The Clayton Harrier Newsletter www.clayton-le-moors-harriers.co.uk May 2012 Helena Leathley FU18 Lancashire Fell Champion Pendle Fell Race 7th April [Photo: Woodentops] 1 CONTACTS The Clayton Website www.clayton-le-moors-harriers.co.uk Please send website contributions to Martin Brady email: [email protected] Race Results All your races will count towards the Club's 2012 Fell Runner of the Year and Road Runner of the Year provided the Club Statisticians have your race results. Please send your Road Results to Richard Lawson 55 Highfield Avenue, Burnley BB10 2PS email: valric55[at]virginmedia.com Telephone 01282 423808 Please send your Fell Results to Andy Brown 2 Brennand Terrace, Grindleton, Clitheroe, BB7 4QZ Telephone: 01200 440880 Email: [email protected] Please send your Cross-Country Results to Harry Manning 4 Wiswell Close, Burnley BB10 2DW Telephone 01282 830458 Cross-Country Results for those races that qualify towards the Club's 2011/12 Palladium awards will be obtained by the Cross-Country Statistician, Harry Manning. Forthcoming Fixtures Please notify the Fixtures Secretary, Katy Thompson, 16 Ainsdale Drive, Darwen. BB3 2EQ Telephone: 01254 772013; email: [email protected] The Fixtures Secretary will forward details to the Newsletter Editor for publication The Clayton Newsletter Editor: Peter Booth email: [email protected] Telephone: 01282 698268; mobile 07724 085873 22 Ann Street, Barrowford, Nelson, BB9 8QH Publication: Blackburn College Reprographics Distribution: Michael Frost Advertising rates are available from the editor. Advertisers' products and services are not endorsed by the committee. Copy deadline for the June issue: Monday, 7th May 2 Boothy’s Bit Jack Betney I received news of Jack’s death just before the April Newsletter was printed. Richard Lawson has written about his memories of Jack (p4) and has sent in a newspaper cutting about a charity fund-raising trip that Jack undertook in the 70s (p6). Andy O’Sullivan has organised a Memorial Race for Jack on 23rd May starting from the Oxford Pub, Whitworth Road, Rochdale. The race will raise funds for Mollie Campbell, a local basketball player, who is aiming for Olympic Games selection. It would be great to see a huge number of CleM members there to honour Jack’s memory and support a worthy cause. Full details on UK Results website: http://www.ukresults.net/12may.html#betney. Honour for Ron Hill Hyndburn Borough Council is to recognise Ron Hill’s immense contribution to athletics by bestowing on him the Honour of the Freedom of the Borough of Hyndburn. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 10th July in the Hyndburn Council Chamber. It is hoped that the formal proceedings will be followed by a run or race (perhaps around the Coppice), but details have yet to be confirmed. Run of the Month—Sue Allen For the second year in succession, the March Run of the Month award has gone to Sue Allen—for the same reason: completion of all the season’s cross country fixtures. Sue wouldn’t claim to be the club’s best runner, but she is Clayton Harriers through and through. The Run of the Month judges hope that she will serve as an inspiration to other club members to represent the club at cross country (or on the road or fells, if you prefer). If Sue can do it, so can you! Mid Lancs Cross Country League Last week, I received good news from Richard Lawson who attended the MLXC League Presentation. The M60 team were gold medallists in their category. We had thought that we were runners-up to Southport Waterloo, but they had counted only 3 races, Well done to all the M60 runners who represented the club in MLXC League this season. April Newsletter—Photo Competition Last month’s cover photograph was taken by Paul Healey on an X Team excursion from Helmshore. Entitled ‘In the Picture’, the giant picture frame is an exhibit on the Irwell Sculpture Trail, a 30 mile route, featuring over 70 public works of art, that runs from Bacup to Salford Quays. If you would like to visit, ‘In the Picture’ is located next to the R Irwell at Chatterton, Nr Edenfield (SD793189), close to the E Lancs Railway. Thanks to Steve Breckell, who thought that Islay was thinking ‘Bow wow wow wow’. [Ho ho ho, ho Steve]. Islay tells me that the correct answer was: ’Pete must have shrunk in the wash. He was much taller than Martin last week.’ 3 Jack Betney 1933 - 2012 I have just returned from the funeral of Jack Betney where we joined his wife, Pat, and their family in paying our last respects to a man who was in many ways remarkable, and whose running career was threatened on more than one occasion. Born in June 1933 in Bolton, Jack had various jobs in engineering and equestrianism in the North West and Glasgow before settling into Youth Work in East Lancs. It was his involvement with horses that led to an accident to his cruciate ligaments, which were severely damaged. He was told he would never run again. Jack refused to accept this and, with great determination, he managed to continue a career in all branches of athletics achieving a lot of success along the way. Jack joined Clayton in 1968. In 1970 he was due to take part in the inaugural Pennine Way Relay attempt but was injured shortly before the day. Over a decade later, he planned second and third attempts, the second failing in atrocious weather on The Cheviot. Jack's career was threatened again when he was the victim in a near-fatal road accident near Ribchester, when an oncoming lorry driver was blinded by the sun. The medics said he would never run again, but they were wrong. We all admired his struggle to regain fitness. Jack had set himself various challenges. He ran the Rossendale Way and the Calderdale Way. He attempted the Pennine Way up and down but was unsuccessful in this. With the Northern Vets AC and Clayton, he organised the National Vets Cross Country Championships in Towneley Park and competed on the track at European level. He organised the vets Bowley races and the summer 10Ks in Clitheroe. He was Honorary Chairman and then President of the Northern Vets Assn. Jack had strong ideas on how things should be done. He was both a generous and a feisty man. I for one will miss our long phone conversations and his help. Our thoughts are with Pat and the family Richard Lawson 4 CLAYTON-LE-MOORS HARRIERS OFFICIALS 2011-2012 President Dave Scott Tel: 01282 693867 Email: dscott007[at]btinternet.com Chairman Pete Booth Tel: 01282 698268 or 07724 085873 Email: pete.booth56[at]hotmail.co.uk Vice Chairman Paul Healey Tel: 01254 384885 Email: p.healey[at]sky.com Secretary Mike Wallis Tel: 01254 822874 Email: mj.wallis[at]btinternet.com Membership Mike Eddleston, 1 Bridge Croft, Clayton-le-Moors, Secretary Accrington, BB5 5XP Tel: 01254 390757 or 07951 424780 Email: mjeddleston[at]btinternet.com Treasurer James Hickie Tel: 01254 246658 Email: j.hickie[at]btinternet.com Newsletter Editor Pete Booth Social Secretary Anne Marie Greenwood Tel: 01254 237485 mgreen8[at]hallmark-uk.com Junior Co-ordinator Marion Wilkinson Tel: 07940 418603 j.wilkinson742[at]btinternet.com Clothing Custodian Val Lawson Tel: 01282 423808 Email: valric55[at]virginmedia.com Elected Members Pete Browning Tel: 01254 607646 Email: pabrowning[at]hotmail.com Richard Lawson Tel: 01282 423808 Email: valric55[at]virginmedia.com Steve Whitaker Tel: 01282 868864 5 Jack Betney, Pat & ‘Duo’ Jack had a life-long passion for cars and motoring. In the ‘70s he owned a vintage Austin Big Seven saloon, named ’Duo’ (after the number plate). The photo (taken from the Accrington Observer, supplied by Richard Lawson), shows Jack & Pat just before they set off from Clatterbridge Hospital on Merseyside on a nine- day, 3050 mile ’grand tour’ to raise funds for cancer charities in memory of a friend and colleague, Jim Hewitt, who had died from the disease. SUMMER SERIES The Summer Series will follow the usual format: a conventional first-past- the- post race AND the more subtle art of predicting your time. (Race run without a watch!) The results of the Up and Down Relay for the pair will be carried forward to the individual results for the series. Best 3 results will decide the series. 7.00pm 1st May Ogden Valley Round Barley 7.00pm 26 th June Worsthorne Trail Worsthorne 7.00pm 10 th July Up & Down Relay Worston 7.00pm 7th August Hameldon Hills Peel Park Hotel Accrington 6.30pm 11 th Sept Coppice Trail Race Peel Park Hotel Accrington £3.00 per race 6 2012 CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP Road Race: Burnley Lions 10K RR 7.00pm Friday 25th May, Colne Cricket Club www.pendleandburnleygrandprix.co.uk/ Fell Race: Kentmere Horseshoe FR 1.00pm Sunday, 22nd July, Kentmere Village Hall Pre-entry advised NB: Change of date—not as in FRA Calendar www.fellrunner.org.uk/races.php?id=2052 Cross Country Race: To be decided when 2012-2013 cross country fixture list is published. Calling all Witches! Would any CleM ladies be interested in following the trail of the condemned Lancashire witches as they went to their fate to Lancaster Castle from Pendle in 1612? This year is the 400 th anniversary of the arrest, trial and hanging of these unfortunate women, and to commemorate the event, I would like to organise a relay from Pendle to Lancaster. As yet, this is only the germ of an idea, and nothing is set in stone, but the route would be approximately Barrowford Heritage Centre, Barley, Downham, Grindleton, Waddington Fell, Dunsop Bridge, over the Bowland Fells to Quernmore, & Lancaster, using off-road footpaths, tracks and trails.