With the end of the 2005 track and field season, a great many local athletes' performances have been rewarded with inclusion in the Top 10 of the UKA's Eastern Region Ranking Lists.

Leeds City AC feature prominently in the lists but there are also representations from Skyrac AC and Bingley Harriers.

Notable amongst the senior athletes is Yeadon's Celia de Maria who finds herself ranked in no less than six track events. In particular, her leading time of 10.47.88 for the 3000m steeplechase is good enough for an overall UK top spot of 13th.

Another multi-placed athlete is Horsforth's junior international Andrew Staniland. He leads the Under-20 men's lists in no less than five events (100m, long jump, high jump, javelin and decathlon), and is also second placed in another three events (discus, shot putt and pole vault).

His most outstanding event is the long jump where a performance of 7.70m places him second on the UK U-20 lists and fifth on the UK senior lists.

Both his discus and javelin performances each feature in 11th place on the national U-20 lists also. However, his most remarkable ranking position probably comes in the decathlon where 6,340 points puts him nationally third.

This was achieved at the AAA's Combined Events Championships at a very wet Hexham in early June. Yet in the 8th event, the pole vault, he was forced to withdraw with the bar still only at 3.75m due to severe cramp. He could then only do a standing throw in the javelin and did not run the 1500m at all, save for the obligatory start.The international U-20 bench mark of 7000 points would surely have been comfortably reached.

Andrew's sister, Bethany, features in no less than eight events on the Eastern Region lists and her heptathlon score of 4,561 points gives her a UK ranking of seventh - an event in which she represented GB U-20s against Russia and France in late July.

She still has two more years as an U-20 woman. Amy Howard's 47.51m in the hammer is also a notable mark in this age group, while both girls are only separated by two centimetres in the discus for second and third positions respectively.

Multi-eventers James Sleigh (Cookridge) and James Heaton (Ilkley) dominate the U-17 men's lists with fine performances particularly from Sleigh in the 100m hurdles and Heaton in the high jump.

Menston St Mary's pupil Danielle Carr was outstanding in the sprinting events in the U-15 girls' category with her 300m time of 41.7s being a UKA Young Athletes League record.

Also, amongst the junior top performers is Guiseley's Matt Wagner (Menston St Mary's School), who despite still having another year in the U-13 boys' age group is ranked in three events (75m hurdles, long jump and high jump).

A full list of local athletes who feature in the 2005 ranking lists is (All Leeds City AC unless stated otherwise):

Senior Men - Simon Deakin 2nd 5000m 14.13.08; Martin Roscoe 4th, 3000m S/C 9.25.5; Andy Beevers 5th 3000m S/C 9.31.3; Andrew Staniland (Horsforth) 7th 110m hurdles (3ft6ins) 15.94s.

Senior Women - Celia de Maria (Yeadon) 5th 800m 2.15.5, 4th 1500m 4.33.25, 6th 3000m 9.54.83, 1st 2000m S/C 6.54.43, 1st 3000m S/C 10.47.88, 8th 400m hurdles 69.1; Alex Gostling 7th 1500m 4.35.91, 5th 3000m 9.51.61; Gill Keddie (Yeadon) 1st 10,000m 35.50.72.

Under-20 Men - Andrew Staniland 1st 100m 11.03s, 1st high jump 1.98m, 1st* long jump 7.70mw (7.46m), 1st javelin (800g) 56.72m, 1st* decathlon (3ft6ins h) 6,340pts (off 9 events), 2nd pole vault 4.10m, 2nd discus (1.75kg) 45.39m, 2nd shot (6kg) 13.55m.Fraser Davies (Menston) 8th discus (1.75kg) 37.08m; Nick Howard (Skyrac) 1st 2000m S/C 6.12.5.

Under-20 Women - Bethany Staniland (Horsforth) 10th 200m 26.21s, 3rd* 400m 58.5s, 5th 400m hurdles 67.7s, 8th long jump 5.27m, 5th javelin (600g) 37.10m, 2nd discus (1kg) 36.43m, 5th* shot (4kg) 11.80m, 3rd* heptathlon 4,561pts; Emma Moutrie (Guiseley) 9th100m hurdles 16.0s (15.5w), 4th long jump 5.29m (5.50w); Laura Kirk (Skyrac) 7th 800m 2.18.3; Amy Howard (Bingley) 4th triple jump 10.28m, 3rd discus (1kg) 36.41m,2nd hammer (4kg) 47.51m.

Under-17 Men - Alex Davy 8th 3000m 9.28.92; James Sleigh 1st 100m hurdles 14.5s, 6th long jump 5.76m (6.12w), 8th pole vault 3.20m, 10th discus (1.5kg) 34.31m, 3rd octathlon 4,132pts; James Heaton (Ilkley) 2nd= high jump 1.84m, 5th octathlon 3,921pts; Tom Wagner (Guisleey) 5th pole vault 3.40m.

Under-17 Women - Jodie Gregorczyk (Menston Sy Mary's) 9th 1500m 4.51.9; Laura Flemming 5th high jump 1.65m; Georgina Ablett 7th discus (1kg) 27.46m.

Under-15 Girls - Danielle Carr (Menston St Mary's) 4th 100m 12.81s, 4th 200m 26.15s, 2nd 300m 41.7s.

Under-13 Boys - Matt Wagner (Menston St Mary's) 1st = 75m hurdles 12.9s; 7th high jump 1.40m, 4th long jump 4.73m.

Under-13 Girls - G Christopher (Carnegie) 3rd 70m hurdles 11.9s, 2nd long jump 4.45m.

* indicates Great Britain/England/England Schools International in 2005.

Otley Athletic Club

Three Otley members made it over to Penistone Hill Country Park, near Haworth, for the popular Withens Skyline Fell Run. The race is classed as BM being just seven miles with a total climb of 1,000ft over the moors around Haworth.

However, recent heavy rains turned the run across the moors into a slog with thigh deep pools of thick mud waiting to trap the unwary.

First over the line was Simon Bailey of Mercia FR in a time of 42.09. Otley finishers were Ray Hawksby in 122nd place with a time of 57.44 followed by Helen Walsh 196th (64.18), third Otley finisher was Antonio Cardinale in his own words 82 minutes 'ish' and not last.

On Sunday Otley AC will be hosting the second event in the West Yorkshire Cross- Country League season.

Otley AC train every Tuesday and Thursday evenings running on a variety of routes to suit all standards of runner. Training runs start from Otley RUFC at 7.15pm. Further details are available from www.otleyac.co.uk

Skyrac AC

Simon Bailey (Mercia) is the (joint) 2005 English Fell Running Champion and five Skyrac runners lined up alongside him last Sunday at the Withins Skyline race from Penistone Hill, Haworth.

If you go to the trouble of travelling up from Staffordshire, presumably you try to win, and this Simon duly did finishing in 42.09. Skyrac's runners were some way behind finishing in 42nd Rob Weston (50.23), 84th Martin Farrar (53.23), 94th Graham Grinstead, who although currently running as unattached could not resist putting on the golden vest of Skyrac again (54.06), 100th Robert Pritchard (55.08) and finally Graham Breeze who was 109th in 56.07. Graham was also first V60.

There was a 30 per cent increase in turnout at the 2005 Skyrac AGM last week and several people came forward to serve as officers of the Committee for the first time: Louise Jeavons (Secretary), Maria Harrison (Social Secretary), Guy Good (Road/Cross- Country Captain) and Peter Wade (Webmaster).

The atmosphere of the meeting was refreshingly upbeat with those present determined to publicise the magnificent facilities enjoyed by Skyrac more widely in future.

Skyrac is based at Nunroyd Park on the Guiseley/Yeadon boundary and can be contacted via www.skyrac.org.uk or 01943 874046

Orienteering

TWO local runners have been chosen to represent England in the Veterans Home International Orienteering competition to be held in Northumberland next month.

Peter Haines from Ilkley and Alistair Wood from Menston - both members of Airienteers - are to run the M50 class individual event on November 13. Both will also compete in the relay competition the previous day.

Neither are strangers to international competition having both represented England in previous years and both continue to maintain their positions near the top of the British Orienteering Federation's rankings list which records annual performances at major events in the UK.

Only those who combine excellent navigation and route choice skills in a variety of terrain with speed and fitness will make it into the top ten in the BOF list.

The event will be held amongst the coniferous forests and moorland of Kyloe near Holy Island. Two runners per country will compete at each age level in both men's and women's races from M/W 35 to M/W 60 so Airienteers comprise the whole English team at M50 level.

Meanwhile Airienteers will be competing in a District event at Loxley Common near Sheffield at the weekend. Details of this and other events at this friendly club can be found on their website at www.aire.org.uk