SOME fine wins have been achieved by members of Vale Royal Athletics Club recently.

Isaac Leydon swept to glory in the English National Indoor Under 20s Championships 1500m at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

He ran a great tactical race, showing mature patience before taking the lead in the last few metres.

Sophie Harding competed against athletes up to three years older than her in the 800m and finished sixth in her heat.

There have been victories for Patrick Griffith, Darcey Murphy, Robbie Price and Stuart Doyle this month, too.

Griffith won the one-mile race in the Sheffield Steel Cup at the English Institute of Sport.

Murphy and Price succeeded in the senior girls and boys races in the Cheshire Schools Cross Country Championships on home turf at Knight’s Grange in Winsford.

Many of the club’s young athletes competed in this event, with the intention of earning a top-eight placing to qualify to represent Cheshire Schools at the annual English Schools Cross Country Championships at Pontefract Racecourse next month.

Those to achieve the placings were: Junior girls: Lily Coates 4th; junior boys: Samuel Conkie 5th; intermediate girls: Eva Jha 3rd; intermediate boys: Alex Macnab 4th; senior girls: Darcey Murphy 1st, Sophie Harding 2nd, Hope Smith 4th, Molly Roberts 5th, Megan White 7th; senior boys: Robbie Price 1st, Rhys Bowden 2nd, Jack O'Reilly 3rd, Thomas Taylor 4th, Sam Thomson 7th.

Doyle was first home in the over 50s men’s race in the final round of the Manchester Area Cross Country League at Kenworthy Woods in Wythenshawe.

Also in this event, Max Roberts, Rhys Bowden, Kate Moulds and Sam Whitehead all placed in the top 10 of their races, the women achieved placings as second team and second vets team. Helen Smith was second VF50.

Some of the club’s athletes have been in action overseas.

Holly Smith improved her 3000m personal best to 9:28.30 at the Boston University Invitational where she represented Iona College.

Meanwhile, in Spain, three of the club’s runners pounded the streets of Seville.

Ben McIntosh achieved a personal best 2:23.54 in the marathon, finishing 149th.

Tessa McCormick ran a fantastic half marathon, taking 2mins 29secs off her personal best by clocking 72:13 to finish 13th woman, and in doing so took 2mins 27secs off Nicky Archer's club record for the distance.

Clara Pettitt was 152nd woman in the half marathon.

Raif Serif raced the Herculis 5k in Monaco, coming home in 42nd place among more than 500 other athletes.