Gala Harriers Darrell Hastie and Sara Green go for gold at Scottish short-course cross-country championships

​Hastie was 29th overall among the 500-plus senior men on the run over 4km in South Lanarkshire in 12:15, less than 50 seconds behind overall winner Jamie Crowe, of Central Athletic Club.

Crowe’s winning time was 11:26.

Green was 12th female finisher in a time of 14:09, also over 4km, with victory overall going to Edinburgh Athletic Club’s Eloise Walker in 12:56.

Hastie and Green weren’t the Galashiels club’s only success stories at Lanark, hosting the national short-course championships for the third time in five years, either as Isla Paterson, following a photo-finish for first place, won a silver medal in the under-20 women’s class with a time of 14:23, placing 14th overall among a record-breaking female field of 281.

Paterson went on to finish the fastest of four female juniors the next day at the first meeting of the new Borders Cross-Country Series at Lauder, clocking 35:17 for 66th place overall.

Two of Hastie’s clubmates were among the senior men competing, with Robbie Welsh finishing 77th overall and as 24th under-20 in 12:43 and Tim Darlow as 44th over-40 and 286th all told in 15:12.

Two other Gala Harriers were among the female seniors on the run, over-50 Julia Johnstone placing fifth in her age group, and 114th overall, in 16:54 and Lisa Dalgliesh as 16th in the same age bracket and 165th altogether in 18:09.

Their contributions saw Gala’s womenfolk place tenth out of 29 teams.

Gala’s under-15 girls’ team also managed a top-ten placing, finishing fourth out of 16.

Competing over 2km, Ava Richardson was their first finisher, getting back fifth out of a field of more than 100 in 6:49, with Kirsty Rankine 13th in 6:59, Kacie Brown 54th in 7:40, Elise Field 65th in 7:51 and Jaidyn Brown 75th in 8:05.

Inverness Harrier Lois Macrae was fastest girl under 15 in 6:31, less than 20 seconds in front of Richardson.

Both Browns were also in action at Lauder the day after, under-13 Kacie getting back as 16th girl, and 60th overall, in the junior race in 14:19 and under-15 Jaidyn 36th, and 91st altogether, in 15:27.

Archie Dalgliesh was the speediest of their male opposite numbers, getting home 25th out of a field of 78 in 6:22, with Gregor Adamson, Charlie Dalgliesh and Seb Darlow, all in their first year as under-15s, respectively 40th in 6:39, 48th in 6:50 and 51st in 6:55.

Giffnock North Athletics Club’s Calum Dick was fastest boy under 15, clocking 5:33.

Adamson and Darlow also managed top-ten finishes in Sunday’s junior race at Lauder, the former fifth in 11:46 and the latter tenth in 12:14.

Zico Field was Gala’s only under-17 competing at Lanark and he finished 49th out of a field of 102 in 10:46, almost a minute and a half behind winner Andrew McWilliam, of Lasswade Athletic Club.

See also …

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/other-sport/in-photos-three-borderers-in-top-ten-as-cross-country-series-returns-at-lauder-4399485