At the Modern Pentathlon European Championships which were held in Kaunas, Lithuania between the 10th June and 15th June 2019. Morpeth Harrier’s Ross Charlton produced the fastest laser run in the Final of the Under 19 European Championships. Despite searing heat of 34 degrees, Ross completed the 4x800m cross country run interspersed with hitting the shooting targets in 11mins 58secs. Story of the Day Ross and team-mate George Simpson finished 7th in Monday’s U19 boys’ relay and came through qualifying on Wednesday, so they were competing for the third time this week in Kaunas. However, there was no sign of fatigue as both Brits improved on their qualifying times in the 200m swim, with George recording a 2:19.14 and Ross a long course pb of 2:20.25. It was the fencing hall that proved to be toughest for the Pentathlon GB duo, with their inexperience at international level showing. However, there was no doubting the commitment of the youngsters,
with George ending the discipline with 11 victories and Ross 6. That meant Whitgift Modern Pentathlon Academy’s George sat 35th with Pentathlon Newcastle’s Ross 36th after the opening two disciplines, with both athletes having their sights firmly set of those ahead of them in the laser run. A blistering run-shoot from 17 year old Ross, the quickest of the day saw him make-up significant ground on those around him, crossing the line 30th on just his second international appearance. A strong final discipline from George also saw him make ground as the 17-year-old ended his own major championship debut in 34th. In the U17 Boys category, another Morpeth Harrier, Sam Tate was also enjoying his first major Championship. Sam finished 36th/48 – with a fabulous 2.08 swim & 10.28 for 3x800m Laser Run. On Saturday, Sam was in action again in the mixed relay where he and partner Larissa Hannam finished a very creditable 7th. Some 34 Harriers formed part of the 4,700 who took part in the 39th running of the Blaydon Race on Sunday 9th June 2019. Unlike last year’s race - brought forward to a rather sticky Saturday afternoon because of Ed Sheeran’s later appearance at St. James’ Park - there were no competing events to factor in this year, and the race started at the very civilised time of 7.15 pm when the day had mostly cooled off, although runners did report bright sun on the Scotswood Road and probably reduced levels of support. A delayed entry in February had led to rumours of the race not taking place at all; not so, but a slightly different finish this year – outside Morrisons in Blaydon – meant the race was a touch shorter than in previous years (some 5.4 miles in total), with no children’s race and restricted space at the Blaydon end. Runners who had lined up back on Grey Street (now the assembly area instead of the old Bigg Market) also complained of having to stand stock still, having crossed the chip mats, for up to two minutes at the bottom of Collingwood Street as the field tried to negotiate the left-right turn around the new paved area. At the sharp end meanwhile, a leading group of some fifteen men quickly established itself with Carl Avery, second last year, and a returning Nick Swinburn (sporting his NEFRA vest) prominent, along with Graham Rush of Leeds City, Dom Shaw of New Marske and Charlie Hulse of Liverpool. With the group slowly whittling itself down as the pace cranked up, in the end it was a straight fight between Avery and Rush, with the Leeds man winning out in the end by a margin of no more than twenty metres. Rush was credited with 25 minutes 33 seconds and Carl had once again to settle for second in 25m 37s, with Hulse in third (25m 45s). Leading Morpeth finishers thereafter were Nick Swinburn, 5th in 26m 17s, Sam Hancox, 11th in 27m 2s, Tom Straughan, 14th in 27m 37s, John Butters, 19th and 3rd Over 40 male in 28m 8s and Adam Pratt, 24th in 28m 15s. Other notable achievements were Dan Melling, 30th overall in his first Blaydon, who achieved the distinction of winning the Geordie Ridley trophy as 1st Under 19 with a time of 28m 31s, and Lee Bennett, having a fine year so far, 44th but 1st Over 50 in 29m 20s. Despite Nick not counting for the team, Morpeth look to have won both the Senior Men’s and the Veteran Men’s titles. Other Morpeth times included: Mark Snowball, 36th in 28m 57s; Richard Johnson, 38th in 29m 3s; Fergus Bates, 3rd 0/50 in 30m 58s and 89th; Matthew Boyle, 96th in 31m 11s; Paul Banks 154th in 32m 20s; Shaun Land, 163rd in 32m 27s; Jamie Johnson, 179th in 32m 49s; Rob Hancox, 192nd and 8th 0/50 in 33m; Mike Winter, 282nd in 34m 11s; Neil Gunstone, up from his London base to finish in 309th in 34m 40s; Eric Adams 341st in 35m 2s; Gary Hall, 358th in 35m 16s; Jim Alder, 420nd in 35m 54s; Paul Bellingham, 447th in 36m 8s and Norman Clark, 1073rd and 4th 0/65 in 40m 44s. Olympian and Sunderland Stroller Alyson Dixon, now an Over 40 veteran, was a convincing winner of the women’s race in a time of 28m 24s with Claire Duck of Leeds City 2nd in 28m 54s and Wallsend’s Danielle Hodgkinson,
last year’s winner, in 3rd. There was a good run by Morpeth’s Robyn Bennett, however, who was 6th overall and 4th Senior in 31m 16s and she was just ahead of Jane Hodgson, 8th and 4th veteran woman in 31m 32s. Thereafter Rachelle Falloon was 19th and 12th Senior (33m 8s) and Gemma Floyd 20th and 3rd 0/40 in 33m 16s and Helen King 32nd and 7th 0/40 in 34m 17s. Jane Kirby was 388th in 45m 16s. The club was unfortunate in that the four to count for the team prize cannot include veteran women, so narrowly missed out. 97 runners completed the annual Morpeth Fair Day Fun Run, run over approximately one mile,
on a course encompassing Bridge Street, Telford Bridge, Carlisle Park, and finishing in Oldgate under the Clock Tower on Sunday 9th June 2019. The enthusiastic field, comprising of Year 8 and below pupils were set off by the New Mayor of Morpeth Alison Byard, at 10.15am approximately, and were led home four minutes and forty-four seconds later by Morpeth Harrier Bertie Marr, who attends school in Rothbury. In winning, Marr also set a brand new course record, beating last years record set by fellow Harrier Sam Tate by nine seconds. Second place, and one second adrift was Joe Dixon, also a Morpeth Harriers, who is also in Year 8 in Chantry School in Morpeth. Third place again went to a Morpeth Harrier, and that was fellow Chantry pupil Liam Roche, who posted a time of 5m01s. Posting a time of 5m52s, and finishing seventh overall, was Freya Caygill, who is also a Morpeth Harrier, and a Year 7 pupil at Chantry School, who was first Girl finisher. Second Girl finisher was Ellie Kennedy, who attends Shanklea School in Cramlington, is in Year 6, and was tenth overall in 6m03s. Third Girl finisher was Zoe Parker, who was fifteenth overall in 6m20s, who is in Year 6 at Newminster. As usual all finishers received a Goody Bag, courtesy of the Morpeth Chamber of Trade, and Morpeth Harriers, who organised the event on their behalf, wish to thank all their members and friends who helped on the day to ensure smoothness and safety of the event. Thankfully the fine weather also played its part. Photos courtesy of Gordon Dixon Despite heavy and persistent overnight rain, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the Durham Schools Track and Field Championships, competitive action in the annual Northumberland Schools equivalent went ahead as planned, at Hexham’s Wentworth Sports Centre on Saturday 8th June 2019.
The prevailing conditions certainly made life difficult for athletes, especially in the Field events, where despite such matters, competitors got on with things in hand, and produced some quite exceptional performances, some being of championship best standard. Amongst those athletes were no less than thirty-six from the ranks of Morpeth Harriers, who between them managed a total of fifteen event wins on the day. In the case of the Junior and Intermediate events, the first two places guaranteed each athlete a place at the Inter Counties Championships at Gateshead this coming Saturday, the final steppingstone before the English Championships, being held at Birmingham in Mid-July. One of the Morpeth star performers, representing East Northumberland, was Senior Javelin thrower Bobbie Griffiths, who masterminded her sixth successive Javelin title in the event, having won every year, beginning in 2015, when she was a Junior, having also won as a Minor in 2013. On Saturday, Griffiths won by throwing an on the day best of 38.20m, which although was around four metres adrift of her lifetime best, was only a mere 26cm short of her own championship record for the event last year. Two Morpeth athletes did break championship records on Saturday however, one being a very much in form Jessica Gardiner, also of East Northumberland, who won the Intermediate Girls Hammer with her best throw of 40.34m, beating Griffith’s 2017 record of 39.84m, thus taking 50cm off the old figure. Second to Gardiner in the Hammer competition, was fellow Morpeth Harrier Amy Lott, also representing East Northumberland. Lott threw a best of 29.59m and went on to achieve championship success in the 80m Hurdles, winning in 12.1s. Gardiner also enjoyed a clear victory in the Discus, with an on the day best of 30.16s. Morpeth’s other championship record breaker was Alice Geoghegan, representing Newcastle, who broke club colleague Mia Belton’s 2018 figure of 43.90s, when winning the Junior Girls 300m in 42.1s. Geoghegan already holds an English Schools qualifying time, after winning last months North Eastern title at Middlesbrough, where she posted an impressive 41.86s for the distance. There was also a second win on the day achieved by Geoghegan, as she triumphed in the Junior Girls Javelin, where she produced an on the day best of 25.26m. The aforementioned Mia Belton, representing Tynedale, was also in championship winning form, producing identical clocking’s of 13.1s, when winning her earlier heat, before going on to take the final, thus safeguarding her route to those forthcoming Inter Counties Championships. Senior Boy Ruaridh Lang, representing East Northumberland, was a very comfortable winner of the Discus, where he produced an on the day best of 43.30m, which was agonisingly just 48cm short of his own lifetime best, and 51cm short of Jack Smith’s 2014 record. Second place went to his Morpeth club colleague Luke Haxell, who produced an on the day best of 29.04m, throwing that weight of implement for the very first time in competition. In the Intermediate Boys 800m Final, East Northumberland, and Morpeth’s Ben Waterfield, managed to get under two minutes for the first time, winning in an impressive 1m59.6s. Rory Leonard (East), was a very comfortable winner of the Senior Boys 1500m, posting a time of 4m01.3s, however was clearly not relishing the conditions. Charlotte Earl (East), produced a new personal best performance of 10.22m, when winning the Intermediate Girls Triple Jump with 10.22m. Max Marr of Morpeth Harriers, and representing East Northumberland, won the Intermediate Boys Long Jump, producing a lifetime personal best of 5.81m. In the Intermediate Boys 1500m, Morpeth’s Rowan Bennett, representing Tynedale, won in a time of 4m12.9s. Club colleague Dylan Gooding, representing East Northumberland, finished third in 4m23.2s. In the Junior Girls High Jump, Morpeth’s Lucy McConnell, representing East Northumberland, won with her clearance of 1.40m. Nat Arkle of East Northumberland won the Junior Boys Shot, by producing an on the day best of 10.47m, which was a good 80cm clear of his closest rival. Arkle had also got through to the Final of the 200m by winning his heat in 25.4s, but could only finish fourth when it mattered, posting a time of 26.0s. Also making the final of the 200m was fellow Morpeth Harrier Harry Brown (East), who produced a personal best of 27.0s, when finishing third in his heat, but was two places behind Arkle in the Final, clocking 27.5s. Other Morpeth Harriers who look set to appear at Saturday’s Inter Counties by virtue of second places in Finals are, Dylan Davies (East) (Intermediate Boys 3000m) 9m53.5s, Daniel Dowd (East) (Intermediate Boys Javelin) 40.60m, David Sanderson (East) (Intermediate Boys Discus) 32.65m, Rhiannon Hedley (North) (Intermediate Girls 800m) 2m27.5s, Holly Peck (East) (Intermediate Girls 1500m) 4m52.6s, Abbie Ross (East) (Intermediate Girls Long Jump) 4.37m (PB), and Rosie Winter (East) (Intermediate Girls Javelin) 24.68m. Further Morpeth Harriers performances, some of which may put them on standby for call up were as follows. Matthew Walton (East) (Junior Boys 800m Final) (10th) 2m23.3s (PB), Ryan Davies (East) (Junior Boys 1500m Final) (6th) 4m42.4s, Bertie Marr (North) ( Junior Boys 1500m Final) (8th) 4m48.5s, Edward Gardiner (North) (Junior Boys Javelin Final) (4th) 26.22m, Harry Brown (East) (Junior Boys Javelin Final) (6th) 25.34m, Oliver Geoghegan (Newcastle) (Junior Boys Javelin Final) (8th) 24.29m (PB), Edward Gardiner (North) (Junior Boys Discus Final) (9th) 20.30m, Olivia Carruthers (Newcastle) (Junior Girls 300m Final) (4th) 45.8s (PB), and (Junior Girls 75m Hurdles Final) (3rd) 13.8s, Max Marr (East) (Intermediate Boys 100m Final ) (6th) 12.5s, Josh Adams (East) (Intermediate Boys 100m Final) (7th) 12.5s (PB), and (Intermediate Boys 200m Final) (5th) 25.6s, Theo Brown (East) (Intermediate Boys Discus) (3rd) 29.33m, Amber Witt (East) (Intermediate Girls 100m Final) (3rd) 13.2s, and Rosie Winter (East) (Intermediate Girls 200m Final) (3rd) 28.0s. Two Morpeth Harriers had the honour of turning out in England Masters competition on Sunday May 26th 2019,
to compete against the Celtic Nations in the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10k. Difficult conditions and a challenging course mitigated against fast times, but in an event dominated by England veterans, Helen King was 8th in the Over 40 category in 40m 6s and Dave Nicholson 9th in the Over 60 in 40m 15s and both later professed themselves ‘elated’ to pick up their first representative honours. There was some compensation the following weekend for Helen, however, as she was first female finisher in the Bamburgh 10k on Sunday 2nd June 2019, in a time of 39m 45s. (Eagle-eyed Big Brother fans might have noticed in the UKA newsletter that the Geoffrey Beattie who ran for the Celtic Nations was the original ‘psychologist’ for the eponymous Channel 4 series.) |
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