Today saw off the final race of the West Yorkshire Winter League. Another great turn out by Queensbury and well done to everyone who ran through the series. Queensbury finished an impressive 4th overall out of a field of 11 teams.
A few people have struggled to open the Excel files to view the results from the WYWL. Mainly due to the file having so many calculations to make, iPhones/iPads etc seem to struggle to compute it. Here are the results on the day in a PDF which should be easily viewable
Queensbury runners form an orderly queue led by Ben Clare just after the start
Thirty-nine club members ran in the 3rd cross-country race in the West Yorkshire Winter League series on Sunday 31st 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 2nd 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 3rd place from Julian Hood (Skipton). New member, Alistair Galt, proved his ability crossing the line in 26th place. There then followed a remarkable sequence of finishers, including our top veteran runners: Andy Dovernor (32nd), 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 2nd place. A further 21 men completed the course. The women’s team finished 4th on the day with excellent performances by Anna Smith (13th), Jo Horan (16th albeit carrying an injury), Stacey Cleal (17th), Lynne Robinson (26th), Maria Rhodes (37th), Zoe Hipwell (48th), Julie Hepworth (54th), Rachel Kendall (65th), Dianne Simpson (78th) and Sharan Loughran (83rd). The combined efforts of the men and women meant that Queensbury was placed 1st overall on the day, a single point ahead of Stainland Lions in 2nd place and eight points ahead of Baildon Runners.
Chris Williams sprints for the line in 2nd place while Tom Collinge secures 3rd place in the background.
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 4th 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 7th out of ten teams. This season, with one race to go, the women are 4th 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.
1st F50, Anna Smith, finishes strongly
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.
Some of the team before the race. Thanks to Bev Morritt for the photo.
A club record of 31 runners turned out for the 1st race in the West Yorkshire Cross Country League on Sunday 13th December. The first fixture at Stainland was postponed due to torrential rain in the days before and the skies opened again on the day before the Dewsbury race. The course was very muddy with some tough climbs and tricky descents. Congratulations to everyone who took part. Many runners were participating in the WYWL for the first time. The support for everyone was fantastic with many of those who had already crossed the line stayed on to cheer on the rest of the team as they rushed for the line.
First home for QRC was Tom Collinge in 9th. Tom comfortably in 4th place at the end of the final climb but he took a wrong turn in the woods and slipped a few places. It was still a fine run Tom! The male vets competed amongst themselves for the next QRC places. Mick Coe timed his move to perfection and just edged past Martin Firth and Peter Hughes. Jo Horan was the first female home for Queensbury coming home in 10th place. Anna Smith crossed the line soon after and Stacey Cleal came in in 23rd place.
The outstanding team performance on the day was the Female team (4th overall). The Male team was 6th, the Vets team 7th and the overall position at the end of the first race is 5th. There is much to look forward to at the second race in Idle on January 3rd.
The quality of the Queensbury veteran runners was again evident with four absolutely fantastic age-category wins (Anna Smith, Martin Firth, Peter Hughes and Graham Jowett). Jo Horan and Stacey Cleal were 3rd and 4th in their respective categories and Mick Coe was 5th in the exceptional M50 group.
Well done to all. A real credit to Queensbury Running Club and living proof of the great strides the club has made in the last year.
The first West Yorkshire Winter League race, hosted by Dewsbury Road Runners, took place on Sunday 13th December with a HUGE QRC turnout. The results are not available yet but here’s a slideshow of images taken at the race. Pump up the volume and enjoy!
Here are the details for the final Cross Country race to be held by Baildon.
Race start 2pm
Baildon Rugby Club Jenny Lane Baildon West Yorkshire BD17 6RS
Approx 4.5 miles, 1 lap course. Fell or trail shoes depending on the weather, no spikes. We will meet at the Baildon Rugby club as usual then lead people over to the start, 5-6 min walk/jog. The finish is in roughly the same place as the start, so will be best to take jumpers/warm clothes over to the start/finish. Changing rooms and showers available at the rugby club. Food/drinks will be available in the clubhouse afterwards. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/676361143 https://www.strava.com/activities/242948117
The Giants Tooth was run on New Years day, a local 3 mile fell race run from the Causeway Foot at Ogden. Queensbury had plenty of runners there with Pete Hughes back first to claim the V60 position.
Full Results: http://www.fellrunner.org.uk/results.php?id=2709
The following week was the 2nd XC at Stainland. Another tough route of approx 4.5 undulating and quite technical miles. The results proved to be as difficult as the course with a record turnout and an error with the ‘lollipop’ sticks. The electronic system helped to patch up the results in the end after a lot of work from the team. We are doing very well in the competition and the Stainland race saw a record number of runners for Queensbury. We hope to continue this in the next race, see the following details provided by WYWL.
WYWL event 3 – Craven Energy Cross Country – 25th January 2015
Course: 4.7 miles, undulating, fields and woodland track. There is a bit of hardcore and some Tarmac paths to cross so unfortunately not suitable for spikes.
Venue: is UAK (formerly Greenhead school). There are showers, toilets, changing room, car park.
There will be pie and peas and hot drinks and cakes for sale after.
Postcode is BD20 6EB (or google UAK Keighley).
Course is in the park next to the school.
Finally, the Stanbury Splash, which actually turned into the The Stoop due to the snow, ice and all round bad conditions the race in renowned for was run on Sunday. Just two Queensbury Runners braved the conditions, all out action man Lee Hipwell ran well and finished in 49 mins 34 seconds and Ben Clare put in a great performance after taking some time out for work commitments and finished 44th in 41:53.
Many races having taking place recently, a brief summary of Queensbury RC’s latest sucesses:
The first West Yorkshire Winter League was help on a tough, hilly course in Mirfield. Some excellent performances from Jo Choran who was 12th lady overall in a very competitive field, and from Andy Dovoner & Diane Simpson on the début in the series.
The Gathering Winter Fools Relay was held last Saturday in icy conditions. Queensbury ‘Rams’ took the 1st place mixed team and 6th overall on the 35 mile off road loop starting and finishing in Keighley. Queensbury ‘Ewes’ provided a second entry, the first time the club has managed to enter two teams into a relay.
Pete Hughesm after running leg 1 on Saturday in the GWF Relay, went on to race in the Mytholmroyd Fell Race and celebrated turning 60 with a win for category! There’ll’ be a lot of relived V55’s celebrating his 60th birthday for him!
The West Yorkshire Winter League X-Country is almost upon us. All club members can take part in these races for free as the club covers the cost of entry. The races are inclusive of all abilities and a good way to improve your speed, strength and confidence. Please find the following details regarding the first race and out it in your calendar for Sunday 7th December.
Venue: Hopton Mills Cricket Club
Date: Sunday 7/12/14 Time: 10:00am
Address: 18 Woodbottom, Mirfield, WF14 8HG
Parking: Ample parking is available within the mill complex although please travel together if possible.
Course: 4.2 hilly miles with 2 main hills.
Shoes: Trail or fell shoes are required for this course, spikes are not suitable.
Facilities: The cricket club will be open at the start/finish.
Pie & peas £2
Toilets and showers available.
The YVAA season drew to a close on remembrance Sunday at Spenborough. A big turnout from the club and some excellent performances. Club chairman Peter Hughes cemented his V55 series win. Stacey Cleal finished strongly after joining the club mid season and getting the last three races in. Anna Smith was 5th lady overall and Darren Midgley 8th.
The West Yorkshire Winter League starts on December 7th at Dewsbury. Full race details will be posted shortly. For those new to the club and not familiar with the competition, it is a series of 5 off road races of approximately 5-6 miles each. All full club members can run in these races for free and score points for the club. No pre registration is needed so it is just a case of turning up on the day and running. Off road shoes are definitely recommended as the races do get muddy! Prizes are broken down into categories between men, women, teams and split by ages so the races are competitive but well spirited and a great way to get involved with the club.