We had thirteen Vale of York athletes turn out at Cliffe Castle in Keighley on Sunday 11 October for the first meeting of the West Yorkshire Cross Country League, and we came away with something special: a full team in both senior races.
Congratulations to everyone who participated, particularly the women who have struggled with numbers to make up a full team in previous years.
The women
Alice Bates led the women home in 8th place overall in 18:05, and was sixth senior woman in the race. Emma Cox was second U20 woman and recorded our best individual category placing of the day.
| Pos | Athlete | Time | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Alice Bates | 18:05 | 6th SENW |
| 29 | Emma Cox | 19:29 | 2nd U20W |
| 44 | Abigail Aitken | 20:38 | 26th SENW |
| 52 | Amelie Udall | 21:01 | 8th U20W |
| 53 | Annie Dickinson | 21:21 | 9th U20W |
The team finished 7th of 8 on 133 points. Leeds City won it on 29.
The men
Seven started and all seven finished, giving us our six counters and one spare. William Walker was 8th in 22:17, sixth senior man.
| Pos | Athlete | Time | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | William Walker | 22:17 | 6th SENM |
| 27 | Cameron Bryson | 24:00 | 18th SENM |
| 36 | Harry Bromley | 24:56 | 24th SENM |
| 44 | Aidan Wadley | 26:12 | 28th SENM |
| 67 | Daniel Ley | 27:47 | 35th SENM |
| 78 | Blake Scaddan | 28:57 | 39th SENM |
| 92 | Zachariah Hall | 30:27 | 10th U20M |
The team finished 6th of 8 on 260 points, and Leeds City won that one too, on 40.
Why the full teams matter
The league team award needs a full team at every meeting of the season, at least four women and six men, every time.
At Cliffe Castle we had five women and seven men. That is one spare in each race. One injury, one person who cannot make the date, one bad morning, and the team score does not exist for that meeting and the award is gone for the season.
The men’s team has finished second in this league twice, so a full men’s team is not new. What has never happened is four Vale women on the start line at every meeting of a season. That is genuinely within reach this year.
The team is almost entirely University of York students, and if we have any higher-ability non-student athletes who would like to join them you would be most welcome.
Meeting 2
The next WYXC race is Saturday 14 November, Thornes Park, Wakefield. Come and help us make up two full teams again.
