AYR SEAFORTH NEWS 2007

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December 2007

Dec 27 2007: West District Selection 2007

Ayr Seaforth’s endurance squad were given a Christmas boost with the selection of 6 junior athletes to represent the West of Scotland at the Scottish Inter-District Cross Country Championships at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh in January. West District champion Sarah Cassells will compete in the Under 13 Girls race whilst training partner Stephanie Dougan got a well deserved call up to the Under 15 Girls squad. Finlay Rae will compete in the Under 13 Boys race for the second consecutive year and will be joined by Angus Johnston who finished in an excellent 8th position at the recent West District Cross Country Championships. Tri-athlete, Andrew Rae was delighted to be recalled to the West squad after missing out last year and previously competing in 2005 and 2006. Under 17 athlete, Alex Oliver, gains his first West District vest at Cross Country, having competed on the track for Scottish Schools earlier this year.

Dec 22 2007: Girl Power is Top at Seaforth

Around 20 Ayr Seaforth and Ayrodynamic athletes swapped Christmas shopping and mince pies to brave wet and windy conditions at the Annual Christmas Handicap races. The Junior race over 1.5 miles was dominated by the girls and was won by Lauren Goldie who held off a late challenge from Sarah Cassells. Jemma McSheffery snatched 3rd place from Sean Rennie who in turn just managed to hold off older sister, Aileen.

The Ayrodynamic athletes came out on top in the Senior race over 3.75 miles with Dougie Munro surging past Julie McTaggart in the last 50 metres. Stephen Currie took 3rd place. The President's prize for performance of the day went to Under 15 Girl, Stephanie Dougan who finished 4th overall in an excellent scratch time of 25:47.

Junior Race

Senior Race

Dec 12 2007: Rachel powers to three bests

Super Rachel Whittle clocked three personal bests when she made her debut in the Scottish Power British Schools Indoor Pentathlon Championships at the Kelvin Hall on Saturday.

The second year Marr College pupil was eighth out of 16 and second Scot.

Scotland finished second on 9067 points behind winners England (9982).

Rachel, who finished with 3006 points, did the long jump (4.60), hurdles (9.73 pb), high jump (1.56), shot (8.42 pb) and 800m (2.31.59 pb).

Rachel is Ayr Seaforth’s under 15 girls’ club champion and was awarded the Ernie Thursby award for field events.

Dec 12 2007: Seaforth run up a hat-trick

Ayr Seaforth's young cross-country runners successful season continued with a fantastic haul of 3 medals at the West District Cross Country Championships at Irvine at the weekend. Once again, Sarah Cassells was the star of the day. Sarah gave another astounding performance to take the Under 13 Girls title in magnificent style. With only a handful of races under her belt in her first cross country season, she ran a mature race in appalling conditions to show the opposition a clean pair of heels and give Seaforth their first District cross country champion in over a decade.

The Under 13 Boys race proved to be yet another titanic tussle between Seaforth's Finlay Rae and City of Glasgow's Max Aitchison , with Finlay just being edged into 2nd place by last years champion. Top-notch runs from twin brothers Angus Johnston (8th) and Ben Johnston (21st) saw the Under 13 boys take silver in the team competition. Andrew Rae returned from injury for the Under 15 Boys and a gutsy performance saw him take 10th place over the 4400m course whilst Stephanie Dougan put in another solid run to take a much improved 15th place in the Under 15 Girls race.

Full results were as follows:

The excellent results should see Ayr Seaforth with 4 athletes (Sarah Cassells , Finlay Rae, Angus Johnston and Andrew Rae) representing the West of Scotland at the Scottish Inter-District Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh in January.

November 2007

Nov 28 2007: Ayrshire athletes of the year

Ayr Seaforth scooped four of the Ayrshire athlete of the year awards from the Ayrshire Harrier Clubs.

Senior male of the year was 24-year-old Stuart Benson who is ranked third in Scotland in the 100m and 200m.

He was second in the national 200m (21.48 secs) and fifth in the 100m (10.95).

Emma Mackie (Kilmarnock Harriers) was senior female athlete of the year. She starred in 10k road and cross country races and is considered to be the top Ayrshire female distance runner.

Under 17 junior male athlete of the year is David Clark (Kilmarnock Harriers). He dominated sprints, took part in the AAA Championships and won the Scottish Grand Prix events for his category.

Seaforth’s Kendal Ross is junior female of the year. The under 13 star took silver in the Scottish 200 metres (29.16) and bronze in the 100m (14.1). She also won the Ayrshire 100m and 200m.

World masters champion Bobby Stevenson is masters male athlete of the year.

Competing in Italy, the Seaforth man won gold in the 50-54 age group 400m hurdles for his third world championship win.

Seaforth’s Gwen McFarlane is masters female of the year. The Ayr Academy PE teacher continued to excel in throws events at the Scottish and British Masters Championships in the W50/55 category, becomingScottish indoor champion in the shot putt (8.68) and outdoor champion in javelin (22.65).

Nov 28 2007: Seaforth are Tops

Ayr Seaforth have been voted the most improved athletics club in Scotland during season 2007.

The Dam Park stars finished second in Division Two last year and then fifth in Division One for the season just finished.

They pipped Arbroath AC 5-3 on a vote at the AGM of Scottish Athletics.

Nov 28 2007: Ayr Runners Strike Cross Country Gold

Ayr Seaforth’s young endurance athletes had another successful weekend at the Ayrshire Cross Championships at Girvan. They took 4 gold and 3 silver medals from the 8 junior races and again dominated at Under 13 and Under 15 level. Sarah Cassells had an outstanding win in the Under 13 age group. She continues to mature with every race and looks a good prospect for the West District Championships in two weeks time. Training partner, Stephanie Dougan, dominated the Under 15 Girls race from start to finish. Thriving over the longer distance and tough course, Stepahanie demonstrated why she is currently Seaforth’s best junior female endurance athlete. In the Under 11 Girls race Verity McDonald once again showed her promise from last season and had a fine run to pick up a silver medal.

In the Boys races brothers, Andrew and Finlay Rae took the Under 13 and Under 15 Boys titles with trademark emphatic wins in their respective age groups. Adam Steven demonstrated his improving fitness and a solid performance saw him take second in the Under 15 Boys and with the help of a 5th place from Tom Andrews, the Under 15 Boys secured the team title. Under 17 Man Mark Ferguson had his first cross- country outing of the season and ran strongly to pick up a silver medal for Seaforth. The other performance of note was young Connor Woods who made his debut for Seaforth and a gutsy run saw him finish an excellent 5th place in the Under 13 Boys race.

Seaforth results: U11 girls: 2. Verity McDonald 4:31; U13 girls: 1. Sarah Cassells 14:25; U15 girls: 1. Stephanie Dougan 15:53; 7. Lauren Goldie 18:57; 9. Marie Hill 19:31.

Second team: U11 boys: 6. Josh Andrews 5:09; U13 boys: 1. Finlay Rae 12:57; 5. Connor Woods 14:48; 10. Rory Tait 15:41; 11. Sean Rennie 16:09; 12. Jack Zonfrillo 16:09; 13. Andrew Carter 16:09; 14. Ben Steven 16:11.

Second team: U15 boys: 1. Andrew Rae 17:22; 2. Adam Steven 18:17; 5. Tom Andrews 18:58.

First team: U17 boys: 2. Mark Ferguson 27:58; 4. Jonathon Dunn 28:55.

Senior men: 12. Lawrence Baker 42:09; 21. Tom McCulloch 46:13; 30. Brian Dunn 50:42.

Fixtures: Seaforth compete in all age groups in the first match of the Scottish Indoor League at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday.

It’s the first of three matches which culminates with a league final in March.

Nov 22 2007: Seaforth Kids do Relay Well

Ayr Seaforth’s under 13 age group dominated at the Kilmarnock Open Cross Country races.

The under 13 girls provided an excellent race between the S1 and S2 Ayrshire Schools champions Jemma McSheffery and Sarah Cassells.

A spectacular sprint finish saw Jemma just edging out Sarah to give Seaforth first and second place over the tough 3000m course.

In the same race, Rheanna Sloss ran solidly to take 15th place.

In the under 13 boys’ race, Finlay Rae was edged into second place by Glasgow rival Max Aitchison.

The other sparkling performance came from Stephanie Dougan who finished an excellent sixth over the 4200m course.

U13 Boys

U13 Girls

U15 Girls

U17 Boys

Senior Men

Nov 7 2007: Seaforth go Five Alive

Ayr Seaforth’s young endurance athletes dominated the Ayrshire Schools cross-country championships at Irvine Beach Park.

They won five titles from eight races and had numerous top ten finishes.

Jemma McSheffery (Belmont) got the squad off to a good start by winning the S1 girls race with a commanding performance.

Training partner Sarah Cassells (Queen Margaret), in only her second race this season, had an emphatic win in the S2 girls race and looks set to become an exciting athlete.

A hat-trick of wins for the girls squad was completed by Stephanie Dougan (Wellington) who won the S3 girls race by a large margin. There were top ten finishes for Lauren Goldie, Rosalind McDonald, Gina Van Ulzen and Marie Hill to round off a successful day for the Seaforth girls.

In the boys’ race, Finlay Rae (Belmont) had another strong race to lift the S1 title. He was closely followed home by training partners Angus Johnston (Marr) in second and Ben Johnston (Marr) in fifth.

Older brother Andrew (Belmont) was a clear winner in the S3 boys race with David Carter (Belmont) taking fifth and helping the Belmont boys team to silver in the team competition.

The final race was the S4/5/6 boys which saw Alex Oliver (Ayr Academy) take fourth and Tom Andrews (Belmont) sixth. A strong run by Connor Bawbeer helped Belmont pick up another silver in the team competition.

Most of the athletes will be in action again this weekend at Kilmarnock for the Open Cross Country race which is the first race counting towards the club championships.

Nov 7 2007: Hutton takes Club Baton

AYR Seaforth Athletic Club has a new president. Crosshill man Ian Hutton steps up from vice-president to replace Bill Beattie who stands down after three years.

Vice-president is former junior international hurdler and now coach Ricky Taylor.

Glen Harrower continues as long serving general secretary and treasurer.

Other office-bearers: membership secretary: Jan Burnside; cross country secretary: Tom McCulloch; road race secretary: Kevan Fulton. Committee: Kenny Campbell, Charlie Montgomerie, David Rae, Anne and Bobby Stevenson, Bill Beattie and Jim Caird. New members are Alan Sprang and Paul Fulton.

October 2007

Oct 27 2007: Seaforth run to Eighth

Ayr Seaforth had a strong turn out of young athletes for the National Cross Country relays at Cumbernauld at the weekend. The Young Males team had high hopes of a medal following their spectacular success at the West District Relays a fortnight previously but had to settle for 8th place in the end. Finlay Rae once more got the team off to a flying start to come home in 3rd place in a time of 9:35 within 3 seconds of the leader. Older brother Andrew ran a stunning 2nd leg in a time of 9:21 to put Seaforth in joint 1st place with Kilbarchan. On the final leg, Under 17 athlete Alex Oliver found the going tough against some of Scotland’s finest cross-country athletes. He completed the 2.5 kilometre course in 9:31 and Seaforth came home in 8th place.

There were many other excellent performances from Seaforth athletes on the day to make this an exciting cross-country season to look forwards to. Under 13 Girl Jemma McSheffery demonstrated a return to top form with an excellent 10th place on the first leg of the Girls race whilst fellow Under 13 athlete, Sarah Cassells made a remarkable debut to finish in 17th place, just 7 seconds behind Jemma. In the Boys race, Angus Johnston had a superb race to bring the B team home in 12th place and Under 15 athlete Tom Andrews returned from injury and ran strongly to complete the second leg in an fast time of 9:56.

Full results for Seaforth were as follows:

Girls

Boys

Oct 25 2007: Athletes Take a Holiday Break

There was a disappointing turnout of athletes and teams from Ayr Seaforth for the Ayrshire Cross Country Relay Championships due to the school holidays.

However, the under 15 boys and girls teams both ran well, with the boys team finishing first and the girls ‘A’ team in second, while the girls ‘B’ team came fourth.

The under 13 boys’ team finished in fifth.

Due to the holidays there were no under 11 or under 17 teams from Seaforth competing.

Individual results/times (distance 2,200m): under 15 boys (team 1st): Calum Aitkenhead 9min 50, Adam Steven 9min 53, Tom Andrews 9min 56, David Carter 10min 5secs.

Under 15 girls (team A): Stephanie Dougan 10min 38, Kary Sprang 11min 18, Lauren Goldie 11min 55.

Team B: Caroline George 11min 7, Rosalind McDougald 11min 47, Aileen Rennie 12min 45.

Under 13 boys: (Team 5th): Andrew Carter 11min 56 secs, Ben Steven 12min 3, James Gaffney 12min 7.

Under 11 boys: Joss Andrews 11min 6 (shorter distance 1200m).

This weekend, Saturday October 27 at Cumbernauld, the Scottish Cross Country Relay Championships are being held.

Ayr Seaforth have several teams entered with high hopes for the current west district champions, Ayr’s under 13, Finlay Rae, under 15 Andrew Rae and under 17 Alex Oliver.

Oct 17 2007: Seaforth are Best in West

Super Ayr Seaforth ran off with the West district cross country title at Irvine Beach Park on Saturday.

Under 13 star Finlay Rae got Seaforth off to a flier in 8 mins 57 secs before handing over to older brother Andrew (U15) who maintained the lead with 8.45. Victory was sealed by under 17 runner Alex Oliver in 8.28.

Seaforth, who pipped Giffnock for the title, will be going for gold when they head to the Scottish championships at Cumbernauld on Saturday October 27.

Oct 3 2007: Benson is Top Seaforth Man

Super Stuart Benson is Ayr Seaforth’s male athlete of the year.

The 26-year-old RAF man travels from his base in Lincolnshire to boost the club’s track and field team.

And in the Scottish Senior Championships, he won silver in the 200 metres (21.48 secs) and was a close fifth in the 100 metres (10.95, heat 10.73).

Stuart, from Troon, is ranked third fastest in Scotland for the 100 metres (10.73) and 200 metres (21.74). Runner-up is 18-year-old Andrew McElwee.

Female athlete of the year is 18-year-old Elaine Montgomerie from Coylton. She competed regularly for the club and Team West in sprints, long, high and triple jump.

She won double gold in the Ayrshire Championships in the U20’s 100 metres (13.9) and triple jump (9.63).

Elaine also took silver at the Scottish Schools senior triple jump with 9.98 metres.

Other club awards: Simon Campbell Memorial Trophy for best achievement U17 men): Aaron Kyle.

Ernest Thursby Trophy for excellence in field events: Rachel Whittle.

Hazel McNee Trophy (for best achievement U17 women): Claire Taylor.

Sean Carson Memorial Shield for excellence in throwing events U13 to U17: James Gaffney. The 12-year-old is ranked third in Scotland for the U13 shot putt.

Paul McPate Shields for best newcomers: Wallace Graham (12) sprints and Kendal Ross (12) sprints.

The Andy Smith cup for special contribution to the club went to Jan Burnside who has been a supporting member for 12 years, membership secretary for seven and committee member for eight.

Jan has been a team manager and in addition to doing many behind the scenes roles is also a graded Scottish athletics official.

Laurence Baker was the winner of Cross Country Championships during the winter with Connell Drummond as runner up. Connell Drummond then won the club road race championship with Laurence Baker as runner up.

Click Here To See Photos From The Presentation Night 2007

September 2007

Sep 19 2007: Brave Amanda at the Double

Brave Amanda Conway made an emotional return to competitive athletics in the final open graded meeting of the outdoor season at Dam Park, Ayr.

And the 16-year-old Ayr Seaforth star celebrated by winning the under 17 girls’ high jump (1.25) and long jump (4.70).

In 2005, Amanda was top ranked in the U15 sprint hurdles and won two Scottish titles.

But the following year, she was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia.

However, dedicated hospital treatment allied to a tremendous fighting spirit to overcome the illness has seen Amanda make a wonderful recovery.

There was an excellent turnout for the event which was organised by Ayrshire Harrier Clubs Association and supported by South Ayrshire Council.

Other highlights (best performances in each age groups) came from:

80 metres: U11 girls: L. Kerr (Kilmarnock) 12.1; U11 boys: Steven Mexson (Seaforth) 12.0.

Long jump: U11 girls: Alice Arnold (Seaforth) 3.33; U11 boys: Sam Gray (Seaforth) 3.82; U13 girls: L. Reilly (Kilmarnock) 3.90; U13 boys: R. Shankland (Kilmarnock) 4.30.

100 metres: U13 girls: Kendal Ross (Seaforth) 13.9; U13 boys: Wallace Graham (Seaforth) 13.2. U15 girls: Caroline George (Seaforth) 13.6; U20 men: David Ross Hunt (Seaforth) 11.6.

Shot putt: U13 boys: Andrew Murphy (Girvan) 9.60; U15 girls: Rachel Hunter (Seaforth) 8.32.

800 metres: U15 girls: Sarah McNish (Kilmarnock) 2.35.5; U15 boys: Lee Wilson (Irvine) 2.13.7; U17 women: C. Lockie (Giffnock) 2.19.6; U17 men: Alex Oliver (Seaforth) 2.06.1.

Sep 13 2007: Wallace Runs off with Gold at Pitreavie

Ayr Seaforth members starred at the Pitreavie Young Athletes Trophy meeting on Sunday.

Top performance came from 12-year-old Wallace Graham from Heathfield who won the under 13 boys’ 100 metres in 13.8 secs into a strong head wind.

He earlier finished second in the final of the 200 metres (27.35 secs pb) in his first ever race over this distance.

Wallace, who joined Seaforth in July, won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the National Junior Championships a month later.

Then he added the 100 metres at the Ayrshire Championships.

Results: U11 girls: Alice Arnold: 3rd in long jump (3.29), 5th in 150 metres 24.97 (heat 23.76), 2nd in 75m ‘B’ 12.77; Alice Shanks: 5th in 150m ‘B’ (27.03, heat 24.84); 4th in 75m heat.

U11 boys: Steven Mexson: 3rd equal in long jump (3.23), 4th in 150m (24.6), 4th in 75m (12.40).

Connor Gracie: 3rd equal in long jump (3.23).

U13 girls: Caitlin Gillon: 5th in 100m (15.10), 2nd in 200m heat (30.62), 6th in long jump (3.77).

U13 boys: Wallace Graham: 1st in 100m (13.82), 2nd in 200m (27.35 pb); Jay Forbes: 2nd in 75m hurdles (15.95); Angus Arnold: 2nd in 100m ‘B’; Stuart Edgar: 3rd in shot putt (7.67), 3rd in javelin (21.50); Scott Binnie: 6th in 100m heat (16.8), long jump (3.04).

U15 girls: Caroline George: 5th in 200m (28.51), 5th in 100m; Rachel Hunter: 2nd in shot putt (8.59), 4th in 200m heat (30.11); Ciara Gracie: 1st in 100m heat; 2nd in long jump (3.79).

U15 boys: Craig McCallum: 3rd in discus (20.88); Johnny Thompson: 3rd in 200m heat (26.75), 5th in final; 5th in 100m final.

Sep 12 2007: Third World Title for Track Star Bobby

Ayr Seaforth athlete Bobby Stevenson is a world champion for the third time in five years.

Superfit Bobby won the 400 metres hurdles at the World Masters Championships at Riccione in Italy.

And that followed his earlier golds at Puerto Rico in 2003 and San Sebastian two years later.

Amazingly, Bobby is the second-fastest ever for the M50 age-group, beaten only by an American whose 58.10 seconds in 1976 is still a world record.

Bobby, 54, was the oldest athlete in Sunday’s final but his time of 59.58 seconds was faster than his winning time of 59.81 in 2003.

Joiner Bobby, a joiner, runs for Ayr Seaforth, and is coached by national coach Sandy Ewen of Monkton.

Seaforth secretary Glen Harrower said: “The club is elated at the news. Bobby is staying in Italy for the relays this weekend but is assured a wonderful reception when he returns to the club.”

Sep 5 2007: Andrew Runs off with Senior Title

Ayr Seaforth athletes rounded off the outdoor season with their club track and field championships at Dam Park over two nights last week.

Senior and under 20 men’s champion is Andrew McElwee with 43 points, two more than runner-up Alastair Morton.

Andrew won the long jump (5.25), high jump (1.70), javelin (32.02) and 1500m. Alastair took the 100m, 400m and shot putt (8.71). Elaine Montgomerie is senior/U20 women’s champion with 35 points.

Other results: U17 men: Aaron Kyle 41 points; Alex Oliver 38, Hugh McQueen 27, Mark Ferguson 22, Greg Templeton 14, Jonathon Dunn 10.

U17 women: Claire Taylor 36 points; Jennifer Park 34, Cheryl Gibson 34, Melissa Hewitson 18.

U15 boys: Johnny Thompson 43, Andrew Rae 32, Tom Andrews 26, Adam Steven 22, David Carter 20, Gary O’Brien 11.

U15 girls: Rachel Whittle 43 points; Rachel Hunter 27, Rhona McGregor 20, Caroline George 19, Aileen Rennie 19, Hazel Jamieson 15, Stephanie Dougan 14.

U13 boys: Sam Revie 43 points, Ben Johnston 22, Wallace Graham 21, Finlay Rae 21, Angus Johnston 13, James Gaffney 12, Angus Arnold 8, Stuart Edgar 7, David Stenlake 2, Jack Zonfrillo 2, Scott Wilson 1, Jordan Fraser 1, Darius Graham 1.

U13 girls: Jemma McSheffery 41 points; Kendal Ross 37, Caitlin Gibson 32, Carolyn Harvey 20.

U11 boys: Charlie Zonfrillo 27 points, Blair Anderson 24, Steven Mexson 20, Sam Gray 18, Robert Meddings 13, Josh Andrews 7, Christopher Van Zulzen 3, Ahren McTaggart 2.

U11 girls: Alice Arnold 30, Amy Main 25, Verity MacDonald 21, Ailie Shanks 17, Alison Harvey 9, Wendy McKenzie 8.

Fixtures: Wednesday (Sept 5): Ayrshire Harriers final open meeting of the season at Dam Park from 7pm. Sunday: Pitreavie Young Athletes Trophy meeting from 10am.

Seaforth’s world champion Bobby Stevenson, from Drybridge, defends his title at the World Masters Championships in Italy. Events run until September 16.

Sep 5 2007: Seaforth Help West to Second

Ayr Seaforth athletes helped Team West finish second in the final meeting of the Scottish Women’s League at Linwood.

And left them second overall from eight teams for the season.

Final match points: Edinburgh 470; Team West 451; Tayside 414; Lothian 315; Pitreavie 312; Victoria Park, Glasgow 310; Forth Valley 265; Aberdeen 225.

Seaforth results: Kendall Ross (U13): 3rd in 100m, 14.0 secs; 2nd in 200m, 29.2; 2nd in 4 x 100m relay, 57.0; Caitlin Gillon (U13): 2nd in 200m ‘B’, 30.7; 2nd in 4 x 100m relay, 57.0.

Rachel Whittle (U15): 1st in 75m hurdles ‘B’, 13.1; 1st in shot putt ‘B’, 7.65 (pb); 2nd in high jump, 1.60 (pb); 1st in 4 x 100m relay, 52.0.

Cheryl Gibson (U17): 4th in long jump, 4.39; Paula Dalgleish (U17): 2nd in high jump, 1.55; 3rd in senior triple jump ‘B’, 8.52.

Gwen McFarlane (senior): 4th in discus ‘B’, 21.09; 5th in hammer ‘B’ 21.17; 4th in shot putt ‘B’ 7.38; 7th in javelin, 20.06.

August 2007

Aug 29 2007: Brave Hugh's a Hero for Ayr

Ayr Seaforth's senior and junior men ended the season on a high in Scottish League Division One at Wishaw on Sunday.

They were third in the fourth and final match to finish the campaign in fifth place.

A late knee injury ruled out all rounder Hugh Smith from the 100 metres hurdles and 400 metres hurdles but he battled pain to compete in five field events.

Heroic Stuart Benson took part in eight events as Seaforth ensured their place in the top flight next season.

Youngsters Alex Oliver, Aaron Kyle (both 16), Andrew McElwee , David Ross Hunt and Alastair Morton (all 18) were introduced by team manager Ian Hutton this year and all were a revelation.

Sunday's points (final places in brackets): Arbroath 343 (1st), Shettleston 334 (2nd), Seaforth 297 (5th), Central 267 (3rd), Giffnock North 248 (6th), Pitreavie 224 (4th), Edinburgh 197 (7th), Kilbarchan 83 (8th).

Results:

Fixtures: Seaforth's track and field championships began on Tuesday and continue on Thursday this week at Dam Park from 7.15pm.

The final open meeting of the outdoor season takes place at Dam Park on Wednesday (September 5) from 7pm for all age groups.

Aug 29 2007: Final Day Show Helps Seaforth Stay Up

Ayr Seaforth have saved their place in Division One of the Central and South of Scotland League. After three league matches, they finished joint fifth.

Final points were: Kilbarchan 22, Giffnock North 21, City of Edinburgh 20, Whitemoss 13, Seaforth 11, Law & District 11, Central 6, Airdrie Harriers 4.

Central and Airdrie Harriers are relegated to Division Two.

U11 girls:

U13 girls:

U15 girls:

U17 women:

Senior women:

U11 boys:

U13 boys:

U15 boys:

U17 men:

Senior men:

Masters men:

Aug 28 2007: Andrew’s a Debut Dazzler in Straiton Hill Race

Ayr Seaforth and Ayrodynamic young athlete, Andrew Rae, made an impressive debut in his first foray into hill running.

He won the junior race in the Craigengower hill race at Straiton in a time of 19.52 and finished third overall.

Fellow Ayrodynamic tri-athlete Greg Turner was second junior while ex-Ayr Seaforth athlete, Toni McIntosh, won the women’s race.

Overall winner was Adam Anderson of Carnethy who repeated his triumph of seven years earlier to win in 17.57, still outside the 1997 record of 16.30 by Dave Cummins.

Results: 1. Adam Anderson (Carnethy) 17.57; 2. Colin Glencorse (Strathearn) 18.37; 3. Andrew Rae (Seaforth) 19.32; 4. Greg Turner (Giffnock) 20.16; 5. Alastair Murray (Kilmarnock) 20.20; 6. Tommy Begley (Irvine) 21.04; 7. Iain Davidson (Girvan) 21.05; 8. Drew Broadley (Lochaber) 21.32; 9. Ian McNee (Troon) 22.08.

10. Toni McIntosh (Stockport) 22.11; 11. Martin Purvis 22.41; 12. Alex Drain (Troon) 22.58; 13. Kashdan Brown 23.20; 14. Deborah Macdonald (HBT) 23.48; 15. Neil Smith 24.51; 16. Kenny Baird 25.18; 17, Andy Myerscough 25.09; 18. Ross Paton 25.21; 19. Andy Taylor (Kilmarnock) 26.36; 20. Carol Boyd 27.38; 21. Euan Low 28.31; 22. Douglas Gardiner 28.37; 23. James McTaggart (Girvan) 29.07; 24. Laura MacTaggart (Girvan) 30.47; 25. Kelly Simpson 34.35.

Under 12s: 1. Fraser Bairds 19.26; 2. Declan Hunter-Blair 24.44.

Aug 22 2007: Revie banks double gold for Seaforth

Ayr Seaforth star Sam Revie pulled off a sprint double at the Bank of Scotland Junior Championships at Grangemouth last weekend.

The Marr College pupil won the under 13 boys’ 100 metres in 13.13 secs and 200 metres in 27.70 secs.

That came on the heels of winning the national indoor 60 metres and 200 metres in February.

Silvers went to under 13 girl Kendal Ross in the 200 metres (29.1 secs) and under 15 girl Rachel Whittle in the high jump (1.53).

Bronze medals went to Wallace Graham in the under 13 boys’ 100 metres (13.25 secs), Kendal Ross in the under 13 girls’ 100 metres (14.1 secs), Paula Dalgleish in the under 17 women’s high jump (1.55m) and Aaron Kyle in the under 17 men’s 400 metres hurdles (61.11 secs).

Other results: Under 17 men: Alex Oliver: 6th in 1500 metres (4.13.6 pb) and 3rd in 800m heat (2.01.4 pb); Aaron Kyle: 5th in 100m hurdles (15.04 secs).

Under 17 women: Claire Taylor: 4th in 300m hurdles (48.2 secs).

Under 15 girls: Rachel Whittle: 6th in 200 metres (27.76), heat 27.28 pb; Caroline George: 7th in 100m semi-final (13.46 pb); Katie Sprang: 7th in 800 metres heat (2.35.82); Kerry Leith: 8th in javelin (19.09 pb).

Under 13 girls: Caitlin Gillon: 7th in 100 metres semi-final (14.84 secs) and 11th in long jump (3.72m).

Seaforth were the only team to turn up for the 4 x 100 metres relays but were disqualified due to a faulty changeover. The team was Ian Kennedy, Stuart Benson, Alastair Morton and Thomas McFarlane.

Seaforth’s Alastair Morton, Scott Keenan, Andrew McElwee and Thomas McFarlane were second to Shettleston Harriers in the 4x400 metres, finishing two seconds adrift in 3 mins 25 secs.

Fixtures: Sunday: the final match of the Scottish Men’s League Division One takes place at Wishaw with Seaforth needing a good show to secure their place in the top flight.

The Scottish Women’s Premier League concludes at Linwood with Seaforth contributing to Team West. Seaforth club track and field championships take place at Dam Park on Tuesday and Thursday (August 28 and 30) for all age groups starting at 7.15pm.

Aug 21 2007: Sprinters' Web Feat

These sprinters left the sports world in a spin after winning a relay race in Spider-man suits.

The quartet - Stuart Benson, 26, Thomas McFarlane, 23, Ian Kennedy, 23, and Alastair Morton, 18 - dressed up after finding out they would be facing no opposition when they defended their Scottish Senior Championship 4x100m relay title at Grangemouth on Sunday.

Ayr Seaforth sprinter Stuart said: "We phoned up and asked if the organisers if they would mind. It's a bit of fun."

Aug 15 2007: Benson is high flier

Ayr Seaforth Royal Air Force man Stuart Benson was a high flier at the Scottish Senior Championships at Scotstoun.

The 26-year-old Troon runner, who is currently based in England, overcame wet and windy conditions to finish a close fifth in the 100 metres in 10.95 secs. His earlier heat time was 10.73 secs.

Then on Sunday, Stuart was just pipped on the line in the 200 metres final in an excellent 21.48 secs to take silver.

Other results: 100m: 8. Thomas McFarlane 11.38 (heat 11.25); 7th in heat: Alastair Morton 11.57; 200m: 5th in semi: Neil Burnside 22.58; Thomas McFarlane 5th in heat 23.10; triple jump: 5. Kerry Steel 11.05; long jump: 4. Kerry Steel 5.34.

All three Seaforth teams reached the finals of the Scottish junior 4x100 metres relay championships at Scotstoun on Sunday.

Aug 08 2007: Young guns finish with a four show

Ayrshire young athletes team rounded off a marvellous first season with a fourth place finish in the Scottish League final at Grangemouth.

The squad, which qualified by winning the Division Two title, comprised young members of Ayr Seaforth, Girvan AC, Irvine AC and Kilmarnock Harriers. Despite an under-strength team, they ran up 818½ points, just missing out on third place by 37 points. Among the teams they beat were Victoria Park, Glasgow, and Pitreavie.

Andrew Murphy from Girvan was under 13 field athlete of the day for his shot putt of 10.36 metres.

Kendal Ross was narrowly beaten into second place in the 75m and 150m. Kilmarnock high jumper Jamie Hannah won the U17 men’s high jump, stretching his own personal best by 8cm to 1.88m.

Ayr girl Clare Taylor, who is ranked second in Scotland over 300m hurdles, was only just beaten into second place by the only athlete ahead of her in the rankings.

Irvine multi-eventer John McCafferty had excellent wins in the U17 men’s pole vault and javelin, and it took a photo to decide Hurlford’s David Clark’s position in the U17 men’s 200m. Only three-hundredths of a second separated the first three places with David placed second in 23.14.

U13 boys Andrew Murphy and Finlay Rae gave the only grade one performances of the day. Andrew won the shot putt with an excellent 10.36m while Finlay ran an outstanding 4.45.87 for 1500m. Wallace Graham made an exciting sprint debut at 100m to finish second in a fast 13.13. In total they took a haul of 11 gold, eight silver and five bronze medals.

The U17 men had several top-class performances, including a fast 200m from David Clark in 23.14 and a resounding victory for the 4x400m relay team.

Aaron Kyle made a great debut in the triple jump and his leap of 12.63m proved the third longest in Scotland this year while, in the high jump, Jamie Hannah posted a personal best 1.88m to go third in the Scottish rankings. The final event was the under 17 men’s 4x400m and although Ayrshire consisted of a high jumper, 400m specialist, a steeplechaser and an 800m runner, they romped to victory.

Boys Under 13

Boys Under 15

Boys Under 17

Girls Under 13

Girls Under 15

Girls Under 17

Aug 01 2007: Gwen doubles up for medals

Ayr Seaforth Athletic Club star Gwen McFarlane won two medals at the British Masters at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, last weekend.

Competing in the W50 class, she won silver in the shot putt (9.14), bronze in the javelin (22.28), was fourth in the hammer (26.93), fourth in the discus (24.37) and fifth in the weight (8.50).

David Phillips ran an excellent 12.29 secs in the M45’s 100 metres but was a disappointing tenth in the final.

The new combined Ayrshire young athletes team finished fourth in the league final at Grangemouth last Saturday.

Points: Edinburgh 925½, Giffnock North 925, Kilbarchan 858½, Ayrshire Harriers 818½, Glasgow 748, Pitreavie 519½, Aberdeen 305, Arbroath 276.

July 2007

Jul 18 2007: Seaforth veterans double up for gold

Ayr Seaforth stars Bobby Stevenson and Gwen McFarlane struck gold at the Scottish Masters Championships at Grangemouth last weekend.

Twice world champion Bobby won the M50 age group 400 metres hurdles in 61.67 secs to warm up for the world championships in Italy in September.

Gwen took gold in the W50 javelin in 22.65 metres and added an incredible FOUR silvers in the hammer (28.21), shot (8.66), weight (8.37) and discus (23.33). David Phillips took silver in the M45 100 metres in 12.32 secs.

And former Commonwealth and Olympic star Brian Whittle returned to action to finish second in the M40 200 metres in 24.69 secs.

Brian’s daughter Rachel starred at the Scottish junior combined events championships also at Grangemouth, finishing fourth overall in her first year as an under 15 girl.

She had a personal best 4.64 in the long jump where she finished fifth, was fifth in the 75m hurdles (13.09), sixth in the shot putt (7.44), second equal in the high jump (1.53) and fifth in the 800m (2.46.53).

On Sunday, Seaforth head to Meadowbank for Division One of the Scottish Men’s League where they currently lie fifth.

July 8 2007: Young Athletes League Division Two - Linwood

The Ayrshire Harriers team rounded off a marvellous first season as they wrapped up the Scottish Young Athletes League Division 2 with yet another marvellous win at Linwood last weekend.

With two victories already under their belts the youngsters went into the third meeting knowing that they only needed to finish third to secure promotion and reach the Scottish Finals at Grangemouth on July 28.

And although there were a number of withdrawals due to holidays the squad, which is made up of athletes from Irvine, Ayr, Girvan and Kilmarnock, shrugged off the heavy showers and steady winds to produce a string of fantastic results, with several youngsters setting new personal bests.

Notable performances came from James Wales who achieved the Scottish Standard for 1500m steeplechase, Kendal Ross who ran excellent times in both the 75m and 150m and Amanda Humes with a personal best in the 800m.

Also in the 800m, Sarah McNish, who is running well over the distance this season, won her race comfortably in 2.24.4.

Gordon Wilson also ran an excellent time in the U13 boys 800m.

The Ayrshire team finished in first place with 779 points, 353 ahead of their nearest rivals, and can look forward with confidence to the Scottish Final.

Results were:-

Boys Under 13

Boys Under 15

Boys Under 17

Under 13 Girls

Under 15 Girls

Under 17 Girls

Our thanks to all the team managers, coaches, officials, parents and helpers in making another very successful event.

Jul 4 2007: Seaforth females shine

A strong contingent from Ayr Seaforth helped Team West to victory in the Scottish Women’s League at Scotstoun.

Due to the monsoon conditions, some of the hurdles and high jump competitions were cancelled.

Team West, which also included members from Giffnock North, Kilbarchan and Whitemoss, finished 15 points ahead of the field.

Points: Team West 414, Edinburgh AC 399, Glasgow 355, Forth Valley 304, Lothian select 303, Tayside and North Fife 287, Pitreavie 262, Aberdeen 194.

Seaforth’s Kendall Ross won the U13 girls 200m (28.2 secs pb) and was part of the relay team along with Caitlin Gillon that won the U13’s 100m relay in 55.97 secs.

Rachel Whittle won the U15 high jump in 1.50 metres and was part of the team that won the U15’s 100 metres relay in 51.7 secs.

Another winner was Rachel Hunter who took the U15 ‘B’ shot putt in 8.03 metres.

Other results: Caitlin Gillon: 3rd in 100m ‘B’ 100m (14.8); Katy Sprang: 6th in U15 1500m (5.21 pb); Cheryl Gibson: 8th in U17 long jump (4.21); Stephanie McGarrity: 3rd in U17 javelin ‘B’ (16.16); Elaine Montgomerie: 4th in triple jump (9.60); Gwen McFarlane: 3rd in hammer ‘B’ (21.69), 5th in javelin (17.4), 5th in discus (24.05).

June 2007

Jun 28 2007: Weak Seaforth fight for fifth

A badly depleted Ayr Seaforth senior/junior men mustered only eight athletes for the second match of the Scottish League Division One at Grangemouth on Sunday.

Cold, wet and windy conditions didn’t dampen their enthusiasm as they finished fifth from eight clubs in a tight finish.

Points: Arbroath 322, Central 295, Shettleston 268, Giffnock North 264, Seaforth 263, Edinburgh 220, Pitreavie 196, Kilbarchan 161.

Thomas McFarlane had a sprint double, winning the 100 metres (11.37 secs) and 200m (23.18 secs). Neil Burnside was first in the 400 metres (49.17 secs) and first in the 200m ‘B’ (23.29 secs). Hugh Smith competed in seven events while Adam Mackie took part in five. There were outstanding wins in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Results: 100m: 1. Thomas McFarlane 11.37; ‘B’: 2. Alastair Morton 11.96; 200m: 1. Thomas McFarlane 23.18; ‘B’: 1. Neil Burnside 23.29; 400m: 1. Neil Burnside 49.17; ‘B’: 3. Andrew McElwee 53.70; 800m: 8. Alex Oliver 2.05.64; ‘B’: 6. Andrew McElwee 2.06.45 (pb); 5000m: 8. Laurence Baker 18.13.0; ‘B’: 7. Adam Mackie; 110m hurdles: 4. Hugh Smith 18.23; ‘B’: 2. Adam Mackie 20.8; 400m hurdles: 6. Adam Mackie 69.2.

4 x 100m: 1. A. Morton, T. McFarlane, H. Smith, N. Burnside 45.57; 4 x 400m: 1. A. McElwee, T. McFarlane, A. Oliver, N. Burnside 3.31.6.

Long jump: 2. Thomas McFarlane 5.93; ‘B’: 3. Neil Burnside 5.68; triple jump: 6. Hugh Smith 10.78; ‘B’: 6. Alastair Morton 9.17; high jump: 4. Stuart Benson 1.70; ‘B’: 5. Alastair Morton 1.50; pole vault: 4. Hugh Smith 2.40; shot putt: 6. Stuart Benson 9.34; ‘B’: 3. Hugh Smith 9.16; discus: 5. Hugh Smith 27.49; ‘B’: 4. Adam Mackie 23.65; hammer: 5. Adam Mackie 21.93; ‘B’: 4. Stuart Benson 18.93; javelin: 5. Hugh Smith 32.65; ‘B’: 3. Adam Mackie 30.09.

The new Ayrshire combined team line up in the Scottish Young Athletes League at Linwood on Sunday July 8.

Jun 20 2007: Champion Seaforth

Ayr Seaforth’s young starlets were once again crowned champions of Scotland as the Under 13 Boys team lifted the Scottish 3x800m title in magnificent style at Meadowbank on Sunday. The team of Angus Johnston, Ben Johnston and Finlay Rae romped home in 7:30sec to beat rivals Edinburgh and Giffnock North to add to the Scottish 4x200m indoor title they had won earlier in the year. In the same competition the Under 15 Girls team, comprising Lauren Goldie, Stephanie Dougan and Katie Sprang ran strongly to take 9th place in the final.

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Jun 14 2007: On their marks

AYR Seaforth were due to stage a bumper event at Dam Park on Wednesday night.

Medals were up for grabs in most events with age groups between under 11s and seniors.

Then Seaforth have three teams entered in the Bank of Scotland national championships at Meadowbank on Saturday.

They also have teams entering the 3 x 800m junior relay championships at under 13 and under 15 level.

May 2007

May 27 2007: Young Athletes League Division Two - Wishaw

The second Young Athletes League meeting took place at Wishaw on Sunday 27 May. The Ayrshire team, made up of athletes from Ayr, Irvine, Girvan and Kilmarnock, set out to maintain their position at the top of Division 2.  Unfortunately the weather on the day was not fantastic with several fairly heavy rain showers and steady winds.

Some fantastic results were realised on the day with several athletes achieving Personal Bests.

Performances to highlight are James Wales who achieved the Scottish Standard for 1500m steeplechase, Kendal Ross who ran excellent times in both the 75m and 150m,  Amanda Humes ran a personal best in the 800m.  Also in the 800m, Sarah McNish is running well over 800m this season winning her race comfortably in 2.24.4.  Gordon Wilson also ran an excellent time in the under 13 boys 800m. 

The Ayrshire team finished in first place taking 779 points from this match (353 points ahead of their nearest rivals)and maintaining their position at the top of the league.  With one match to go it looks hopeful for the Scottish Final.

Full results are:-

Boys Under 13

Boys Under 15

Boys Under 17

Under 13 Girls

Under 15 Girls

Under 17 Girls

Our thanks to all the team managers, coaches, officials, parents and helpers in making another very successful event.

May 23 2007: Primary relays are a record

A record 28 teams from 20 schools took part in the South Ayrshire Primary Schools Athletics relays competition at Dam Park.

Almost 150 children took to the track in the event which was organised by Ayr Seaforth AC and South Ayrshire Sports Council. Schools were split into two groups, greater and less than a role of 200 pupils.

The small schools had winners from five different schools in the six races - Cairn, Muirhead, Dundonald (two), Monkton and Sacred Heart.

Alloway dominated some of the larger schools races where they won two, were second in two and third in one.

But with 18 teams competing, just getting through the heats into a final was a creditable achievement! Heathfield, Doonfoot (2 wins) and Grammar shared the honours in the other four races.

Results: small schools: P6 boys 4x100m: 1. Cairn PS; 2. Muirhead 'A'; 3. Muirhead 'B'; P6 girls 4x100m: 1. Muirhead 'A'; 2. Monkton 'A'; 3. Dundonald 'A'

P7 Boys 4x100m: 1. Dundonald 'A'; 2. Sacred Heart; 3. Braehead; P7 girls 4x100m: 1. Monkton 'A'; 2. Braehead; 3. Sacred Heart.

P7 boys 3x600m: 1. Dundonald; 2. Sacred Heart; 3. Cairn; P7 girls 3x600m: 1. Sacred Heart; 2. Braehead; 3. Muirhead.

Large schools: P6 Boys 4x100m: 1. Alloway; 2. Troon 'A'; 3. Glenburn 'B'; P6 girls 4x100m: 1. Alloway; 2. Forehill 'A'; 3. Grammar; P7 boys 4x100m: 1. Heathfield 'A'; 2. Alloway; 3. Wellington.

P7 girls 4x100m: 1. Doonfoot; 2. Wellington; 3. Alloway; P7 boys 3x600m: 1. Grammar; 2. Alloway; 3. Doonfoot; P7 girls 3x600m: 1. Doonfoot; 2. Forehill; 3. Struthers.

May 23 2007: Ayrshire Harriers are off to a flying start

The newly-formed combined Ayrshire Harriers team stormed to victory in its first competition of the season at Wishaw.

The squad has been set up by Ayr Seaforth, Girvan AC, Irvine AC, Kilmarnock Harriers and Arran Runners with the aim of giving younger competitors improved coaching facilities.

A total of 60 athletes travelled to Wishaw hopeful of getting a good result in Division Two of the Young Athletes’ League.

Heavy showers, a blustery wind and a wet track caused some of the hurdles races to be cancelled.

However, the youngsters performed to a high standard with 45 first places, 20 seconds, 15 thirds and only five finishes places outside the top three.

Best performances came from U13 boys Gordon Wilson, first in the 800m in 2 mins 27 sec, Finlay Rae, first in the 1500m in 5.06, Sam Revie, long jump winnerin 4.70m and U17 man David Clark, first in the 400m in 53.70.

For the girls, U13 runner Jemma McSheffery won the 800m in 2.38, Sarah McNish was second in the U15 800m in 2.27 and Clair Taylor took the 300m hurdles in 47.60.

These are only a few of the results from a great team performance which was highlighted in the 4x100 relay results with Ayrshire Harriers winning U13 boys, U17 men, U17 women, and finishing second in the U15 boys and U13 girls and fourth in the U15 girls.

Ayrshire had 667 points, more than 200 ahead of second-placed Falkirk Victoria.

Girls results: U13s: 75m: 3. Emily Munn 11.30; ‘B’: 6. Carolyn Harvie 14.00; 800m: 1. Jemma McSheffery 2.39.90; ‘B’: 1. Gemma McCutcheon 2.53.20; 150m: 3. Emily Munn 22.10; ‘B’: 3. Jemma McSheffery 22.90; 1200m: 1. Amanda Humes 4.21.20; ‘B’: 1. Fern Wales 4.26.20; long jump: 4. Leanne Bingham 3.55m; ‘B’: 2. Caitlin Lee 3.37m; 4x100m: 2nd in 60.50.

U15s.: 100m: 6. Ciara Gracie, 14.60; ‘B’: 2. Nicole Hamilton 14.50; 800m: 2. Sarah McNish, 2.27.80; ‘B’: 2. Katie Sprang, 2.33.60; 200m: 1 Rachel Whittle 27.90; ‘B’: 2. Ciara Gracie, 28.50; 1500m: 2. Lois Shankland 5.17.20; ‘B’: 2. Paige Douglas, 5.38.40; Shot putt: 3. R. Hunter 7.54m; ‘B’: 1. Nicole Hamilton, 6.77m; Javelin: 1. Ciara Gracie 22.66m; ‘B’: 3. Katie Sprang 10.28m; High jump: 1. Rachel Whittle 1.45m; ‘B’: 1. Paige Douglas 1.20m; 4 x 100m: 4th in 55.60.

U17s.: 300m hurdles ‘A’: 1. Claire Taylor 47.60; 100m: 3. Louise Martin 13.60; ‘B’: 2. Nicole Bunyan 13.90; 800m: 3. Mia Tait 2.49.30; ‘B’: 2. Melissa Hewitson 3.19.20; 200m: 3 Louise Martin 28.40; ’B’: 1. Cheryl Gibson 29.80; 300m ‘B’: 2. Melissa Hewitson 52.50; 1500m: 1. Sarah Munn, 5.15.60; ‘B’: 2. Nicole Bunyan 5.34.00; long jump ‘A’: 6. Cheryl Gibson 4.19m; Shot putt ‘B’: 1 Melissa Hewitson, 5.38m; Javelin: 3. Claire Taylor 16.16; ‘B’: 1. Jennifer Park 13.28m; 4x100m: first in 52.50.

Boys results: U13s: 100m: 1. Sam Revie, 14.00; ‘B’: 1. Corie O’Hara 14.50; 800m: 1. Gordon Wilson 2.27.70; ’B’: 1. Even Cornforth 2.43.10; 200m: 1. Sam Revie 28.50; ‘B’: 1. Angus Arnold 30.00; 1500m: 2, Finlay Rae, 5.06.90; ‘B’: 2. Angus Cochrane 6.13.40; 4x100m: first in 56.70.

U15s.: javelin: 5. Andrew Martin 20.25m; B’: 2. Craig McCallum 19.23m; long jump: 3. Gregor Devoy 4.22m; ‘B’: 2. Elaine Eadie 4.09m; shot putt: 6. Craig McCallum, 7.15m; ‘B’: 4. James Galliford 6.54m.

U17s:100m: 3. Sean Thompson 12.10; ‘B’: 3. David Meikle 13.00; 800m: 1. Alex Oliver 2.06.20; ‘B’: 1. Ryan McDonald 2.08.70; 200m: 1. David Clarke 23.50; ‘B’: 1. Sean Thompson 24.20; 400m: 1. David Clarke 53.70; ‘B’: 1. Jamie Hannah 53.40; 1500m: 1. Garry Kerr, 4.37.80; ‘B’: 1. James Wales 4.39.30; Hammer: 2. Andrew Girvan 15.51m; High jump: 1. Christopher Chapman 1.70m; ’B’: 1. David Clarke 1.50m; Shot putt ‘B’: 1. David Meikle 6.66m; Javelin: 1. John McCafferty 41.81m; ‘B’: 1. James Wales 26.28m; Long jump: 1. John McCafferty 5.66m; ‘B’: 2. David Meikle 4.82m; 4 x 100m: first in 46.80.

The next competition for Ayrshire Harriers is at Wishaw on Sunday at 11.30am.

May 23 2007: Seaforth to the four

Ayr Seaforth finished fourth overall from eight clubs in the second match of the Central and South of Scotland League Division One at Grangemouth on Sunday.

In the female competition, Seaforth were a disappointing seventh due mainly to lack of numbers and late call-offs.

However, schoolteacher Agnes Heriaud took part in five events, ranging from 3000m, 1500m, 200m, discus and javelin.

The male entry was much stronger and finished third despite controversial disqualifications of the senior men’s 4 x 400 relay team which finished first and the under 17 men’s 4 x 400 team which were fourth. Both were disqualified on a change-over technicality.

Points: Edinburgh 792½, Giffnock North 638½, Kilbarchan 617½, Seaforth 489½, Central 486, Law & District 468, Whitemoss 466, Airdrie Harriers 366.

Male results: U11 boys: long jump: 2. Sam Gray 3.50; ‘B’: 2. Blair Anderson 3.29; 80m: 3. Steven Mexson 12.14; ‘B’: 1. Blair Anderson 12.30; 800m: 8. Robert Meddings 3.09.6; ‘B’: 6. Duncan McDonald 3.19.81; 4 x 100m: 1. R. Meddings, B. Anderson, S. Mexson, S. Gray 62.1.

U13 boys: javelin: 1. Finlay Rae 20.09; ‘B’: 1. James Gaffney 19.20; 75m hurdles: 3. Jay Forbes 16.29; ‘B’: 3. Angus Arnold 16.37; high jump: 4. Filay Rae 1.20; ‘B’: 4. David Stenlake 1.15; 200m: 1. Sam Revie 26.79 (pb); ‘B’: 2. Angus Arnold 29.76; long jump: 1. Sam Revie 4.66; ‘B’: 5. David Stenlake 3.32; 1500m: 2. Finlay Rae 4.53.58 (pb); 4 x100m: 3. A. Arnold, J. Gaffney, J. Forbes, S. Revie 57.70.

U15 boys: high jump: 5. Lewis Cater 1.45; ‘B’: 4. Andrew Rae 1.35; long jump: 8. Lewis Cater 3.38; ‘B’: 6. Gary O’Brien 2.85; shot putt: 7. Craig McCallum 7.76; ‘B’: 3. Calum Aitkenhead 7.66; 200m: 3. Murray Beckwith 24.70; ‘B’: 7. Gary O’Brien 28.78; discus: 3. Craig McCallum 21.50; ‘B’: 2. Calum Aitkenhead 16.76; 4 x100m: 7. G. O’Brien, A. Rae, L. Cater, C. Aitkenhead 61.02.

U17 men: 100m hurdles: 3. Aaron Kyle 15.65; ‘B’: 3. Stuart Morrison 17.98; javelin: 3. Aaron Kyle 25.62; ‘B’: 2. Stuart Morrison 25.62; shot putt: 3. Hugh McQueen 9.11; ‘B’: 7. Mark Ferguson 5.76; 200m: 6. Stuart Currie 24.74; ‘B’: 2. Aaron Kyle 25.32; 1500m: 4. Mark Ferguson 4.30.18 (pb); triple jump: 5. Stuart Morrison 9.27; ‘B’: 5. Hugh McQueen 8.71; 4 x 400m: 4. S. Currie, H. McQueen, A. Kyle, S. Morrison team disqualified.

Masters/vets: 200m: 2. David Phillips 25.53; ‘B’: Bobby Stevenson 25.98 disqualified; 1500m: 8. Alan Sprang.

Senior men: long jump: 5. Neil Burnside 5.77; ‘B’: 1. Thomas McFarlane 5.72; 110m hurdles: 1. Frazer Redmond 16.90; discus: 8. Bobby Stevenson 16.90; ‘B’: 8. Neil Burnside 14.48; 200m: 1. Thomas McFarlane 22.60; ‘B’: 1. Nwil Burnside 22.90; high jump: 1. Frazer Redmond 1.75; 1500m: 3. Neil Burnside 4.11.1 (pb); ‘B’: 1. Francis Napier 4.25.68; 4 x 400m: 1. C. Hutton, F. Redmond, T. McFarlane, N. Burnside disqualified.

Female results: U11 girls: 80m: 3. Alice Arnold 12.5; ‘B’: 3. Amy Martin 13.02; long jump: 1. Alice Arnold 3.45; ‘B’: 3. Alison Harvey 2.96; 800m: 6. Katy Ord 2.56.39; 4 x 100m: 5. A. Main, K. Traynor, S. Dunlop, A. Arnold 65.57.

U13 girls: 70m hurdles: 4. C. Harvey 15.82; 200m: 1. K. Ross 28.34; ‘B’: 1. C. Gibson 29.81; shot putt: 8. C. Harvey 4.49; ‘B’: 7. C. Gillon 4.19; 800m: 1. J. McSheffrey 2.32.53 (pb); ‘B’: 2. E. McHugh 2.40.75; high jump: 4. E. McHugh 1.15; 4 x 100m: 3. C. Gillon, J. McSheffery, CV. Harvey, K. Ross 58.77.

U15 girls: shot putt: 7. Shona Howie 6.17; ‘B’: 5. Katie Sprang 5.63; 75m hurdles: 2. Nicole Adams 13.13; 200m: 7. Caroline George 29.50; javelin: 6. Katie Sprang 11.53; discus: 5. Shona Howie 14.49; 1500m: 6. Katy Sprang 5.29.75; ‘B’: 6. Lauren Goldie 6.09.17; 4 x 100m: 7. N. Adams, K. Sprang, L. Goldie, C. George 57.94.

U17 women: 80m hurdles: 1. Claire Taylor 12.94; 200m: 2. Claire Taylor 26.97; ‘B’: 3. Cheryl Gibson 28.45; shot putt: 8. Melissa Hewitson 5.54; ‘B’: 7. Cheryl Gibson 5.27; 1500m: 5. Sarah Archibald 5.26.9; 4 x 100m: 6. C. Gibson, S. Archibald, M. Hewitson, C. Taylor.

Senior women: 3000m: 4. Agnes Heriaud 12.09.49; discus: 3. Norma Boyle 18.97; ‘B’: 6. Agnes Heriaud 11.18; javelin: 2. Norma Bruce 26.48; ‘B’: 2. Agnes Heriaud 12.53; shot putt: 8. Elaine Montgomerie 5.28; 200m: 5. Elaine Montgomerie 28.12; ‘B’: 3. Agnes Heriaud 29.25; 1500m: 4. Agnes Heriaud 5.28.47.

Fixtures: on Sunday, the new Ayrshire team take part in the second match of the Scottish Young Athletes League at Wishaw. The team bus leaves at 9.30am due to the earlier start of 11.30am.

May 16 2007: Golden girl Gwen is top of the class

Stunned Gwen McFarlane claimed winning South Ayrshire’s sports personality of the year was a bolt out of the blue.

The veteran throws athlete didn’t even know her name had been put forward by Ayr Seaforth where she has been a member for 14 years.

And she admitted: “I was totally shocked but delighted and feel so proud.”

Gwen, a PE teacher at Ayr Academy, won four golds in hammer, discus, shot putt and javelin at the Scottish outdoor masters.

And in the indoor equivalent, she won the shot putt in a championship best performance.

Gwen, who won three silvers at the British outdoor masters, is also Ayrshire female masters athlete of the year for 2006.

Ironically, she did even better the previous year when she won medals in every single event, including gold in the discus at the British Championships.

The local service to sports award went to 73-year-old Jim Young from Ayrshire Harriers. Although he retired as secretary in 2003, he remains a driving force behind events and still competes occasionally.

Fourteen-year-old Ross Stewart from Troon won the junior sports personality prize.

Ross, of the Burakudo Karate Club, won gold in boys’ kumite at the 2006 junior world championships.

He was first in kata and kumite at the Radbury Ayrshire Open and won the British championships in London for karate and was second in kumite.

Runner-up was nine-year-old Prestwick tennis sensation Ross Wilson from Prestwick.

He is ranked number one for his age group in the UK and reached the quarter-finals of the world under 10s in Croatia.

Ross has been awarded a ten year million euro sponsorship contract at the Mouratoglou Academy in Paris.

Junior sports team is Ayr Seaforth’s under 15 boys cross country boys of Mark Ferguson, Andrew Rae and Tony Andrews who won the Ayrshire relay title in Irvine, were sixth in the west district and seventh in the national championships.

Seaforth’s senior/junior men’s relay stars also won the sports team award.

Gold went to Ian Kennedy, Stuart Benson, Scott Keenan and Neil Burnside in the 4 x 100 metres and Colin Garrett, Craig Hutton, Scott Keenan and Neil Burnside in the 4 x 400 metres.

Volunteer of the year is David McClure who for 20 years has set up programmes for swimming galas involving clubs, scouts and schools.

Coach of the year is Bill Hair of the Burakudo Karate Club.

The Provost’s Shield for club development went to Ayrshire Flyers Ice Speed Skating Club.

Prizes were presented by Sports Council chairman Chris Carlyle while the Provost’s Shield was handed over by Pat Wheelan, head of lifelong learning with South Ayrshire Council.

May 16 2007: Rachel is pure gold

Ayr Seaforth starlet Rachel Whittle struck gold at the West District Championships at Scotstoun.

The 12-year-old from Troon won the under 15 high jump with a leap of 1.50 metres.

And she kept up her good form by finishing third equal in the 200 metres with a personal best 27.31 secs in her heat.

Alex Oliver took double silver in the under 17’s 800 metres (2.03.68) and 1500 metres (4.15.06 pb).

Also landingsilver was Claire Taylor in the U17 women’s 300 metres hurdles (48.49).

Jemma McSheffery was fourth in the under 13’s 800 metres (2.41.27, heat 2.37.53).

Other results: U13 boys: Finlay Rae 4th in 800m (2.30.75); U15 girls: Nicole Adams 8th in long jump (3.99m); U15 boys: Tom Andrews 5th in 800m (2.17.93 pb); U17 women: Cheryl Gibson 4th in long jump (4.34m) and 8th in 100m (13.9); U17 men: Aaron Kyle 5th in 400m hurdles (64.33); Senior men: Alastair Morton 7th in 100m heat (12.05) and 4th in 200m heat (23.71).

May 16 2007: Seaforth look for Sunday best

Ayr Seaforth go into Sunday’s second match of the Central and South of Scotland League Division One at Grangemouth lying fifth after the first meeting at Wishaw.

Results: Kilbarchan 671 points; Giffnock North 650; Law & District 561; City of Edinburgh 549½; Seaforth 518; Whitemoss 492; Airdrie Harriers 412½; Central AC 364.

There were individual wins for Sam Revie, David Phillips, Kendal Ross, Paula Dalgleish and Dawn Whittle.

Male results: U11 boys: long jump: 6. Blair Anderson 3.05; ‘B’: 6. Dylan Robb 2.65; 80m: 5. Blair Anderson 12.76; ‘B’: 2. Steven Mexson 12.49; 4 x 100m: 4. Blair, Dylan, Steven and Sam Gray 65.33.

U13 boys: 100m: 1. Sam Revie 13.10; ‘B’: 3. Angus Arnold 13.97; long jump: 1. Sam Revie 4.34; ‘B’: 5. Jay Forbes 3.52; shot: 6. Ben Johnston 5.83; ‘B’: 2. Hal Bulgen 5.31; 800m: 5. Ben Johnston 2.41.27; ‘B’: 2. Angus Johnston 2.43.36; 4 x 100m: 1. Angus, Ben, Jay and Sam 57.48.

U15 boys: discus: 4. Calum Aitkenhead 19.14; ‘B’: 2. Craig McCallum 18.55; shot: 8. Craig McCallum 7.26; ‘B’: 6. Calum Aitkenhead 7.03; javelin: 6. Craig McWilliam 19.18; ‘B’: 6. David Carter 10.62; 100m: 7. Gary O’Brien 13.65; ‘B’: 8. David Carter 14.63; 800m: 7. David Carter 2.30.29; ‘B’: 6. Calum Aitkenhead 2.36.82; 4 x 100m: 8. Craig, David, Gary, Calum 63.12.

U17 men: shot: 5. Hugh McQueen 8.42; long jump: 4. Aaron Kyle 5.13; ‘B’: 4. Stuart Morrison 4.81; discus: 4. Stuart Morrison 20.66; ‘B’: 2. Hugh McQueen 19.34; high jump: 3. Stuart Morrison 1.60; ‘B’: 2. Hugh McQueen 1.45 (pb); 800m: 3. Alex Oliver 2.02.75 (pb); ‘B’: 3. Mark Ferguson 2.17.5; 4 x100m: 5. Mark, Hugh, Aaron, Stuart 51.5.

Masters /Vets: 100m: 1. David Phillips 12.38; ‘B’: 5. Adam Mackie 13.23; 800m: 4. Adam Mackie 2.22.9; ‘B’: 3. Alan Sprang 2.33.4.

Senior men: discus: 5. Adam Mackie 23.57; shot: 6. Adam Mackie 8.00; ‘B’: 4. Frazer Redmond 7.75; 100m: 5. Scott Keenan 11.72; ‘B’: 1. Alastair Morton 11.73; 400m: 3. Thomas McFarlane 51.83; ‘B’: 2. Frazer Redmond 53.48; triple jump: 3. Thomas McFarlane 11.77; 4 x 100m: 2. Scott, Frazer, David, Thomas 45.51.

Females: U11 girls: 80m: 3. Alice Arnold 12.6; ‘B’: 4. Amy Main 13.34; long jump: 3. Amy Main 3.12; ‘B’: 2. Alice Arnold 2.95; 800m: 3. Katie Ord 2.57.96; ‘B’: 2. Verity MacDonald 3.02.7; 4 x 100m: 2. Verity, Amy, Alice, Shauna Dunlop 65.18.

U13 girls: javelin: 8. Carolyn Harvey 5.11; long jump: 3. Caitlin Gillon 3.66; ‘B’: 3. Carolyn Harvey 3.25; 100m: 1. Kendal Ross 13.91; ‘B’: 1. Caitlin Gillon 14.45; 800m: Seaforth girls finished second but were disqualified on a technicality; 4 x 100m: 1. Caitlin, Jemma McSheffery, Carolyn, Kendal 59.59.

U17 women: high jump: 1. Paula Dalgleish 1.55; ‘B’: 1. Cheryl Gibson 1.35; long jump: 5. Paula Dalgleish 4.07; ‘B’: 4, Cheryl Gibson 3.89; javelin: 7. Jennifer Park 13.24; ‘B’: 3. Melissa Hewitson 10.38; 100m: 7. Cheryl Gibson 13.82; ‘B’: 4. Jennifer Park 14.03; 800m: 4. Sarah Archibald 2.35.44; ‘B’: 7. Melissa Hewitson 3.18.85; 4 x 100m: 6. Cheryl, Paula, Melissa, Jennifer 57.11.

Masters /Vets: 100m: 1. Dawn Whittle 13.14; 800m: 2. Dawn Whittle 2.38.37.

Senior women: 400m: 3. Elaine Montgomerie 62.49; ‘B’: 3. Agnes Heriaud 66.31; 100m: 4. Elaine Montgomerie 13.63; ‘B’: 5. Agnes Heriaud 15.45; 800m: 6. Agnes Heriaud 2.34.83; javelin: 4. Gwen McFarlane 18.23; ‘B’: 2. Agnes Heriaud 15.74; shot: 4. Gwen McFarlane 7.73; ‘B’: 4. Elaine Montgomerie 5.42; long jump: 2. Elaine Montgomerie 4.34; ‘B’: 3. Agnes Heriaud 3.52; high jump: 2. Elaine Montgomerie 1.20; 4 x 100m: 4. Elaine, Agnes, Dawn Whittle, Christine Whitelaw.

May 02 2007: Seaforth are talk of track

Nine athletes from Ayr Seaforth perfomed well in the Scottish Women's Premier League at Meadowbank for Team West (Seaforth, Giffnock North, Whitemoss and Kilbarchan).

Results: U13 girls: 100m ‘A’: 4. Caitlin Gillon 14.32; 200m ‘A’: 3. Kendall Ross 28.62.

U15 girls: 800m ‘B’: 2. Katy Sprang 2.31.90; 75m hurdles ‘B’: 1. Rachel Whittle 12.58; shot putt ‘A’: 6. Rachel Hunter 7.55m; discus B’: 4. Rachel Whittle 13.12m.

U17 women: 80m hurdles ‘B’: 2. Gail Price 14.86; 300m ‘A’: 4. Claire Taylor 50.4; high jump ‘A’: 3. Paula Dalgleish 1.55m.

Senior women: 100m ’B’: 5. Elaine Montgmerie 13.49; triple jump ‘A’: 5. Elaine Montgomerie 9.54m; ’B’: 5. Paula Dalgleish 8.70m; long jump ‘A’: 6. Elaine Montgomerie 4.32m.

The combined Ayrshire team make their debut in the Scottish Young Athletes League at Wishaw on Sunday. The team draws members from Seaforth, Girvan, Irvine, Kilmarnock and Arran.

April 2007

Apr 30 2007: Scottish Primary Schools CC Championships 2007

Doonfoot Primary School were the sole representatives for South Ayrshire at the Scottish Primary Schools Cross Country Championships at Kirkcaldy last Saturday. A small contingent of 6 pupils from Primary 7 made the journey to Fife for what was to be a successful and enjoyable day. With 177 schools and over 1500 pupils competing this was truly a huge event for the pupils to participate in. First up over the 2000m course was Jemma McSheffery who ran an outstanding race to take 4th place in a time of in a field of 160 athletes. On this early form, Jemma should be looking forward to an exciting season on the track.

The biggest race of the day with 248 runners was the Primary 7 Boys. Finlay Rae ran magnificently to take 3rd place in a time of 6:55 to give Doonfoot their first national schools cross-country medal and add to the Scottish schools swimming title which he won in January. There were some sound performances from the other Primary 7 Boys, some of whom were competing in Cross Country for the first time. Kelvin Walker finished 118th, Cameron Finlay 124th, Tom McKeith 138th and Ryan Duffy 180th. The team took 20th place from 49 teams which was an excellent debut.

Apr 29 2007: London Mini Marathon

Last weekend saw temperatures in London soar to 23 ºC at midday as 35,000 athletes covered the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon course. Fortunately temperatures were cooler earlier in the day for the young athletes competing in the London Mini-Marathon which is ran over the last 2.65 miles of the marathon course and incorporates the British Inter-Counties competition. Young Ayr Seaforth athlete, Finlay Rae, was selected to compete for the Scottish team and followed in the footsteps of older brother Andrew who competed in 2005. The Scottish call up resulted from fine performances in the West District, Inter-District and National Cross Country Championships earlier in the year.

Finlay continued his recent good form to finish in an excellent 12th place in a time of 15:35 in the 11-12 year age group from a field of 307 athletes. The top quality race was won by fellow Scot athlete, Max Aitchison.

Apr 25 2007: Seaforth men are fifth for starters

Ayr Seaforth, missing a few key athletes, finished fifth in the opening meeting of the Scottish Men’s League at Grangemouth on Sunday.

Results (‘A’ string followed by ‘B’ string): 100m: 6. David Ross Hunt 11.48; ‘B’: 3. Alastair Morton 11.76; 200m: 7. David Ross Hunt 23.32; ‘B’: 2. Thomas McFarlane 22.84; 400m: 2. Neil Burnside 50.08; ‘B’: 2. Thomas McFarlane 50.92; 800m: 7. Colin Garrett 2.08.06; ‘B’: 3. Craig Hutton 2.08.70.

1500m: 7. William Morgan 4.19.36; ‘B’: 3. Neil Oliver 4.22.59; 5000m: 5. Francis Napier 16.33.1; ‘B’: 7. Craig Hutton 19.39.6; 110m hurdles: 2. Hugh Smith 18.00; ‘B’: 3. Adam Mackie 20.97; 400m hurdles: 5. Andrew McElwee 61.9; ‘B’: 3. Adam Mackie 71.6.

Long jump: 3. Thomas McFarlane 5.8; ‘B’: 2. Neil Burnside 5.41; High jump: 5. Andrew McElwee 1.60; Triple jump: 8. Andrew McElwee 10.07; ‘B’: 5. Alastair Morton 9.35; hammer: 8. Craig Ogston 15.25; ‘B’: 7. Thomas McFarlane 14.54; pole vault: 7. Hugh Smith 2.60; discus: 7. Hugh Smith 29.20; ‘B’: 4. Adam Mackie 21.01; shot putt: 7. Hugh Smith 10.01; ‘B’: 6. Adam Mackie 8.32; javelin: 3. Hugh Smith 33.59; ‘B’: 4. Craig Ogston 19.13.

4 x 100m: 6. David Ross Hunt, Thomas McFarlane, Adam Mackie, Neil Burnside; 4 x 400m: 7. William Morgan, Andrew McElwee, Alex Oliver, Hugh Smith.

Apr 22 2007: London Marathon

The London Marathon is quite an experience that any long distance runner should try at least once. There are 3 different starts (Blue, Green and Red). I started in the front pen of the blue start, so I should have went off to a flyer. However I took it too slowly and averaged 7 min miles for first 10k. About this point I saw John Cairns (Kilmarnock Harriers) in front of me (He started 2 pens behind me) and then I saw Dougie Connery (Irvine AC) who said he was having a dreadful run. For 10-20k I was sitting at 6:50 pace and I saw Steven Connell (Troon Tortoises) and Roddy Pugh (Kilmarnock Harriers) who helped me to push on a bit.

At half marathon I was sitting off target for 3 hrs (1:30:21) but was gradually managing to pull my time back in and continued to gradually increase my pace. In these next five miles, I was to see Tommy Ingram (Kilmarnock Harriers) and Alan Auld (Irvine AC).

I was back on target, just before my left leg started hurting. By adjusting my running, I managed to move the pain onto the right leg before turning it to a balanced dull pain between both legs. By 30K I had lost time rather than gaining it. I then heard someone shout, to my shock, “Come on Ayr Seaforth”. It was a Stuart Watson (From Central) whom I had run with at Glasgow half marathon last year, so I stuck with him for a few miles, trying to keep up with his pace. However the pace (that he had created) ended up too fast for him and I left him and ran the last 10k by myself.

I realised around 2 miles to go that I wasn’t going to get the 3hrs that I was looking for but I still went to try for a PB (Personal Best). However as I saw the “600m to go” sign and my time sitting at 3:01, I knew that the PB was also out the window. I came in at 3:02:25, slightly upset at not hitting my target, but with the knowledge that my slow start had probably helped me later on in the race from blowing up.

Other Ayrshire runners included Leslie McDerment (PB), Mark Hamilton, Alasdair Murray with Stephen Gilmour, all from Kilmarnock Harriers and Troon Tortoises, John McKinlay and Moira Connell also competing.

Connell Drummond (Apr 24 2007)

Apr 11 2007: New look young team takes off

A new season of outdoor track and field athletics starts with a different look at Dam Park on Sunday.

For the meeting will count as part of the selection process for the newly created Ayrshire Harriers Young Athletes team which will compete in the Scottish League this season.

The team, comprising under 13, under 15 and under 17 age groups, will be selected from clubs affiliated to the Ayrshire Harrier Clubs Association — Ayr Seaforth, Kilmarnock Harriers, Irvine AC, Girvan AC, Beith Harriers, Troon Tortoises, Cumnock AC and Arran Runners.

The move, to combine the best young athletes in Ayrshire into one team, follows the current trend in other leagues of clubs merging to produce a stronger team covering all track and field events.

The aim is to have a strong Ayrshire team which will compete only in the Scottish Young Athletes League with three matches and a league final.

Winners of the Scottish league travel to Birmingham for the UK final in September.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s meeting, organised by Ayrshire Harrier Clubs Association in conjunction with South Ayrshire Council, starts at 12 noon.

Age groups are under 11, under 13, under 15, under 17 and seniors.

Track events start with 100 metres at 12 noon, hurdles at 12.30pm, 1500m at 1pm, 200m at 1.30pm, 500m for under 17s and seniors at 2pm, 800m at 3.30pm and 400m at 4pm.

The 5000m will be part of a three race 5k series. The male and female athlete with the fastest aggregate time over the three will receive all entry monies as the first prize after the final event in September.

Field events start with long jump, shot putt and high jump at 12 noon, javelin at 1pm and discus at 2pm.

Entries from 11am. All entries close 15 minutes before event start time.

March 2007

Mar 21 2007: Seaforth strike up double gold

Ayr Seaforth under 13 boys and under 20 men were crowned champions at the Scottish indoor league finals at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday.

And the under 11 girls and under 13 boys struck gold in the 4 x 200 metres age group relays.

Results: under 20 men: Seaforth 39 pts; Whitemoss 33; Law & District 28, Whitemoss 5.

Alastair Morton: 2nd in 60m (7.60); Andrew McElwee: 2nd in 200m (24.30 pb), 1st in 400m (52.70), 2nd in 800m (2.13.73), 1st in 60m hurdles (10.23), 2nd in triple jump (10.57); Frazer Redmond: 2nd in high jump (1.80), 2nd in long jump (5.46); Grant Mathieson: 1st in shot putt (10.28).

Ayr Academy pupil Andrew McElwee, 17, one of the youngest competitors in the under 20 final, had two firsts and three seconds in five events, a remarkable effort.

Under 13 boys: Seaforth 29 pts; City of Edinburgh 25; Giffnock North 23.

Sam Revie: 1st in 60m (8.34), 1st in high jump (1.35), 2nd in long jump (4.01); Angus Arnold: 3rd in 200m (29.57); Jay Forbes: 3rd in 60m hurdles (12.18 pb); Finlay Rae: 2nd in 800m (2.28.32 pb); James Gaffney: 1st in shot putt (7.79).

The under 13 boys are undefeated during the 2006/07 Scottish indoor league season.

Star performer was Sam Revie from Troon with two firsts and one second. He recently won double gold in the 60m and 200m at the Scottish Indoor Championships.

4 x 200m relays: Under 11 girls: Seaforth 2 mins 18.28 secs; Airdrie Harriers 2.22.49; Whitemoss ‘A’ 2.23.49. Seaforth team was Verity MacDonald, Katherine Trainer, Shauna Dunlop and Alice Arnold.

Under 13 boys: Seaforth 1.56.69; Giffnock North ‘A’ 1.59.10; Airdrie Harriers 2.03.14; Central AC 2.04.16; Whitemoss 2.09.37. Seaforth team was Ben Johnston, Angus Johnston, Jay Forbes (heat), Sam Revie (final) and Angus Arnold.

Attention now turns to the Scottish outdoor season which starts in April.

Fixtures: On Sunday, the Scottish junior road race championships take place at Perth.

Mar 14 2007: Baker cooks up the top prize

Laurence Baker is Ayr Seaforth’s champion cross country runner.

He ran off with the senior men’s title with 30 points, two ahead of runner-up Connell Drummond.

Results were decided from the best of three from five races during the season.

Greg Templeton won the under 17 men’s title with 28 points.

Other awards: U15 boys: Mark Ferguson 30 points; r-up: Andrew Rae 24; U13 boys: Finlay Rae 30; r-up: Kelvin Walker 23; U11 boys: Rory Webster 20; U15 girls: Stephanie Dougan 30; U13 girls: Katie Sprang 28; r-up: Lauren Goldie 22; U11 girls: Verity MacDonald 20.

Seaforth’s under 15 boys team finished seventh overall in the national cross country championships at Falkirk.

In the under 13 national race, Finlay Rae’s tenth place secured his place in the Scottish team which competes in a special mini marathon young athletes race in London on April 22, the day of the London Marathon.

Fixtures: On Sunday, Seaforth’s under 13 boys and under 20 men compete in the finals of the Scottish Indoor League at the Kelvin Hall.

The under 13 girls missed qualifying by only one point while the under 17 women, who finished the league well were unlucky not to qualify. Running in tandem will be a separate 4 x 200 metres club relay.

On Sunday March 25, the Scottish Junior Road Race Championships will be held at Perth for under 13, under 15, under 17 and under 20 age groups. Seaforth have teams in the boys and girls younger age groups.

Mar 14 2007: Belmont boys run off with silver

Ayr Seaforth young athletes put in some sterling performances at the Scottish Power Secondary Schools' Cross Country Championships on Sat Mar 11 at the Beach Park Irvine. The highlight of the day was provided by the 14-15 year old Boys from Belmont Academy who took a magnificent silver medal in the team competition. Andrew Rae led the way home in 15th place over the 4000m course, closely followed by Tom Andrews who put in a stunning performance to finish in 17th. Gutsy runs by David Carter in 42nd place and Callum Aitkenhead in 49th helped Belmont clinch a much deserved 2nd team place behind Hutcheson’s Grammar.

Earlier in the day in the 14 and under Girls race Katie Sprang rounded of a successful cross country season to finish in 30th place and lead Craigholme School to a silver medal in the team competition. In the same race Lauren Goldie put in a good effort to finish in 83rd place. In the 14-15 Girls competition Stephanie Dougan, representing Wellington School, ran strongly to finish in a much improved 38th place. Mark Ferguson of Marr College found the going tough over 5000m in the 15-17 year Boys age group but battled strongly to finish in 40th place.

February 2007

Feb 21 2007: Sam sprints in for double gold

Ayr Seaforth athletes won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals in a glory weekend. They brought home the haul from the Bank of Scotland National Indoor Championships at the Kelvin Hall.

There was double gold for 12-year-old sprinter Sam Revie from Troon who had personal best times as he won the under 13 boys’ 60 metres in 8.23 secs and 200 metres in 27.16 secs.

Alex Oliver, 15, won silver in the under 17 men’s 1500 metres in 4.20.09.

Grant Mathieson, 18, took bronze in the under 20 men’s shot putt in 10.78 metres.

Kerry Steel, 17, won silver in the under 20 women’s triple jump in 11.17 metres and bronze in the long jump in 5.28 metres.

James Gaffney produced a big personal best to take silver in the under 13 boys’ shot putt in 8.55 metres.

Age group results: U13 boys: Sam Revie: 1st in 60m 8.23 (pb), 1st in 200m 27.16 (pb); Angus Arnold: 1st in 200m ‘B’ 29.52 (pb); 5th in 60m semi-final 8.89 (pb); James Gaffney: 2nd in shot putt 8.55 (pb); Ben Johnston: 3rd in 200m ‘B’ 30.73; Angus Johnston: 4th in 800m ‘B’ 2.38.61; 11th in long jump 3.70m.

U13 girls: Kendal Ross: 1st in 60m heat 8.97. Injury forced her to withdraw from the 60m and 200m; Caitlin Gillon: 3rd in 60m heat 8.97; long jump 3.55m.

U15 girls: Rachel Hunter: 6th shot putt 7.50m; Rachel Whittle: 8th high jump 1.35; 5th in 60m heat 8.48; Nicole Adams: 3rd in 60m hurdles heat 10.19 (pb); 11th long jump 4.26.

U17 men: Alex Oliver: 2nd in 1500m final 4.20.09.

U17 women: Claire Taylor: 6th in 60m hurdles 9.39 (pb); Gail Price: 4th in 60m hurdles heat 10.28; Cheryl Gibson: 3rd in 60m heat 8.52; 5th in 200m heat 29.04; Paula Dalgleish: 7th in high jump 1.50.

U20 women: Kerry Steel: 2nd in triple jump 11.17; 3rd in long jump 5.28; Elaine Montgomerie: 5th in triple jump 9.54.

U20 men: Grant Mathieson: 3rd in shot putt 10.78; David Ross Hunt: 5th in 60m 7.33; 1st in 200m heat 23.50 (due to illness had to withdraw from 200m final); Alastair Morton: 5th in 60m heat 7.64; 5th in 200m heat 24.54.

Feb 14 2007: Seaforth strike up treble gold

A small but select band of Ayr Seaforth athletes produced a masterly performance at the annual Scottish Masters /Vets indoor championships at the Kelvin Hall.

From five competitors, they had three firsts, three seconds and one third place.

Competition wad open to athletes from England and Ireland.

Seaforth’s Dawn Whittle was first in the W40/45 60 metres in a personal best 8.16 secs.

Clubmate Gwen McFarlane won the W50/55 shot putt in 8.68 metres.

Other Seaforth results: David Phillips: M45/50: second in 60m (7.77 secs pb) and fourth in 200 metres (26.1 secs).

Robert Phin: M50/55: second in 60 metres (8.29 secs); Adam Mackie: M40/45: second in shot putt (8.50), first in 400m (62.3) and third in 3000m (11.21.71).

Meanwhile, Seaforth have produced another future star in 12-year-old Rachel Whittle who watched with pride as her mum Dawn won gold in the Masters.

It was Rachel’s turn on Sunday when she was sixth from 21 competitors in the under 15 girls Scottish indoor combined events championships at the Kelvin Hall.

Rachel, in her first year as an under 15, was one of the youngest competitors and recorded two personal bests.

Rachel’s results: long jump: 3.84m (272 pts); 60m hurdles: 10.08 pb (697 pts); shot putt: 7.12m pb (343 pts); high jump: 1.39m (502 pts); 800m: 2.44.33 (524 pts).

Fixtures: Saturday and Sunday: Bank of Scotland under 13 and under 15 indoor national championships and under 17 and under 20 indoor championships at the Kelvin Hall. These championships are open to all UK athletes.

Feb 10 2007: Scottish Power Scottish National Cross Country Champs, Falkirk.

Callander Park in Falkirk was once again the venue for the Scottish Power National Cross Country Championships and saw the highest number of entries in almost a decade. Ayr Seaforth’s young athletes put in some fine performances. First up were the Under 13 Boys and Finlay Rae once again led the way over the windswept 3200m course to give Seaforth their first top ten finish at National Cross Country in a good number of years. Finlay finished 10th in a time of 12:15 and hopefully will secure a place in the Scottish squad who travel to London to compete in the mini-marathon in April. In same race, David Carter ran strongly to finish 41st in a time of 13:12 whilst younger brother Andrew made his debut at this level and finished in 78th (14:36) in a field of over 100 athletes.

The Under 13 Girls race saw Katie Sprang consolidate her position as Seaforth’s leading middle distance athlete in this age group and continued her recent vein of good form to finish strongly in 48th position (14:31), with Marie Hill 69th (14:56) and Lauren Goldie 84th (15:20). The Under 15 Girls raced over 4000m. Stephanie Dougan finished 61st (18:36) with Gina Van Ulzen closely behind in 69th (18:55). The Under 15 Boys raced over the same distance and all had excellent races to finish in the top half of the field to give Seaforth 7th position in the team competition. Mark Ferguson once again led the way to finish in 15th place (14:34) with less than 10 seconds separating him from a top 10 finish. Gutsy runs from Belmont Academy boys Andrew Rae, 28th (15:10), Tom Andrews 50th (16:02) and Callum Aitkenhead 55th (16:08) ensured a team placing to be proud of. In the Under 17 Women’s race Melissa Hewittson sadly had to withdraw through injury.

Two Senior men stalwarts made the trip to race over a 12 kilometre course with over 400 fellow athletes. Laurence Baker finished 164th (48:16) and Connell Drummond came 262nd (51:40). Anyone interested in participating in road or cross country running can contact the club via theContact page on the website.

Under 13 Boys:

Under 15 Boys: 7th Team

Under 13 Girls:

Under 15 Girls:

Senior Men:

January 2007

Jan 24 2007: Seaforth boys are champion's

Ayr Seaforth under 13 boys ran away with the Scottish 4 x 200 metres indoor relay title at the Kelvin Hall, winning by five seconds.

Their team of Ben Johnston, Finlay Rae, Angus Arnold and Sam Revie clocked 1 min 58.06 secs to win from City of Edinburgh (2.03.43), Giffnock North (2.03.44), Victoria Park (2.09.73) and Kilbarchan (2.18.38).

The under 13 girls team of Toni Gibson, Caitlin Gillon, Olivia Thornton and Kendal Ross produced the fastest time in the 4 x 200 metres heats (2.02.5) and looked clear favourites to win the final.

But an unlucky bump in the last leg saw them pipped on the line.

Results: 1. Giffnock North ‘A’: 2.03.42; 2. Seaforth 2.03.52; 3. City of Edinburgh 2.05.12; 4. Giffnock North ‘B’ 2.09.9.

The under 15 girls team of Rachel Hunter, Nicola Gibson, Katy Sprang and Rachel Whittle ran well in a tough heat to finish fourth in 1.58.17 behind Giffnock North (1.48.33), Edinburgh Southern (1.54.39) and Pitreavie (1.55.46).

The under 17 women of Paula Dalgleish, Cheryl Gibson, Jennifer Park and Claire Taylor did well to reach the final where they finished fifth in 1.53.11 (heat 1.53.01).

Results: Lasswade 1.48.85; Edinburgh Southern 1.49.73; City of Glasgow 1.49.84; City of Edinburgh 1.51.55.

Meanwhile, Seaforth had a disappointing turnout of only three for the Scottish senior indoor championships.

Ian Kennedy was fourth in the 60 metres final in 7.05 secs while Alastair Morton was fifth in the heat in 7.84 secs. Alastair was also fourth in the 200 metres heat in 24.72 secs.

Kerry Steel was fourth in the under 20 triple jump in 10.89 metres.

Fixtures: the Scottish 4k cross country championships take place at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, on Sunday.

The next match of the Scottish indoor league is at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday February 4.

Jan 17 2007: Seaforth’s golden wonders

Ayr Seaforth athletes won five golds, two silvers and five bronze medals at the West District Indoor Championships at the Kelvin Hall.

Paula Dalgleish won double gold in the under 17 women’s high jump (1.55) and triple jump (9.19).

Other golds, all in the under 13 category, went to: Kendal Ross (60m, 8.91, heat 8.89); Sam Revie (60m, 8.32, heat 8.28); James Gaffney (shot putt, 8.24).

Silvers went to: Alex Oliver (U17 men’s 1500m 4.23.6); Claire Taylor (U17 women’s 60m hurdles 9.61, heat 9.60).

Bronze went to: Kerry Steel (senior women long jump 5.16); Alex Oliver (U17 men’s 800m, 2.08.31; heat: 2.07.7); Nicole Adams: U15 girls’ 60m hurdles, 10.53); Caitlin Gillon: (U13 girls 60m, 9.18; heat: 9.14); Darius Graham (U13 boys long jump 3.24).

Other results: senior men: 60m semi-final: 5. David Ross Hunt 7.24; 60m heat: 1. Ian Kennedy 7.09 (withdrew unwell); 200m semi-final: 4. David Ross Hunt 23.22; 200m: 4. Scott Kennedy 23.67.

U15 boys: shot putt final: 7. Craig McCallum 6.74.

U13 boys: 60m final: 4. Angus Arnold 8.95; 60m final: 6. Jordan Fraser 9.45 (heat 9.43); 4. Jay Forbes 9.68; 5. Darius Graham 9.97.

Senior women: triple jump: 6. Elaine Montgomerie 9.43.

U17 women: 60m hurdles heat: 4. Gail Price 10.29; 60m heat: 3. Cheryl Gibson 8.70.

U15 girls: 60m final: 6. Rachel Whittle 8.66 (8.43); high jump: 4. Rachel Whittle 1.35; 60m heat: 4. Kerry Leith 9.32; long jump: 11. Kerry Leith 3.58; 800m heat: 3. Katie Sprang 2.41.56.

U13 girls: long jump: 4. Caitlin Gillon 3.43.

Meanwhile, Seaforth are in good shape for the third and final match of the Scottish Indoor League at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday February 4. The finals are on Sunday March 18.

Last week’s team results and overall places after two matches: U20 men: 3rd from 11 teams; 3rd overall; U17 men: 7th from 13 teams; 7th overall; U15 boys: 4th from 14 teams; 4th overall; U13 boys: ‘A’ 1st from 20 teams: 1sr; ‘B’: 4th from 20 teams; 4th overall; U17 women: 2nd from 13 teams; 2nd overall; U15 girls: ‘A’: 4th from 18 teams; 4th overall; ‘B’: 14th from 18 teams; 14th overall; U13 girls: 6th from 20 teams: 4th overall; U11 girls: 9th from 15 teams: 7th overall.

Fixtures: Saturday: Kelvin Hall hosts the senior indoor championships and Scottish junior 4 x 200m relays.

U13s to report by 1pm, U15s by 2pm and U17s by 3pm. Seaforth have entered teams in all age groups.

Jan 13 2007: West is the best thanks to Ayr pair

Holyrood Park in Edinburgh was once again the magnificent setting for the Scottish Inter-District Cross country Championships which was ran in conjunction with the EventScotland Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Races. Ayr Seaforth’s Finlay Rae and Mark Ferguson were among the top Scottish athletes competing for the West District Team against representative teams from the North and the East of Scotland. Under 13 boy, Finlay, was first up and ran an outstanding race over 3.4 kilometres to finish in 9th place in a time of 13:48 and help the Under 13 Boys team to take the title from the East. Mark Ferguson ran in a top quality Under 15 Boys race and put in another fine performance to finish in 13th place in a time of 13:17. Again, the West team were comfortable victors in the team competition.

The Seaforth athletes were then treated to a masterclass of cross country running from the world’s top endurance athletes. Gelete Burka from Ethiopa retained the Women’s title whilst 5000m and 10,000m world record holder and 10 time World Cross Country champion Kenenisa Bekele again romped home in the men’s race.

Jan 10 2007: Super Seaforth are stars indoors

Ayr Seaforth left the winter chill behind and turned in several excellent performances at the second meeting of the Scottish Indoor League at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday.

Results should ensure that most of the age group teams will be top placed for the third league match on February 4.

Results: Under 11 girls: Alice Arnold: 2md in 60m ‘A’ 9.80 secs (pb), 5th in standing long jump (1.62); Amy Main: 2nd in 60m ‘B’ 10.28, 1st standing long jump (1.64).

Under 13 girls: Kendal Ross: 1st in 200m (30.3); 6th in 800m (2.55); Caitlin Gillon: 7th in 60m (9.62); 10th in long jump (3.03), 11th in shot putt (4.37 pb); Carolyn Harvey: 9th in 60m hurdles (13.43).

Under 15 girls: Lauren McTrusty: 11th in 60m (9.34); Stephanie Dougan: 6th in 800m (2.47.5); Nicola Gibson: 13th in 200m (32.4); Lauren Goldie: 11th in 300m (56.0); Rachel Whittle: 6th in 60m (8.85); Kerry Leith: 11th in 200m (31.8); Katie Sprang: 7th in 800m (2.54.2); Nicole Adams: 2nd in 60m hurdles (10.55), 2nd in long jump (4.27 pb); Rachel Hunter: 1st in shot putt (8.75 pb); 6th in 300m (50.30.

Under 17 women: Cheryl Gibson: 6th in 60m (8.76); Rebekah Towle: 200m (no result available); Gail Price: 3rd in 60m hurdles (10.55); Melissa Hewitson: 7th in 800m (3.36.5); Stephanie McGarrity: 4th in shot putt (5.51), triple jump (no result available); Paula Dalgleish: 1st high jump (1.60).

Under 13 boys: Angus Arnold: 4th 60m (9.25), 200m (32.7); Sam Revie: 1st 200m (27.6), 1st long jump (4.29); Ben Johnston: 3rd 200m (30.0), 6th shot putt (5.42); Angus Johnston: 6th 800m (2.48.3), 6th high jump (1.05); Scott Wilson: 7th 60m (9.46), 5th long jump (3.80); Finlay Rae: 2nd 800m (2.37.7); Connor George: 3rd 60m hurdles (12.40), 2nd high jump (1.25); Jay Forbes: 5th 60m hurdles (12.74); James Gaffney: 2nd shot putt (7.69); Jordan Fraser: 2nd 60m (9.46 guest).

Under 15 boys: Andrew Rae: 5th 800m (2.34.1), 400m (no time); Lewis Cater: 2nd 60m hurdles (12.61), 2nd high jump (1.40); Craig McCallum: 4th shot putt (6.60).

Under 17 men: Alex Oliver: 3rd 800m (2.10.6); Connor Rennie: 7th 60m (8.20), 6th shot putt (7.09); Stuart Morrison: high jump (1.45), 60m hurdles and 400m (no results available).

Under 20 men: Grant Mathieson: 1st shot putt (10.96); Alistair Morton: 4th 60m (7.75), 3rd 200m (24.7); Andrew McElwee: 1st triple jump (11.53 pb), 2nd 400m (no time available); 2nd in 60m hurdles (no time available); Fraser Redmond: 3rd high jump (1.75).

Fixtures: Saturday: Seaforth stars Finlay Rae, Mark Ferguson and Andrew Rae compete in the west district team in the inter district cross country championships at Edinburgh.

Saturday and Sunday: D. M. Hall west district indoor athletic championships at the Kelvin Hall. Seaforth members will be out in force.

Jan 03 2007: Seaforth need Sunday best

Ayr Seaforth athletes resume training after the festive break at Dam Park tonight (Thursday).

Then all thoughts turn to the second meeting of the Scottish Indoor League at the Kelvin Hall on Sunday.

Seaforth’s under 13 boys, under 13 girls and under 20 men are leading their age groups while other teams are still in contention.

At stake are places in the final back at the Kelvin Hall on March 18.

Jan 02 2007: The Ayrodynamic Turkey Trot and Beith New Year Road Races

Ayr Seaforth’s rising star of middle-distance running, Mark Ferguson, achieved an excellent festive double in winning both the Ayrodynamic Turkey Trot 5 kilometre road race and the Beith Harriers New Year Race. The 14 year old from Troon saw off more senior competitors on Boxing Day to comfortably win the 5K road race at the seafront in Ayr in a time of 18:09. On the 2nd January he eased home over a shorter 2 kilometre course to win the Under 15 Boys race in a time of 6:07. The only other Seaforth athlete to notch up a win over the festive period was Under 13 Boy Finlay Rae who took the under 13 Boys race at Beith in time of 6:52. The excellent performances by both athletes recently have gained them selection for the West District team to compete in the Scottish Inter-District Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh on 13th January.

Stephanie Dougan was the top Female performer for Seaforth, finishing in an excellent 19th place on Boxing Day in a time of 22:55 and 5th position at Beith in a time of 7:21. Results for Seaforth athletes are detailed below:

Ayrodynamic 5K Fun Run:

Ayrodynamic Turkey Trot 10K:

Click Here to See Turkey Trot Photos

Beith New Year Road Races:

Click Here to See Beith New Year Road Races Photos