English National 6, 4 & Young Athlete road relay championships.

Rotherham Harriers achieved another significant step forward on Saturday the 6th October at Sutton Park Birmingham in this English and UK championship event.

There may not have been any medals won on this occasion, but the breadth of the club team coverage combined with the performances of those teams, was the best the club has ever had at the top national level.

As a club we have always supported the national events in the past in the past, but never performed as solidly as the 2018 team athletes did.

We had a total of 17 teams entered - covering all age groups. Unfortunately the U17 boys team and the senior women's C team were not complete due to injuries and illness, but the 15 complete teams were very strong - with 6 of the 15 teams in the top 20, and four in the top 10 - a Premier performance!

The U13 age group had a phenomenal 7 complete teams, with both A teams improving on the Northern relay positions achieved at Manchester. The girls team beat the Northern winners Liverpool to finish 1st Northern club. The boy's team finished 4th Northern club, with Thomas Bowman added to the team for this fixture.

Individually Olivia Bell (17th fastest) and Marci Walsh (19th fastest) made the top 20 best times. The Under 17 women's team, boosted by the return of Emma Ball & Emily Holden back after injury absences, finished an impressive 9th place and 3rd Northern club.

The senior women's teams improved on a 6 year run of good performances with the best ever position for the A team in 4 place, and the B team in the top 10 for the first time and first B team. It looked after leg 3, when Hayley Carruthers brought the team home in 3rd, as though bronze medals were possible but Tonbridge's Ashley Gibson went past Nicola Devine at the top of the long first hill and extended their lead to 30 seconds by the finish.

Lori Handbury made her debut appearance for the club on leg 2 for the B team and had a good run making the top 30 in the days fastest times. Aldershot Farnham & District won comfortably beating a very strong Leeds team.

Hayley Carruthers (15th fastest) and Natasha Hatswell (17th fastest) had great runs.

The Men's team, having qualified for the 10th consecutive year, had not finished in the top 20 before.

The team was the same team that finished 9th in the Northern event, but was strengthened by the availability of Joe Massingham for this race. In what was one of the strongest in-depth races of recent years races, the team finished 20th.

Despite the cold and wet conditions, the club performances and the support provided by all the coaches and parents, proves that the club is in a very good place at the moment!

U13 Girls (47 complete teams)

1 Tonbridge AC 'A' 43:11

5 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'A' 45:39 1st Northern club

Marci Walsh (9) 15:01 19th fastest time

Amelia Topliss (6) 15:40

Olivia Bell (5) 14:58 17th fastest time

20 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'B' 47:44 2nd B team, 4th Northern club, 2nd Yorkshire club team

Miya Lambert (29) 15:47

Lilia Harris (20) 15:58

Mischa Walsh (20) 15:59

28 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'C' 49:23 1st C team 3rd Yorkshire club team.

Evie Thomson (35) 16:04

Amelia Longden (30) 16:24

Nola Jakuc (28) 16:55

46 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'D' 54:00

Emily Bott (43) 16:33

Elise Bell (53) 20:18

Cadence Taylor (46) 17:09

U13 Boys (66 complete teams)

1 Cambridge & Coleridge AC 'A' 41:19

17 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'A' 43:32 4th Northern club, 2nd Yorkshire club team

Luke Parker (11) 14:09

Thomas Bowman (8) 14:23

Luke Stables (17) 15:00

46 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'B' 46:49 4th Yorkshire club

George Browne (30) 14:41

Reece Levitt (37) 15:29

Jack Williams (46) 16:39

57 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'C' 50:15

George Ellis (72) 16:39

Owen Haffner (61) 16:41

Alfie Nicholls (57) 16:55

U15 Girls (61 complete teams)

1 Vale Royal AC 'A' 42:31

36 Rotherham Harriers & AC 48:00

Hayley Butcher (17) 14:38 27th fastest

Romany Tune (47) 17:36

Lahanna Vardy (36) 15:46

U15 Boys (68 complete teams)

1 Aldershot Farnham & District 'A' 37:53

24 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'A' 41:14 7th Northern Club, 2nd Yorkshire club team

Samuel Gilson (41) 13:49

Joshua Gilbert (44) 14:21

Joshua Wragg (24) 13:04 26th fasest time

57 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'B' 44:20

Jay Jessop (75) 14:59

Tobey Baker (61) 14:30

Alexander Brand (57) 14:51

U17 Women (41 complete teams)

1 City Of Norwich AC 'A' 42:39

9 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'A' 44:22 3rd Northern club, 1st Yorkshire club team

Keiva Rennocks (13) 14:32 22nd fastest time

Emma Ball (8) 14:51 32nd fastest

Emily Holden (9) 14:59 40th fasest

40 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'B' 52:05 3rd Yorkshire club team

Beth Mount (35) 15:40

Abby Stroughair (40) 17:37

Elina Hine (40) 18:48

Senior Women (68 complete teams)

1 Aldershot Farnham & District 'A' 57:56

2 Leeds City AC 'A' 59:29

3 Tonbridge AC 'A' 59:56

4 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'A' 1:00:26 2nd Northern & Yorkshire Club

Natasha Hatswell (7) 14:55 18th fastest

Sophie Cowper (5) 15:14 30th fastest

Hayley Carruther (3) 14:49 15th fastest

Nicola Devine (4) 15:28 43rd fastest

9 Rotherham Harriers & AC 'B' 1:02:03 1st B team, 4th Northern club, 3rd Yorkshire club

Sarah Lowery (16) 15:25 38th fastest

Lori Handbury (7) 15:14 30th fastest

Stephanie Burns (7) 15:48 60th fastest

Hannah Holmes (9) 15:36 48th fastest

Rotherham Harriers & AC 'C' Incomplete

Jenny Reed (66) 17:59

Senior Men

1 Stockport Harriers & AC 1:45:07

2 Leeds City AC 'A' 1:45:32

3 Aldershot Farnham & District 'A' 1:45:40

20 Rotherham Harriers & AC 1:51:15 7th Northern, 2nd Yorkshire

Luke Cotter (18) 17:45

Arron Larkin (34) 19:10

Daniel Kestrel (32) 18:58

Jonathan Johnson (30) 18:40

Joseph Massingha (21) 18:02

Lee Milburn (20) 18:40