The final cross-country meeting of the season was held at Barton-on-Humber and several Skyrac athletes made the trip across the Humber Bridge to the Baysgarth Park course.

The outstanding result of the day for the Guiseley club came from Jonathan

Keith who has just recovered from injury. Running in the combined senior/junior men's race the Burley-in-Wharfedale runner came home in an overall sixth position but this was good enough to make him the gold medallist in the junior men's competition.

Other medal success came for the club when the under-13 boys' A team gained the team bronze medal after fine runs from Edward Clementson (6th), Sam Webster (16th) and Scott Thwaites (17th).

Joel Riley and Laura Kirk just missed out on the medals with fourth places in the under-17 boys' and under-15 girls' races respectively and Oliver Webster, only eight years-old, ran extremely well for ninth position in the under-11 boys' event.

Other Skyrac placings at Barton were:

Senior men - Bob Pritchard 32nd; under-17 boys - Nathan Tugwell 16th; under-15 boys - Mark Thwaites 20th, Ian Clark 29th; under-13 boys - T Usher 21st, E Davey 40th; Andrew Hawkyard 48th; B Team 10th.

Senior women - J Davey 38th; under-15 girls - Rebecca Levins 16th, Rachel Turner 27th, A Jackson 29th, Team 5th; under-13 girls - L Clark 25th; under-11 girls - C Mason 33rd.

The North of England Combined Events Indoor Championships were held in the Gateshead International Stadium's sports hall. Here Skyrac Under-15 girl Amy Howard competed in the pentathlon (50m, 50m hurdles, long jump, high jump and shot putt) and amassed 2,670 points for eighth position.

In particular she achieved outstanding performances in the shot (9.51m) and the long jump (4.91m), this last result being a personal best.

Ilkley Harriers

Peter Shields and Nick Pearce travelled over the Pennines on Saturday for

the Lancashire 10km Walk. Peter is enjoying great success in this field, and finished second - just a few seconds down on the winner in 56.45. Nick

had a marvellous first place on the day, but his enthusiasm for running had got the better of him and the marshals deemed that he hadn't 'walked' it!

The next day, Richard Gray and Andy Wolfenden raced in the South Leeds Stadium five mile race. On a bitterly cold day they both recorded good times of 36.43 and 38.00 respectively.

With many races cancelled this weekend (the Ackworth Half Marathon is one of the few events still on), Harriers are invited to join in the long Sunday run (or bike ride) from the Old Bridge, starting at 9.30am.

Pete's circuit training is on Monday at 6.30pm

Ilkley Harriers are a friendly club - come and run with us at Ben Rhydding

Sports Club on Tuesdays at 7pm. Contact captain Ken Souyave on 01943

609597, or visit our web site www.ilkleyharriers.co.uk, for more details.

Skyrac AC Fellrunners

The foot and mouth crisis continues to prevent any opportunity for fell running. It is also leading to some cancellations of road races. So with only one other race in the North, the organisers of last Sunday's South Leeds Five must have expected a large turnout.

Perhaps the return of the wintry weather persuaded some to stay in bed because the field did not seem unreasonably large. If that is so it is a pity because conditions were good during the event.

The opening race was advertised as a fun-run but the front-runners were certainly competitive. The excellent course took the runners round a lap of

Middleton Park, a hilly traffic-free route through woodland on a good tarred surface, finishing on the track of the South Leeds Stadium.

Malcolm Coles finished in a good time around 21 minutes. On the previous day Malcolm had competed in a 10 km race walk in Manchester.

The five mile race used the same route, taking in an extra lap of the park. John Forsyth ran the five mile race in 32 m 38 s. Malcolm had entered the fun-run instead of the five mile race because the entry fee was £4 less, deciding that he could forgo the T-shirt offered to finishers of the five mile race!

John was left to wonder what roadrunners do with all these T-shirts.

Skyrac is organising two events soon, the Guiseley Gallop and a two mile Fun Run on Easter Sunday, April 15. These should still go ahead on a course around Nunroyd Park.

Skyrac AC is based in Guiseley/Yeadon and is the all-round athletics club which provides coaching and training for juniors to seniors in track, field, road and cross-country. The club can be contacted on 0113 229 0924.