Noel Pollock of Annadale took the Northern Ireland and Ulster Junior Cross Country Championship in Castle Park after a devastating display of front running with Greg Roberts and Alan Bogle from City of Derry second and third. With the best turnout for about ten years, City Of Derry took a very close team race by just four points from Willowfield with Abbey third. North Down were seventh with Jordan Neil top scorer.
In the Veterans’ Championship George Bell was first club scorer and won the Over 50′s as defending Champion Mark Kirk won from Deon McNeilly
[Not a valid template]James Budde was well up as always for North Down but a recurring back complaint proved troublesome in the last lap of the hilly circuit and 16 year old Jordan Neil went past to finish 15th in 35.20 with James 18th in 35.53. The rest of the scoring six were Michael Dyer in 24th; Geoffrey Weir (forgoing the vets race) in 45th; an unwell Jamie Stewart in 51st and Norman Wilson in 78th. Close behind were James Agar in 79th, Ian Atkinson on 81st, Thomas Simmons in 89th and Matthew Smith 99th for an impressive ten finishers.
The veterans also had a good turnout and finished scoring A and B teams. George was 14th in 18.19, John Quiery 38th, Tony Wall 40th, David Seaton 55th. For the B team, Norman Lellyett (59 years and 364 days old) was 62nd, Fred Murdoch 75th (2nd over 60, Hugh Young 84th (2nd over 65, Trevor Spencer 88th and Richard Belshaw 96th.
The veterans will be back on 12th March when the British Championships will be hed over the same course.