"For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, he marks, not that you won or lost, but how you played the game" was the exhortation of Fell Captain Graham Breeze as he despatched the first pair of the Skyrac Veterans team on leg one of the 50 mile, six leg Calderdale Way Relay on Sunday.

Skyrac once came fourth in the event but after 19 years the number of teams entering has grown to over 90 and Skyrac's finishing position has steadily slipped down the rankings and its runners have become philosophical about the effects of advancing age.

It is a Skyrac tradition that the initial team selection is completely changed at Neil and Sue Clayton's party, which is always held two days before the relay, when runners, emboldened by the flowing wine, admit to ailments and injuries and ask to be excused from the team.

Uniquely this year everyone selected made it to the start lines and they were, in leg order: Derek Emsley and Howard Sawyer, Malcolm Coles and Graham Grinstead, Steve Batley and Neil Clayton, Andy Brear and Duncan Asquith, Dave Hill and Max Wood, John Forsyth and Peter Rawnsley.

Winners were Bingley Harriers, who have now won seven of the last 11 races, in 5.45.40.

Skyrac finished in the middle of the field and will be back next year for the 20th anniversary for the pleasure of taking part knowing that, as Izaak Walton wrote "no man can lose what he never had."

Skyrac is a friendly club and can be contacted on www.skyrac.org.uk or 0113 229 0924.

UK rankings

The approach of Christmas sees the completion of the official United Kingdom Athletics' Track and Field ranking lists which includes a number of locals.

These cover all junior age groups from under-20 men down to under-13 girls for the 2002 season. This year six local young athletes find themselves highly ranked, and certainly amongst the nation's top 20 performers in many of their particular events.

Three of these youngsters feature well up the lists in the discipline of combined events. Horsforth's former Skyrac athlete, 15 year-old Andrew Staniland, newly of Leeds City AC, is the highest placed amongst the group with a ranking position of third in the under-17 men's octathlon (high jump, long jump, shot, discus, javelin,100m hurdles, 400m and 1500m) with 4,957 points. This score additionally puts him 26th on the UK All Time ranking lists.

Andrew's training partner, Fraser Davies, also recently transferred from Skyrac AC to Leeds City AC, is positioned ninth in the under-15 boys' pentathlon (high jump, long jump, shot, 80m hurdles and 800m) with the fine score of 2,695 points. He is also ranked 20th equal in the high jump with 1.75m.

To complete this local multi-eventing success, Horsforth's Bethany Staniland (Kingston upon Hull AC) features in fifth position in the under-15 girls' pentathlon with 2,930 points. In the same age group, she is also placed tenth in the shot (3.25kg) with 11.02m, 16th in the discus with 29.94m, 24th in the long jump with 5.08m and 29th in the javelin with 29.23m.

Three Skyrac under-17 women are highly ranked. In her second year in this age group, Alex Merrill is eighth in the hammer with 38.14m and 22nd in the discus with 34.07m.

In this latter event, 15 year-old Amy Howard has achieved fifth position with the 38.69m that she threw for the silver medal at the English Schools' Championships.

Another first year under-17 Laura Kirk, well and truly deserves her 16th place in the 800m with the excellent time of 2 mins.13.6s.

Meanwhile Skyrac AC's Matthew Clay is well placed on the lists. In the under-20 men's decathlon (high jump, long jump, pole vault, discus, javelin, shot, 110m hurdles, 100m, 400m and 1500m) he achieved a superb 5,984 points for a UK ranking position of ninth. He is also placed 15th in the long jump with 6.96m.

ESSA Cross-Country

Three young Horsforth athletes competed in the ESAA Schools' Cross Country Cup Final at Northwich, Cheshire. Pride of place went to the talented Brownlee brothers from Bradford Grammar School.

Alistair had a magnificent race over the intermediate boys' (under-16) 4,478m course. He finished in second place (15 mins.37s) with his team placed fourth overall out of the 24 schools who had made their way through their respective county and regional rounds to the national final.

Younger brother Johnny was also very successful and came eighth over the junior boys' (under-14) 2,727m course (10 mins.14s). In this age group, the Bradford GS team finished 13th overall.

Multi-events specialist Bethany Staniland, captain of the Bradford Girls' Grammar School cross-country team, found the 2,727m of the intermediate girls' (under-16) course rather challenging after an autumn of heptathlon training.

She finished 95th (12 mins.42s) out of the 144 individual national finalists but was pleased with her team's overall 11th place out of the 24 qualifying schools.

Johnny Brownlee was also in action at the Aaron Memorial Races where he finished fourth in the under-13 boys' race in 11 mins.54s.

Otley Athletic Club

With no local races on offer most Otley runners opted for a serious training weekend with amongst other things a run on parts of the Harrogate Ringway in preparation for the relay in January.

Mark Hall and Beth Massey are, however, keen competitors and travelled to Walsall in the Midlands for the Sneyd ten mile race. Both are currently in excellent form and their journey was rewarded with excellent results.

Mark was second overall and first veteran in a time of 53.55, Beth ran the fastest time by an Otley lady for some while with 68.17.