JOSEPH MORRISON is celebrating his first Borders Road Running League victory.

The West Cheshire Athletic Club race ace grabbed glory on Sunday morning at the 5.8 miles event held on the Wrexham Industrial Estate.

He clinched top spot ahead of Wrexham AC pair Ryan Davis and James Mills who finished second and third respectively.

Morrison, who pocketed a bronze medal last month while representing Chester University in the 800m at the British Universities and Colleges Indoor Championships in Sheffield, continued his impressive form.

He was backed up by club mates Michael Young (17th), Graham Wells (39th), Robert Little (50th), Steve Fernyhough (51st), Freddy Newberry (59th), Steve King (74th), Andrew Clague (77th), Andy Carter (78th), and final scoring counter Danny Paddock (79th).

Keely Smith headed West Cheshire AC’s ladies team to the finishing line in 129th spot, supported by club mates Debra Bemand (154th), and third scoring counter Rachael Patterson (184th).

Other West Cheshire AC finishers included Richard Hayes (82nd), Fraser Campbell (87th), Paul Morrison (93rd), John Parlevliet (94th), Dave Tiernan (162nd), Julian Tegg (172nd), Claire Harris (188th), Clare Mallon (195th), Amy Mills (222nd), Chloe Fitzpatrick (232nd), and Alex Duffey (244th).

Wrexham AC runners were also out in force for the race meeting, with finishers including Daniel Weston, Martin Green, Darren Rowlands, Joel Gomes, Gareth Chaloner, Mike Robbins, Lucy Morris, Linda Jones and Lynda Rowlands.

Wrexham’s Thomas Walley powered his way to top spot in the Vault Cardiff event.

The U23 pole vaulter cleared a PB height of 4.72 metres in the capital to take gold, with none of his rivals able to better 4.52 metres on the day.

And Wrexham’s Finley Boulton secured a place on the podium at the Sale Harriers Indoor Series, held at Sport City in Manchester.

A 600m PB time of 1:27.46 earned the U20 runner a third place finish at the event, with Sheffield’s John Rice (1:25.34) and West Suffolk’s Niall Ackroyd (1:26.74) first and second.

There was two season’s best times for Wrexham’s Kai Walsh, who clocked 46.74 seconds in his 300m race before finishing the 600m in 1:43.26.

Josh Ford of West Cheshire clocked new under 20 men’s 60m (7.27 seconds) and 300m (36.55) personal bests at the same event.

Imogen Pughe posted a new under 17 ladies 60m personal best time of 8.13 seconds, and added a 300m time of 42.04, while Fergus Garland posted a new under 15 boys 300m PB of 39.73.

Sara Pearson clocked a new under 15 girls 60m PB of 8.42 seconds, long jumped 4.37m, and hit 9.57m in the shot put.

Martha Willetts rounded the under 15 girls 600m in a new PB of 1:44.80 and added a 300m season’s best of 45.27 alongside Megan White who clocked a new 600m PB of 1:50:72 and a 300m season’s best of 50.76.

Carys Roberts of West Cheshire headed Cheshire Junior Girls’ charge at the English Schools Cross Country Championships.

Roberts was first home for Cheshire and ninth overall in 11 minutes 22 seconds after negotiating the 3km course at Sefton Park, Liverpool.

Veteran Wrexham athlete Ian Broadhurst maintained his solid recent form at the British Indoors Masters Championships held in Lee Valley, Essex.

A time of 27.94 seconds earned Broadhurst top spot in the M65 200m event, winning ahead of Reading AC’s Wally Franklyn (28.92 seconds) and London Heathside’s Adrian Essex (29.26 seconds).

Deeside AC’s Eden Edwards impressed with a second place finish at the Welsh Schools Cross Country Championships in Brecon.

Competing for North East Wales, Edwards clocked 12:45 in the 3,370m event to finish just a second behind Cardiff runner Bethan Hardman.

Wrexham AC’s Ella Davis was seventh in the Year 7 girls race with her time of 8:57 on the shorter 2,370m course.

Ella’s brother Harvey ran the Junior Boys race across 4,500m and placed 50th in an 80-runner field while clubmate Ioan Oldfield (21:24) was 38th in the Middle Boys race.

ParkRun events throughout the country did go ahead with unaffiliated runner Graham Dawn topping the rankings at Erddig with a PB time of 20:08.

Wrexham Triathlon Club’s James Pierce (21:56) was fifth fastest while Buckley’s David Jones (eighth in 22:21) was also a top-10 finisher.

There was little to separate Wrexham AC’s fastest trio as teenage runner Ted Atkinson (22:57 PB) placed 11th and just ahead of Ian Atkinson (22:58) and Richard Westwood (23:00).

Further down the 224-runner field were Wrexham Tri’s Lance Ball (25:21), and Wrexham AC quartet Karl Hughes (25:42), Peter Hughes (26:05), Daniel Atkinson (26:32) and Richard Moulton (26:46).

Elliott Cox was the man to catch at the Wepre event, the Buckley man was home first in 19:31 and edged out second-placed Steel City Striders runner Chris Jones by four seconds.

Deeside teenager Orla Kissane ran an impressive 24:01 to place 10th, with Deestriders’ Angela Deeley (14th in 24:32) and Deeside AC athlete Fraser Harris (16th in 24:57) both among the top 20.

Following on were Deestriders’ Vincent Edwards (25:40), Buckley’s Christopher Hunt (26:01), John Langford (28:02), Amanda Garner (28:31) and Jo Freeman (29:13), and Deeside pair Matthew Harding (29:25) and Amelia Harding (29:32).

Deestriders newcomers achieved personal milestones as their cohort of ‘Couch to 5k’ runners completed their first ParkRun event at Greenfield Valley.

Future UK ParkRuns have since been suspended in a bid to contain the threat of coronavirus.

Organisers confirmed yesterday that all of the UK’s ParkRun events will now cease until the end of March because of the pandemic.

Events in 17 countries had already been called off, with all of the 5k time trials held in Britain and Northern Ireland now subject to suspension.

A statement on parkrun.com read: “Following government advice and public health guidelines, we are suspending events in Eswatini, Namibia, Russia, South Africa and the UK from this weekend until at least the end of March.”