Don Hale Blog

North Wales Cross Country League 2024/25: Latest updates with fixtures and opportunity to run in the Welsh Inter-regional XC champs... Report and photos courtesy of Bernie Jones, NW XCL secretary. LAST CALL: The first North Wales Cross Country League fixture starts at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay, tomorrow (Saturday 5th October), with junior races starting at 10-30am (Under 15 Boys) and the Senior races starting as usual at 1pm. We are still outstanding team lists from a small number of clubs and the first fixture is on Saturday. Please give us a chance to prepare your numbers in advance.  PLEASE can the following clubs, if they intend competing this year, provide their team sheets to me asap: Deeside AC - juniors & seniors Menai T&F - juniors & seniors Cybi - seniors Prestatyn RC - juniors? & seniors West Cheshire - juniors & seniors Wrekin - seniors   *For ease I've attached the link to the team sheets below:   JUNIORS https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/...

North Wales Cross Country League 2024/25: Registration details and notice of change of venues for races: - Report courtesy of Bernie Jones, secretary.   The 2024/25 Cross Country Season is just around the corner. Clubs are asked to register athletes wishing to compete in the League using the forms on the North Wales Cross Country website:   Senior Registration: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.northwalesxc.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F08%2FSenior-Athlete-Registration-NWCCL-2024-25.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK   Junior Registration: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.northwalesxc.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F08%2FJunior-Athlete-Registration-NWCCL-2024-25.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK   Forms should be e mailed to me: Bernie-jones@sky.com Clubs are also reminded   that league fees (£100 per club for seniors and £50 for juniors) are payable by at the latest before the start of the seco...

Will Williams tackled the gruelling cross country course at Dolgellau. Mud, wind, and rain at a very muddy cross-country race at Dolgellau... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Lesley Goodson. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Three Road Runners braved the strong blustery winds, rain, and heavy mud at Dolgellau this weekend during the latest fixture within the Grand Prix Express, North Wales XC league. Will Williams  ran well in the  Senior Men’s race  and finished well in 38th place overall amongst 125 starters, and he was 3rd in his MV50 age cat in 36 minutes and 19 seconds. Will later said: “ I really love cross-country. Always a great atmosphere.” The race was won by  Matthew Collins  (Oswestry Olympians) in 30.11 and he won his SM age cat.  Janos Vranek (Aberystwyth University) was 2nd in 30.22, with  Rhodri Owen  (Meirionnydd) 3rd in 31.11.  Emyr Davies  competed in the over 65’s race and won his M8...

*The winning North Wales Regional female team (*above) at Newtown, and (*below) the NW men's team (*below), who combined with the ladies won the overall team prize. Road Running quartet amongst winning North Wales Cross-Country team at Inter-Regional championships. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Four North Wales Road Runners swapped their trainers for spikes and competed in the combined Welsh Inter-Regional cross-country championships held at Dolerw Park, Newtown, last Saturday. The quartet, which included Cheryl Frost, Kay Hatton, Will Williams , and Steve Gardner, were all eventually part of the overall winning team that finished ahead of rivals West Wales, East Wales, and South Wales, to take the deserved plaudits. North Wales ladies won the female team prize with 121-points, whilst the male team finished 3rd, yet the overall points tally confirmed that North Wales were the outright team victors of this prestigious challen...

*The NWRRC ladies team at Bangor (*l-r) Cheryl Frost, Gwennan Charlton and Kay Hatton. Back to the mud and hills for the first cross-country fixture of the season at Treborth, Bangor. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery and Lesley Goodson. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   Five members of North Wales Road Runners entered the first North Wales Cross-Country League fixture of the season, well-organised by hosts Eryri Harriers at Treborth, near Bangor, last Saturday, and staged over a rather muddy, hilly, and challenging series of varied courses. With different distance routes offered in respect of ages, and male and female races, ranging from juniors to masters, the general feedback was most encouraging with many runners welcoming a positive return to some sort of normality following an enforced period of uncertainty. NWRRC members ran in either the senior women’s race, or the senior men’s event, over approximate distances of 3.5-miles, or 5.5...

NORTH WALES CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE 2023-24 SEASON. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk UPDATE:  NORTH WALES CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE Unfortunately due to issues beyond our control (bookings at Eirias Park) we have had to re-schedule the second North Wales Cross Country League fixture to Saturday 21st October. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. The revised fixture list is as follows: Saturday 14th October – Treborth Track, Bangor  Saturday 21st October – Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay  Saturday 25th November – Shrewsbury (venue to be confirmed) Saturday 20th January – Dolgellau  Saturday 10th February – Marches School, Oswestry. *Starting times:  Junior races at 10-30am. Women/65+men at 1-00pm; men 2-00pm. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The 39th Annual General Meeting of the " David Alun Williams " North Wales Cross Country League, in association with  Grand Prix Express  took place at  Ysgol Clywedog Leisure Centre , Ruthin Road, W...

GRAND PRIX EXPRESS:  “David Alun Williams”  NORTH WALES CROSS COUNTRY SENIOR LEAGUE.  Special report  courtesy  of Bernie Jones, the secretary/referee from the meeting at Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay on Saturday 21st  January 2023.  (*Bernie Jones is pictured below).     A big thank you to Russell Godwin, Crispin Backshall, and to all of the Colwyn Bay marshalls and volunteers who helped set up the course in difficult conditions, and put on a great penultimate  David Alun Williams  North Wales Senior Cross Country League for 2022/23.  Whilst the youngsters were back at Eirias Park last year, it was fantastic to see the senior league back in Eirias Park, and I have a few special memories of my own running on the fantastic course.  Yes, it may have been a slightly different course (and a bit longer than indicated on the course maps!!) but for those with good memories the senior league was last at Eirias Park on  10th Oc...