The second fixture in Division 3NE of the NML was a double-header with Division 2NE on Saturday, June 7 at Sheepmount Stadium, Carlisle. Richmond and Zetland Harriers' Senior Men's team had finished fourth in the opening fixture, eight points behind Morpeth and 17 points behind second-place Houghton & Peterlee.

Determined not to fall behind in the race for a promotion place, the Harriers had 12 athletes make the 150 mile journey. Although this number didn't include the Club's evergreen thrower John Wild (more later), the team was strengthened by two Juniors, Dean Wilkinson and Sam Stanislaus, both making their Senior debuts.

The NML has 17 individual track and field events with A and B strings plus two relays; Juniors are limited in the number of events they can contest and Seniors have a maximum of seven so, despite the luxury of a dozen athletes, a Team Manager has to make careful choices. With nine wins from eight athletes - maximum points, A and B string wins, in the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase plus A string wins in the 800m, 110m hurdles, triple jump and javelin - their efforts were rewarded with third place in the match.

RZH results: John Aspell 4th 1500m B 4:47.4; Dan Brooks 1st 110m hurdles A 21.5, 1st 400m hurdles B 74.6, 2nd long jump B 4m88 & 2nd triple jump B 10m52; Mike Brooks 1st 3000m steeplechase B 12:23.5; Mark Flannery 4th 100m B 12.7, 4th 400m B 59.1, 5th discus A 20m73, 6th hammer A 16m24, 5th shot 8m56 & 1st javelin 41m48; Ken Harker 4th 400m A 56.9 & 1st 800m A 2:07.6; Jon Orange 1st 5000m A 15:54.6; Chris Peacock 2nd 800m B 2:14.1, 5th 400m hurdles A 81.5, 6th shot B 6m30 & 4th javelin B 26m23; Matt Prosser 5th 100m A 12.1 & 6th 200m A 24.9; Shaun Purkiss 5th discus 17m25, 4th hammer 14m64 & 1st 5000m 16:44.9; Sam Stanislaus 2nd high jump A 1m70, 3rd long jump A 5m82 & 1st triple jump A 12m22; Scott Wardman 1st 3000m steeplechase A 10:27.2; Dean Wilkinson 4th 200m B 26.4. Team - 5th 4x100m relay 52.3 & 3rd 4x400m relay 3:52.9.

The club is now in third place in the Division, just one League point behind second place Hartlepool Burn Road Harriers.

John Wild missed the League fixture because it clashed with the British Masters Athletics Federation (BMAF) T&F Championships on the same date at Moorways Stadium, Derby. John contested four events and came back with a silver and a bronze medal - 7th shot 10m75, 3rd discus 37m40, 5th hammer 38m33 & 2nd weight 15m04 - plus entry into national rankings for the umpteenth year.

* www.rzh.org.uk