Junior Cross Country Series - 3rd November

There was a good turnout of Central Athletic Club’s young athletes and some superb running at the first of this season’s Club Junior Cross Country Series held in Kings Park, Stirling Saturday 3 November.

In perfect conditions it was Ross Milne (Under 15) who impressed with strong running throughout to win in 4min 51secs over the one mile course.  Roddy Irvine used his speed to good effect as he pushed through for second place, finishing in exactly 5minutes. Keir Murray-Kirk in his first race with the Club finished strongly in 5min 30secs, closely followed by another determined run from Kelly Carruthers in 5min 32secs.

Gordon Milne led home the Under 13 Boys as he finished third overall with a much improved run (5min 24secs). Rory Bain looked strong while finishing second in this age group in 5min 37secs while Philip Wright (5.54), Sam Fraser (5.58) and Andrew Hastings (6.11) are all making good progress. Domenico Angiolini was the classiest runner in the Under 11 Boys winning in 6min 7secs with youngsters Robbie Collier (6.23) and Greg Downs (6.39) both looking more than useful additions to the Club.

Rosie Hastings is another to be showing good progress and here finished fourth overall and first Under 15 Girl (5.28) while Shona Buchanan ran strongly throughout to finish in 6mins exactly.  The Under 13 Girls were the best represented age group and it was no surprise to see Amy Hendry finish first in this age group with some of her trademark strong running (5.38).  Kirsty Buchanan showed her usual resolution in finishing second in this age group in 5min 50secs.  Stacey Hardman (6.07), Aimee Bilsland (6.13), Agatha Williams-Kelly (6.34) and Ruth McCabe (6.43) all made a significant contribution here as they have been for the Club in recent times.  The Under 11 Girls were also well represented and here it was Lily Cairns-Haylor who proved her progress while winning this age group in 6.12 with Lisa Hardman (6.17) finishing in close order.  Jennifer Downie (7.30) may have been the final finisher here but showed enough character to prove she will be another very useful addition to the Club.

Alan Scally Relays

Central’s Mens ‘A’ Relay team finished third in the prestigious Allan Scally 4 x 4.8mile Road Relay in Baillieston in the excellent time of 1hour 37mins 59secs. Scott McDonald underlined his recent form and added to his growing reputation with a fine run to put the Team into third place with the fifth fastest leg of the day (24min 6secs).  Triathlete Gavin Noble picked up the challenge with relish and brought the team round to first equal place with another fast leg of 24min 10secs.  Kyle Cowie has been running well in recent Cross Country races and had another good run here to keep the team challenging in second with a leg of exactly 25mins. Lewis Millar finished off the ‘A’ team’s effort with a strong run (24.43) but was overhauled by Northern Ireland Internationalist Steve Cairns for Central to have to settle for the Bronze medals on this occasion.

The ‘B’ team of Phil Williams (27.46 in 26^th), Roger Greenaway (29.02 in 27^th), Gordon Adam (28.18 in 21^st) and Alan Hume (28.55) brought his team home in 20^th (1hour 54min 1sec) with determined running throughout.  Central’s ‘C’ Team featured sprinter Ian McDonald (32.41 in 51^st) along with Hugh Buchanan (29.41 in 43^rd), Ian Beattie (29.32 in 35^th) and Cameron Campbell (32.35) to finish in 33^rd spot in 2hours 4mins 29secs .

Lasswade Cross Country - 4th November

There was a small contingent of Central runners on Sunday 4 November for the Cross Country Races in Lasswade.  Isla Burns had a good run to finish 15^th in the Under 11 race over 1mile to finish in 6min 57secs. The Under 13 Boys race over 2 miles saw Alexander Coubrough well up with the leaders and finishing in third in 12min 52secs while Gordon Milne finished well to record 15min 49secs in 20^th.  Julie Cook extended her experience with an outing in the Under 15 Girls race, also over 2miles to finish 8^th in 15min 27secs. 

Scott Green extended his good run of form with a runaway victory over 3 miles in the Under 15 Boys race in a time of 17min 19secs.  Scott led his team mates Ross Milne (fourth in 19.10) and David Hutchison (sixth in 19.48) to well deserved team gold medals in this age group.  Logan Bonar (ninth in 20.08) and David MacKinlay (eleventh in 20.31) both ran well to provide excellent back-up on the day. Rowena Bell-Scott won the Under 20 Womens 3 mile race in a time of 20min 22secs and it was good to see Sarah Jane Pickett finish tenth in the Womens race covering the 3.8mile course in a useful 27min 52secs.

The Mens race was over a 6mile course and here Douglas Flynn led home the Club’s challenge in 13^th place (38.40) closely followed by Alex Milne (14^th in 38.54) and Robert Hutchison (35^th in 43.33) ensured Central lifted the Veteran’s Team Silver medals. Euan Bell-Scott also ran well to finish 47^th in 44min 59secs.

Gateshead Cross Country Challenge – 10 November 2007

Many of Central’s top Endurance athletes made the trip to Gateshead to compete in the opening fixture of this Winter’s Cross Country Challenge.  This Series has, over the years, proven to provide a higher quality of competition that can generally be found in Scotland and this was proven again in the races on Saturday 10^th November.

The Mens race, over 8.7 kilometres, proved to be a stiff test for Robert Russell, who as always was prepared to mix it with the best. On this occasion Robert had to settle for twelfth place covering the course in a highly creditable time of 28min 39secs. Alastair Hay also showed that his early season form has been no fluke as he battled round for a time of 29.01 in eighteenth place and Lewis Millar also showed good form with an excellent 32.23 clocking in this high quality race.

The Under 20 Mens Race over 7.3 kilometres was another class filled race and here it was good to see Central’s Michael Gillespie come home tenth in 24min 21secs and Scott McDonald also in close order, finishing 13^th in 25.02. The Under 17 Mens race highlighted the friendly rivalry between Sean Reilly and Alexander Hendry with Sean prevailing in ninth with 18min 20secs and Alex only a few strides behind in eleventh in 18.25 while Matthew Gillespie had a good run for 19^th in 18.56 over the 5.9 kilometre course. Central’s effort was rounded off by eleven year old Kathryn Gillespie as she finished in an excellent fifth position with her 12min 24secs effort over 3 kilometres in the Under 13 Girls race.

BRAIDS HILL RACES

Fiona Thompson became the first Central AC winner of the Braids Hill races when she raced to victory over the tough 4.5 Edinburgh course. Organised by the Edinburgh University club, the annual event pitted top university teams from the north of Britain with runners from local clubs. Proudly wearing her Aberdeen University vest, Fiona finished in18mins 30secs with a clear lead over her chasers. Jennifer Emsley, running for Stirling University and returning after illness, was happy with her 9^th place in 19.22 and Rowena Bell-Scott running for the host university made it home in 13^th in 19:53. Jane Waterhouse took the first veteran place with 21^st place (20:36) in the race with 87 finishers.

The men’s race featured two laps and saw Ross Houston finish 4^th behind winner James Walsh from Leeds with a time 32:54. Michael Wright led his Heriot Watt team in with his 20^th place with 34:56 in a race with 153 finishers.

Tinto Hill Race

The Tinto Hill Race, held on Saturday 10 November, over some 4.4 miles with 1500 feet of climb saw Alasdair Anthony claim third spot with a fine 32min 7secs effort.  In the Womens race it was youngster Catriona Buchanan who caught the eye as she claimed second spot with her 39min 5secs clocking. Also in this race there were useful performances from Douglas Flynn (42^nd in 38.15), Hugh Buchanan (85^th in 41.16) and Simon Nash (173^rd in 48.34).  The shorter Half Tinto Hill Race for Juniors (2.25 miles with 800 feet of climbing) saw some good form by Shona Buchanan as she finished second Girl.

Scottish Athletics – Awards Dinner 17th November

Robert Russell rounded off his successful year on Saturday night at the Scottish Athletics Awards Dinner in Glasgow where he was presented with his winner’s cheque for the 2007 Navy Blue Scottish Road Race Series.

Glasgow University 5 mile Road Race

Alison Doherty continued her rich vein of form as she romped to second place in the Glasgow University Road Race in the fine time of 29minutes 33 seconds. Alison finished some 17 seconds behind Commonwealth Games athlete Allison Simpson. Over a hilly course and in wet conditions Gavin Noble also showed good form, finishing sixth overall in 25min 57secs while local runners Michael Wright (27.26) and Angus Bell-Scott (28.55) also performed well for their respective universities.

Gauldry Gallop Cross Country Races

A few of Central’s athletes rose to the challenge at the traditionally tough Gauldry Gallop Cross Country races. The Under 11 race, over 1,300 metres, saw Isla Burns take second place in 6min 20secs closely followed by Roisin Bonucchi in third with 6min 27secs.

The Under 13 Race saw another stand-out performance from Alexander Coubrough as he came home in second in 11min 53secs over a 2,600 metre course. Ross Milne again showed his committed running in the Under 15 Race over 3,500 metres finishing in sixth place in 16min 26secs. David MacKinally was another to show continued improvement as he finished here in eleventh at 17min 38secs while Shona Buchanan also had a good run finishing fourth Girl in 19min 6secs.

The Senior Mens race was over 8,000metres and here it was Alex Milne who caught the eye in twelfth place in 29min 31secs while Hugh Buchanan (32.07) and Euan Bell-Scott (33.25) also ran well in the difficult conditions.

Buchlyvie Half Marathon – Sunday 18 November

Central’s runners who featured at the front of Sunday’s Buchlyvie Half Marathon included fourth place David Lindsay finishing in 79min 35secs, Ewan Jack (seventh in 82.24), Alex Milne (eighth in 83.14) and Roger Greenaway (16^th in 85.55).

Mealle A’Bhuacaille Hill Race, Aviemore

Alasdair Anthony was another of Central’s runners to prove his form at the weekend in the Mealle A’Bhuacaille Hill Race near Aviemore.  Alasdair finished in a fine second place covering the course in 52min 29secs.

British Masters Cross Country Championships

Jane Waterhouse once again captained the Scottish Women's Masters Cross Country team at the British Masters Cross Country Championships at Stormont near Belfast and had another good run to finish seventh in her age group and seventh Scot across all age groups.

Kirkcaldy Cross Country Report 24th November

Central AC continued top team form at the second meeting of the East of Scotland League at Kirkcaldy when taking two first and three second places in the individual stakes and maintaining league leading form in the team competition.

The Senior Mens race was a tough test over some 8.8 kilometres and here it was Under 20 athlete Scott McDonald who set his stall out from the start, taking an early lead which he held to the finish. Scott’s previous day’s race in Liverpool appeared to have done nothing to blunt his speed or endurance as he won in an impressive 31min 20secs. Ross Houston proved that his training was going well as he came home in a fine sixth place in 31.57 closely followed by Gavin Noble in seventh with 32.02.  Alasdair Anthony worked through the field to ninth in 32.17 while it was another Under 20 runner, Kyle Cowie (22^nd in 33.25) and the dependable Michael Wright (29^th in 33.52) who ensured Central Mens Team win.  Murray MacLarty showed some classy running to finish 30^th in 33.52 while it was veterans Alex Milne (53^rd in 35.19), Liam McCabe (77^th in 37.25), Hugh Buchanan (94^th in 38.03), Robert Hutchison (99^th in 38.12), Hugh Kerr (102^nd in 38.12) and Stuart Watson (112^th in 39.00) who filled the next six slots for Central.  Fraser Purves (120^th in 39.24), Euan Bell-Scott (130^th with 40.08), Graham Harvey (137^th in 40.36), Chris McHardy (151^st in 41.28), Cameron Campbell (158^th in 41.54) and Philip Hendry (171^st in 43.02) all played their part in a good overall Club effort. Meanwhile David Hay (174^th with 43.14) and Alan Gall (175^th also in 43.14) provided some entertainment with their battling finish and while it was John Dickson (219^th in 49.15) who rounded off Central’s efforts there was no doubting his strong commitment to the cause.

The Senior Ladies were lying in second position in the league going into the match, and had the welcome return of Morag MacLarty to strengthen the squad.  Morag went off strongly taking a lead of 60metres at one point and in the final section of the race, Ainsley Normand came strongly through the field to take second (26:39) in a return to last season’s form with Morag dropping back to a highly respectable fourth (26:53). Jennifer Emsley came in shortly afterwards in 8^th place (27:10) and Hazel Dean in 14^th (27:42).  Other Central finishers were; Fiona Kelsall, 41st 30:39; Katie Whitehouse 43^rd, 30:53; Mary Kerr 69^th, 33.02; Alison Hastings  75^th, 33.39; Sybil Lang  78^th, 33.50 and Louise Harris 102^nd 43.17. Normal service resumed in the team standings with Central holding a 8 point lead going into the final match to defend their title for the fifth occasion.

The Under 17 Mens race was contested over 6.4kilometres and here it was Sean Reilly who underlined his class with a fine victory in 23min 16secs. Alexander Hendry has been proving his worth all season in this age group and once again did not disappoint as he romped home in second in 23min 24secs. Sean and Alex’s performances being all the more impressive as both had competed in the Liverpool Cross Country Challenge on the previous day. Andrew Butchart was a welcome addition to the team as he stormed through in eighth place in 24.57 while the ever reliable Jonathon Tolson came through for twelfth in 26.21 with these young men ensuring that once again Central captured the team honours.

In the combined U15Girls, Under 17 Women’s race, Catriona Buchanan was top Central finisher, taking 7^th in her age group with 17:02 and Gemma Milne with 13^th in 18:34. Rosie Hastings continues to develop and took 7^th place in the under 15’s with 17:31, Lorna Cameron after injury gaining 10^th (18:03). Shona Buchanan (19^th, 18:51) and Julie Cook (22^nd, 19:12) also continued to show improved form as the completed the race well up the field.

Tom Watson challenged hard throughout the 4.2 kilometre Under 15’s Boys race but on this occasion had to settle for fourth place in 14min 57secs. There was good back up from Ross Milne who showed determined running to finish ninth in 16.04 and it was good to see Chris Clarke challenging strongly to finish elenth in 16.04 followed closely by David Hutchison who provided another fine run in twelfth place in 16.06. Roddy Irvine is another who is continues ti impress with his 24^th place finish in 17.14 and David McKinlay continued his progress in 25^th in 17.23. The Under 15 Boys team of Tom, Ross and Chris took first team place on the day.

In the Under 13 Girls, a thin turnout left it to Amy Hendry (25^th, 11:08) and Ruth McCabe (43^rd, 12:55) to represent the club with both girls showing continued improvement in form.  Conor Kerr showed his usual ‘can do’ attitude in the Under 13 Boys race coming home in an excellent second place, covering the 3 kilometre course ina superb 9mins 11secs.  Nathan Belton looked good throughout the race as he came home in 14^th in 10,26 , closely followed by Gordon Milne, who made up for a slow start to finish 16^th in 10.33. Philip Wright (23^rd in 10.43) and Sam Fraser (33^rd in 11.16) made up the remainder of Central’s team which finished second on the day but hold the overall lead in the league with one race to go.

The talent in the Under 11 Girls ranks came forward to be rewarded with a second team place. Roisin Bonucchi ran well to achieve 5^th place (7:32) with Lily Haylor-Cairns completing in 10^th place (7:51). Isla Burns ran strongly for 15^th place (8:14) and newcomer Jennifer Downie (41^st, 9:19) showed great potential in her first outing over the country.   Domenic Angiolini led Central’s Under 11 Boys team home, covering the 1.5 kilometre course in 7min 53secs as he finished 21^st.  Robbie Collier also ran with confidence to finish 25^th in 7.57 while Jack Kerr (29^th in 8.04) and Robbie Morrison (43^rd in 8.56) will both have gained valuable experience at this level.