Making up the Galashiels club’s female masters – one of five sets of seniors, accompanied by six junior ones, in action in North Lanarkshire – were Katy Barden, Pamela Baillie and Sara Green and they clocked a combined time of 49:56.5 to claim top spot on the podium.
Barden and Baillie both finished their legs second, in times of 16:38.7 and 18:00.3 respectively, but Green won hers, in 15:17.5, despite starting almost a minute and a third behind Garscube’s Gillian Blee, clocking 17:24.7 for a combined time of 50:46.5 for the second-placed Glaswegians.
Gala’s over-50 women’s team of Julia Johnstone, Lisa Dalgliesh and Gillian Lunn just missed out on a podium place, finishing fourth in a total time of 58:05.3, almost a minute behind third-placed Kirkintilloch Olympians, with Giffnock North Athletics Club winning and Edinburgh Athletic Club coming second.
Johnstone’s opening leg of 18:32.7 was the Borderers’ speediest, with Dalgliesh clocking 19:47.4 and Lunn 19:45.9.
Gala’s male masters team of Darrell Hastie, Iain Stewart, Jamie McGowan and Gary Trewartha went one better, placing third behind winners Cambuslang Harriers and runners-up Garscube.
Hastie’s time was 13.02.8, putting his team in front after leg one. Stewart’s was 15:20.2, McGowan’s 16:11.3 and Trewartha’s 14:43.8.
Gala’s senior men finished 33rd out of a field of 100 in their 4km race in a combined time of 59:30.4.
Robbie Welsh was their speediest runner with a time of just under 13:27, followed by Marcus D’Agrosa’s 13:36.1, Tim Darlow’s 15:56.8 and Simon Adamson’s 16:30.2.
Their over-50 male clubmates Bob Johnson, Neil Christie and Ian Maxwell finished 18th out of a field of 29 in a total time of 53:42.2.
Johnson clocked 18:17.5, Christie 18:05.0 and Maxwell 17:19.8.
Gala’s first junior girls’ team of under-13 Annabelle Stewart, U15 Ava Richardson and U17 Erin Gray finished tenth out of 69 teams in 33:45.4; their second team of Javiera Unibazo, Elise Field and Kirsty Rankine 20th in 35:06.1; and their third team of Holly Craig, Kacie Brown and Poppy Lunn 27th in 35:40.9.
Their first boys’ team of Bryn McCree, Archie Dalgliesh and Zico Field were 14th out of 59 in 29:54.2; their second team of Cameron Tunmore, Charlie Dalgliesh and Irvine Welsh 20th in 31:16.5; and their thirds – Angus McCarthy, Seb Darlow and Oliver Hastie – 32nd in 32:08.3.
The Harriers’ next cross-country run will be the national short-course contest at Lanark on Saturday, November 4.
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Gala Harriers' gold medal-winning female masters team of, from left, Sara Green, Katy Barden and Pamela Baillie at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Gillian Lunn clocked 19:45.9 for Gala Harriers' over-50 women's team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Julia Johnstone running a time of 18:32.1 for Gala Harriers' women's over-50s at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Tim Darlow running a lap of 15:56.8 for Gala Harriers' senior men at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Gary Trewartha running a lap of 14:43.8 for Gala Harriers' male masters' team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Marcus D'Agrosa clocking 13:36.1 for Gala Harriers' senior men's team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Pamela Baillie clocked 18:00.3 for Gala Harriers' female masters team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Darrell Hastie clocking 13:02.8 for Gala Harriers' male masters' team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Sara Green clocked 15:17.5 for Gala Harriers' women's masters team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Katy Barden clocked 16:38.7 for Gala Harriers' gold medal-winning female masters team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
1. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Gillian Lunn clocked 19:45.9 for Gala Harriers' over-50 women's team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
2. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Julia Johnstone running a time of 18:32.1 for Gala Harriers' women's over-50s at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
3. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Tim Darlow running a lap of 15:56.8 for Gala Harriers' senior men at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton
4. Gala Harriers competing at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld
Gary Trewartha running a lap of 14:43.8 for Gala Harriers' male masters' team at Saturday's national cross-country relays at Cumbernauld Photo: Neil Renton