CHAMPIONS Chris Poulton and Charlotte Mason rounded off the York & District Road Race League season in style with victories in the final round at Wistow.

While Poulton (York Acorn) was pushed all the way to the line in a competitive finale to the 10k league, Mason (City of York) eased home by more than a minute.

Although these two had already been assured of their titles, the podium places remained up for grabs in both men’s and women’s categories.

David Smithers (York Knavesmire) and Emma Ballantyne (York) sealed the respective runners-up spots by both finishing second on the night, while Ian Elwood (York Postal) and Emily Baines (Knavesmire) ended up third in the standings.

Poulton clocked 34 minutes 11 seconds to bag his fourth win in six races, while Smithers (34.16) held off Acorn’s Paul Whitaker (34.19) and edged out Ellwood (35.17) by one point in the overall standings after the latter could only finish sixth on the night.

Selby Striders’ Dan Tate (34.33) came home fourth, with Acorn’s Robin Stacey (34.40) fifth.

Stacey, Whitaker and Knavesmire’s Jon Pinder completed the prize-winning top six.

Smithers’ storming final round also ensured he was crowned Men’s Vet 40 champion ahead of Whitaker and Richard Ginn (Pocklington Runners), who clocked 36.01 on the night.

Pocklington’s Graham Justice sealed the V50 men’s title after finishing first on the night in 37.19 ahead of Easingwold pair Cameron Choules (38.11) and Nigel Ramsden (38.35).

York Triathlon’s Ian Martin and Easingwold’s Steve Loseby secured second and third in the standings respectively.

Vet 60 champion Stephen Boynton (Acorn) underlined his dominance of the age group with victory on the night in 39.46, ahead of Postal’s Bill Shively (41.19) and Acorn’s David Lancaster (42.00).

Lancaster, however, finished second to Shively’s third in the overall standings.

Vet 70 men’s champion Michael Hetherton (Pickering) took the spoils on the night in 47.08, ahead of Knavesmire’s David l’Anson (52.00) and Acorn’s Mike Tasker (54.35).

This was also the final order of the age group.

Mason ended up with five wins from five starts in the women’s championship and powered home in 37.03 at Wistow. Ballantyne (38.20) took second, with Baines (39.03) third.

They were followed in by a vet 35 trio, Pocklington’s Katie Wise (40.12), Easingwold’s Samantha Davies (40.34) and Knavesmire’s Lucy Pinder (40.53).

In the overall standings, Davies finished fourth, with Wise fifth and Selby’s Paula Fenteman and Knavesmire’s Natalie Greaves joint sixth.

This quartet were also the V35 women’s prize winners, with Davies already having taken the title.

Knavesmire’s Anna Blackwell (41.01) was the leading V45 woman on the night, which also earned her the category title.

Clubmate Katherine Jeffreys (43.48) and Acorn’s Sharon Lynn (45.44) were second and third across the line and also gained those spots in the overall standings.

Acorn’s Gillian Boynton (46.48) took the V55 women’s spoils ahead of Knavesmire’s Jet Jon Shepherd (48.41) and Tadcaster Harriers’ Carol Walmsley (50.33).

However, Shepherd had already sealed the age group title, with Boynton ending up second and Easingwold’s Jane Cowley third.

The V65 women’s finishers mirrored the category’s final standings, with Knavesmire’s Mary Farmery (52.22) taking victory ahead of Pocklington’s Kathy Taylor (55.01) and Knavesmire’s Susan Adams.

Acorn were the leading men’s team on the night, with champions Knavesmire second and York third.

The final standings saw Acorn second and York third.

Women’s champions Knavesmire collected another victory at Wistow, ahead of Pocklington and Acorn.

The final standings saw York second and Pocklington third.

Final standings

Men

Overall: 1 C Poulton (Acorn) 4pts; 2 D Smithers (Knavesmire) 13; 3 I Ellwood (Postal) 14; 4 R Stacey (Acorn) 19; 5 P Whitaker (Acorn) 20; 6 J Pinder (Knavesmire) 21.

Vet 40: 1 D Smithers (Knavesmire) 4; 2 P Whitaker (Acorn) 6; 3 R Ginn (Pocklington) 14.

Vet 50: 1 G Justice (Pocklington) 5; 2 I Martin (York Tri) 6; 3 S Loseby (Easingwold) 16.

Vet 60: 1 S Boynton (Acorn) 4; 2 D Lancaster (Acorn) 9; 3 B Shively (Postal) 10.

Vet 70: 1 M Hetherton (Pickering) 4; 2 D l’Anson (Knavesmire) 8; 3 M Tasker (Acorn) 12.

Team: 1 Knavesmire 7; 2 Acorn 8; 3 York 13; 4 Selby 21; 5 Pocklington 22; 6 Postal 27.

Women

Overall: 1 C Mason (York) 4; 2 E Ballantyne (York) 10; 3 E Baines (Knavesmire) 13; 4 S Davies (Easingwold) 19; 5 K Wise (Pocklington) 22; 6= P Fenteman (Selby), N Greaves (Knavesmire) 27.

Vet 35: 1 S Davies (Easingwold) 5; 2 K Wise (Pocklington) 7; 3= P Fenteman (Selby), N Greaves (Knavesmire) 12.

Vet 45: 1 A Blackwell (Knavesmire) 4; 2 K Jeffreys (Knavesmire) 6; 3 S Lynn (Acorn) 10.

Vet 55: 1 J Shepherd (Knavesmire) 4; 2 G Boynton (Acorn) 6; 3 J Cowley (Easingwold) 13.

Vet 65: 1 M Farmery (Knavesmire) 4; 2 K Taylor (Pocklington) 8; 3 S Adams (Knavesmire) 11.

Team: 1 Knavesmire 6; 2 York 13; 3 Pocklington 16; 4 Acorn 17; 5 Tadcaster 20; 6 Selby 27.