Members from both the junior and senior sections were not put off by the wind and pouring rain as they turned out in force and teamed up in style to tackle a relay event around Duchess Woods.

The promise of a large slice of post-run birthday cake proved to be a powerful incentive and there was much to celebrate after another successful year for the club.

There were reasons to be cheerful the previous day too when the HAAC seniors squad headed to Kilmarnock for the West District Cross Country Championships.

This was a new course for the event and in each lap there was what could only be described as a double swamp to traverse.

Otherwise the course was relatively flat, although boggy.

The female competitors ran two laps, approximately 6km, and the men three laps.

The Burgh Babes were depleted in numbers due to some last minute call-offs, but still managed to field one team of four with runners to spare. One of the Burgh front runners unfortunately had to withdraw during the competition due to injury, and Becky Parry lost valuable time trying to find her shoe which came off in the swamp.

First home for the team was Michelle Hetherington, who took second place in the W45 category, followed by Becky Beale, Becky Parry, with both spikes on, then Helen Crooks and Jan Fellowes, who was second W55. The team were seventh overall.

The Burgh men fielded a team of six, though Chris Moses, who was the fastest in the team, found the conditions underfoot hard going. Next was Karl Giacchi, who is running well, then Campbell Fullerton, Ian Mclean, Gordon King and Alistair Wylie, who would have won the prize for the muddiest of the lot.