Excellent competitive news came the way of Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman this morning, when she learnt that she has won selection to the England team for next year’s Commonwealth Games, which is scheduled to be held on the Gold Coast in Australia, between 4th and 15th April. Laura is lined up to contest the longer 5000m distance for the first time at a major games, however it is a distance that the 26-year-old is already well versed with in Cross Country terms, with her best on the track being 15m08.24s, which she set in Los Angeles in May this year in her one and only outing over twelve and a half laps. This is an opportunity that Weightman has been weighing up for some time, and no doubt the former Duchess High student will be well prepared by her Coach and mentor Steve Cram, as she heads into a new sphere of competition. Weightman was a superb Silver medallist in the 1500m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and hopes that she can also medal in her new challenge. Other athletes with North East connections named in the England squad along with Weightman, are Sunderland Stroller Aly Dixon (Women’s Marathon), Sonia Samuels (formerly Wallsend Harriers), now with Sale Harriers (Women’s Marathon), Sarah McDonald (formerly Jarrow & Hebburn) now with Birchfield Harriers (1500m), and Rabah Yousif (formerly Middlesbrough AC), now with Newham and Essex Beagles (Men’s 4 x 400m Relay). Morpeth Harrier Liam Marsh finished 195th in the Simply Health
sponsored Great South 10mile Road Race, held in Portsmouth on Sunday 22nd October 2017. He posted a time of 63m45s. The Run Northumberland Castles Half Marathon on Sunday 22nd October 2017,
had a total finishing field of 364 finishers, who were led home by Morpeth Harrier Jonnie Nisbet, currently studying at Stirling University. Nisbet posted a finishing time of 81m03s, winning by seventy-nine seconds from Harmeny AC Veteran athlete Darren Cavaroli, with Ashington Hirst’s ever improving Chris Snowball, brother of Morpeth Harrier Mark, taking third place three seconds further adrift. The field also included two other Morpeth Harriers, Richard Kirby, and Frances Naylor, who finished in 44th and 245th, posting respective times of 98m21s, and 128m29s. Kirby was 8th in the Over 45 Male age group, and Naylor was 14th in the Over 45 Female age group. By posting an excellent seventh fastest time of 12m20s, Morpeth Harrier Senior Woman Emma Holt,
helped steer her club to a respectable top ten placing in their three-stage event at the Northern Athletics Cross Country Relays, held at a windswept Graves Park in Sheffield on Saturday 21st October 2017. Running on the first leg, she finished her 2mile effort in fifth place overall, behind Warrington AC International Harriet Knowles Jones, who clocked the fastest time of the day of 11m30s, but unfortunately had no one to hand over to, to finish as a complete team. Morpeth however did have Gemma Floyd (13m30s), and Josie Cram (13m33s) in support to Holt, to ensure a complete squad result, finishing exactly two minutes behind winners Lincoln Wellington, with their total time of 39m23s, who in turn denied victory to Morpeth’s North-East rivals Birtley AC by two seconds, who were boosted by the return to action by International Lydia Turner, who posted the day’s third fastest time of 12m05s. Sale Harriers of Manchester were third, and a further seventeen seconds adrift. The Senior Women, were the only squad from Morpeth taking part in the ten-event competition. John Butters was the pick of the Morpeth Harrier Park Run performers on Saturday.
Competing at Newcastle Exhibition Park, Butters was second across the finish line, completing the 5k distance, by posting a time of 16m26s, which was thirteen seconds outside his best. Meanwhile at Druridge Bay, fellow Morpeth Harrier Tom Innes was also finishing second, posting a time of 18m14s, this on his very first outing over the course. Other prominent Morpeth Harriers amongst the finishers at Druridge were, Dean Lonsdale (3rd) 18m37s, also a first timer on the course, Thomas Coulson (4th) 19m30s, twelve seconds adrift of his best, Kenton Duffield (6th) 19m55s, agonisingly a mere five seconds adrift of his best, daughter Ella Duffield (26th) (3rd Female) 22m43s, and Lily Heaton (31st) (4th Female) 23m19s. At the regions newest venue Newbiggin By the Sea, Paul Bellingham finished 9th in 21m02s, and Under 13 Boy James Tilley finished eighteenth in 23m22s. |
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