Northern Cross Country Championships

: 26 January 2025

Northern Cross Country Championships

U15 girls

The Northern Cross Country Championships – Tatton Park January 2025

The Northern Cross-Country Championships are the penultimate pinnacle of the cross-country season, a challenge for every club. This year's cauldron was Tatton Park, unusually on the club's doorstep! A club succeeds when it rises to its challenges and Sale Harriers shone bright.....

The U15 girls continued their winning ways! The club section who've been so exceptionally successful throughout the past 12 months, they merit the front cover of the emerging club magazine, won the Northern Title for the first time since 2017 and the 4th time in their section's 30 year history -2008, 1999 and 1993.
The Senior Men flexed their formidable muscle in a way they'd not done since last spring’s 12 Stage Relay and they were rewarded with brilliant Bronze medals. They could not have done more again strong champions Leeds City & Salford who've shared the top two positions for the past four years......in fact since Sale Harriers repeatedly 'whopped' both of them as Champions in the previous four years. MAX WHARTON finished like a steam train in 5th, NIGEL MARTIN, who's represented the section with distinction in every championship except one since 2016 did so again in 9th, PHIL ROBERTSON who's also represented the club with distinction in the past six of seven championships and then there were NICK BARRY, JOE GODWOOD and BEN BRUNSWICK who made their Northern debuts and were understandably delighted to win prestigious Northern medals.
The senior women also showed what a formidable force they can be by winning magnificent silver medals, their best result since they became Northern Relay Champions and National Relay Bronze medallists last spring. LUCY ARMITAGE, the club's lead runner in last year's Junior Northern title, was again the club's lead in the senior race. Just a few places behind her was ALICE WRIGHT, a key member of the team in the past four championships and AINE CUNNINGHAM, the club's lead runner as an U15 when her section won Silver way back in 2015, the U17 Northern Title in 2017 and the U20 Title in 2019. LAURA BARBER brought home the booty!
Individual Northern Titles and medals were also battled for. Though some came very close and understandably were disappointed, they've the consolidation of knowing their talent and ability brought their team tremendous success.
Septuagenarians DAVE RODGERS and BRIAN GOULDEN deserve gold medals for delivering a very successful championship on home territory as clerks of the course. Few will know the amount of work they put into it......not just on the day but for several days beforehand.
Sale Harriers course marshals were the pride of the North, dotted around the course pulling their weight more than any other Northern or Regional club. The car-park were virtually empty and darkness falling when they were finally stood down.