September 2026
September has been a busier month for the Juniors in terms of races and events, which has been pleasing to see.
Sunday, 20th September
Stafford 10k
Finley Hayes ran in this event alongside his Mum and Dad, who was partly running to raise money to help fund a school trip, achieving a time of 48:27. Well done to Fin for putting in top effort and achieving a great time!
Saturday, 26th September
North Staffs Cross Country League – Betley Court Farm
With the return of the NSCCL, this race being the first in a series of four – a lovely rural but hilly course, on what turned out to be a sunny afternoon. We had ten running as follows. This year the age categories had changed due to EA ruling.
Under 12 Girls – 2K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Bea Oxley |
18 |
9:08 |
Xuanning Shi |
21 |
9:20 |
Arya Lee |
23 |
9:29 |
Sofia McDermott |
29 |
10:05 |
Total number runners in field: 30
Under 12 Boys – 2K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Carter Whitfield |
31 |
08:15 |
Total number runners in field: 41
Under 14 Boys – 3.5K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jamie Manning |
11 |
14:12 |
Dougie Crawford |
24 |
17:21 |
Total number runners in field: 28
Under 16 Boys – 4.5K
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jenson Dixon |
15 |
14:30 |
William Temple |
19 |
15:48 |
Theo Evans |
21 |
16:13 |
Total number runners in field: 24
Well done to everyone who ran in this event, all putting in some fantastic effort and achieving some great times.
Wednesday, 30th September
Harriers Time Trial, Castlefields
We had two juniors running in this event, which was the final one for the summer, with Jamie Manning being the first runner back home and Carter Whitfield not far behind – well done both!
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jamie Manning |
1 |
21:16 |
Carter Whitfield |
4 |
23:24 |
Total number of runners in field: 11
Having settled back into the school term, we have seen a slight increase in Juniors attending the Monday night training sessions at the Cricket Club, with some new faces coming along, which has been encouraging to see with attendance being typically between 20 and 30.
August 2026
August is traditionally a quiet month for the Juniors and races, with many people away on holiday, and we are aware of only a small number participating in racing events.
26th August 2026
5k Time Trial
We had three of our juniors running in this event, organised by the Harriers, this one being the fourth in the summer series. Jamie Manning was not only the first Junior back but also the winner in an excellent time of 21:03 – a big well done to Jamie and of course to all of the other Juniors for taking part and putting in some fantastic performances.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jamie Manning |
1 |
21:03 |
Charlie Waudby |
5 |
22:53 |
Byron Boon |
11 |
27:18 |
Total Number of Runners: 17
Jamie Manning combined a holiday with taking part in one of the Race the Train events in Towyn in Wales, participating in the 5.5mile Dolgoch Challenge race, and finishing in a very respectable time of 49:12 and 44th place out of 164 runners. Well done Jamie!
Participation in the various local Park Runs has continued with Dougie Crawford and Dan Plimmer regularly competing in the Isabel Trail and Cannock Chase events and all producing some good times – well done all and keep up the great work!
We have over the last month continued to witness reasonable attendance at the Monday and Wednesday Junior training sessions held at the Cricket Club, which has been pleasing to see, and we are now seeing some interest in the forthcoming North Staffs Cross Country League races due to start later this month, and the Junior coaches have decided to provide a goodie bag to those who compete and represent the Club in these events as an appreciation of their ongoing commitment and support.
July 2026
July has been a busier month for our Juniors with three known events to report on.
9th July 2026
JCB Fun Run
Whilst her dad was running in the 5-mile event, Bea Oxley ran in the Fun run, achieving a time of 20:56, and finishing in 33rd place out of a field of 62 – well done Bea!
15th July 2026
Staffs Knot 2 Mile Fun Run
We had eight of our juniors running in this event, which was organised by the Harriers, and for some this being their first time competing. Finley Hayes was the first Junior Harrier back in 2nd place in an excellent time of 12:55 – well done to Fin and of course to all of the other Juniors for representing the Club, putting in some fantastic performances.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finlay Hayes |
2 |
12:55 |
Charlie Tokeley |
5 |
13:34 |
Carter Whitfield |
6 |
13:36 |
Harry Saunders |
10 |
15:04 |
Douglas Crawford |
12 |
15:31 |
Ivy Piercy |
13 |
15:51 |
Brooklyn Parkes |
18 |
17:38 |
Archie Deegan-Roberts |
19 |
18:19 |
Total Number of Runners: 31
29th July 2026
Harriers 5k Time Trial
We had four juniors running in this monthly Wednesday night event along the disused railway track. Well done to everyone who took part.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jamie Manning |
1 |
21:19 |
Charlie Waudby |
3 |
22:32 |
Haydon Marlow |
4 |
23:00 |
Byron Boon |
9 |
28:18 |
Total Number of Runners: 13
In terms of attendance over the last month we have seen a few new Juniors join us on the Monday night sessions but overall it has been fairly consistent on both Junior training sessions held at the Cricket Club, although this is expected to drop off during August due to the holiday season, but then pick up once again during September, once the schools start back.
June 2026
June has been a steady month for the juniors, with only one known event to report on.
9th June 2026
Showground 2 Mile Relays
We had just one team running in this Harrier-organised event at the County Showground, and following a day of downpours, the rain finally stopped in time for the actual race in the evening.
Team Name: Harriers Young Flyers
Name |
Leg |
Time |
Jenson Dixon |
A |
12:51 |
Finley Hayes |
B |
13:02 |
Sharna Burbidge |
C |
15:34 |
Douglas Crawford |
D |
15:50 |
Team Time |
00:57:18 |
Overall finishing place: 4 out of 5 teams
We also had a number of other juniors running in various non-Harriers teams such as through schools, local football clubs or family entries, all of which put in some great performances, so well done everyone!
As always this is a great competitive event for the Juniors, who are able to run alongside the adults, all putting in some fantastic performances, and for many giving the adults a run for their money! Very well done all!
24th June 2026
5K Time Trial
Due to the extreme heat, this event was postponed a week and will be reported on next month.
Attendance at the local Park Runs has continued to take place by some of the juniors, which is always pleasing to see, and also provides a great opportunity to benchmark performances and monitor improvement.
Finally, after many years running with the Junior section and representing the Club at many of the Cross Country events, Sharna Burbidge has left the Club to relocate along with her Mum and Dad Katie and Tony back to Devon to be closer to family. On behalf of the Junior Coaches I would like to thank Sharna for her hard work and commitment to the Club over the years and wish her well in her new local running club.
May 2026
May has been a quiet month for the Juniors, with only Jamie Manning running in the Harriers organised 5k Time Trial event on 27th May. We have continued to see some of the Juniors compete in the local Park Runs, which is always pleasing to see, particularly with them being non-Harrier events. Theo Evans continues to achieve PB’s at the Cannock Chase event which is currently 25:12, so a big well done to him and Jamie Manning regularly runs in this event too. We have also seen Dougie Crawford run at the Isabel Trail events, so a big well done to him. Regular participation in these really does help in bringing people’s times down over the weeks and months. Well done to everyone who continue to take part in these various events.
We have seen a few new Juniors join the Monday night sessions with numbers continuing to be in the region of between 15 and 22, and the Wednesday night sessions have seen typically between 4 and 5 run alongside the seniors. Well done and keep up the fantastic effort.
April 2026
April has been a busier month for the Juniors, with two events to report on.
Tuesday 14th April
Harriers Handicap Race
We had three Juniors running in the first Handicap of the year on the Chase, all putting in some great performances.
Name |
Position |
Net Time |
Handicap |
Jamie Manning |
12 |
27:57 |
13:00 |
Jenson Dixon |
14 |
29:21 |
12:00 |
Theo Evans |
15 |
32:44 |
11:00 |
Well done and keep pushing the seniors at these events. Total number of runners: 16
Wednesday, 29th April
5K Time Trial, Castlefields
We had three juniors compete in this event running against the seniors, the first in the series to be held on a Wednesday evening from April through to September and is intended for people to measure their improvement on the same course over a period of time.
Name |
Position |
Time |
Jamie Manning |
2 |
21:56 |
Charlie Tokeley |
3 |
22:22 |
Carter Whitfield |
5 |
25:10 |
Total number of runners: 12
A big well done to everyone who took part in this event. Can you run a faster time next time?
A few of our juniors continue to participate in the local Parkruns, which is pleasing to see, and like the time trial, provide a great opportunity for them to assess their performance over time on the same course. Theo Evans and Jamie Manning continue to go from strength to strength with both of them achieving more PB’s, this being 25:24 and 21:50 respectively at Cannock Chase. A big well done to Theo and Jamie.
The Monday night training sessions at the Cricket Club have seen larger numbers attending peaking at 27 the other week, with some new faces showing up, which has been encouraging to see. Jenson Dixon has started to come along to the Tuesday night Speed sessions which will help build pace and agility in time. The Wednesday night sessions also continue to see a few juniors attend and the lighter nights now offer more scope for improved and varied training sessions.
March 2026
Saturday, 28th March
Midland U13/U15/U17 5k Championships, Sutton Park
We had four Juniors running in this event, as follows.
Under 13 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
William Temple |
25 |
25:18 |
Total No. Runners: 25
U15 Boys
Name |
Position |
Time |
Finley Hayes |
27 |
24:06 |
Theo Evans |
30 |
26:16 |
Total No. Runners: 30
Unfortunately, despite having a great run we do not have a published time and position for Lucy Kendrick who competed in the U15 Girls category, however a big well done to Lucy and to all for running in this tough event, one that always presents some stiff competition and provides some excellent experience.
Lastly, we continue to see some of our Juniors taking part in the local Parkruns with Theo Evans achieving multiple PB’s at Cannock Chase, firstly on the 7th March and then again on the 21st March with a time of 27:40. Well done Theo and keep up the great work!
February 2026
February has been a quiet month for the Juniors with no race participation as far as we know.
Some of the Juniors, however, have been participating in the local Parkruns, achieving some excellent times and great results, we’ve seen Charlie Tokeley achieve a tremendous PB of 21:59 at the Isabel Trail venue, and Maisey Tokeley and Theo Evans have also been running there, putting in some great times. Meanwhile, Dan Plimmer, Oliver Richardson and Jamie Manning have consistently been doing the Cannock Chase Parkrun – all putting in some fantastic performances, so well done and keep up the good work!
The Monday evening training sessions have seen steady attendance with between 12 and 20 Juniors attending, and the Wednesday joint Junior and Senior sessions have proven to be popular, with them being off site at the likes of Avon Rise and Marlborough Avenue, which have pushed the Juniors that little bit extra.
January 2026
January has been a quiet month for the Juniors with just one known race participation taking place, but there has been ongoing attendance at the local Parkruns, where we have had a few taking part, and all putting in some top performances.
On the 31st January we saw Ivy Piercy run in the Cannock and District Schools Cross Country Championships at Betley Court Farm – well done Ivy for competing in this event and against some tough competition!
Following the Christmas break the Monday night training sessions at the Cricket Club started back up on 5th January and have proved to be popular with some new faces showing up, and there has been further interest in the Wednesday night sessions, which has been encouraging to see.