Craven trio impress on national stage (From Craven Herald)

Craven trio impress on national stage

10:56am Thursday 10th November 2011 in Athletics

Three Craven-based athletes helped Bingley Harriers ladies team to produce a fine performance on the national stage.

England runners Victoria Wilkinson of Hebden and Long Preston’s Mary Wilkinson teamed up with Scottish international Emma Raven – who is now based at Cononley – to guide their club into fifth place in the English National Cross Country Relay Champion- ships, which is held annually at Berry Hill Park in Mansfield.

As the teams arrived at Mansfield, they were greeted by torrential rain which although easing for the women’s race had already turned the usually firm, fast course into a more challenging, mud bath.

With teams comprising just three runners, Bingley Harriers were able to field two strong teams in the senior women’s race, which saw the runners speed and strength tested over a 3,000m course including parkland, woodland, climbs and descents.

Raven gave the first team a strong start on the first leg, handing over to Victoria Wilkinson in 13th position.

Victoria then made serious inroads into the athletes ahead of her on leg two, posting the eighth fastest time of the day on leg two and climbing seven places to hand over to Mary Wilkinson for the final leg in sixth place.

With the gaps between the teams now growing, Mary ran a strong race, to record the fifth fastest time on the final leg and pulled back another position, bringing Bingley home in fifth position, just over a minute behind winners Charnwood AC who took the title for the fifth successive year.

This was Bingley ladies best-ever result at this event.

Bingley’s second team, comprising Haworth’s Jo Buckley, Addingham’s Sarah Jarvis and Todmorden’s Sue Beaconsall, finished in 19th position, resulting in Bingley being the only club to have two teams in the top 20 from a field of over 100.

Adding to the local interest at the event, Skipton AC had teams in both the senior men’s and women’s events, with both performing strongly.

Skipton AC ladies finished in 68th position after Sarah Dugdale – continuing her return to competition – got the team off to a flying start on leg one, before the ever-improving Clare Pearson ran an impressive second leg moving the team up several places to had over to Chris Rose on the final leg to bring the team home strongly. In the men’s event, the Skipton AC team of Triss Kenny, Paul Norman, Jim Kirkpatrick and John Hampshire performed strongly to bring the team home in 158th place