| Lancashire School & Liverpool & District Blackburn`s Witton Park hosted the Lancashire Schools cross-country championships. In the Junior Boys race the Tarleton High pairing of Jake Helm and Chris Hesketh took command of the field and came clear. With fellow Liverpool Pembroke Sefton colleague Mike McCarten of Up Holland High finishing 9th they were also winners of the team race. Anrew Bowen(Glenburn) continued his successful season in finishing second in the Inter race and with Tom Hanlon(St Bedes) in 7th spot and Rob McLaughlin(Lathom) 23rd collected the bronze medals. Stephanie Swift(Ormskirk) was a respectable 7th in the Senior Girls race and similarly Emma Bowen(Glenburn) 6th in the Junior Girls. Over in the Merseyside Championships David Forrester(Birkdale), also of the local club, was second in the Junior Boys. With key runners away at the University Championships in Stirling LPS was digging deep to find counters for the Liverpool and District Championships at Clarke Gardens, Allerton. Sammy Rashid ran strongly as usual to claim 11th position and was first veteran home. The rest of the squad was also made up of enthusiastic vets but not unsurprisingly slumped to ninth position. There will be a lot of heart searching during the summer months as the decline in senior endurance running is contrasted with the club`s emergence as a top class sprinting outfit. Results Ormskirk`s Phil Taylor epitomises the latter as he won yet another Northern representative vest at an indoor match in Cardiff. A sparkling 48.4 in the 400m carried him to third placing. He has received an invitation to run in the World Championship trials at Sheffield. Report Charles Gains 4 & 5th February 2006 |
| Mid Lanc Report Liverpool Pembroke Sefton athletes made the trip to the Lake District to compete in the Mid-Lancashire Cross Country League at Keswick. The Under 17`s took pride of place with Andrew Bowen(2), Rob McLaughlin(9), Kieran Sloan(10) and Danny Gordon(18) taking first team placing. The Under 15 duo of Jake Helm(2) and Chris Hesketh(3) stuck firmly together followed by Tom Hanlon(6) and Mike McCarten(11) also secured a first team placing. Elsewhere in the Under 13`s Michael Bride was 5th and Joseph Hanlon 30th. Emma Bowen was a lone local entry in the Under 15 girls as was super-vet Kevin Carroll tucked away in 92nd place in the Senior Mens race. In the British University Championships at Stirling Courtney Birch was a prominent 11th and led home the Oxford team to 6th position. Edge Hill College is gradually building a reputation in these championships. Three LPS members Adam Clansey(78), Steve Donegan(145) and Mark Leicester(201) were part of a modest 21st placing but ahead of some strong universities. A week later Adam Clansey(16) was first home for the club in a large field in the Parbold Hill race. Club Secretary Robbie Wood was 149 and Gill Darby 237 but a good 3rd in the Women`s Over 40 category. Michael Bride(U13), David Forrester and Jake Helm (Under 15) and Matthew Brooks (Under 20) have received early notification that they have been selected to represent Merseyside in the Inter County Championships at Nottingham on 11th March. Report Charles Gains 11 February 2006 |
| Another Top Honour for Phil Taylor Ormskirk`s Phil Taylor added yet another sprint title to his growing portfolio. Running for Loughborough at the British Universities Indoor Championships at Sheffield he stormed to the 200m championship in a scintillating 21.77 seconds. Another Ormskirk resident Michael Zaim running for Edge Hill College made it to the semi-finals in a respectable 22.61. Experienced Dave Readle, also at Edge Hill, collected the silver medal in the Shot with a useful 15.44m throw.Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath with its spectacular views across London was the picturesque setting for the National Cross Country Championships. Not that the competitors had much time to appreciate the view as it is a notoriously difficult course. It was an occasion which LPS`s Maria Barrett will long remember as she revels in demanding conditions. She immediately went to the vanguard of the huge Senior Women`s field and was not fazed by the quality athletes around her. Indeed she seemed to grow stronger and her 30th spot will do her confidence no harm at all. Other high performers were Michael Bride in the Under 13 event. Seeming initially overawed by the occasion he nevertheless battled through for an excellent 37th. Andrew Bowen has had a very good season and was rewarded with 57th in the Under 17 event. With team mates Joe McKenna(164), Martin Cooke(179), Rob McLaughlin(246) and Danny Gordon(262) it provided LPS with its only team placing(25th). At Under 15 Jake Helm was 77, Chris Hesketh 125 and Mike McCarten 263. The club`s only Senior competitor Sammy Rashid had a torrid time but will subsequently reflect that his 324 spot was not a bad result in the afternoon`s largest field. Report Charles Gains 25th February 2006 |
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