Hector Haines and Jack Wood, both of Ilkley, have been selected to represent Britain in the World Schools' championship to be held in Belgium next April.

Both are junior members of Airienteers, the orienteering club for the Leeds and Bradford area and will be flying the flag for Ilkley Grammar School and Guiseley School.

They were selected after the British Schools' Orienteering Championship in Delamere Forest, near Chester.

Florence Haines of Ilkley beat all-comers to win the Year 5 girls race, whilst the Year 10 team of Jack Wood, Lewis Kennedy, and David Murgatroyd from Guiseley School won the bronze medal in the team race.

Jack Wood was also placed fourth in the individual race whilst Chloe Haines was third in the Year 8 girls' race.

Meanwhile, Airienteers were out in force at the weekend to race in the regional event held at Blackamoor, in the Peak District, near Sheffield. An area of complex open moorland with some forested areas providing good orienteering challenges.

Once again, Neil Conway showed the field a clean pair of heels in the M35 competition, covering the 7.7km course in 56m 39secs. Tom Crowther (M65), Jack Wood (JM5M), and Joe Mercer (JM5L), also won their respective races.

Runner-up spots were claimed by Ben Stevens (JM5L), Victoria Stevens (JW5L), and Alistair Wood (M50) all from Ilkley; whilst Noemi Cerny, a newcomer to Airienteers, was third at W21 level.

The next local event is at Swinsty Reservoir on Sunday, December 14. Beginners are welcome and advice will be available should you want to have a go at some 'cunning running'. The club's website is at www.aire.org.uk.

UK Rankings

Several local athletes, mainly from the under-17 age group, were included in the recently published United Kingdom Junior (U-20 to U-15) ranking lists for the 2003 track and field season.

The highest placed were the district's two under-17 AAA's champions Guiseley's Laura Kirk (Skyrac AC) and Horsforth's Andrew Staniland (Leeds City AC).

Andrew is included in no less than six lists of the various events and tops two of them. As the AAA's Under-17 men's decathlon champion, his score of 6,386 points makes him number one in the country and fourth on the UK All Time Lists.

He was also victorious in the octathlon at the English Schools' Championships and again he is ranked number one in Great Britain with 5,256 points (eighth on the UK All Time Lists).

Additionally, the 16 year-old multi-eventer is ranked 14th in the high jump (1.92m), 16th in the discus (43.03m) and 18th in the shot (13.89m).

However, his highest ranked individual event is the long jump where he is placed second with 7.08m. This silver medal winning performance at the English Schools' Championships is also good enough to be ranked 13th on the Under-20 men's lists.

The AAA's Under-17 women's 800m champion Laura also finds her impressive 2mins.08.90s good enough for two age group lists with a third placed ranking in the Under-17 age group and a 15th place in the Under-20 age group.

Multi-eventing is currently enjoying a purple patch amongst West Yorkshire's junior athletes and Andrew's 15 year-old sister Bethany Staniland (Leeds City) finds herself ranked eighth in the Under-17 women's heptathlon lists with 4,227 points.

This score placed her sixth at the English Schools' Championships in an age group in which she remains for 2004.

Bethany is also placed 24th in the shot (10.64m) and 24th in the discus (34.51m). The discus is also an event that is currently experiencing a local boom time. Apart from Bethany, three other local girls also appear in the Under- 17 women's rankings - Emma Shaw (Leeds City) is ranked 10th (37.75m); Amy Fawcett (Leeds City) is 13th (37.01m); and Skyrac's Amy Howard is ranked 14th (36.49m).

In the Under-15 girls' discus, Bramhope's Georgina Ablett (Skyrac) is ranked 18th (29.18m).

Emma Shaw also won the North of England Championships in the shot and her putt of 11.24m gives her a 2003 ranking position of fifth.

Meanwhile, her new Leeds City teammate, and former Skyrac athlete, Emma Moutrie of Guiseley is well placed in the Under-17 women's triple jump lists with 11.10m for 16th place.

Finally, Alex Merrill's hammer throwing talents earns the Skyrac athlete a 15th spot in the Under-20 women's rankings (41.24m).

Skyrac fellrunners

Six runners from Skyrac ran in the ten mile Rivock Edge Hill Race last Sunday, three times the usual turn out.

Why the sudden interest? Because Rivock was the decider in the ten race year-long Skyrac Fell Championship.

The Rivock race has an interesting route over fields with a pleasing excursion onto Rombalds Moor along, not surprisingly, Rivock Edge.

At this time of year fell races become thin on the ground and so the event normally attracts a healthy turnout and provides a winner of some reputation with, for example, Ian Holmes

(Bingley), Gary Devine (Pudsey and Bramley) and Paul Sheard (Pudsey and Bramley) victorious in the past.

However last year's total of 150 runners was halved to just 74 on Sunday, apparently because of a clash with the 10K Abbey Dash although why anyone would prefer the tarmac of Kirkstall Road to the splendours of Rombalds Moor on a beautiful clear November day is beyond comprehension.

The deserving winner last weekend was the popular Jason Hemsley (Pudsey and Bramley) in 65.50 who modestly admitted to having some route doubts as he led the race to victory.

Lower down the field the interest for the Skyrac runners was whether Bob Pritchard could hang onto first place in the championship and after a run of quality he did!

Skyrac positions were: 13th Bob Pritchard (75.57), 17th Duncan Asquith (76.37), 20th Martin Farrar (77.52), 30th Graham Breeze (80.50), 43rd Malcolm Coles (84.48) and 64th Dave Hill (94.24).

Skyrac can be contacted via 01943 874046 or www.skyrac.org.uk

Leeds City's fine run

Leeds City AC's teams continued their fine run of form in the third round of the Complete Runner West Yorkshire Cross-Country League at the weekend. Longwood AC in Huddersfield hosted this meeting, and Leeds City teams were victorious in four of the eight competing age groups and were second in another, with the help of many local runners.

Once again Leeds' younger girls were dominant. The U-13 girls were first home following excellent runs from Menston's Jessica Best (third) and former Skyrac athlete Rebecca Hall (seventh).

As in the previous rounds, the U-15 girls have copied their every move, and both Eleanor Hall (third) and Rachel Cooper (12th) continued the club's success.

Leeds City's third victory came in the under-17 women's age group and then Horsforth's Rachel Woodnut flew the flag for the senior women with an excellent third place.

Harriers' captain Greg Hull (third) and Andy Beevers (11th) ensured that the blue and gold vests were the first senior team home.

Finally, the inseparable Yeadon- Guiseley duo of Alex Davy (13th) and Robert Hall (14th) showed what committed club members they are with fine runs each, as Leeds came second in the under-15 boys' event.

Yeadon's Gill Keddie, had a tremendous run in Sunday's Abbey Dash road race. She was third female finisher taking, some notable national and international scalps in the process.