​Six podium places for Borders youngsters at 2025’s first Scottish Junior Hill-Running League meeting near Stirling

They were among 95 runners contesting five races for age brackets from under-11 to under-17 at the edge of the Ochil Hills in the first of eight rounds.

Under-11s raced over 2.1km and Gala Harriers’ Ewan McCarthy finished as third boy in 8:31, 50 seconds behind winner Quinn McInally, of Perthshire’s Strathearn Harriers.

McCarthy’s clubmate Hamish Trewartha was eighth in 10:14.

Gala’s Molly Trewartha was girls’ runner-up in the 3km under-13s’ race in 16:15, just five seconds behind winner Kezi Swift, of Perth Strathtay Harriers, with Trewartha’s clubmate Rowan Johnston placing third in 16:26.

Moorfoot Runners’ Torin Urie was sixth boy home in 15:59.

Gala’s Annabelle Stewart was girls’ runner-up over 3.5km in the under-15s’ race in 23:45, two minutes behind Garscube Harrier Florence Skinner’s winning time of 21:45.

Moorfoot’s Emma Moran was sixth in 26:14, the same placing recorded by Gala’s Angus McCarthy among the boys competing in 21:29.

Moorfoot’s Thea Harris, Isabella Moran and Eala Mackay were fifth in 28:18, eighth in 30:33 and 12th in 36:04 among the girls contesting the under-17s’ race over 5.2km.

Their clubmates Jack Foley and Rory Pretswell were second and fourth among the boys racing in 24:33 and 26:19 respectively, sandwiching Gala’s third-placed Charlie Dalgliesh, his time being 25:15.

Foley was 35 seconds behind that race’s boys’ winner, Ross County Athletics Club’s Billy Sutherland.

The seven meetings to follow are at Falkland in Fife at the end of the month; Broughton in May, Braemar, Greenock and Melrose in June; Peebles in August; and Kincraig in September.

More of Michael Philp’s photos of Saturday’s races can be seen at https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/f6ff491bcef74c7f955a2c6703ae6867