Burn heads down under

Brisbane will play host to some of the world's finest veteran athletes (veteran runners being over the age of 40) over a two week period in July. Burn (pictured right) will be running in the 8km cross country event.

These games take place every two years, and were last held in Gateshead where Rob also competed in this event, finishing an admirable 13th overall, and sixth British counter. Over his running career he has won over 200 races, including taking the Vauxhall Four Peaks Challenge title in a record time in 1999 with his team the Happy Wanderers.

Burn has an impressive record as a veteran, having won a medal in the Yorkshire veteran cross country championships every time he has competed. Burn is now 47 and will be competing in the 45-50 age group where he will face strong competition from Nigel Gates, the current World title holder.

Burn is hoping to put in another good performance before enjoying a holiday touring Australia with his wife Christine.

Meanwhile, There were only nine runners from the club who made their way to Otley to compete in Race 4 of the Harrogate and District Summer Road Race League. Considering the poor turnout, it was a reasonable performance on the day and the club has maintained its position in most of the team events.

Walter Busuttil did well in a very competitive field by finishing first for the Club. He finished 17th in a time of 35:53 for a course which was just short of 10km. John Yates finished second for the club in 30th place in a time of 37:14. Otley AC, the organisers of this event packed seven people in the top ten and maintain their lead in the main team race, and the Elite Race. Ian Fisher won his fourth consecutive Harrogate League in a time of 31:37 about a minute and a half ahead of his nearest rival Neil Clayton, also from Otley AC.

Maureen Gibb (V50) was first Thirsk Lady in a time of 48:09. She finished in 22nd position overall in the Ladies race and 12th in the Vets section earning points for the club in three out of the 4 team scoring events.

Stephan Tomaszewski was first Male Vet over 40 in a time of 39:09 and 50th position overall.

Main race (first ten runners male or female): Thirsk maintain sixth place from nine with 4353pts (first Otley 6306).

Elite (three fastest times): Thirsk move down one to fifth with a time of 6:34:55 (1st Otley 5:56:54).

Ladies (first five Ladies senior or vet): Thirsk move down one to fifth with 433pts (1st Ilkley 764).

Male Vets (five men): Thirsk maintain seventh place with 699pts (1st Harrogate 1428).

Lady Vets (three ladies): Thirsk maintain third place with 181pts (1st Harrogate 304).

The last event of the League is organised by Richmond and Zetland on Thursday, June 28 at 7.45pm at Gilling West. This is followed by a Handicap Event and Prizegiving at Ripon on Wednesday, July 18.

Shildon Running & AC

OSaturday a club record 14 young athletes represented Durham County in the Schools Inter-Counties championships held at Sheepmount Stadium, Carlisle.

Duncan Rogers won the junior boys long jump and will make the trip to the English Schools at Exeter next month.

Results - Junior boys: 1500m, 3rd Matthew Lomax (4.22); 100m, 2nd Duncan Rogers (12.3); 200m, 4th Chris Stappard (25.7); long jump, 1st Duncan Rogers (5.69m).

Junior girls: 100m, 2nd Catherine Turner (13.3); 200m, 5th Gemma Morgan (28.4).

Inter girls: 3000m, 4th Natalie Owens (11:11.4); 100m, 2nd Yasmine Meite (13.3); 200m, 3rd Yasmine Meite (27.3); 300m, 3rd Gemma Brown (43.3); 300m, 4th Natasha Meite (44.0); discus, 2nd Danielle Hodgson (26.44m).

Inter boys: 200m, 2nd Tom Carrol (23.3); 400m, 3rd Richard Turner (51.8).

Senior girls: 400m, 1st Victoria Finn (59.2).

The next day at the Newton Aycliffe Hydro Polymers 10k, veteran Phil Sixsmith was first back for the club in 16th position overall and also won the Over-45 veteran prize.

Times: Scott Ellwood (39.08); Chris Griffith (40.28); Jean Pierre Hupin (4054); John Hewitson (43.51); Adam Edwards (45.13); Michael Ketley (46.21); Jaqueline Robinson (46.35); Ray Halton (47.44); John Gray (5043); Julie Ingram (52.33); Debbie Halton (53.07); Dorothy Borrowdale (56.50); Cliff Pickering (56.53).

At the 21st Blaydon Race, the Shildon club were in the prizes once again, this time even before the start gun was fired as Julie Ingram was elected the club's first ever Blaydon Belle.

Times: 225th Chris Griffith (35.22); 270th Jean Pierre Hupin (35.53); 270th Peter Anable (35.59); 427th Adam Ingram (37.43); 909th Ray Halton (42.09); 1025th Kevin Chester (43.04); 1215th Myra McMeniman (44.33); 1247th John Gray (44.47); 1529th Julie Ingram (46.51); 1806th Debbie Halton (48.52); 1997th Brian Chester (50.22); 2172th Dorothy Borrowdale (51.59).

On the evening of Wednesday, June 13 the club competed in two events, the first being the third fixture of Tyneside Track Field League at Monkton Stadium, Jarrow, several athletes accomplished personal best times.

Results - Under-13 girls: 100m, 2nd Melanie Robinson (14.1pb).

Under-15 girls: 100m, 1st Catherinbe Turner (13.00pb).

Under-17 girls: 300m, 3rd Gemma Morgan (44.3pb); 400m, 1st Gemma Brown (62.4pb).

Under-20 girls: 400m, 1st Vickie Finn (58.8).

Under-15 boys: 400m, 1st John Burn (60.9).

Under-17 boys: 400m, 1st Richard Turner (51.5), 2nd Ben Finn (55.7pb).

Under-20 men: 400m, 3rd Ian Davey (50.7pb), 10th Martin Turnbull (56.6pb).

Senior men: 100m, 7th Neil Malkin (13.4).

The same evening the club then took a break from the track and competed at the Castle Eden Canter, a two-mile and seven-mile event held around the footpaths and bridleways of the Castle Eden Country Park in aid of the Butterwick Hospice. The event was held jointly by Stockton Borough Council and Quakers RC Darlington.

Results - Two mile race: 1st Matthew Lomax (17.17); 2nd Jabal Thompson (18.48); 3rd Kahil Thompson (18.49); 4th Natalie Owens (20.03); 7th Matthew Hewitson (20.49); 11th Simon Hewitson (22.48); 12th Kelly Turnbull (22.50); 24th Jonathan Griffith (28.42); 25th Dorothy Borrowdale (28.46); 26th Jean Best (30.16).

Seven mile race: 3rd Paul Best (42.32); 39th Adam Edwards (53.22); 42nd John Hewitson (53.48); 47th Chris Bowron (55.40); 59th Jacqueline Robinson (57.46); 64th Myra McMeniman (60.24); equal 63rd Ray Halton (60.24).

Darlington Harriers and AC

Several of the Harriers have been active on the roads around the North-East recently. At the Thirsk ten-mile race Alison Raw was 112th in 65.59, sixth female. Paul Smith, 129th in 67.00 which was a personal best, Dave Weston, 183rd, 69.56 and Philippa Smith was 453rd in 88.29.

At the Nike Blaydon race on a soaking Saturday, over a tricky 5.7-mile course, Nigel Orr finished 38th (30.32), Martin Grainger 44th (30.42), Paul Kelly 133rd (33.39), Alison Raw 180th (34.40), Hon Lee 257th (35.39), Ian Barnes 332nd (36.42).

At the Quakers Handicap, held at Castle Eden, Paul Kelly completed the race in 33.34 off a 30.44 handicap, and Alison Raw did 34.48 from a handicap of 29.41.

At the Hydro Polymers 10km Race, organised by Newton Aycliffe AC, won by Chester-le-Street's Martin Scaife, Martin Grainger was the first Harrier home in 14th position in a time of 34.36.

Other Harriers: Ben Wilson 27th (36.22), Paul Kelly 31st (36.28), Alison Raw 53rd (38.21), second female, Hon Lee 62nd (39.10), Jack Mason 67th (39.30), pb, Ron Read 74th (39.40), Dave Boyd 107th (41.25), Sharon Carbert 137th (43.06), Paul Smith 148th (43.59), Ken Hudson 176th (45.16), John Brant 198th (46.10), Peter Chalmers 244th (48.40), Philippa Smith 269th (50.74), Sandra Lee 347th (58.54), and Annette Hubery 349th (59.00).

Team results: Men 6th, 131 points, and 14th 371 points. Women's team, 2nd, 45 points.

The disappointment for the club was that nobody took part in the 3km Fun Run for the Under-16s.

l The Harriers, supported by Cleveland Bridge, train on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.15pm and are holding a 10km and 2km race at Croft circuit on Wednesday, July 11. Entries from Eastbourne Sports Complex and Hundens Lane or phone Darlington 257672.

Quakers RC

The club are celebrating a cash windfall, courtesy of the National Lottery Awards for All Fund.

The club successfully applied for funding towards the development of their coaching plan which includes the training of a further 14 coaches, so the £2,693 will go towards further strengthening of the club.

This is the club's second successful grant application. In 1999 the club were awarded £3,705.26 which enabled them to purchase equipment which is in use at the headquarters, Hummersknott School, in Darlington.

Compiler of the lottery bid, club treasurer, Keven Shevels said: "Despite already having 17 qualified coaches, the growth in our membership means that we actually fall considerably short of the UK Athletics recommended coach-to-athlete ratio of one-to-ten.

"In addition, this situation has also created additional pressure on our existing coaches, particularly in regard to certain areas of our activities such as the 11 to 16 age group and the female athletes."

The club has pinpointed nine areas of the coaching in which they wish to further develop. These include educating the coaching staff in the latest developments in working with children and good practice and child protection, increasing the number and scope of coaches to cater for the 11 to 16 age group and enabling the club to provide coaching facilities for disabled sports people.

The club are also implementing an initiative to encourage girls and women to enter, and, stay in the sport by encouraging female coaches for female athletes as well as aiming to provide specific coaching knowledge for the 40, 50 and 60 year age groups who are entering the sport as both recreational and fitness runners.

The club are also looking at expanding coaches' knowledge of sports injuries and fitness by organising courses through the National Coaching Federation as well as providing a library of manuals and videos to be made available to the staff.

The Quakers' coaching co-ordinator, Wayne Bramley, added: "Not only are we looking at expanding in the areas that we currently cater for, but by specifically providing coaching knowledge for more diverse groups, such as the older athlete and the female athlete, this we believe is essential to the clubs continued development."