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IN TRAINING: Biathletes at Lodmoor Country Park

FORTY-THREE athletes from the Dorset Pentathletes squad will be making the journey north to Macclesfield for the national biathlon this weekend.

The squad's 43 individuals will make up 13 teams in the various age categories.

Dorset, who were the top club at the nationals last year with four team golds, two individual golds and numerous silver and bronze medals, are hoping for a repeat performance at this year's event.

With months of training already behind them the Dorset team warmed up for the nationals with a 12 medal haul in the first race of the British Biathle Series at Bath University.

Seventeen members took part and came home with seven golds, one silver and four bronze medals.

In the first race, under-10 boys, Hugh Ireland of West Dorset Warriors had a clear victory by 15 seconds.

In fact, Ireland's time bettered all but one of the times set by the under-12 competitors.

The girls' under-10 category saw Weymouth SC's Katy Wilkinson, in her first biathle, come third.

Another Warrior, Laura Chitty, grabbed third in the under-12 girls race with Danielle Bury (Ferndown Otters) fifth, Bethan Whittall (Weymouth SC) sixth and Victoria Halford (West Dorset Warriors) finishing seventh.

Grace Howe of Poole SC placed second in the Youth C girls' under-14 event, followed by club colleague Africa Mason in third and Warriors' Dervla Ireland in eighth.

The Youth B boys' under-16 contest saw Tom Crew (South Dorset Torna-does) lead from start to finish and claim gold while in the girls' equivalent Melissa Courtney (Poole SC) also took gold with Wareham SC's Jenna Waite bagging bronze.

Elsewhere, Tornado Niall Laming had to work hard for his gold in the Youth A boys' under-18 race.

There were further gold medals for Weyport Masters SC members Ian Hughes and Carole Smith in the over-50s age group.

8:16am Saturday 17th May 2008

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