Lanark revisited: Historic venue hosts storylines galore as Finlay and Morag claim Senior golds

Saturday 8th November 2025

*Report subject to further scrutiny. We will cover the U17 and U15 races in a separate bulletin through Sunday. Thanks for your patience.

Results from Lanark

Finlay Ross-Davie helped Garscube Harriers turn back the clock to the club’s great eras of the past with his first Senior Scottish title win with Senior Men’s gold in the Lindsays Short Course XC.

The Edinburgh Uni student put his club vest top of the podium at Lanark – the original home of cross country in Scotland – with Garscube one of our oldest clubs.

In the Senior Women’s race, Morag Millar rolled back the years, too, as the Central AC athlete posted a first 4K Short Course XC victory since winning at Bellahouston Par . . . some 14 years ago.

It is only fair to note the Lindsays Short Course XC has been transformed in the intervening years. In fact, there were 282 Women’s finishers on Saturday and only 88 when Morag last won in 2011.

Finlay, for his part, became Garscube’s first Senior Men’s Scottish title winner in over a century in road and cross country events. He is the club’s first in cross country and they were formed in 1898!

The winner admitted he was in danger of being over-awed on the start line given his rivals featured eventual medallists Logan Rees, who took the silver, and Jamie Crowe as well as last year’s champion Ben Potrykus (who finished fourth).

‘I’ve come a long way over the past couple of years and this is my first Scottish title victory,’ beamed Finlay, whose career at Garscube was guided by Alex Chalmers before a move east.

‘I felt good at U20 level but I came here hoping I might medal rather than anything else. There were some top athletes in that race and it is quite intimidating to be on the start line with them.

‘But as soon as you start racing you start to think you are maybe as strong as them and it comes down to how you race on the day.

‘I’d a really good run on the opening leg at Cumbernauld. Again, a lot of the fastest guys in Scotland were there but my name came up as the second fastest leg of the day so that 100 percent gave me a real confidence boost coming into Lanark.’

Lanark staged the first National XC back in 1886 and Garscube were formed only 12 years later, so there was a strong sense of history.

Central AC men for their part continue to carve their own indelible mark on this short championship event. Team glory was theirs once again – for the sixth year in a row. Central won comfortably from Edinburgh Uni and Glasgow Uni.

Yellow topped the Women’s podium in the familiar figure of Millar.

Morag had to overhaul Niamh Carr on the second lap with the Carnethy HRC athlete taking silver. Brogan Wallace came through for third in the Shettleston colours.

‘It was great to win another Scottish title,’ said Morag.

‘I’ve not won at Lanark before but did win this event when it was Bellahouston. That’s a few years ago now.

‘I was injured a bit during the summer so this comeback feels good again. I did a lot of spin bike work to try and recover fitness. That kind of cross training element can be good for fitness and it has worked well for me.’

Edinburgh Uni won the team golds from Edinburgh AC and Aberdeen AAC.

Photo by Bobby Gavin

There were U20 gold medals at Lanark for Andrew Baird of Inverness Harriers in the Men’s race and for Ceri Griffiths of Edinburgh Uni in the Women’s.

Men’s Masters Champions were as follows:

M40 Iain Whittaker of Edinburgh AC

M50 Brent Brodie of Bellhouston Harriers

M60 Michael McLoone of Greenock Glenpark

M70 Andy Law of VP Glasgow

Women’s Masters Champions were as follows:

W40 Yvonne McNairn of Giffnock North

W50 Lesley Bell of Garscube Harriers

W60 Fiona Matheson of Falkirk Victoria Harriers

W70 Liz Bondi of Lothian RC