Leader Hiles on a high in Club Championship opener for Thirsk & Sowerby Harriers (From York Press)

Leader Hiles on a high in Club Championship opener for Thirsk & Sowerby Harriers

10:16am Saturday 21st January 2012 in Athletics

A TEAM of 18 Thirsk & Sowerby Harriers runners kicked off the Club Championship series at race four of the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cross Country League at Acklam Grange School.

Lorraine Hiles led home the Harriers women’s team, finishing the 3.5-mile course in 18th place in a time of 25.03 minutes.

Carolyn Morrison and Hilary Coventry had a ding-dong battle throughout the race, with Morrison clinching it to finish 41st in 28-32 ahead of Coventry, who was 42nd in 28-37.

Pat Kirby was 48th, and first in the V3 category, in 29-28, Christine Burn was 56th in 32-10, Lisa Brown, in her first cross country, was 59th in 34-00, Cath Lumb came 62nd in 34-16, Janet Balmain, another debutant, was 63rd in 34-19 and Marian Codling was 71st in 40-17.

In the ten-kilometre men’s race, Phil Utley came home 12th in a time of 38-33, with Walter Busuttil 39th in 42-59, Stephan Tomaszewski 45th in 43-18, Gavin Coventry 53rd in 43-46, Merv Burn 60th in 44-47, Rob Burn 80th in 47-28, Geoff Bullock 94th in 49-53, Paul Goacher 108th in 53-11 and Ian Codling 117th in 67-13.

Ryan Coventry finished 21st in the under-11 boys’ race and Kerry Coventry was 18th in the U13 girls’ event.