11th October......................Ellesmere Port

8th November.............................Wallasey

6th December.....................................Cybi

24th January................................Abergele

20th March..................................Tattenhall

17th April.......................................Buckley

27th April.................................Deestriders

17th November........................................Tattenhall

15th December..............................................Helsby

2nd February..............................................Abergele

2nd March..................................................Wallasey

23rd March...................................................Deeside

6th April......................................................Wirral

23rd April.................................................Deestriders

                       October 16th                                         Prestatyn

                   November 13th                                      Wallasey    

                   December  11th                                     Tattenhall

                  January 8th                                            Abergele

                   February 26th                                       Wrexham Tri

                   April 1st                                                 Christleton

                   April 25th                                              Dee Striders

October 12th --- West Cheshire
November 9th --- Wirral
December 14th --- Buckley
January 4th --- Eryri
February 22nd --- Ellesmere Port
15th March --- Deeside
29th April --- Wrexham
 

Team Standings at end of Season

It was another fantastic team performance for Abergele Harriers in the first round of the Borders Road Running League in Capenhurst, with a men’s record team result of  410 points, leaving them well ahead at the top of the second division, with the women putting in an equally strong performance at the top of their division. First Harrier home over the 5.5mile course was John Earlston in a superb time of 30mins 7secs for 9^th position overall and first MV45 on the day. Boarders League Captain, Darren Blazier, was just behind in 30mins 29secs for 11^th, with Sean McCormack just seven seconds and one position further back, in 12^th overall, his highest ever League position, and 2^nd MV40 on the day. Club Captain, Geran Hughes recorded an excellent 31mins 17secs for 18^th overall, while just behind was Steven McCormack in 31mins 48secs, for 26^th position, a massive improvement of 113 positions on his position in the final race of last season. Tim Cahill showed that he is right back on form, finishing in an outstanding 32^nd position. Justin McIlveen was next, finishing in 42^nd position, his best by eleven places, while Matthew Ashton, who was recovering from an illness earlier in the week, still put in a very creditable performance, finishing in 65^th position in a time of 33mins 45secs. Grahame Shone, still recovering from injury, recorded an excellent 93^rd position, with Ed Reid, just two weeks after the Anglesey Marathon, still managing to finish very well, for 102^nd. Borders League ever-present John Essary ran an excellent 41mins 7secs for 183^rd, with Steven McCarten just further back in 187^th. Unfortunately Paul Thomas had to pull out at half way with a calf injury. With the ladies Border League Captain, Jaime Ashton cheering everyone home from the sidelines due to injury, the team was lead home by the in-form Angie Hughes, in a tremendous time of 39mins 45secs (163^rd overall). Pam Grant was just over a minute behind in 40mins 50secs (178^th) with Debbie Clift hot on her heels, just nine seconds further back in 180^th position. Sara Cassidy-McIlveen completed the fantastic team effort with a time of 49mins 16secs (239^th).

Individual Results
Team Results

Round 2 Borders League
Caernarfon, 12/11/2006 

Abergele Harriers took a very strong team of fifteen men and three women to the second round of the Borders League which was hosted by Eryri Harriers and run over the Caernarfon 10k course. The men’s team score of 496 keeps them well ahead at the top of the second division, with the ladies also producing a solid performance. The individual performance of the day came from Steven McCormack who finished in 36mins 22secs for 16^th position overall and took over three and a half minutes off his personal best for the distance, which he set only eight weeks earlier over the same course. Steven was one of four Harriers home in the first sixteen finishers in a field of close to 300. First home was Darren Blazier, 9^th overall, in a superb time of 35mins 34secs, hotly pursued by John Earlston, 12^th in 35mins 57secs and Sean McCormack, 14^th in 36mins 1sec. Fifth Harrier home, earning a personal best time by 27 seconds, was the ever-improving Matthew Ashton in a fantastic 37mins 38secs for 29^th, with Tim Cahill just behind him in 36^th position overall. Justin McIlveen, still suffering jet-lag from a very recent holiday, still managed a very respectful 39mins 8secs for 58^th, while Grahame Shone was equally pleased with his 91^st position. Ed Reid finished in 112^th while Keith Elliott, making his League debut for the club ran an excellent 43mins for 119^th. Rob Spotswood’s 45mins 46secs earned him 162^nd, just ahead of the second League debutant of the day, Peter Smith, in a very satisfying 46mins 16secs for 169^th. Stevie McCarten ran a course best time of 47mins 36secs for 183^rd, while League ever-present John Essary finished in 196^th and the men’s team was completed by an in-form Stevie Ward in 229^th.

With Ladies Border League Captain Jaime Ashton still supporting from the side-lines due to injury, the ladies team was lead home by Pam Grant in a course best time for her, of 48mins 13secs for 189^th. Ladies Club Captain Alison Guillemin was next, in an excellent 239^th, while Anwen Begley, the third Harrier of the day making her League debut, completed an excellent ladies team performance finishing in 261^st. After today’s results the men’s team are run-away leaders of the second division while the ladies are very much in contention for the improvers trophy

Abergele Men’s Team Results;

Total Points; 479

Abergele Ladies Team Results; 

Seventeen Harriers were on Borders league duty in Prestatyn, where a slightly weakened men’s team still managed to stay top of the second division, and a very encouraging team of six ladies also managed to get into promotion contention with a superb team performance. First Harrier home on the day, in 11^th position overall, was John Earlston, in an excellent time of 28mins 55secs for the 5.1mile course, with Darren Blazier in hot pursuit, just ten seconds and one position further back. Justin McIlveen was next in 62^nd position in a time of 31mins 48secs, while Grahame Shone, proved he is well back on form with an excellent 32mins 51secs, for 84^th overall and 1^st position on the day in the MV55 category. Keith Elliott was next, in a superb 33mins 48secs, just twelve seconds ahead of Ed Reid. The men’s team was completed with fantastic performances by Paul Thomas 34:48 (124^th), Peter Smith 36:35 (152^nd), Rob Spotswood 37:11 (162^nd), Dave Edwards 37:46 (172^nd) and John Essary 39:31 (189^th).

The ladies had one of their biggest ever Borders League teams out with six members producing outstanding performances. First female Harrier home was Pam Grant in 38mins 33secs, a fantastic 4^th in her age category on the day, with Melanie Williams just over a minute further back in 39mins 41secs for 8^th in her category. Allison Guillemin produced a fantastic 43mins 55secs, with Julie Jones equally pleased with her 49mins 27secs. Sara McIlveen also finished very well in 51mins 43secs while Borders League Captain Jaime Ashton made an eagerly awaited return to racing following a prolonged lay-off with injury and was extremely satisfied with the resultant time on 62mins 21secs. The ladies overall score on 116 points places them into 3^rd position in the second division , while the men still lead their division by over 350 points.

Fourteen Abergele Harriers travelled to Christleton for the fourth round of the Borders Road Running League which was run in very cold conditions over a new 9.45k course, with the men’s team score of 594 extending their lead at the top of the second division. First Harrier home, in superb form at present, was John Earlston in 33mins 1sec, for ninth position overall, and first MV45 on the day, leapfrogging him into pole position overall in that category. Borders League Captain Darren Blazier was not far behind, finishing in 33mins 32secs for 13^th, while in-form Sean McCormack finished in 34mins 17secs for 20^th, first MV40 on the day and moving him up to 2^nd overall in the MV40 category. Steven McCormack completed the first of three races in seven days with a very steady 35mins 47secs (45^th), which extended his lead at the top of the Under 20 category, while Matthew Ashton was just over a minute further back, in 36mins 52secs for 54^th. Grahame Shone, another Harrier in second position in his category at present, ran an outstanding 37mins 22secs, for 62^nd, while Ed Reid continued his recent return to form with a 37mins 51secs for 68^th. Borders League debutant, Hayden Jones ran the race of the day finishing in a fantastic 39mins 30secs for 101^st, while Paul Thomas, despite missing the start, still finishing in an excellent time of 39mins 55secs for 110^th. Keith Elliott was only 16 seconds further back in 40mins 11secs for 114^th, while less than a second separated David Edwards and Peter Smith, both being given the exact same time of 42mins 35secs with Edwards awarded 142^nd and Smith 143^rd. Stephen McCarten also ran very well, finishing in 45mins 27secs for 164^th, while Borders League ever-present John Essary completed a superb team performance, finishing 48mins 39secs for 178^th in a very large and high quality field. The men now look set for promotion back to the first division with three races still to go, while the women unfortunately look like spending another season in the second.

Thirteen men and one lady travelled to Mold for the fifth round of the Borders Road Running League with several highlights including a record five men finishing in the top twenty, three category winners on the day, and the very welcome return to racing of four–time Borders League winner Simon Shiels after eighteen months away from the sport. Borders League Captain Darren Blazier lead the team home in a tremendous time of 28mins 13secs, securing 7th position overall, just ahead of arch-rival John Earlston who finished in 9^th in a time of 28mins 21secs. Earlston had the consolation however of finishing as first V45, extending both his unbeaten run this year in his age group and his lead at the top of the Veterans section of the League. Not far behind was the McCormack duo, with dad Sean just keeping son Steven at bay on this occasion, both winning their age categories on the day, finishing in 29.02 and 29.09, for 14^th and 17^th positions respectfully. The club were delighted to welcome back Simon Shiels to the roads, with a very solid performance, finishing in 20^th position overall in a time of 29mins 19secs, securing the club record of five finishers in the first twenty. Shiels has plans for several races over the next few weeks in order to work his way back to the top where he surely belongs. Tim Cahill continued his excellent recent form, finishing just outside 30 minutes, in 41^st position, just ahead of Justin McIlveen, recovering from several recent fell runs, but still managing a superb 31mins10secs for 58^th. Ed Reid, having won the League handicap at the previous race, again ran excellently, finishing in 83^rd, while Haydn Jones made a massive improvement on his last League outing, finishing in a personal best 96^th position. Paul Thomas, another Harrier going very well at present, finished in a very pleasing 121^st, while Keith Elliott and Peter Smith continued their excellent London Marathon preparation, finishing in 133^rd and 165^th respectfully. The men’s team was completed by League ever-present John Essary who finished in 195^th easily beating his last years time for the course, and completing a men’s team that finished with a score of 466 points, to stretch their lead at the top of the second division. The sole female representative in the race was Sonya Wignall, who flew the flag proudly on the day, making her debut in the League, and finishing an excellent 256^th overall over the tough five mile course.

Total Points; 453

Total Points; 362

Individual Results
Team Results
Overall Team Results

Round 6 Borders League
Deeside, 15/4/2007

Sixteen Abergele Harriers took part in the penultimate race of the Borders         Road Running League held in Northup. Unfortunately the course was shortened to a 4.3mile race instead of the anticipated 6 mile course, but was still a challenging course run in extremely hot conditions. For the second League race in a row the Harriers had five men home in the first 18 places, all finishing within 30 seconds of each other. Leading his team home, as usual, was Border League Captain Darren Blazier in a fantastic 24mins 19secs, for 9^th position overall, just ahead of John Earlston in 10^th with a time of 24mins 24secs. Earlston maintained his unbeaten record in his age group this year and further extended his lead in the overall MV45 category and is now also first Veteran overall in the League. Third Harrier home, and 13^th overall, was Club Captain Geran Hughes, in 24mins 29secs for 1^st MV40 on the day, with Sean McCormack just one position and a couple of seconds further back. The result put McCormack into pole position in the overall MV40 category, with Steven McCormack, consolidating his position at the top of the MU20 category, just twelve seconds and four positions further back, in 24mins 45secs for 18^th position. Less than one minute further back and continuing his excellent recent form, was Tim Cahill finishing in 39^th position, in 25mins 53secs, while Ed Reid proved he is getting back to his best, finishing in 26mins 53ses for 61^st, a result that came only five days after he finished the Abergwyngrgyn Fell race in 39mins 50secs (20^th). Matthew Ashton, who is currently Triathlon training, ran a very steady race, finishing in an excellent 27mins 38secs for 76^th, while the ever-improving Haydn Jones finished in a personal best league position of 84^th. Grahame Shone was 3^rd MV55 on the day, maintaining second position overall in the category, with a superb 109^th position, with Paul Thomas just behind in an excellent 119^th. Keith Elliot, with one week to go until his Marathon debut, ran very well, finishing just one place further back in a time of 30mins 25secs, while fellow London debutant, Peter Smith ran an equally impressive 32mins 7secs, for 144^th. Borders League ever-present John Essary clocked a fantastic 34mins 2secs for 188^th, while Stevie Ward made a very welcome return to racing following injury, and completed the men’s team with a time of just over 46 minutes for 180^th. The men’s team now have a 1,209 point lead at the top of the second division and are all but guaranteed promotion to the top division, and in the process today were actually 3^rd male team overall, scored their best ever veteran team result (225 points, 3^rd veteran team on day), and are now also in third position in veterans and the male improvers leagues. Also within today’s race there was a “Mob Match” with local rivals Prestatyn Running Club, and with clubs fielding strong men’s teams, the Harriers just edged the Male trophy.

Unfortunately only one lady ran today, Angie Hughes, who had an outstanding run, finishing in an extremely impressive 32mins 37secs, 24^th lady overall and 6^th in her highly competitive age category. Her result single-handedly leapfrogged the ladies team above Wrecsam Tri into 5^th position in the second division, but unfortunately she just missed out to a very impressive Prestatyn Ladies team in the female “Mob Match”.

Abergele Men’s Team Results;

Total Points; 433

Abergele Ladies Team Results; 

Total Points; 224

Individual Results
Team Results
Overall Team Results

The final round of the Borders Road Running League was held in Wrexham on Friday night, and it turned out to be the most historic night in the 21 year history of Abergele Harriers. Not only did the club have its biggest ever turn out for a league race (22 runners), the Harriers won the race on the night for the first time since joining the league seven years ago, they had five runners in the first 20 home for the third league race in succession, they won the second division with one of the best ever scores, and three Harriers won their individual categories overall, another was runner-up and another third. The highlight of the night, from an individual point of view, was Steven McCormack’s ninth position overall in a fantastic time of 21mins 37secs, a result that secured him the illustrious Male Under 20 League title. His father was ten positions and 23 seconds further back but had the consolation of winning the MV40 title making it a unique family double for the season. Another highlight of the season came from John Earlston, who finished 16^th on the night in a time of 21mins 52secs, remaining unbeaten in his category this year, winning not only the overall MV45 category, but also the overall Male Veteran category. Grahame Shone completed a very solid season with an excellent time of 25mins 18secs, 105^th on the night, but runner up overall in the highly competitive MV55 category. On the night however Darren Blazier continued to lead his team from the front with a coarse personal best time of 21mins 30secs, for 8^th position, just holding off McCormack junior, and finishing the season third overall in the extremely strong Senior Male category. The outstanding performances on the night were too numerous to mention them all, but included Geran Hughes’ (15^th) 3^rd top twenty finish of the season, Tim Cahill’s highest ever league finish (27^th) and Dewi and Gareth Roberts 30^th and 49^th respectfully on their league debuts. With Matthew Ashton 68^th (23mins 46secs), Justin McIlveen 72nd (23mins 56secs), and Ed Reid 73^th (23mins 58secs), the club had eleven runners home in the first 75. Unfortunately only one lady ran on the night, but Angie Hughes produced a fantastic performance, finishing 171^st overall, insuring the ladies team finished the season in a respectful position in the second division. Other tremendous performances came from Haydn Jones (106^th), Paul Thomas (118^th), Peter Smith 27:07 (138th), Keith Elliott 27:09 (139^th), Dave Edwards 28:08 (149th), John Essary (169th), Stephen McCarten 30:38 (175^th), Jonathan Parry 32:00 (181^st), and Steve Ward (186^th). With its strongest male team ever out, both in quality and quantity, the score for the night of 313 points was the club’s best by over 100 points, which not only made them runaway winners of the second division, but also secured third position in the overall Veterans League and Male Improvers league.

Abergele Men’s Team Results;

Total Points; 313

Abergele Ladies Team Results; 

Total Points; 223

Individual Results
Team Results
Final Overall Team Results
Photos