Weaver Hills – Juniors

Weaver Hills - Juniors on Sat 15th Jun 2024

The Junior FRA Championship races at Weaver Hills were run before the later senior race. Only one week after the Inter-Counties and it looked like the same weather and mud scenario might be unfolding. Fortunately, the downpour came to an end shortly after we arrived, though perhaps not in time for Ali Rothman who ran his first junior championship race in the U9 category.

The rain may have stopped, but it was still a mucky event, given the long haul out-and-back across well-used cow grazing fields, to reach the hill itself.

Best finishing spectacle was between Martha and Ralph in the U13 race. Having been just one place and 10 seconds apart the week before, this one was a whole lot closer. Gaining on Ralph all the way across the final fields, Martha bore down on him in the last 50 metres, pushing it to a Dark Peak photo finish - nominally a second between them, but in reality quite a bit less than that. It would have been a dead heat, but Ralph’s bumbag – detached and in hand – swung across the line at the crucial moment.

Finlay ran well as always in the U15 race, with Freddie Penn (returning for his second fell race outing) a few places behind, with the boys’ trio completed by Stanley Coe.

Emilia ran well as usual - to finish as 3^rd girl - and Lisha Jackson came in shortly after, in her first championship race in the Dark Peak vest.

Exceptionally tasty home-made ice creams at the venue – Daltons Dairy – means that this junior race date is likely to stay popular whether it’s a championship one or not.

Jon Coe