LSARRC News 14th February 2017

Christopher McCarthy at Rossall XC

It was win-win for Lytham St. Annes Road Running Club at Rossall on Saturday. The Senior Women secured promotion to the First Division for 2017 - 2018 and the Senior Men took a step nearer to promotion when they flagged up a second successive maximum 7 points in Division 3.

Layla Foley

Rossall School and Thornton-Cleveleys RC hosted the penultimate cross-country fixture of the Mid-Lancs League's season for 640 runners from all over the North-West. LSARRC played a big part with 28 competing and 26 marshalling.

The cold conditions suited runners on the undulating courses. These started on the field playing fields, climbed steeply up the nearest sand hill, dropped down onto rough pasture, tracks and earth paths traversing two ditches to finish over a lower sand hill back once again onto the playing fields.

The Senior Women's 'A' Team finished 10th overall and 2nd in Division 2 to clinch the second place promotion with 28 points behind unbeatable Barlick FR with the perfect score of 28 for the season.

Leading the team was Layla Foley running cross-country for the first time this season to finish in 6th and 2nd U20W in 24:45 for the 6k course. Completing the A Team were Melanie Koth, 24th in 27:46, and Alexandra Everest, vastly improving her running, 67th in 31:47. Kirsten Burnett, 70th, 32:00; Julia Rolfe, 79th, 32:45 and Olivia Johnson Allen on only her second cross-country run, 84th, 33:25 made up the B Team that came 24th. Other Lytham members were Pamela Hardman, 114th, 36:49; Sylvia Gittins, 127th, 39:46 and Dawn Lock, 139th, 48:38 who were all part of the V55 team.

The Senior Men's team finished an excellent 5th, one place up on their Burnley finish, to take 7 points in Division 3. Their season total of 22 puts them second to Glaxo Hoad Hill on 23 and leaves Division 3 to go to the line with four clubs in contention with just 4 points separating them. Christopher McCarthy was Lytham's leading man, improving on his Burnley 18th place with 16th and 36:55 for the three-lap 10k won in 34:21. Others members of the six-man team were; Joe Greenwood, 30th, 38:49; Andy Draper, 34th, 39:24; Thomas Howarth, 56th, 41:02; Paul Veevers, 57th, 41:11 and Graham Webster, 136th , 47:01. Neil Tate sustained injury and finished 184th in 52:53 and Greg Oulton, 203rd in 1:04:14.

The five junior races that took place earlier saw ten Lytham Juniors completing two teams. The two Under 11 races did a 2k two-sand hill lap and the Under 13 Girls ran 2.5k going further into the rough pasture. The U11Gs' team of Amara Thorpe; 33rd in 8:34, Jessica Ramsden, 44th, 8:47 and Hebe Tierney, 55th, 9:06, finished 10th.
Clemmie Tierney was 63rd in 9:25. U11B finished 5th. George Denye was 4th in 6:49; Morgan Pritchard, 25th, 7:36 and Eric Wrigley, 43rd, 8:11. Lewis Bentley, 44th, 8:15, and Jack Greaves, 58th, 9:30 tried out cross-country for the first time.

Two Lytham Juniors competed in the U13Gs' race: Sydney Ramsden was 32nd in 11:16 and Rebecca Tate was 46th 11:51.

As well as the competing in the cross-country, Chris McCarthy and Graham Webster ran the 5K Lytham Parkrun that same morning. Chris was the first Lytham runner in third place in 19:13 while Graham came sixth, and first in his VM60-64.

George Denye

The success of the junior Parkrun continued on Sunday with 97 completing the 2K race on Park View playing fields. LSARRC’s George Denye completed for the first time and won it for the first time. The 10 year-old ran well to notch up a finishing time of 7:32, a margin of 22 seconds over the second competitor.  Sydney Ramsden was Lytham’s first girl, and the second girl in the race with sister Jessica in eleventh.

Full Lytham results from the junior Parkrun: George Denye (JM10) 1st. 7:32; Sydney Ramsden (JW11-14) 4th, 8:46; Charlie Ormerod (JM10) 5th, 8:52; Lewis Bentley (JM10) 8th, 9:21; Jessica Ramsden (JW10) 11th, 9:39; Clemmie Tierney (JW10) 21st, 10:23; Sophie Tate (JW10) 47th, 13:28 and Kieran Bannister (JM10) 29th, 11:27.