runners turned out for this year's Senior Christmas Handicap Road Race over the traditional 4.5 mile course,
twice round the perimeter of the park with a lap round the track at the end.
It was one of the closest finishes ever, with a margin of just 3 seconds between winner Rebecca Zserdicky and 2nd placed
Dave Brooke.
Rebecca is pictured below receiving the Handicap Trophy from the Club President John Newsome.
The handicapping worked out well, with 25 of the runners finishing within a minute of their expected times.
Matthew O'Connor ran well to record the fastest actual time with 24:02, with U20 Ben Read 2nd fastest and Jack Mitchell 3rd.
We were delighted to have Julie Briscoe running the event for the first time, and although not yet back to her best after
a difficult year with injury, she was easily the fastest lady in 26:19, ahead of U20 Faye Beckett & U17 India Elliott.
Neil Dutton and Glen Shelley took the award this year for being closest to their expected time, being just 3 seconds adrift!
Download Race Results in Excel.
22nd Dec 2015. The Club's Allocation of London Marathon Places.
The club's 2 London Marathon places have now been allocated, to Joanne Biltcliffe and Martin Holding.
So congratulations to them, and we wish them the best in London next April.
20th Dec 2015. New U13 Girls 60m Hurdles Club Record from Olivia Roe.
There were some quality performances recorded indoors over the weekend, the highlight being a
New U13 Girls 60m Hurdles Club Record of 10.3s from Olivia Roe, at the North Yorkshire Open Meeting at the EIS in Sheffield.
Here she is on the left, pictured with Amelia Bunton who recently broke the U15 Girls 60m Club Record.
Amelia was close to that record again with a Grade 1 time of 8.1s, and she also recorded 26.6s for the 200m & 44.5s for the 300m,
whilst Olivia also ran 8.8s for the 60m & 22.2 for the 150m.
Meeting Results.
Meanwhile, at the Sale Harriers Open meeting at Sportcity, U17 Rachel Crorken ran a fine 1m 38.39s for the 600m,
and U15 Aran Thomas cleared 2.76m in the Pole Vault & threw 10.70m in the Shot.
Meeting Results.
20th Dec 2015. Denby Dale Travellers 6 Mile Road Race
Several Harriers competed in the Denby Dale Travellers 6 Mile road race, on their tough and very hilly course.
First home from the club was Chris Rippon who finished 26th, ahead of Hugh Allen & U17 Thomas Allen.
Rebecca Zserdicky was our first lady.
Download race results.
17th Dec 2015. Thornes Park Stadium Christmas Closure.
This year Thornes Park Stadium will be closed completely for the Christmas holiday period from 4 pm on Thursday 24th December,
and will not re-open until Saturday 2nd January. As a result, there will be no Wakefield Harriers training at the stadium
on Thursday 24th, Tuesday 29th & Thursday 31st December. Club training will resume on Tuesday 5th January.
13th Dec 2015. Distance Runners Weekend Roundup.
Nicky Steel ran an excellent new PB of 1 hr 28:55 at the Milton Keynes Winter Half Marathon, which moves her up to to 8th=
on the club all-time list. She finished 76th overall out of over 1500 runners, and 8th lady.
Race Results.
At the Bolsover 10k Peter Gooding was close to Brian Fozard's M65 Club 10k record, as he finished in the fine time of 43:10. Ryan
Williams also had a decent run, recording 39:23.
7th Dec 2015. Our Athlete of the Month - Abbey Brooke.
For being the club's most successful runner in this year's West Yorkshire Cross Country League,
winning one race, and coming second overall in the U15 category,
Abbey Brooke has been chosen as our Athlete of the Month.
Well done Abbey!
7th Dec 2015. New Members Joining Wakefield Harriers in December.
Here's the list of people that have been accepted into membership by Wakefield Harriers at
the monthly Committee Meeting. Please welcome them all to the club.
List of New Members.
6th Dec 2015. Fourth West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Guiseley.
After all the recent rain, it was very muddy at the fourth and final meeting of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League, at
Nunroyd Park near Guiseley.
There were some good performances from the Harriers, with the Senior Women's team of Faye Beckett 8th, Annabel Mason 15th,
Nicky Steel 24th and Hayley Newbould 49th finishing 4th team. Unfortunately Lucy Robinson had to drop out through illness, but
had she been able to finish the team would have finished 1st.
For the Senior Men Dale Worton had his first cross country race for several years, and did well to finish 39th, with Ian Shipley
108th.
Best individual position of the day was by Holly Kitching, who had a fine run to come 3rd in the U17 Ladies race, with India
Elliott not far behind in 4th. Mark Bostock was 20th in the U17 Men's race.
Best team result was from the U15 Girl's team of Abbey Brooke 4th, Yasmin Moorhead 12th & Emma Preston 15th who finished 3rd.
Max Rose was 16th in the U15 Boy's race.
In the U13 Girl's race Lavinia Gavaghan was 20th, and for the U13 Boys we had Callum Gaunt finishing 21st & Bailey Mann 25th.
In the U11 Girl's race Chloe Kaye was 51st and in the U11 Boy's race Zachary Rayner was 54th.
Results of all Races
In the overall West Yorkshire Cross Country League competitions the U15 Girls team finished 3rd, and individual medals were won
by Abbey Brooke (2nd U15 Girls), Lucy Robinson (3rd U20 Women) & Nicky Steel (3rd over 35 Ladies).
Not far off the medals were
Faye Beckett (4th U20 Women), India Elliott (5th U17 Ladies) & Joanne Biltcliffe (7th over 40 Ladies).
Final League Tables.
5th Dec 2015. Club Christmas Party & Presentation Night.
Wakefield Harriers had their Club Christmas Party & Presentation Night at Balne Lane Club in Wakefield, where medals and
trophies won at the Club Track & Field Championships, Club Cross Country Championships, and the Senior Runners Distance
League were presented. There were also special 'oscar' awards where the winners were chosen by club members,
and the winners were as follows :-
Official of the Year - Bryan Murray
Coach of the Year - John Matthews
Volunteer of the Year - Andrea Brown
Team Managers of the Year - Sally Holmes & Richard Gayle
Male Athlete of the Year - Aran Thomas
Female Athlete of the Year - Hayley Newbound
Well done to the 'oscar' winners, and to Richard Gayle and his team for organising a great evening.
5th Dec 2015. New U20 High Jump Club Record of 1.80m from Abby Ward.
Several Harriers competed at the Northern Athletics Indoor Open Meeting at the EIS in Sheffield,
with some excellent performances recorded.
The highlight was a New U20 High Jump Club Record of 1.80m from Abby Ward, beating her previous best of 1.78m
from 2014. Abby is now just 1 cm off the outright Club Record of 1.81m held by international heptathlete Kerry Jury since 1997.
Other leading performances came from
Amanda Shaw (SW 60m 8.04s & 300m 41.14s), James Saxton (SM 3000m 8m 46.09s), U17 Rachel Crorken (300m 41.60s),
U17 Leonie Ashmeade (60m 8.07s), U15 Amelia Bunton (60m 8.18s & 150m 19.23s),
U15 Thomas Wood (150m 19.44s) & U13 Olivia Roe (60m 8.69s & 60m Hurdles 10.70s).
Meeting Results from Northern Athletics.
29th Nov 2015. Terrible Conditions at Barnsley 10k.
The conditions were terrible for this year's Barnsley 10k from Royston, with the rain and strong winds meaning
no-one had chance to record a good time. First home from the club was Neil Dutton in 54th, followed by Chris
Rippon and Ian Shipley. Eileen Manion was first Harrier in 202nd overall.
Race Results.
22nd Nov 2015. New U15 60m Club Record for Amelia Bunton.
There was a new U15 Girls Club 60m Record of 8.0 secs by Amelia Bunton, at the Nottinghamshire AA Graded
Open Meeting at Sheffield, beating the previous best from Bethany Porter held since 2009. She also recorded an
excellent 43.0 secs in the 300m at her first attempt at the distance, which is close to the club record of 42.8
held by Zoe Kerins.
Meeting Results.
22nd Nov 2015. A winning return for Annabel Mason.
After a couple of years of injury problems it was good to see Annabel Mason making a winning return to competition,
with victory in the Harriers V Cyclists hill race, organised by Bingley Harriers.
15th Nov 2015. Leeds Abbey Dash 10k Road Race.
The windy conditions meant there were no super quick times at the Leeds Abbey Dash 10K this year,
but there were still some decent performances from the Harriers who were competing.
First home from the club was Stewart Knowles with in 37:30, and our other men under 40 minutes were Ben Butler
in 38:32 and Glenn Shelley with 39:16.
The ladies running under 45 minutes were Jenny Latham in 38:19, Faye Beckett 38:39 & Nicky Steel 40:37,
although as usual with this event, due to the huge numbers taking part, the 'chip times' of most runners were significantly better.
Race Results.
14th Nov 2015. West Yorkshire Cross Country League Race 3.
With the senior runners opting to run in the Abbey Dash 10k we didn't have a great turnout at the 3rd race of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League, but those who went performed very well on the tough and very muddy course.
U20 Lucy Robinson came an excellent 6th in the Ladies race, and U20 Hayley Newbound also ran well to come 41st.
Ian Shipley was our only competitor in the Mens race and finished 108th.
The club's best result was in the U15 Girls race, where Abbey Brooke came close to winning her 2nd race of the
season, finishing just 3 seconds behind the winner in 2nd place. With Yasmin Moorhead 18th & Emma Preston 21st
the team finished a good 3rd, and Poppy Thorpe was only just behind the scoring trio in 23rd place.
For the U15 Boys Liam Grosse was 20th and Max Rose 28th.
India Elliott was a fine 4th in the U17 Ladies race, and Mark Bostock 19th in the U17 Mens race.
Suzanne Brooke was an excellent 6th in the U13 Girls event, and for the U13 Boys Callum Gaunt was 32nd.
In the U11 age group Brodie Ashton also ran very well to finish 7th in the girl's race, with Chloe Kaye 55th.
Results from League Website
7th Nov 2015. Two Club Records Equalled at Northern Indoor Open.
It was a great day for our young sprinters at the Northern Athletics Indoor Open Meeting at Sheffield, with some excellent performances, including two 60m club records equalled.
Amelia Bunton equalled the U15 Girls Club 60m Record with 8.14 secs, which was a Grade 1 performance,
and Leonie Ashmeade equalled the U17 Ladies Club 60m Record with 7.96 secs, a Grade 2 performance.
There was also a Grade 2 performance from Olivia Roe (U13G 60m 8.67s),
and a Grade 3 performance from Kiera Wareing (U15G 60m 8.44s).
U17 Rachel Crorken also had a good run in the 150m, winning her heat in 19.40s.
Meeting Results.
2nd Nov 2015. Our Athlete of the Month - Steve Wilkinson.
Steve was taken very ill when competing in the Yorkshire Vets Road Relays, but didn't want to let the team
down, and so completed his leg. It transpired that Steve was having a heart attack, and was rushed to LGI
where he was successfully treated, and thankfully is now on the road to recovery.
So for his dedication to the team, running well beyond the call of duty,
Steve Wilkinson has been chosen as our Athlete of the Month.
Well done Steve, and get better soon!
2nd Nov 2015. The Club's Allocation of London Marathon Places.
The club has only been allocated 2 places for next year's London Marathon, and the ballot for
the places will be a random draw, in two parts. The first draw will be for those runners who had applied
for a place themselves, and who had received a rejection slip. If there are still places left, then there
will be a second draw for all other runners who hadn't applied themselves. All runners wishing to be
considered for a club place must be members of Wakefield District Harriers & AC, and
must have paid their England Athletics Registration this year. They must also ensure they have
registered by 31st March 2016 for the following 12 months as well, and as the places are club places,
we request that the runners who are allocated the club places race in club colours.
Runners with rejection slips please pass on your rejection letter to Chris Ward. All other runners please
let Chris know that you want to be included in the ballot for the remaining places. The deadline for
entering the draw will be Tuesday 22nd December, and the draw will be made that evening, after we have
run the Christmas Handicap.
2nd Nov 2015. New Members Joining Wakefield Harriers in November.
Here's the list of people that have been accepted into membership by Wakefield Harriers at
the monthly Committee Meeting. Please welcome them all to the club.
List of New Members.
31st Oct 2015. Second West Yorkshire Cross Country League Meeting.
The senior teams did well at the second meeting of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League, at Fartown near Huddersfield,
with the Men having a great result to finish 3rd team, and the Ladies finishing 4th.
Adam Peers once again led the team home with a fine 6th place, and with Chris Ward in 21st, Stephen Tilford 38th,
Stewart Knowles 40th, Ben Butler 56th & U20 Brendon Wain 79th the team had their best result for some time.
For the Ladies U20 Lucy Robinson had an excellent run to finish 8th, and Faye Beckett and Nicky Steel weren't too far
behind in 11th and 15th, with Joanne Biltcliffe completing the scoring in 50th place.
In the younger age groups we didn't have many runners competing, as most were racing at Mansfield,
but the U11 Girls team of Brodie Ashton 12th, Ella Mallinson 28th & Chloe Kaye 53rd finished 8th team.
Results website
31st Oct 2015. English National Cross Country Relays at Mansfield.
The club had several younger teams competing at the English National Cross Country Relay
Championships at Mansfield, and
they all did well.
The best result was from the U15 Girls team of Abbey Brooke, Poppy Thorpe & Yasmin Moorhead who finished 29th team.
The U15 Boys team of Matthew Hill, Max Rose & Liam Grosse were 50th.
In the U13 age group Harriet Metcalfe, Suzanne Brooke & Lavinia Gavaghan were 31st team,
and the boys trio of Callum Gaunt, Joshua Dawson & Bailey Mann weren't far behind in 32nd place.
In the U17 Ladies race India Elliott & Holly Kitching ran well to be in 26th place at the end of leg 2,
but unfortunately had no 3rd leg runner.
Results of all races from the English Cross Country Association.
24th Oct 2015. Chris Ward Wins 2015 Distance League Championship.
For the senior runners the Club Cross Country Championships was also the final round of the 2015
Club Distance Runners League Championship.
Chris Ward is this year's winner, just pipping Nicky Steel by a few points after his fine run in the cross country.
M55 Paul Lycett made a good return to form this year to take 3rd place, ahead of Hugh Allen & Joanne Biltcliffe.
Joanne takes the award this year for competing in the most number of events, doing 13 out of the 16.
Congratulations to them all, and many thanks once again to Tony Smith for organising the league, and compiling the scores.
The awards will be made at the Club Presentation Evening on December 5th.
18th Oct 2015. Encouraging Indoor Sprint Results at Sheffield.
There were some encouraging sprint results at the first indoor meeting of the season at Sheffield.
Amelia Bunton won the U15 Girls 60m in 8.29s and came 2nd in the 200m in 26.96s, and
Olivia Roe came 2nd in the U13 Girls 60m in 8.63s
Meeting Results.
18th Oct 2015. 2015 Club Cross Country Championships.
The West Yorkshire Cross Country League races at Thornes Park also incorporated the Club Cross
Country Championships for 2015. Many thanks to all the marshals and helpers who made the event possible.
There were some good races between club members, particularly in the Ladies race
between U20 runners Lucy Robinson and Faye Beckett, before Faye pulled away to retain her title.
The Mens race in contrast was clearcut, with new 2nd claim member Adam Peers running strongly to finish 5th overall
and become Club Champion ahead of last year's runner up Chris Ward.
This year the trophies and medals will be awarded at the Club Presentation Evening on Saturday 5th December.
Lists of all the medallists.
For the senior runners the race was also the 16th and final round of the
Club Distance Runners League Championship.
Tony is on holiday this week, so we'll keep you in suspense for a while as to who has become this year's champion!
18th Oct 2015. First West Yorkshire Cross Country League at Wakefield.
The club successfully hosted the first meeting of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League, in a very autumnal Thornes Park,
with nearly 700 runners competing in the 10 race programme.
There were good results from the senior teams, with the Ladies team of U20 Faye Beckett 9th, U20 Lucy Robinson 12th, Nicky Steel 21st
and Helen Beck 32nd finishing 3rd in a quality field.
The Senior Men also did well to finish 5th team, led home by Adam Peers, having his first cross country in Wakefield's colours, and
finishing an excellent 5th. He was supported well by Chris Ward in 23rd, U20 Ben Read 36th, Stephen Tilford 41st, Stewart Knowles 48th &
Glen Shelley 87th.
In the younger age groups we had our only individual winner of the day, as Abbey Brooke had an excellent victory in the
U15 Girls race, and with Yasmin Moorhead 20th & Poppy Thorpe 21st the team finished a good 2nd. Emma Preston
was only just behind the scoring trio in 23rd place.
The U15 Boys trio of Matthew Hill 13th, Liam Grosse 16th and Max Rose 25th finished a fine 4th, and the
U13 Girls team of Lavinia Gavaghan 14th, Harriet Metcalfe 20th & Lauren Rayner 38th were 5th.
Our other complete team were the U11 Boys William Holladay 29th, Charlie Holladay 46th & Zachary Rayner 54th
who finished 8th.
Where we had incomplete teams there were fine runs in the U17 Ladies race from Holly Kitching 5th & India Elliott 7th,
and there were also top half finishes from Ella Mallinson 27th in the U11 Girls, and for the U13 Boys
Callum Gaunt was 19th and Bailey Mann 36th.
Results website
11th Oct 2015. Distance Runners Weekend Roundup.
At the Scarborough 10k M45 Chris Rippon dipped inside 40 mins with his time of 39:55,
and at the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon Rebecca Zserdicky ran 3 hrs 44 mins.
10th Oct 2015. Yorkshire Vets AA Road Relay Championships.
At the Yorkshire Vets AA Road Relay Championships our Ladies F35 team of Nicky Steel, Joanne Biltcliffe & Julie Greenwood did well
to finish 4th team, not far off the medals, with Nicky 4th fastest overall of the 50 runners taking part.
F35 Results.
The men's M40 team of Hugh Allen, Keith Singleton, Paul Robinson & Richard West were 9th, and the M50 team of Selim Khan, Mark
Whitehouse & Steve Wilkinson 8th. The event was marred however by the serious illness of Steve, who had a heart attack and was
taken away to hospital. Thankfully he is now on the mend, and the club wishes him a speedy recovery.
M40 Results.
M50 Results.
5th Oct 2015. Our Athletes of the Month - Amy and Erin Hunt.
For their enthusiasm and consistently good performances in the U11 age group throughout the season, the twins
Amy and Erin Hunt have been chosen as our Athletes of the Month.
Well done Amy and Erin!
5th Oct 2015. New Members Joining Wakefield Harriers in October.
Here's the list of people that have been accepted into membership by Wakefield Harriers at the October Committee Meeting.
Please welcome them all to the club.
List of New Members.
4th Oct 2015. Distance Runners Weekend Roundup.
At the Cusworth 10k Nicky Steel confirmed her recent good form with a time of 39:31,
finishing 3rd lady and 1st in the Yorkshire Vets 10k Championships.
Race Results.
At the Bournemouth Marathon Minna Jones-Walters, now residing in Oxfordshire, ran a fine new PB of 3 hrs 22 mins.
