Gala Harrier Isla Paterson a winner at UK junior inter-counties hill-running championships in Lancashire

Paterson was among 27 Scots competing and she clocked a time of 47 minutes and 12 seconds to finish 16th overall in that age bracket, two minutes and 18 seconds in front of 18th-placed Cumbrian Rose Gilldaley.

Lasswade Athletic Club’s Rowan Taylor was the fastest Scot among the 37 runners of both sexes contesting that race, finishing third overall in 40:55.

Paterson’s class win helped earn Scotland’s east district a team gold medal, with Strathearn Harriers’ Tasha Myles backing her up by placing 31st all told, and as 12th female finisher, in 58:52.

Taylor’s podium placing also helped Scotland East’s under-19 men bring back a team medal, bronze in their case.

Scotland East’s under-15 boys also won a team bronze medal, thanks to Gala’s Seb Darlow finishing seventh out of a field of 93 in 21:35 and Moorfoot Runners’ Jack Foley placing tenth in 21:44, with Edinburgh’s Rory Beattie following in 19th place overall, and as 17th male finisher in that age bracket, in 23:07.

Moorfoot’s Thea Harris was the fastest Scot among the 48 girls running in that race, finishing as ninth female, and 34th all told, in 24:28, helping Scotland East place as fifth team.

Her team-mates Lucy Ward, of Lasswade, and Flora Lawson, from East Lothian, placed 48 and 64th overall, and as 15th and 26th girls, in 25:30 and 27:03.

Scotland East’s under-17 girls’ team also finished fifth, thanks to Gala’s Ava Richardson and Kirsty Rankine making the top 20 of the 33 female runners to finish.

Richardson was 14th in that class, and 52nd overall, in 42:49 and Rankine 16th, and 54th all told, in 43:27.

Their fellow Scots Eliza Konig, of Fife Athletic Club, and Sky Simpson, of Inverness Harriers, were 48th and 62nd overall out of a field of 75, and 12th and 23rd female finishers in their age bracket, in 41:37 and 46:11 respectively.

Full results can be found at https://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=20223&RId=170&EId=4