Skyrac’s Young Athletes’ League team turned out in force at Blackpool’s Stanley Park, some 40 youngsters making the trip.

On a wet and windy day, Skyrac produced their best score of the season, the 456 points being over 100 more then their previous best.

The reward was securing their Northern Division One status, and credit must go to team manager Maria Harrison and club coaches Gordon and Tim Agar for continually encouraging the youngsters to have a go at track and field.

Among those making their debuts for Skyrac were Chris Charvez, Bethany Storey, Greg Knowles and Aron Roberts.

Also the club had 14 athletes that competed in all all four rounds – Chloe Glass, Alex Oglesby (under-13 girls), George Sutcliffe (under-13 boys), Beth Thomas, Beth Cotton, Lizzy Garnett, and Morag Hockey (under-15 girls), Dan Harrison, Sam Birch, Jarade Sibson and Junior Gatewood (under-17 men) and Kate Walsh, Hanna Brown and Daisy Agar (under-17 women).

Also competing on Sunday were Matthew Johnson, Tom Glancy, Henry Wood and Charlie Knowles (under-13 boys), Ellie Barratt (under-13 girls), Sophie Robinson, Rosin Glancy, Helena Drake and Jade Locker (under-15 girls), Ewen Hockey and Joe Whitehurst (under-17 men) and Jaye Riley, Danielle Suggu and Molly Keefe (under-17 ladies).

Meanwhile, Roger Dawson was mixing with the celebrities at last Sunday’s Great North 10k in Sunderland.

He was in the company of Chris Chittell, aka Eric Pollard of Emmerdale, all around the course, but Chris did stop frequently to shake hands with admiring fans.

They both finished together in just over 66 minutes. Further up the field, Peter Rawnsley, who once appeared in the Dales Fun Run on Emmerdale, was first over-60 in 42:32.

Anyone wishing to join Skyrac, be they young or old, can come along on a Tuesday or Thursday from 7.15pm at Nunroyd Park. Further information is available from Linda or Tim on 01943-461383.

The highlight last week for Otley Athletic Club was their staging of the Washburn Valley Relay last Friday evening.

It was an event for local clubs consisting of three different legs, each of approximately three miles, around Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs.

The overall event had 51 competing teams and was won by a team from Airedale Athletics Network (Quentin Lewis, Matt Nowell and Will Kerr) in 60min 19sec, and they were followed in by a team from Abbey Runners (61.00) and Wetherby Runners (62.12).

An Otley AC men’s team (Ben Cousens, Bob Addey and Lloyd Best) finished fifth overall (62.59), ahead of the first mixed team on the night from Pudsey Pacers (Nigel Armitage, Paul Gaile and Karen Pickles), who were sixth in 64.00.

Karen Pickles’ time on the leg around Swinsty was also a new ladies’ course record.

The Otley ladies team of Laura Martin, Racheal Bamford and Karen Best finished tenth overall (68.06) – a ladies’ team course record – and won the Divan Centre Cup as the first ladies team.

Bamford’s time on leg two around Fewston was another ladies’ course record set that night.

Further Otley AC teams included Sharron Smith, Chris Carver and Renee Saxton (16th in 70.57), Pange Srivastava, Dominic Egan and Bob Addey (33rd in 77.52) and Carol Armitstead, Kath Robertshaw and Antonio Cardinale (46th in 94.45).

There was also an inaugural junior relay consisting of four runners, each running a leg of 1.11 miles, and this was won by a team from Ilkley Harriers, with teams from Otley AC and Wetherby Runners also taking part.

The previous evening, 20 members competed in the final event of the Harrogate Summer Race League, an 8.1k handicap race in Ripon. Otley members and teams received a number of awards at the subsequent presentation ceremony.

This coming weekend a number of members will be competing in the Snowdon Race and the Harrogate 10k.