Moor Cup Races

Saturday 5th March saw the final club race of the season held at Hawick Moor. The Moor Cup Races are the blue riband event of the racing calendar and were first held in 1894 making it the oldest cross country race in Scotland. This was the 111th running of the event.

Underfoot conditions were extremely wet with a lot of water lying on the course. The usual decision regarding the best footwear for the conditions was made and it was a toss up between spikes and flippers. It was absolutely fantastic to see 50 Harriers braving the cold conditions and their ages ranged from eight to eighty plus.

First race off covering a lap and a half of the race course was the U11/U13 boys and girls. Jai Patterson (10:01) crossed the line first in the boys race having started as the back marker and was followed home by Hector Patterson (10:03) in second and Irvine Welsh (10:11) in third place. Irvine was running in his first club race. Maddie Hewitt (10:21) won the girls race crossing the line first after having started as backmarker. Second was Ava Hughes (10:35) followed in third place by Abbie Reid (10:39). Abbie was running in her first club race.

Next off were the U15/U17 boys and the ladies covering two laps of the course. First home for the boys was Jamie Waugh (12:51) followed closely by Fraser Clyne (13:20) in second place. In the ladies race Ishbel Inglis (12:33) was first home with Pauline McAdam (13:18) second and Kirsty Hughes (13:21) in third place.

The final race of the day was the mens four lap race. Backmarker Greg Walker (29:18)took the honours finishing ahead of Alex Corbett (29:40) in second place and Bruce Hughes (29:46) in third. Alex Corbett picked up the old mans trophy (Glencairn Trophy) for first over forty finisher.

All times quoted are handicap times. Unusually all five winners of each of the handicap races were also the fastest actual time runners.

Report by Alan Inglis.
See Alex Corbett’s photographs HERE

Click here for results MOOR CUP 2016

Well done to all our juniors members who were eligible (p6 or p7 pupils) and participated in our primary schools cross country championships. In the boys race it was fantastic to see five out of the top ten were harriers with the remainder all finishing within the top fifty, out of 134 competitors. Outright winner in a time of 7.42 was Hector Patterson, 2nd Sam Allott in 8.10 and 3rd Sean McMichan also 8.10. Finishers were as follows: 4th William Brodie 8.26, 9th Lewis Renwick 8.35, 14th Liam Bouglas 8.49, 16th Samuel Parrish 8.49, 18th Harrison Hughes 8.58, 22nd Liam Jaffray 9.18, 24th Ryan McMichan 9.25, 30th Ewan Thomas 9.31, 33rd Charlie Rae 9.35, 40th Andrew Drummond 9.52, 41st Max Hope 9.54, 50th Calum Renwick 10.11. Well done boys!

In the girls race there were an impressive eight harrier girls out of the top ten, with the remainder finishing around top thirty out of 113 competitors. Maisie Ballantyne was overall winner in a time of 8.43, Sinead McHugh finished 2nd in 9.15 and 3rd place went to Nicky Sutherland. Finishers were as follows: 4th Connie Richards 9.41, 5th Bailey Jamieson 9.42, 6th Lucy Nichol 9.42, 7th Abi Reid 9.48, 9th Katie Jaffray 10.04, 12th Isobel MacTaggart 10.12, 13th Jasmine Parrish 10.20, 14th Abbie McCaughey, 20th Abi Darroch, 29th Mollie Crozier, 32nd Maisie Drabner-Graham 11.35. Well done girls!!

Photographs to follow.

Link to Alan Clyne’s album HERE (top line of tabs, righthand end)

If anyone has any of their own photographs they would like added to this site please contact me.

A full mini bus of Teviotdale Harriers headed north on Saturday past to Falkirk to compete in the National Cross Country Championships. The weather was sunny, bright and cold, a total contrast to the previous year when it was so windy team tents were flying across the course. Talking of the course, there was another change to previous years’ routes with the section along the Antonine Wall having been removed and a rather zig-zag route to the finishing straight in its place. As last year the route went through the ‘tented village’ so watching from the tent was an option for the more relaxed spectator or exhausted competitor.

First to run were u13 boys of which we had 3 on the medium lap course covering 3,200m. Finishing in 85th position in a time of 14.36 was Jai Patterson, 2nd in 119th position was Thomas MacAskill in 15.21 and 3rd in 149th position Harrison Hughes in 17.07.

Next race for juniors was u15 girls with Carly Blaikie competing for harriers on the 4,000m large lap route. Carly finished 99th position in 21.48.

Fraser Clyne was next in the u15 boys event, again a large lap at 4,000m distance. He finished 65th in a time of 16.28.

Last junior to run was Ishbel Inglis in the u17/u20 womens’ race covering both a small and large lap at 4,800m. She finished 56th in 25.11.

Last race of the day for the club was the senior mens’ event. A gruelling 3 lap 12,000m course with plenty of hills to test the legs. Our first finisher was Greg Walker in 46.28, 82nd position, next in 90th position was Rory Anderson in 46.45, 186th Bruce Hughes in 49.28, 327th Andy Goodair in 53.33, 372nd Alan Inglis in 54.42, 435th Derek Scott in 56.37, 542nd Alex Corbett in 1.01.09, 602nd Alan Coltman in 1.05.59 and 622nd Paul Lockie in 1.10.50

This was a tough course for all especially our juniors, competing alongside the elite and much larger teams, but a great experience as well, and a chance to see some of the top names in cross country running up close. Well done to all.

Photographs by Alex Corbett HERE