Heggie and Bell take U17 titles as Giffnock win five team golds
Connor Bell crosses the line to take gold in the U17 Men’s race (photo by Bobby Gavin)
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Photos by Bobby Gavin on our Facebook page
By Sue Gyford, Digital Communications Officer
Giffnock North AC have dominated the National Lindsays XC junior team podiums of late, and this year was no exception.
But, in an impressive intervention, Harmeny AC stepped in at Falkirk on Saturday to claim the U15 Boys team title, keeping Giffnock from repeating their six-strong clean sweep of 2022.
That notwithstanding, it was a superb all-round performance from Giffnock, with six athletes on individual podiums in addition to those five team wins.
And indeed in that U15 Boys race, both first and third places on the individual podiums were taken by Giffnock athletes, Tristan Robin and Calum Dick, with James Alexander of Garscube in second.
U15B Team podium at #LindsaysXC sees @HarmenyAC topping the podium – a rare displacement for @gnaac1 on our age group podiums!
1. @HarmenyAC
2. @gnaac1
3. @falkirkvics
Congrats to all 3 teams for a great race đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/n1Nmp7YYUl— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) February 25, 2023
Hosts Falkirk Victoria Harriers were no strangers to the team podiums, taking second in the U13 Girls and U17 Women’s team races, and third in both the U15 Girls and Boys team champs.
The remainder of the team slots were shared between Team East Lothian, Edinburgh AC, Central AC and Cambuslang Harriers.
The U15 Girls individual race saw a win for Lois Macrae of Inverness AAC, who has so impressed on the track this indoor season, most recently with a 1500m record at the Age Group Champs in Glasgow last weekend.
At U13, the individual winners were Rhuairdh Laing (VP-Glasgow AC) and Cerys Wright (Team East Lothian).
U17W Team podium at #LindsaysXC
1.@gnaac1
2. @falkirkvics
3. @TeamEastLothian pic.twitter.com/D092LoBUAj— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) February 25, 2023
U17 Men’s champion Connor Bell of Central AC said he’d benefited from the team spirit at the club – and across the country: ‘I won the Short Course and Kirkcaldy so it is nice to make it a National double in terms of cross country titles.
‘I’ve not done all that much indoors this winter because this was the main focus to be honest.
‘Andy Butchart helps me out sometimes, when he is in Scotland, and that’s awesome. He is some guy! Stephen Mackay of Inverness has also done some indoor sessions with me so thanks to both of them.
‘I think that’s athletics in Scotland at the moment. It’s a small enough place that everyone knows everyone else and it’s great when folk help younger ones develop.’
Caitlyn Heggie takes gold in the U17 Women’s race at Falkirk (photo by Bobby Gavin)
Caitlyn Heggie of Ross County, who took the U17 Women’s title, hails from Muir of Ord, and is coached by Ross Cairns.
Ross has athletes from both Ross County and Inverness AC – with Katie Meek of Inverness, who came third in the same race, also of part of the group (with Millie McClelland-Brooks of Inverclyde AC second in that race).
Caitlyn said: ‘We live in Muir of Ord so it is a long trip and this time we came down on the Friday night to help with the preparation.
‘I’m back here later next week for the Scottish Schools!
‘I’m delighted to win and it was a good race. Millie beat me over the shorter distance at Kirkcaldy, when I took the silver, and I was glad it was a bit longer today. That suits me.
‘It’s a really good group we have at the moment and to have two of us on the podium is great for the North.’
U13 Girls
Individual
1. Cerys Wright (Team East Lothian)
2. Lucia Connell (Strathearn Harriers)
3. Holly Simpson (Giffnock North AC)
Teams
1. Giffnock North AC
2. Falkirk Victoria Harriers
3. Team East Lothian
U13 Boys
Individual
1. Rhuairdh Laing (VP-Glasgow AC)
2. Louie Muir (Giffnock North AC)
3. Harrison MacMillan (Central AC)
Teams
1. Giffnock North AC
2. Edinburgh AC
3. Central AC
U15 Girls
Individual
1. Lois Macrae (Inverness Harriers AAC)
2. Zara Redmond (Kilbarchan AAC)
3. Freya Campbell (Giffnock North AC)
Teams
1. Giffnock North AC
2. Edinburgh AC
3. Falkirk Victoria Harriers
U15 Boys
Individual
1. Tristan Robin (Giffnock North AC)
2. James Alexander (Garscube Harriers)
3. Calum Dick (Giffnock North AC)
Teams
1. Harmeny AC
2. Giffnock North AC
3. Falkirk Victoria Harriers
U17 Women
Individual
1. Caitlyn Heggie (Ross County AC)
2. Millie McClelland-Brooks (Inverclyde AC)
3. Katie Meek (Inverness Harriers AAC)
Teams
1. Giffnock North AC
2. Falkirk Victoria Harriers
3. Team East Lothian
U17 Men
Individual
1. Connor Bell (Central AC)
2. Reiss Marshall (Fife AC)
3. Craig Shennan (Giffnock North AC)
Teams
1. Giffnock North AC
2. Team East Lothian
3. Cambuslang Harriers
Tags: Falkirk, Giffnock North AAC, Harmeny AC, Lindsays National XC
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