Parkrun warm-up for County Champs

ISSY CLARKE warmed up for the Cheshire County Cross Country Championships this Saturday at Reaseheath College, Nantwich, with a top-three finish at the Delamere 5km parkrun.

The West Cheshire AC middle distance runner posted 21 minutes 42 seconds for third place in the ladies race at Delamere Forest. Clarke, who will compete in the under 15 girls race over a 3.5km course at Reaseheath, will be focusing her sights on a medal performance after winning the Marie Birkenhead One Mile Race title last year at Longford Park Stadium, Trafford.

Clarke will be supported at Reaseheath by team mates Beth McMahon and Lily Moorhouse.

Ethan Greenland boosted his confidence in preparation for the under 17 mens race this Saturday, posting 18:28 for sixth spot at Delamere Forest, just 27 seconds adrift of his personal best. Greenland will be joined on the Reaseheath starting line by club mates Christy Mageean, who won a recent Delamere parkrun, and by Harri Britton, who clocked 25:17 for 93rd spot at the weekend.

Mimi Jayaram prepared for her appearance at Reaseheath by finishing eighth lady at Delamere with a time of 23:54, while West Cheshire AC duo Abigail Cartwright and Imogen Pughe prepared by competing in the Ellesmere Port parkrun at Whitby Park. Cartwright clocked 27:40 for third position in the ladies race, while Pughe posted 29:40 for sixth spot.

Cartwright and Jayaram will receive back up at Reaseheath in the under 13 girls race from Lucy Baxter, Anna Crayston, Hollie Jones, Molly Jones, Emily Misantoni and Lucia Pyne, and Pughe will be joined in the under 11 girls race by Lara Battersby, Stephanie Jones, Carys Roberts, Scarlett Ross, Martha Willetts and Nina Willson.

West Cheshire AC will also be aiming to secure team titles in the under 11 boys, under 13 boys, under 15 boys, mens and ladies events. Kitt Baker, Zak Dean, Fergus Garland, Charlie McMullan, Jamie Richardson, Henry Robinson, Louis Tegg and Dan Willetts will combined in the under 11 boys age group.

Dylan Bugg, Ethan Butler, Matthew Douglass, Liam Farrell, Charlie Potts, Isaac Tait, Harvey Tegg and William Wright will team up in the under 13 boys event.

Sonny Dean, David Dentith Jack Dodd, Jac Goodall, Alex Mason, Sion Roberts, Patrick Tait, and Rory Willson will battle it out in the under 15 boys race.

Lisa Davies, Ellie Robinson and Anne-Marie Tait join forces in the ladies event, while Bob Benson, Andrew Carter, Mark Davies, Charlie Johnson, John Parlevliet, Peter Smith, David Tait, Julian Tegg, Dave Tiernan and George Dewhirst will compete in the mens race.

Katie Clarke and Ellen McMahon will represent West Cheshire in the under 17 and under 20 womens age groups respectively.

The full timetable for the Cheshire Championships is:

11:30am Under 11 boys and girls (2.3km);
11:50am Under 13 boys and girls (3.3km);
12:10pm Under 15 girls (3.5km);
12:35pm Under 15 boys and Under 17 Ladies (4.4km);
1:00pm Under 17 men and Under 20 ladies (6.3km);
1:40pm Under 20 men and Senior Ladies (7.7km);
2.30pm Senior Men (11km).

WEST CHESHIRE AC members in action at Delamere on Saturday also included Antony Woodall (26th in 20:54), Steve Hillier (37th in 21:59), Charlie Clarke (72nd in 24:19), Peter Smith (76th in 24:31), and Kay Hayes (26th lady in 26:57), while Bob Freeman was fourth at the Ellesmere Port 5km parkrun in 21:44.

OTHER fixtures this weekend include the England and Northern Indoor Combined Events Championships for Under 20s and Seniors at Sheffield on Saturday and Sunday; and the Sale Harriers Indoor Open Track and Field Meeting at Sportcity, Manchester, takes place on Sunday, (10.30am start).