FIONA COOK and Michael Young celebrated podium finishes at Saturday’s Chester 50 Miles Race.

The West Cheshire Athletic Club duo impressed in the event which started and finished at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Athletics Track.

Fiona won the women’s race and finished ninth overall in a new course record time of seven hours 41 minutes 30 seconds, and Michael finished second in 6:25:42 which was under the previous course record time. 

Other West Cheshire AC members in action included David Shearer who posted sixth spot in 7:27:09, and Rebecca Rosalski who was 115th overall and 12th female in 10:09:55.

EIGHT West Cheshire AC youngsters represented their county at Saturday’s English Schools Cross Country Championships held at Ardingly, West Sussex.

Nia Manson (161st in 10:43), Amelia Snowden (238th in 11:07), and Harriet Beattie (310th in 11:42) represented Cheshire in the Junior Girls race.

Scott Wells (168th in 16:23) and Daniel Walker (315th in 17:41) rounded the Intermediate Boys race for Cheshire, while Cosette Wearden (124th in 15:49) represented Merseyside and Hayley Holland (276th in 17:59) represented Cheshire in the Senior Girls event, and Eleanor Wheeler (299th in 16:00) rounded the Intermediate Girls course for Cheshire.

MICHAEL YOUNG was first home for West Cheshire AC at Sunday’s fifth round of the Borders Road Running League held at Capenhurst.

Michael clocked 26:34 for 10th spot on the five miles course, backed up by Matthew Douglass (27th in 27:20); Steve Fernyhough (32nd in 27:31); Jamie Fisher (71st in 29:21); Luke Pearson (72nd in 29:24); Chris Shaw (84th in 29:55); Duncan Harris (102nd in 30:56); Wullie McGarrell (103rd in 31:01); Paul Morrison (109th in 31:22); Jeff Gifford (111th in 31:24); Andrew Clague (163rd in 33:56); Steve Hillier (169th in 34:22); Ian Pritchard (181st in 35:17); Paul Cain (187th in 35:47); Stephen Ball (198th in 36:56); Andy Carter (209th in 37:38); Phil Gent (220th in 38:17); and Dave Tiernan (270th in 48:00).

Keely Smith (fifth in 30:22) was West Cheshire AC’s first female finisher, supported by Claire Harris (11th in 31:19); Emma Nutt (24th in 33:05); Clare Mallon (55th in 37:22); and Joy Hickman (57th in 37:54).

NATHAN OWEN celebrated two new personal bests at Sunday’s Trafford Open Medal Track and Field Meeting.

He posted a new under 17 men’s 100m best of 11.68 seconds to beat former Manchester City player, Nedum Onuoha, and then followed up by slicing 0.2 off his previous 200m best to clock 23.62 seconds.

Immy Fives completed in her first outdoor under 17 women’s 200m in a winning heat time of 27.74 seconds, while Louis Grimes posted a new under 15 boys 300m personal best of 40.17 seconds.

Erin Barnard dominated her heat and smashed her under 17 women’s personal best to clock 44.29 seconds.

Poppy McKenna won her under 13 girls 70m hurdles in 12.73 seconds, and rounded the 800m in 2:40:61 for third position.

Violet Thorne won the under 15 girls javelin with 19.54m, spun the discus to 22.98m, and clocked 14.38 seconds for her 75m hurdles, whuile her sister, Merryn, posted 12.44 seconds for the under 13 girls 75m, long jumped 3.18m, and hit 10.56m in the javelin.

FIXTURES this weekend include the Helsby and Frodsham Primary Schools Cross Country Races, at Delamere Forest, on Friday; the Sale Harriers Over The Bales Races at Crossford Bridge, on Sunday; and the Chester Primary Schools Cross Country Races, at Ellesmere Port Sports Village, on Monday.

ENTRIES are now being accepted for the Chester Spring Five Miles Road Race being organised by West Cheshire AC on Wednesday, April 9. The online entry link is: wcac.niftyentries.com

WEST CHESHIRE AC will host the first-ever Cheshire Grand Prix Track and Field Meeting on Saturday, April 26, at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Athletics Track. The entry link is: https://meets.rosterathletics.com/public/competitions/details/about?id=26414

The Cheshire Grand Prix will replace the Cheshire Track and Field League and will comprise of four fixtures in total being held at EPSV, Macclesfield, and Warrington.

COUNTY Officials Secretary, Tim Palmer, has arranged a Level 1 Track Judge and a Level 1 Field Judge course to coincide with the first match of the new Cheshire Track & Field Grand Prix being held on 26th April at EPSV.

The details of these are: Level 1 Track Judge – OV2604TR – 26/04/2025:

Level 1 Field Part 1 and 2 – OV2304FD – 23/04/2025 & 26/04/2025:

This initiative will hopefully strengthen the number of officials in the county and provide an opportunity for anyone wanting to take the first step towards becoming a qualified official.

ONLINE entries are now being accepted for the Cheshire Track and Field Championships being held at Ellesmere Port, on Saturday and Sunday, 10 and 11 May via this link:

The Championships will have full electronic timing and photo-finish for track events and EDM for field events. The Roster competition management system will be used, providing live start lists and results via the Roster App.

As usual, medals will be awarded for the full programme of track and field events for all age groups from under 13s to seniors, together with a small number of events for the Under-11 age group.

WEST CHESHIRE AC will help organise the Cheshire v Merseyside Year Seven Schools Cross Country Match at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Wednesday, April 2.

DATES and venues for this season’s Borders Road Running League are: April 6 at Buckley Runners; May 7 at Prestatyn (Presentation Evening).
All races are on Sundays and start at 11am except for the final race which is on a Wednesday evening with a 7pm start and is a relay event.
FURTHER details about West Cheshire Athletic Club can be found at: www.westcheshireac.co.uk

by Dennis Wall

FOURTEEN West Cheshire Athletic Club members represented their county in Nottingham on Saturday.

Poppy McKenna, Nia Manson, Amelia Snowden, Claire Harris, Emma Nutt, Leon Betteridge, Cosette Wearden, Hayley Holland, Harriet Beattie, Eleanor Wheeler, Emilia Pyper, Dylan Gledhill, Scott Wells and Ben Newall all teamed up for Cheshire at Wollaton Park for the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships.

Poppy (53rd), Nia (61st) and Amelia (128th) combined for the Cheshire under 13 girls team, while Claire (116th) and Emma (203rd) represented the senior ladies.

Leon rounded the under 13 boys race in 183rd spot, while Cosette achieved 76th place in the under 17 women’s event alongside Hayley (250th).

Harriet (227th) and Eleanor (257th) combined in the under 15 women’s race, while Dylan finished 272nd in the under 15 boys event, and Scott (196th) and Ben (226th) completed the under 17 men’s race.

LEWIS MORRIS and Sam Oliver celebrated success at Sunday’s Chester 10k Road Race which attracted a record 7,000 entries.

Lewis clocked 33 minutes 54 seconds for first position in his under 17 age group and 10th place in the overall race, while Sam won his under 20 age group category in a time of 34:45 and was 16th in the race.

Grant Davies was West Cheshire AC’s first finisher, posting 33:48 for eighth spot in the race and second place in his M20-34 age group.

Ben Newall was second in his under 17 age group with 35:49, while Steve Fernyhough finished third in his over-40 age group and 17th in the race with a time of 34:45.

Matthew Douglass clocked 34:04 for fifth place in his M20-34 age group and 11th spot in the race, while Carys Manson was fifth in her under 20 age group in 49:43.

Jon Park secured sixth spot in his over-40 age group, and Carolyn Pollard was sixth in her over-40 age category.

Other West Cheshire AC finishers behind overall winner Matthew Clowes (Wrexham AAC) who clocked 31:03, and first lady Anna Bracegirdle (Salford Harriers) who posted a new women’s course record of 33:50, included Luke Ellis (42:23), Jake Hidden Deveson (43:39), Steve Hillier (43:53), Peter Kerestur (46:25), Andrew Barratt (46:28), Dave Barratt (47:02), Stephen Ball (46:56), David Morris (47:29), Phil Gent (49:30), Gerald Brown (52:49), Dan Hooker (50:37), Andy Gore (50:30), Kimberly Morris (56:41), and Alex Simmonds (58:35).

FIVE West Cheshire AC members impressed at Sunday’s Sale Harriers Indoor Open Track and Field Meeting.

Jacob Gardner ran 7.53 seconds to slice 0.12 off his previous 60m best, while Alba March broke her 60m best by 0.07 after running 8.01 seconds.

Louis Grimes bettered his 300m best by 0.87 to clock 41.09 seconds, while Alan Littler ran 40.67 seconds for his 300m which is the fastest he has run indoors for 11 years!

And Erin Barnard smashed her 300m best to clock 45.08, bettering her outdoor time of 46.1 and her previous indoor best of 47.12.

FIXTURES this weekend include the English Schools Cross Country Championships at Ardingly, West Sussex, on Saturday; the Chester Ultras 50 miles Road Race at Ellesmere Port Sports Village, on Saturday; the England Athletics Indoor International, at Sheffield, on Sunday; and the Borders Road Running League, at Capenhurst, on Sunday.

ENTRIES are now being accepted for the Chester Spring Five Miles Road Race being organised by West Cheshire AC on Wednesday, April 9. The online entry link is: wcac.niftyentries.com

ENTRIES close on March 16 for the Sale Harriers Over The Bales Races for Under 9s, Under 11s, and Under 13s, at Crossford Bridge, Sale, Manchester, being held on Sunday, March 23.

The online entry form link is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScigk3DfHKIXl3JVBGwNxWcHqehb3xQZXGyhx1_PlILkn-V-w/viewform

WEST CHESHIRE AC will help organise the Chester Primary Schools Cross Country Championships at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Monday, March 24, and the Cheshire v Merseyside Year Seven Schools Cross Country Match at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Wednesday, April 2.

WEST CHESHIRE AC coaches will be delivering Sportshall Athletics in the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Sportshall between 6-8pm this Friday, with the aim of helping youngsters prepare for the Cheshire County Schools Sportshall Athletics Finals, at Ellesmere Port Sports Village, on Monday, March 17.

ONLINE entries are now being accepted for the Cheshire Track and Field Championships will be held at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11.

The Championships will have full electronic timing and photo-finish for track events and EDM for field events. The Roster competition management system will be used, providing live start lists and results via the Roster App.

As usual, medals will be awarded for the full programme of track and field events for all age groups from under 13s to seniors, together with a small number of events for the Under-11 age group.

WEST CHESHIRE AC will host the first-ever Cheshire Grand Prix Track and Field Meeting on Saturday, April 26, at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Athletics Track.

The Cheshire Grand Prix will replace the Cheshire Track and Field League and will comprise of four fixtures in total being held at EPSV, Macclesfield, and Warrington.

DATES and venues for this season’s Borders Road Running League are: March 16 at Capenhurst; April 6 at Buckley Runners; May 7 at Prestatyn (Presentation Evening).
All races are on Sundays and start at 11am except for the final race which is on a Wednesday evening with a 7pm start and is a relay event.
FURTHER details about West Cheshire Athletic Club can be found at: www.westcheshireac.co.uk

February’s cold snap meant fewer races in which to gain points. No change in the women’s top 2 of high-scoring Claire Harris and Emma Nutt, with Anest Muller edging ahead of Debra Bemand into 3rd place. The men’s competition couldn’t be closer, with Michael Young, Paul Morrison and Jeff Gifford all level on 20 points.

See the Races page for full tables. Please address any queries to [email protected].

by Dennis Wall

FLYING Scotsman Wullie McGarrell has secured number one spot in the UK ranking lists.

The West Cheshire Athletic Club runner clocked a time of three hours three minutes three seconds at the Seville Marathon to achieved top position for his over-60 age group in the UK rankings for the Marathon.

He was join in Spain by Brian Wright, Sarah Hibbert and Victoria Hibbert who ran in the Seville Marathon 5k Race.

CLAIRE HARRIS, Tracy Rogers, Lucie Truett, Emma Nutt and Anest Muller combined to earn West Cheshire AC podium places in team events at the final round of the Manchester Area Cross Country League.

Claire (fourth over 35 lady in 38:37), Tracy (fifth over-35 lady in 39:00), Lucie (fourth lady in 40:19), and Emma (eighth lady in 42:05), claimed second team position in the Senior Ladies Competition at Stockport’s Woodbank Park.

And Claire, Tracy and Anest (10th over-40 lady in 45:20) secured second team place in the Veteran Ladies Competition, alongside Angela Tegg (17th over 50 lady in 51:40) and Debra Bemand (21st over-50 lady in 54:08).

Nia Manson achieved second position in the under 13 girls race with a time of 13:18, and Abby Gamble completed the under 11 girls event in 13th spot with a time of 11:46.

POPPY McKENNA, Amelia Snowden, and Flori Hain combined to help Chester King’s School finish 16th out of 27 teams in the junior girls race at the English Schools Cross Country Cup Final held at Leeds Grammar School.

Poppy posted 14th place, supported by West Cheshire AC team mates Amelia (33rd), and Flori (132nd).

FIXTURES this weekend include the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Nottingham, on Saturday; the England Athletics Under 15 and Under 17 Indoor Combined Events Championships at Sheffield, on Saturday and Sunday; the Chester 10k Road Race on Sunday; and the Manchester Indoor Open Track and Field Meeting at SportCity, on Sunday.

THE English Schools Cross Country Championships will be held in West Sussex, on Saturday, March 15.

ENTRIES are now being accepted for the Chester Spring Five Miles Road Race being organised by West Cheshire AC on Wednesday, April 9. The online entry link is: wcac.niftyentries.com

ENTRIES close on March 16 for the Sale Harriers Over The Bales Races for Under 9s, Under 11s, and Under 13s, at Crossford Bridge, Sale, Manchester, being held on Sunday, March 23.

The online entry form link is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScigk3DfHKIXl3JVBGwNxWcHqehb3xQZXGyhx1_PlILkn-V-w/viewform

WEST CHESHIRE AC will help organise the Chester Primary Schools Cross Country Championships at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Monday, March 24, and the Cheshire v Merseyside Year Seven Schools Cross Country Match at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Wednesday, April 2.

WEST CHESHIRE AC coaches will be delivering Sportshall Athletics in the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Sportshall between 6-8pm this Friday, with the aim of helping youngsters prepare for the Schools Sportshall Athletics fixtures. Please come along and support the sessions.

ONLINE entries are now being accepted for the Cheshire Track and Field Championships will be held at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11.

The Championships will have full electronic timing and photo-finish for track events and EDM for field events. The Roster competition management system will be used, providing live start lists and results via the Roster App.

As usual, medals will be awarded for the full programme of track and field events for all age groups from under 13s to seniors, together with a small number of events for the Under-11 age group.

WEST CHESHIRE AC will host the first-ever Cheshire Grand Prix Track and Field Meeting on Saturday, April 26, at the Ellesmere Port Sports Village Athletics Track.

The Cheshire Grand Prix will replace the Cheshire Track and Field League and will comprise of four fixtures in total being held at EPSV, Macclesfield, and Warrington.

DATES and venues for this season’s Borders Road Running League are: March 16 at Ellesmere Port; April 6 at Buckley Runners; May 7 at Prestatyn (Presentation Evening).
All races are on Sundays and start at 11am except for the final race which is on a Wednesday evening with a 7pm start and is a relay event.
THE final winter Sale Harriers Manchester Indoor Open Meeting will be held at the Regional Athletics Centre, Sportcity, Manchester. M11 4FF, on Sunday, March 9. The online entry link is: https://www.saleharriersmanchester.com/index.php/events-fixtures/winter-indoor-series
FURTHER details about West Cheshire Athletic Club can be found at: www.westcheshireac.co.uk