Medal winners set the pace at cross country
Published 2 Dec 2011 08:30
HELENSBURGH Athletic Club's juniors returned from the Dunbartonshire County Cross Country Championships at a rain-sodden and wind-swept Levengrove Park in Dumbarton with an impressive medal haul.
Jake Gumbrell set the standard in the opening race, a one-mile loop of the park for under-11 boys and girls.
Once he'd worked his way to the front of the field he was never headed and claimed the gold medal with a time of 7.12.
Liam Kavanagh took the bronze medal just 15 seconds behind.
Ewan Robb and Jack McLean made impressive cross country debuts, finishing 10th and 11th respectively of the 28 boys in the race with their times of 8.00 and 8.06.
With the first three finishers counting for the team score the Burgh Boys total of 14 secured first place.
Twenty-four girls lined up with the boys and Emma Scott made it a winning double for the Burgh.
Running strongly throughout she beat all but five of the boys to finish first girl with her time of 7.40.
Holly Walker was next home for the Burgh, seventh in 8.35.
Chloe Murphy was tripped and fell in the opening thirty metres but picked herself up and worked her way steadily through the pack to finish nineth in 8.52.
Not only was it a double individual gold but the girls' score of 17 was good enough to match the boys' first place in the team awards, a clean sweep if such a thing is possible in cross-country.
Under-13 runners faced a large loop of the park plus a lap of the football pitches in their two-mile race.
Morag Paterson showed a welcome return to form, taking the individual bronze medal with her time of 14.24.
She was closely followed home by Mhairi Cromar, fifth (14.31) and Melissa Robinson, sixth (14.36). The team total of 14 brought them the silver team awards just two points behind Victoria Park City of Glasgow.
Excellent packing from the rest of the squad was good enough for them to finish as third team in the 33-strong field, Rachel McLean finishing 13th (15.49), Kara Bruce 17th (16.11) and Kirsty Scott 23rd (17.08).
The Burgh under-13 boys team finished just out of the medals in fourth place.
Lewis Campbell and Gregor Chambers had their customary race-within-a-race, Lewis finishing tenth of the 28 boys competing with Gregor one place behind and respective times of 13.23 and 13.30.
Bruce Cromar chased them all the way to finish in 14.08 for 13th place.
Calum Caskie was 19th in 15.02, Raymond Slaughter 22nd in 15.29 and Ewan Mair 24th in 16.22.
A combined race for under-15 boys and girls and under-17 men and women saw them tackle a three-mile route comprising two laps of the park.
Calum Wilson clocked 21.35 for seventh place in the under-17s while Megan Robertson claimed fifth in the under-15s with a time of 23.07.
It was left to Maddie Robinson to claim the Burgh juniors' final medal as runner-up in the under-17s with her time of 24.55.
Five individual medals and four sets of team awards sent a very proud squad home to Helensburgh and no doubt a very welcome hot bath.
This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 01 Dec 11
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