Sprayway Announces Sponsored Team For 2003

Sprayway, the company which prefers tigers to sheep, has announced its team of sponsored people for 2003.

We say 'people' rather than athletes or climbers because with the best will in the world, 'Rochdale Cowboy' Mike Harding is more of an outdoors personality than a honed rock jock...

The sole woman member of the team is top climber Lucy Creamer, 31. Creamer has won the British indoors climbing championships in the past, is a member of the British team and having recently discovered ice, is now ranked as one of the top women mixed and ice climbers in the world. Her ascent of Mighty Aphrodite at M9 is probably the hardest first ascent of its kind by a woman.

Joining Lucy is Patch Hammond, a talented rock climber who was Leo Houlding's partner when they completed the 'first ground up, near on sight ascent of El Niño [5.13c] on El Capitan in Yosemite. Patch, who began climbing at 14 has also climbed all over the world puitting up some hard routes both in Asia and South America.

Finally, on the climbing front, Jamie Cassidy is a talented up and coming climber who last year, at the age of 17, finished as runner up in the men's British Indoor Climbing Championships. He's also bouldered to Font 8a and climbed sports routes to 8b+. In 2001 he was British Junior Champion.

Photographer and climber Ray Wood has been sponsored by Sprwayway for five years and will continue working with the brand.

Sprayway recently won the Go Outdoors award for best brand web site. And here it is...