Match 1 – 19/10/2019 – Heaton Park, Manchester
The first match of the South East Lancs League took place at sunny Heaton Park, with good muddy conditions for the large contingent of ECH athletes taking part. It was the first race of the cross country season for the under 11’s and they didn’t disappoint with the boys winning the team event and the girls finishing 2nd. Alfie Manser ran brilliantly to lead the team home finishing 1st, with Finley Partington 3rd and Edward Figgins-Barrett 6th making up the team. Anna Rooke, Amelia Jones and Meadow Wright packed well finishing 6th, 7th and 9th respectively. The under 13 girls finished a solid 2nd team with good performances from Erin Lord 9th, Harri-Ann Fleet 16th and Caitlin Shaw-Humphries 17th. The under 15 girls won the team event with excellent performances from Aliesha Smith 7th, Ellen Lees-Hill 11th and Macy Singleton 14th making up the winning team! Megan Lewis performed really well in the under 17 women’s race finishing 2nd overall.
There was more success in the senior races with the senior men winning the team event and the ladies finishing 2nd! Hayley Simpson had a great race to come home in 3rd place, with Bethany McManus 13th and Rachel Fawcett 19th making up the team. It was great to see David Barratt back to club racing and was first home for the men in a superb 2nd place and good performances from Joe Hudak 3rd, Gavin Browne 6th and Scott Matthews 8th made up the team.
Well done to all athletes who took part (too many to mention!), there are some excellent pictures on our Facebook page especially of the juniors. See photo below of the senior men’s winning team – David Barratt, Joe Hudak, Scott Matthews and Gavin Browne (left to right)
Match 2 – 23/11/2019 – Heaton Park, Manchester
The second match of the series was at Heaton Park again and we hosted the event. Thank you to all the helpers, marshals etc. on the day who volunteered their own time and did a fantastic job to make sure the day ran smoothly. There were some excellent performances on the day in cold conditions but the rain managed to stay away!
The under 11’s kicked the day off with the boys team finishing a brilliant 1st and the girls team finishing 2nd. Alfie Manser 3rd, Marshall Fleet 4th and Pauly Knight 7th made up the boys team and Anna Rooke 4th, Jessica Stafford 5th and Isla Herring 8th for the girls. Bobby Burton had a great run to finish 2nd in the under 13 boys race followed by Tim Elgar 4th and Oliver Bentley 8th to make up the winning team. The under 13 girls packed well to finish 2nd team with Maria Rooke 5th, Darcy Slattery 6th and Alice Cunningham 7th. Lewis Brown had a solid run in the under 15 boys race to finish in 3rd place, well done! Matilda Byrnes performed well to finish a brilliant 2nd place, followed by Aliesha Smith 10th and Imogen Gush 12th to finish 3rd team. Megan Lewis went one better than last time and took the victory in the under 17 women’s race with a fantastic performance.
Hayley Simpson was involved in a great battle at the front of the senior women’s race taking 3rd place in a close finish just 7 seconds behind the eventual winner. Bethany McManus 12th and Michelle Vaughan 13th (1st Vet 45) ran brilliantly to make up the team which finished 2nd. Joe Hudak was first back for the senior men’s team with a great run to finish in 3rd place. Gavin Browne 6th, Scott Matthews 9th and Robin Horner 13th brought the team home to victory.
There are some fantastic pictures on our Facebook Page. See below – Eddy and James Shaw preparing the start/finish area and Gary Matthews setting up the course. Photo inset of our under 11’s getting ready for the start!
Match 3 – 18/01/2020 – Heaton Park, Manchester
A last minute venue change meant the third match of the series was moved from Tandle Hill to Heaton Park, which athletes are now very familiar of! There was another fantastic turnout from ECH athletes and some great performances on the day.
The under 11 boys packed well to win the team event with Alfie Manser 3rd, Marshall Fleet 4th and Finley Partington 5th as did the under 11 girls with excellent performances from Anna Rooke 4th, Jessica Stafford 7th and Ava Royle 9th making up the team. The under 13 boys and girls teams followed in the under 11’s footsteps by also winning both team events with Tim Elgar 4th, Oliver Bentley 7th and Alfie Bundy 8th for the boys and Maria Rooke 5th, Alice Cunningham 6th and Erin Lord 8th for the girls. Good performances from Lewis Brown and Cameron Green in the under 15 boys race finishing 2nd and 5th respectively. The under 15 girls performed well finishing 2nd team with Matilda Byrnes first home in 4th place followed by Aliesha Smith 9th and Imogen Gush 11th. Megan Lewis performed well in the under 17 women’s event coming home in 3rd place overall.
Hayley Simpson had a brilliant run in the senior women’s race coming home in 2nd place, followed by Beth McManus in 9th and Michelle Vaughan in 11th place (1st Vet 45) overall bringing the team home in 2nd place. Other good performances came from Emma McQueen 2nd Vet 50 and Andrea Edwards 3rd vet 50. Ever consistent Joe Hudak had an amazing race to win the senior men’s event and was supported by Robin Horner 6th (3rd vet 40), Tim Greenald 14th (3rd vet 45) and David Rankin 19th to bring the team home in 3rd place. Other notable performances came from Jacob Taylor 2nd under 20 and Callum Brierley 3rd under 20 overall.
Well done to all who took part – photo below of some of our juniors having fun and more are available on our Facebook page
Match 4 – 07/03/2020 – Heaton Park, Manchester
The final match of the series was supposed to take place in Chorley in February but due to floods the fixture had to be re-arranged for Heaton Park (again). Thanks to all those who made the last fixture happen and for all the support on the day which saw another good turnout from ECH athletes.
The under 11 boys packed really well to take the team win with Alfie Manser 2nd, Marshall Fleet 4th and Finley Partington 5th making up the team. The under 11 girls finished 2nd team with solid performances from Anna Rooke 5th, Harriet Byrnes 8th and Meadow Wright 12th. A great run from Bobby Burton in the under 13 boys taking the victory with teammates Tim Elgar 4th and Alfie Bundy 5th making up the team which won overall. The under 13 girls finished 2nd team with Maria Rooke first home for ECH in 5th place, followed by Darcy Slattery 6th and Ava McKenna 8th. Lewis Brown had a great run in the under 15 boys race coming home in 2nd place. The under 15 girls team came 2nd with strong performances from Aliesha Smith 4th, Leigha Manser 9th and Ellen Lees-Hill 11th.
Hayley Simpson had another brilliant run to storm home in 2nd place in the senior women’s race with good support from MIchelle Vaughan in 7th (1st Vet 45) and Karen Fleming in 15th giving them 3rd in the team event. The senior men’s team won the team event with Robin Horner running very well to finish 2nd, closely followed by Tim Greenald in 3rd and Darren Smith 8th and Callum Brierley 18th made up the team.
Well done to all those athletes who completed the series (3 out of 4 races). Special mentions to Alfie Manser 2nd (under 11 boys), Tim Elgar 3rd (under 13 boys), Lewis Brown 2nd (under 15 boys), Megan Lewis 1st (under 17 women), Hayley Simpson 3rd (senior ladies), Michelle Vaughan 1st (Vet 45), Karen Fleming 3rd (Vet 45), Emma Macqueen 2nd (Vet 50), Callum Brierly 2nd (under 20 men), Jacob Taylor 3rd (under 20 men), Joe Hudak 1st (Senior Men), Robin Horner 3rd (Vet 40) and Tim Greenald 2nd (Vet 45). A fantastic season from all, well done!
Photo inset – ECH Juniors enjoying the last cross-country race of the season!