Bringing it home! Joy day for young Giffnock North teams and Falkirk Victoria

Sunday 22nd October 2023

Scarlett Wilson brings it home for Giffnock North B team in the Young Females race (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Cumbernauld Provisional Results (see pdf list on right of page)

Visit Giffnock North AC‘s cross country training and it is not immediately clear if the club school their young athletes in the art of celebrating as they cross the finish line.

Perhaps the winning feeling body language just comes naturally to those youngsters clad in yellow and blue?

Whatever, Giffnock may well introduce the arms aloft pose into their training curriculum given the club’s recent record of success.

A total of 18 medals were on offer for the two podiums for the Young Females and the Young Males at the Lindsays National XC Relays – and 12 were headed for Giffnock with the other six now the preserve of Falkirk Victoria Harriers on an excellent day for their junior section.

Giffnock went 1-2 in both races and the only real surprise in the opening race was that it was their designated B team who claimed the golds in the Young Females race.

Lucy Tonner, Amy Gallagher and Scarlett Wilson were impressive over the mud and hills – and just as impressive in front of the microphone in their SAL interview.

‘I was out of my own because Amy had handed over a big lead and I just had to make sure I got round,’ said Scarlett.

‘My parents and all the folk from the club were cheering me on and the support for everyone around the course made it great fun.’

The Giffnock A team were second and Falkirk’s trio what is believed to be their first-ever medals in the Young Females race.

Falkirk took bronze medals again in the Young Males race as this time Giffnock’s A team asserted their authority with brothers Kian and Calum Dick setting it up for Craig Shennan on the anchor leg.

It should be stressed that Giffnock’s success comes down to a lot of hard work by the club via the efforts of coaches, athletes and parents.

We understand Giffnock fielded no fewer than 17 teams in the two age group races and a top ten finish for their Senior men’s team was also pleasing.

Falkirk, too, were thrilled as their boys bridged a gap of half a century to make the podium.

‘We’ve had medals before in tjhe Young Males race but it is a number of years ago now – the last were bronzes in 1997-98 I belie, so to see our teams doing so well this year is really pleasing,’ said Andy Ronald, of Falkirk Vics and on commentary duty on Saturday.

‘Well done to coaches Robert Christie, Jerome Vareille and David Culliton. There’s a lot of work going in by athletes and coaches to be competitive in national events and these medals are well deserved.’

All at Giffnock North can assuredly feel the same . . .

*Big thank you to all our ytoung athletes from all clubs for taking part on Saturday. We appreciate your support for the Lindsays Cross Country Season and send our thanks, of course, to all our Officials and event helpers.