Arthletics: Speaight sets sights on Moscow
INTERNATIONAL runner Neil Speaight was third in the 1500m at the Norwich Union Indoor Athletics Grand Prix in Birmingham. The St Ives man, who now runs for Belgrave Harriers, ran a very strong race to beat the three other Britons competing in the event,
INTERNATIONAL runner Neil Speaight was third in the 1500m at the Norwich Union Indoor Athletics Grand Prix in Birmingham.
The St Ives man, who now runs for Belgrave Harriers, ran a very strong race to beat the three other Britons competing in the event, coming in behind two Kenyans, one of whom came close to setting the fastest time of the year so far over the distance.
Speaight ran a personal best time of 3 minutes 38 secs, the fifth fastest by a Briton at that distance.
He is now the number one over 1500m in the UK and the fourth fastest man this year in the world.
The race acted as a run-off for a place in the Great Britain team for the World Indoor Championship in Moscow later this month.
Speight's impressive form stands him in good stead for the Championship, in which only one of the three athletes above him in the world rankings is certain to attend.
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* RUTH Flory, 11, won the Minor Girls Cambridgeshire Schools Cross Country Championship at Hinchingbrooke School.
Ruth, of Eynesbury, a pupil at St Neots Community College, ran for the Huntingdonshire District team, recording 13 minutes 23 seconds.
She was voted the most promising girl in the club at the Riverside Runners.
She said: "I thought I was going to come second but towards the end I put in a sprint finish.
"I'm really serious about cross-country running and I want to progress as far as I can."
St Neots PE teacher, and a manger of the district team, Jez Daniel said: "Ruth is an outstanding talent with, what we hope will be, a brilliant future in athletics."
* MEMBERS of Riverside took part in the Belvoir Challenge last Saturday in a muddy and windy Leicestershire.
Twelve Riverside Runners members took part in the 15-mile race, and two competed in the 26-mile race.
Phil Redden had an excellent run in the 26-mile event, finishing in third place in a time of 3hrs 54mins 19secs.
CLUB RESULTS: 15 mile race Ladies - 1 Jo Dowle 2:44.44, 2 Christine Bissell 3:44.48, 3 Helen Liddle 3;44.51, 4 Emma Ritchie 4:49.41, 5 Michelle Ritchie 4;50.54.
15 mile race men - 1 Keith Ritchie 2;26.34, 2 Peter Bissell 2hrs 27mins, 3 Richard Taylor 2:28.13, 4 Tim Philpott 2:31.30, 5 Paul Milson 2:31.30, 6 Mark Runham 5:22.08, 7 Dave O'Brien 5:28.20.
26 mile race men: 1 Phil Redden 3:54.19, 2 Matt Dowle 4:46.28.
THE 20-Mile Race, part of the Suffolk County Championship Series, was run on an undulating course in windy conditions.
BRG Club captain Alan Hannibal ran a good race to finish 33rd overall.
THE final race of the Frosbite Friendly League will be run on Sunday in Huntingdon. Starting in Sallowbush Road at 11am, the race may cause delays until noon. The junior race will start at 10.15am.
