Fairly autumnal conditions, laced by a stiff breeze were faced by the near 400 athletes, representing East Northumberland (EN), North Northumberland (NN), North Tyneside (NT), Newcastle (Newc), and Tynedale (Tyne), at the annual Northumberland Schools Cross Country Championships, which were held at Temple Park, South Shields, on Tuesday 15th January 2019. Having already competed in their respective area championships during December, this was the second stepping stone towards hopefully the eventual possibility of achieving the honour of representing their county, at the annual English Schools National Cross-Country Championships, scheduled to be held for the second year in succession at Temple Newsham, near Leeds in March. Before that, successful athletes will also need to satisfy the county selectors by qualifying for and competing at the annual Northern Area Schools Inter Counties Cross Country Championships, which will also be held at Temple Park on Saturday 2nd February. The only exception to this, would be the Minor Boys, and Minor Girls, whose competition will end at the Inter Counties, with only Juniors, Intermediates, and Seniors of both genders, going forward to the National Championships. On Tuesday, the top sixteen in each category were put forward to the Inter Counties, which effectively on the day saw 29 of the 42 Morpeth Harriers in action progress to the next level. The club also had athletes who achieved a total of nine championship medals, that included three Gold, four Silver, and two Bronze. In addition, the club also had eighteen athletes who finished in top eight places over the eight races. The only event where a Morpeth Harrier athlete did not secure a medal winning place, was in the Junior Boys. Teams also competed for an overall trophy, namely the Gill Mooney Cup, named after the lady who very much masterminded the competition during the 80’s and partly the 90’s before her sad untimely passing during the latter. Gill is also the Late Mother of Morpeth Harrier Jane Hodgson, and former members John and Paul Mooney, and Late Wife of Brian, who all still have associations with the club. On this occasion, the cup was won by Newcastle. The competition itself saw some truly excellent performances by the Morpeth Harriers representatives, notably Holly Peck (East), Gracie Hufton (Newc), and Tom Balsdon (East), who all won respective Gold Medals in the Intermediate Girls, Senior Girls, and Intermediate Boys events. For Peck, it was an incredible fifth title, having won a Minor Girls, two Junior Girls, and now two Intermediate Girls events, since her first Northumberland Schools success in 2015, and there are very few of her era or gender to have achieved such a distinction. On this occasion Peck won by a comfortable margin from Gateshead Harrier Innes Curran, who was representing Newcastle, who was the winner of the 2018 Junior Girls event and had finished third to Peck in 2017. Only twenty seconds adrift of the medals in the Intermediate Girls event was Peck’s Morpeth Harriers club colleague Rebecca Bradley (EN). Peck also had the extra satisfaction, in that she had improved on her 2018 time on the same 4k course, by the magnitude of 72 seconds. Morpeth Harriers other prominent finisher was Rhiannon Hedley (NN), who was 14th, and will also run in the forthcoming Schools Inter Counties Championships. Just missing out was Morpeth’s Lily Heaton (EN), who was 17th, and the clubs’ other finisher Sophie Coaker (EN) was 24th. The Senior Girls event, run over the same 4k distance that was run by the Intermediate Girls, saw a superb finish by Morpeth athletes Gracie Hufton (Newc), Ella Duffield (NN), and Kirsty Duffin (EN), who took the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals respectively. Hufton won by a comfortable margin of thirty-six seconds, with Duffin a further twelve seconds adrift. Another Morpeth finisher in this event was Kay Errington (Newc), who finished in ninth place. Seven athletes from Morpeth Harriers were amongst the 61 strong field who contested the Intermediate Boys 5.3k event, and all of them did enough to see them make it through to the Inter Counties. It also saw the club see their third Gold medallist of the day in Tom Balsdon, (EN), the area champion, who won by six seconds from Rowan Bennett, his club colleague, who was running for Tynedale, and took the Silver medal. Next Morpeth runner home was Ben Walker, and it was very pleasing to see him finish fifth,
after having a very torturous year fighting off repetitive injury and illness. Ben, running for East Northumberland, has worked extremely hard in regaining full fitness, and is now getting back to something like the form and promise that he showed as an Under 13 Boy, which is particularly pleasing not only for him, but also his coach Mike Bateman, and team colleagues at Morpeth Harriers. Close behind Ben in sixth seventh and eighth places, were a trio of club colleagues, all finishing within a thirty second span. Dylan Davies was the first of the three, followed in by Dylan Gooding, then Ben Waterfield, all from East Northumberland. Completing the Morpeth contingent was Thomas Cunningham, also from East Northumberland, who finished in 14th place. Unfortunately missing from the Intermediate Boys line-up was Euan Duffin of East Northumberland, who had been ruled out with a foot injury, however, if he is fit enough, he will be allowed to run the Inter Counties, based upon his previous form. Morpeth Harriers very nearly provided a fourth Gold medallist in the form of Rory Leonard in the Senior Boys 6.3k event. The 2018 East Northumberland Gold medallist somehow managed to stray off course during proceedings, along with North Tyneside’s Sam Charlton, who is also a seasoned International. However, because of their respective competitive pedigrees they will still be picked for the Inter Counties, where they will also rank as favourites to advance to the Nationals. Having cut around a quarter of the course out, they both returned to the finish line as Leonard slightly ahead of Charlton, however faced instant disqualification on the day, denying them both respective medals. Those medals instead went to Newcastle pair Patrick Donald, and Daniel Melling, also a Morpeth Harrier, who were three seconds apart. Also getting into the medals with a Bronze, was Ross Charlton (EN), who finished ten seconds ahead of his Morpeth Harriers and area colleague Matthew Briggs. Other club members amongst the finishers were Alex Cunningham and Brad Brown, both East Northumberland, who finished seventh and eleventh respectively. Missing from this event was Morpeth’s Taylor Glover of East Northumberland, who is currently nursing a groin injury. He hopes to be fit in time to run the Inter Counties. Abi Leaper, running for Tynedale, picked up a superb Silver medal in the Junior Girls 3k event, finishing twelve seconds adrift of North Northumberland’s Millie Breeze. Other Morpeth Harriers in action in this event were Olivia Carruthers (Newc) (24th), Sophia Cunningham (EN) (36th), Laura Melling (Newc) (39th), and Faye Archbold (NN) (46th). A very competitive Junior Boys 4k event, which had 66 finishers saw five Morpeth Harriers qualify for the Inter Counties. They were led home by Ryan Davies (EN), who finished in seventh place. Nine seconds behind him was club colleague Sam Tate, also of East Northumberland. Twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth places were filled by Morpeth Harriers Bertie Marr (NN), Joe Dixon (EN), and Matthew Walton (EN), who all gained qualification for the Inter Counties. Other Morpeth Harriers finishers in this event were Callum Rowell (NN) (43rd), William De Vere Owen (EN) (49th), and Dylan Walker (EN) (50th). Morpeth Harriers had four athletes in the line-up of 86 Minor Girls in their 2.6k event. Leading finisher was Molly Baker of North Northumberland, who was thirteenth. Other finishers were Freya Caygill (EN) (22nd), Lottie Belton (Tyne) (24th), and Catalina Chandler (NN) (45th). The club had two athletes in the line-up of 86 Minor Boys in their 2.6k event. Leading club finisher was Sam Dent (EN), who was eleventh, and the other Morpeth finisher was George Tweedie (EN), who finished in 34th place. Team placings were 1st Newcastle 423pts, 2nd Tynedale 608pts, 3rd North Tyneside 649pts, 4th East Northumberland 802pts, 5th North Northumberland 890pts. Morpeths James Young led his second claim club Lancaster University home to third team place
in the Senior Men’s event, at the Mid Lancashire Cross Country League meeting, held at Burnley on Saturday 12th January 2019. Young finished an excellent fifth, behind Border Harrier James Douglas, who posted a winning time of 30m05s, to Young’s 31m05s. On a blustery Sunday morning (13th January 2019), the new venue for the annual Cathedral Relays, Lord Lawson School at Birtley, proved to be a most propitious one for Morpeth Harriers as the club’s athletes left with four team golds, two silvers and one bronze, as well as four individual fastest leg times. Traditionally hosted by Durham Harriers and settled for a number of years at Maiden Castle Sports Centre, this year’s event looked likely not to happen, however, till Birtley AC stepped in to fill the gap left by struggling hosts in December. In the event, the new course – two laps of approximately 3000 metres in total and taking in two sharp ascents and descents on each lap – was felt by many to be a better cross country challenge, even if the strong winds made for uncomfortable spectating. Morpeth’s veteran men got proceedings off to an early start, with five teams competing in an event dominated as expected by a strong Sunderland Harriers. Sunderland had the first teams home in Over 35 and Over 45 categories, their O/35s team’s clocking of 31 minutes and 25 seconds the fastest of the day. However, Morpeth’s 0/45s were not far behind with their 33m 32s the 4th fastest. They were unlucky to find a slightly stronger Sunderland team in the same category who beat them by a margin of only 12 seconds, however. Lee Bennett’s 11m 2s was Morpeth’s fastest and agonisingly only one second off Tim Field of Sunderland’s fastest 0/50 time. The club fared better in the Over 55 category, with Dave Nicholson, currently in fine form over the country, clocking the fastest Over 60 time of the day ((11m 59s) on leg 1. He was supported by Paul Bellingham and Neil McAnany, who anchored the team to what was in the end a comfortable win over nearest rivals Low Fell. Missing a number of leading lights, the club’s Over 35 fielded O/50 Steve Haswell and O/45 Jamie Johnson, with O/40 Tony Lewis back in action on leg 3, but still finished a very respectable 11th place overall in 36m 18s. Jim Alder, Paul Brown and Paul Waterston shrugged aside injuries and lack of race form, meanwhile, to make up an Over 45s B team and finish in 33rd place. An incomplete Over 55 B team also saw a return to action for Chris Waugh. The veteran men’s competition was followed by the combined women’s senior and veteran races, and Morpeth’s women certainly picked up where they had left off in last week’s Davison Shield, winning both competitions outright. A late withdrawal saw a game Robyn Bennett, there ostensibly to support her parents, act as a more than adequate stand-in as she came home in 2nd place at the end of leg 1. Another gutsy run by Lorna Macdonald on leg 2 kept the club in touch with leaders Gateshead Harriers, and it was left to Jane Hodgson, returning to her best form, to reel in the three athletes ahead of her. This she did in some style with the team finishing in an overall 1st place in a time of 35m 12s, some 30 seconds ahead of nearest rivals. Hodgson also recorded the fastest Over 35 time of the day and, indeed, the 2nd fastest women’s time overall. The club’s B team of Alison Brown, Jane Briggs and Gracie Hufton also achieved a top ten finish, their time of 38m 29s putting them in 9th place; special mention should be made of Jane Briggs who as an over 50 veteran ran the second leg. Not far behind, Morpeth’s Veteran women had another impressive victory, their time of 36m 1s in fact putting them in 3rd place overall on the day. On leg 1 Morag Stead ran the fastest O/45 time of the day and she was ably supported by Helen King and Gemma Floyd. Loudest cheer of the day was undoubtedly for Morpeth’s O/45 women, however, the team of Jill Bennett, Fran Naylor and Sue Smith finishing in 45m 38s for a bronze medal in their category. This also meant that the Bennett family went home with a full set of medals! Morpeth’s E team of Pam Woodcock, Margaret Macdonald and Claire Hiscox also finished, in 52nd place, with Woodcock later given the fastest 0/65 time of the day. The Senior Men’s race saw Morpeth athletes finish in 1st, 2nd and 8th team places and bodes well for bigger challenges over the next few weeks. First leg runners Sam Charlton of Wallsend and Chris Parr of Jarrow took an early lead, but youngster Alex Brown proved he was in no way overawed by the competition around him as he led off for the A team and kept the club in contention with a very sensible and measured run. With George Lowry able to reel in both teams ahead of him on leg 2, it was left to Carl Avery to anchor the team to what was in the end quite a comfortable victory in a time of 27m 59s, Avery’s clocking of 9m the fastest time of the day. Behind the A team there was an exciting tussle for 2nd place between Morpeth’s B string of Jordan Scott, Ross Floyd and Tom Straughan and teams from Tyne Bridge and Gateshead. In the event, Morpeth’s men proved too strong for both clubs, with Straughan able not just to hold off James Dunce of Tyne Bridge behind him but also to take time out of him. The team’s final clocking was 28m 46s. Not far behind, Morpeth’s C team of Ali Douglas, Dean Lonsdale (of whom special mention should be made for stepping in at short notice last week) and Karl Taylor finished a highly respectable 8th (30m 39s) and ahead of the A teams of most clubs. Report by Peter Scaife Posting a time of 72m05s, Morpeth Harrier Andrew Lawrence finished eighth behind fellow North Easterner Adrian Bailes of Birtley AC in the Brass Monkey Half Marathon, held in York on Sunday 13th January 2019.
Bailes posted a winning time of 69m42s, which for him, gave him a new personal best, beating his old figures by nearly nine minutes, set in last year’s Great North Run. Other Morpeth Harriers taking part in the event were Ian Harding, who finished 63rd in 78m38s, and Lesley Chapman, who finished 862nd in 110m15s, and was second Over 60 Woman. Morpeth Harrier Rory Leonard certainly played his part in a superb display of “Flying Brits,” in the IAAF Cross International Juan Muguerza Under 20 Men’s event, held in Elgiobar, in Spain on Sunday 13th January 2019,
when he finished an excellent fifth in a 61 strong field of finishers. Leading the field home was fellow Brit Zak Mohammed, who beat another Brit Euan Brennan by four seconds. Leonard was a further nine seconds behind two battling Frenchmen. |
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