It was a very full week of athletics fixtures last week, but Wesham members largely kept away, perhaps due to the very high temperatures. Noticeable perhaps that the main event of the week was Tuesday evening in the Paddy’s Pole Fell Race, the next date in the Wesham Off-Road Championships. Tom Crabtree was the first Wesham finisher in 23^rd place over the 3.7 miles and 1102ft of climb, in a time of 33:45. Carl Groome came in 47^th in 37:48 placing 6^th M50. Steve Myerscough completed the course in 54^th position in 38:23 for 6^th M45, with Mick Edge 7^th M60 and 86^th overall in 43:26. Ian Nichols Hogg finished 89^th in 44:41; Kirsty Holland ran well to place 14^th female and 108^th overall in 53:58. Ryan Azzopardi was 110^th in 54:19; Sally Deacon 16^th woman and 114^th in 56:09 finishing 3^rd W55. Debbie Myerscough was 20^th and 117^th overall in 1:16:20, and together the Wesham ladies were third team.

It was a day at the races for Wesham with three teams entered in the Northern Athletics 12- and 6-Stage Road Relays for men and women respectively, held on the coast road in Redcar. Wesham were last here 18 months ago for the 6- and 4-Stage relays in barmy late summer weather but last Saturday it  was damp and windy with a strong swell on the sea just adjacent to the race route. The day kicked off with junior 5km Northern Championships, and then the senior men were off on 4 alternate long stages of 9.6km and 8 short stages of 5.2km. Dan Bolton was off to a great start with 34:53 for the opening long stage, returning 41^st on the out and back two laps. Elliot Costello was on Stage 2 with 21:16 for the first short stage, and David Taylor 35:12 on Stage 3. Steve Myerscough retained 40^th place with 18:37, followed by Rob Danson with the fastest long stage of 31:07, 50^th fastest long stage of the day out of 182. Stuart Grice ran 20:48; Adam Wilding second fastest for the team in 32:07 (long stage) taking the team to 32^nd, with Chris Haines 19:35; Will Parkinson 20:11; Mark Bellfield an excellent 17:52; James Remnant 21:46; and Peter Rooney 25:25 to give the team 34^th place in  cumulative time of 4:58:51, and although 3:17 short of qualification for the English national road relays in two weeks’ time only 30 seconds separated the four teams that just missed out.55:34. Wesham’s men’s “B” team was incomplete but not lacking in commitment and enthusiasm as Stephen Twist (47:50); Andy Moore (25:56); John Collier (35:31); Dave young (26:18); James Danson (51;29) and Andrew Wilkinson (34:21) brought the team 43^rd place at halfway. The Senior Women set off five minutes after the men on two long and four short stages with Kay Twist first off completing 45:51 for 35^th place, backed up by Debbie Myerscough (33:08); Michelle Pitt (33:22); Kirsty Holland 54:03 (long stage); Claire Belfield (28:270 and Bev wilding (27:46), bringing the team in 35^th in 3:42:37. There was an abundance of North East clubs competing, Wesham and Blackburn were the only Lancashire clubs present with a handful of Merseyside and Manchester clubs.