Leigh Harriers were in good form at the National Cross country championships at Leeds Roundhay Park on Saturday buoyed up by the news that sixteen year old Laura Riches has been selected to represent English Schools at the World cross country championships in the Slovak Republic on 19^th and 24^th April.

Peter Riley, who is  running back into top form after an encouraging run in the Northern championships where he finished in fourth place, and against much tougher opposition with over two thousand runners in  the Senior 12km championships, finished an encouraging 5^th place another, step to regaining his place as top distance runner in the country.

In the younger age group races fifteen year old Shannon Johnson ran outstandingly in the girls under 15 race; over a tough 4.5km course Shannon ran a competitive race to finish in 12^th place; Bethany Jones ran hard to finish in 61^st place Georgina Leck 103^rd place Tyler Colderley 233rd and Lauren O Malley 298^th; there were over 340 finishers and the Leigh team came in 9^th place.

Laura Riches was not at her best but never the less gave 100% effort finished in 26^th place; Abigail Howarth ran well to finish in 59^th place and Elizabeth Lee, suffering from flue and a holiday was 133^rd.

Leigh’s under 15 boys team most of the the team running their first National gave a good account of themselves. Ryan Moore experienced a mass start of nearly 400 runners for the first time finished in an encouraging 34^th place, whilst Adam Howarth slowly improving was 113th place, Liam Moore 218^th,Adam Jamson 282^nd and William Banks 387^th.

Rebecca Howarth, running in her first senior ladies National Championship race, and who has been running outstandingly well over the last two months with 8^th in the Northern and 10^th in the British University’s cross country championships, set herself high standards despite finishing in 48^th place against the best female endurance runners in the country, was visibly upset as a calf injury during the race stopped her running as she would have wished.

The young U/13s athletes of Hannah O Malley, Dominic Howarth and Jordan Smith ran well in there races.

The senior men’s team finishers were Peter Riley 5^th Tom Henders 368^th, John Howarth 445^th Alistair Goulding 513^th and Andy Howarth 665^th