Posting a very modest 4m08.74s, just over eight seconds adrift of her lifetime best,
Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman finished second in her heat of the Women’s 1500m
at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin today,
​thus giving her an automatic qualification for the final,
which is set to be held on Sunday(12th) at 19.00hrs.

Running in the fastest second heat, she finished strongly, and very nearly won it,
only being slightly squeezed out by Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui at the finish line.

Weightman qualified as the second fastest overall over the two heats and goes into Sunday’s final very upbeat.
Lining up alongside her will be fellow Brit Laura Muir of Dundee,
who qualified by winning the slower run first heat in 4m09.12s,
which was the sixth fastest time overall.
Unfortunately, the third selected Brit Jemma Reekie of Kilbarchan,
failed to get to the final, finishing eighth in the first heat,
posting the fifteenth overall fastest time of 4m10.35s.

Andrew Knight, James Young, Euan Duffin, and Bobbie Griffiths of Morpeth Harriers all produced excellent winning performances at the sixth and final Start Fitness sponsored North East Grand Prix Meeting,
held at Gateshead Stadium on the evening of Wednesday 8th August 2018.

A total of twenty athletes were in action on a night that was once again blessed with decent
competition weather, and seven new personal bests were also achieved by athletes from the club.

One of those personal bests was indeed outstanding,
as Andrew Knight easily won the Under 17 Men’s Shot Putt competition.
The English Schools Silver medallist, making one of his last appearances in a Morpeth vest prior to his family move South, produced a new personal best of 17.48m, which not only extended his status as second in his age group in the UK, but also increased his best performance by a massive 52cm on previous, elevated him from 41st to 20th in the all time Under 17 Men’s performers, and he remains a firm number one in the region.

His season long performances have won him many plaudits, including English selectors,
which has won him a place at the prestigious Schools Games,
to be held at Loughborough at the beginning of September.
Knight will also compete in the forthcoming England Athletics Championships
at Bedford later this month, before winding up his highly successful season.

His Morpeth coach Paul Reed was also present at Gateshead on the night to witness Knight’s excellent performance, one of the last occasions he would see his prized charge in action in the region.

Another Morpeth athlete who has had an excellent 2018 Track season is James Young,
whose form has seen him win both Northern and Regional titles.
On Wednesday, a very much in form James added another success to his tremendous season,
when he won the 3000m Graded Race in a new personal best time of 8m32.54s,
which was around a fifty second improvement on his previous best for the distance,
which had been at the same venue in 2015, and when he had been an Under 20 athlete.
He won with just over three seconds to spare over club colleague Kieran Hedley,
who also established a new personal best of 8m36.05s, taking around five seconds off his previous figures.

Young and Hedley had kicked away from long term leader Greg Jayasuriya
at the bell in the seven and a half lap event, however on that last lap,
Young clearly showed that he was not about to be beaten.
Another Morpeth Harrier running well in the event was Under 17 Man Tom Balsdon.

Balsdon’s progression throughout the season has been phenomenal,
and in this his first ever 3000m, he performed with distinction against
more Senior opposition to finish fifth in an excellent 9m15.20s,
a time that places him inside the Top 100 for his age group in the UK, and seventh regionally.

Other Morpeth Harriers in action in the Graded 3000m were Andrew Lawrence,
who twenty-four hours earlier had been competing in his clubs’ 10k event.
Lawrence finished fifteenth in the A race in 9m40.44s and was followed home
by club colleagues Ross Charlton and Alistair Douglass, who finished seventeenth
and eighteenth in respective times of 9m45.08s, and 9m48.32s.

In the slower run B race, Holly Peck finished third in 10m29.12s, taking a whole
twenty seconds off her previous best for the distance, which she had set in 2016.
Peck was also a good twenty seconds faster than her closest Under 17 rival
Sophie Robson of Jarrow, who was three places behind her.

The Under 15 age group 3000m saw a superb performance by Morpeth Harrier Euan Duffin,
who literally took up the front running before half way, to record a winning time of 9m28.33s,
in what was his first attempt at the distance.
He won with thirty-four seconds to spare from his closest rival
Charlie Daley of Tynedale Harriers, with Morpeth’s Dylan Davies
securing third place in 10m16.11s, taking nearly two seconds off his previous figures.
Duffin’ s winning time places him seventeenth in the UK for his age group, and now No 2 regionally.

Back to Field Events, and Bobbie Griffiths, having just returned from a family holiday,
showed that she still had the zest for competition, as she proved too good for her rivals,
throwing a good 38.15m in the Javelin competition.

Morpeth’s Max Marr finished second in the Under 15 Boys Long Jump, with his best effort of 5.05m.
Also competing in the Long Jump was his club colleague Abby Leiper,
who was third Under 15 Girl, producing a best effort of 4.30m.

In the Under 17 Women’s Long Jump, Morpeth’s Kayleigh Wenn finished second with her best effort of 3.74m.

Back with Track Events, and Morpeth’s Alistair Douglass finished third to
Tynedale’s Daniel Joyce in the Graded 400m in 52.56s, and was second fastest Senior Man.

The younger age group 200m events saw four Morpeth athletes face the starter.
Olivia Gent was fourth fastest Under 13 Girl, posting a time of 30.76s.

In the Under 13 Boys event, Bertie Marr was third fastest, posting a time of 31.43s.

Morpeth’s Charlie Lane won the Under 15 Boys 200m by a hairsbreadth
from Sunderland Harrier John Harris, posting a time of 26.06s.
Club colleague Max Marr finished third in 27.26s.

Three Morpeth Harriers took part in the younger age group 800m events.
Rhiannon Hedley finished fourth in the Under 15 Girls event, posting a time of 2m27.03s.

Ryan Davies made it a good night for his family, emulating older brother Dylan by
setting new figures of 2m27.56s in the Under 13 Boys 800m, when finishing third.
One place behind him was Bertie Marr, who posted a time of 2m31.21s, also a new personal best.

Lily Heaton of Morpeth Harriers competed in the second of two graded 800m events,
finishing seventh, and was second Under 17 Woman, posting a time of 2m28.51s.

NECAA SPRINT RELAYS
 
MONKTON STADIUM
WEDNESDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER 
6.30PM TO 9.30PM

Contact Dave Thomas
if you are able to run in one of the club teams
07950899797

Thirty-year-old Thomas Straughan won the 23rd running of the annual
Morpeth 10k Road Race on Tuesday evening (7th August),
posting a time of 32m34s. Straughan, who had not reached his ninth birthday when the race was first run in 1996,
won with eighty seconds to spare over Alnwick Harrier Dan Turnbull, who just out paced
Morpeth Veteran John Butters for second place. Butters posted a time of 33m57s.

Fourth place went to Morpeth’s Jake Masterman, who had one of his best 10k races,
posting a personal best time of 34m22s, taking sixteen seconds off his previous best time for the distance.

Six more Morpeth Harriers proved to be prominent, finishing inside the top twenty of a total of 206 finishers,
who negotiated the undulating two lap circular route round Tranwell Woods.

They were Andrew Lawrence (6th) 35m00s, Matthew Briggs (8th) 35m15s,
Richard Castledine (13th) 36m01s, Daniel Melling (17th) 36m39s,
Matthew Boyle (18th) 36m41s, and Andrew Hebden (19th) 36m53s.

Finishing 38th overall in 38m57s, Tyne Bridge Harrier Alison Dargie
proved to be too good for all her Female counterparts.

Second and third places in the Women’s race went to Sarah Seymour of Gosforth Harriers (49th) 40m09s,
and Kirstie Anderson of Tynedale Harriers (52nd) 40m37s.

Organisers Morpeth Harriers wish to thank their main sponsor to the event
Glaceau Smartwater for their continued generosity, along with Phil Walker Financial Planner,
and Chris Dentice for additional sponsorship.

Also, thanks go to Piramal Pharmaceutical for help with race parking,
Morpeth Town FC for their Craik Park venue as Race Headquarters,
Pegasus Riding School for Toilet Facilities, to whom a donation will be made,
Dave Todd at Tees Valley Event Safety for his First Aid assistance,
Start Fitness for the provision of Prize Vouchers,
and to all members and friends, and UK Officials,
without whose assistance, the event could not have been held.

Sunday 2nd September 2018 sees the NEYDL Select Team in action in their
annual match against Yorkshire Select, at Middlesbrough Sports Village.

The event is now in its third year since its inception, and the regions team,
under the managership of Morpeth Coach Dave Thomas, has now been selected,
and it includes no fewer than twenty athletes from Morpeth Harriers,
who have all won automatic selection as of right, being ranked in the top three in their event,
over all three divisions, at the seasons end.

Three age groups, Under 13, Under 15, and Under 17 are represented in both genders,
and the only age group not served by a Morpeth athlete are the Under 13 Girls.

In the Under 13 Boys events, Bertie Marr and Ryan Davies are selected to run over 1500m,
and Harry Brown will compete in the Javelin.

The biggest representation from the club comes in the Under 15 Boys, where six are set to take part.
Two of those athletes take part on the track.
Euan Duffin lines up in the 1500m, and Ben Waterfield takes part in the 800m.
Waterfield will also compete in the High Jump.
Accompanying Waterfield in the High Jump will be club colleague Koffi Avornyo.

Danny Dowd, Theo Brown, and Nat Arkle compete respectively in the Javelin, Discus, and Hammer events.

Four athletes from Morpeth Harriers Under 17 squad are amongst those selected,
all of them competing in Field Events.

Ethan Stephenson competes in no less than three events, these being Long Jump, Triple Jump, and High Jump.
Accompanying him in the Triple Jump will be club colleague Matthew Heslop.

Luke Haxell has been selected to compete in the Discus.

Finally, in the Under 17 Men’s events, and certainly one of his clubs’ top performers over the season,
Andrew Knight lines up in the Shot, Discus, and Hammer events, in what will probably be his swansong
as a Morpeth athlete, as he moves South with family, and next year will be competing for Southampton AC,
and County-wise, Hampshire.

On to Female events, where Morpeth have no less than seven athletes in the squad,
five coming from their very strong Under 15 Girls contingent.
75m Hurdles specialist Amy Lott heads the list and is accompanied by fellow sprint specialists Amber Witt (200m), plus Mia Belton and Alice Geoghegan, who both compete in the inaugural 300m event.

Jessica Gardiner competes in the Discus and Hammer events.

Last but certainly not least Lily Heaton and Holly Peck compete respectively
in the Under 17 Women’s 800m and 1500m events.

The North East have easily been victorious on the previous two occasions,
and Team Manager Thomas is very hopeful that his selected squad,
that most deservedly include several of his own charges, can pull off another success,
to round off what has been a relatively good season in terms of improved performance,
​however he does continue to have reservations regarding the level of willing participants.