Thirty-nine club members ran in the 3^rd cross-country race in the West Yorkshire Winter League series on Sunday 31^st January. In short we emerged as the overall winners on the day for the very first time in our history! There were many outstanding performances. Chris Williams, in his first race in the series, was 2^nd overall to the regular winner of the men’s event (Ben Mounsey, Stainland). Tom Collinge has competed in every race so far and he managed his best performance taking 3^rd place from Julian Hood (Skipton). New member, Alistair Galt, proved his ability crossing the line in 26^th place. There then followed a remarkable sequence of finishers, including our top veteran runners: Andy Dovernor (32^nd), Mick Coe (33), Martin Firth (36), Ben Clare (40), Peter Hughes (42). This ensured a fantastic first place in the men’s event on the day by 40 points over Baildon in 2^nd place. A further 21 men completed the course. The women’s team finished 4^th on the day with excellent performances by Anna Smith (13^th), Jo Horan (16^th albeit carrying an injury), Stacey Cleal (17^th), Lynne Robinson (26^th), Maria Rhodes (37^th), Zoe Hipwell (48^th), Julie Hepworth (54^th), Rachel Kendall (65^th), Dianne Simpson (78^th) and Sharan Loughran (83^rd). The combined efforts of the men and women meant that Queensbury was placed 1^st overall on the day, a single point ahead of Stainland Lions in 2^nd place and eight points ahead of Baildon Runners.

Queensbury was invited to join the West Yorkshire Winter League in the 2012-13 season. At the time the men formed a small but strong team and they finished the season in the 4^th place. However, in our inaugural season there was no women’s team at all. It was not until the 2013-14 season when Anna and Jo started representing the club. By the end of the 2014-15 season the women, now joined by Stacey and Zoe, were placed 7^th out of ten teams. This season, with one race to go, the women are 4^th out of eleven teams in the same position as the men’s team. Given the competitive nature of the WYWL this is a remarkable leap forward for the club.

The achievements at the club have drawn admiration from others throughout the season. The team spirit is exceptional and we celebrate every runner’s achievement. Thanks to those who put on an excellent race at Temple Newsam and to the WYWL organisers for their hard work. Thanks also to Graham Cecil Halstead for the excellent photos.

WYWL Results: Temple Newsam