Evergreen 81 year old Morpeth veteran Walter Ryder made the long journey from his Scottish home in Wester Ross worth the many miles of travel by taking individual and team gold medals at the annual NEMAA cross country championships, held last Saturday (2nd February) at a snowbound Rising Sun Country Park in Wallsend. His performance in the first race of the day was matched by that of his fellow Morpeth Harrier Gemma Floyd, first Over 35 woman, and later by John Butters, first Over 40 male. ‘Cross country should never be cancelled!’ indefatigable Archie Jenkins, NEMAA secretary, would later declare at the prize-giving, but conditions had been clearly made all the more challenging by the numerous snowfalls that had taken place in the 24 hours beforehand. A demanding course (which already required two ascents and descents of the old Rising Sun spoil heap from different directions on each lap completed) was already bedecked with joyous sledging youngsters while competitors took their first look at the course -although both races ironically took place in bright sunshine. The first race of the day, featuring women and men over 65, saw a strong front-running performance from leading NE veteran Sharon Bulman of Old Marske, who also picked up the 0/45 medal. Not far behind her, however, was Morpeth’s Gemma Floyd, who followed last week’s team bronze at the Northern Cross Country Championships with a second place in the race itself and an 0/35 gold medal. Also picking up silverware was Helen King, ninth overall and third 0/40, although sadly Morpeth’s leading veteran Jane Hodgson had had to pull out due to injury, thus preventing a certain team prize. Morpeth’s other medals in this first race came via a team gold in the 0/65 competition, with Archie Jenkins and Paul Bentley, who also picked up an 0/70 bronze, joining Walter on the podium. A longstanding member of Morpeth Harriers for several decades, Ryder has made the NEMAA championships an annual pilgrimage from his Scottish eyrie and his victory in the 0/80 category was made all the sweeter by virtue of him defeating local rival Reginald Checkley of Heaton who had pipped him last year. In the three lap, second race of the day, featuring male veterans between 35 and 64, the early pace was set by Conrad Franks of Gateshead Harriers whose front running championship performance was rewarded with a gold medal. Gateshead also picked up a team gold ahead of local lads Wallsend, running here of course in their own backyard, for whom Chris Smith was first home. Not too far behind Smith, however, was Morpeth’s own John Butters, whose experience on the fells meant the easier slopes here held few fears, and he was a clear winner of the 0/40 category and fifth overall. With Andrew Hebden and Colin Archer both competing in the championships for the first time, there was an unexpected team bronze in the 0/35s, one which Archer would later declare just about made taking part worthwhile.
Steve Haswell (0/50) and Paul Bellingham (0/55) had their own personal duel a little further down the field, with Haswell, returning to competition after some time out, winning out on the final lap. Despite icy and snowy underfoot conditions, the annual Northern Area Schools Inter Counties Cross Country still got underway on Saturday 2nd February 2019 at Temple Park Leisure Centre in South Shields.
On this occasion Northumberland were the hosts, with opposition in the eight-race programme, coming from Durham, Cleveland, North Yorkshire and Cumbria, who were the overall winners on the day. Northumberland at the end of the day finished third overall behind the winners Cumbria, with a strong North Yorkshire taking second place. Durham finished fourth, fifty-three points adrift of Northumberland, whose main strength came from the Boys, who were third in their contest, whilst the Girls were fourth. Cleveland were very weak indeed and failed to score overall. In the absence of Rory Leonard (Morpeth) and Sam Charlton (Wallsend), both individual title winners at the previous weeks Northern Championships at Pontefract, Morpeth Harrier Ross Charlton seized the opportunity of achieving an outstanding win for himself in the Senior Boys 6.3k event, getting round the tricky surfaces in a time of 22m46s, which saw him win by a margin of seven seconds over Cleveland’s Jake Creasey, who competes for Middlesbrough (Mandale), and had finished six places adrift of Charlton at Pontefract, when Charlton had led his Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Male colleagues home to an impressive club victory. Other Morpeth Harriers featuring in the successful Northumberland Senior Boys squad were Daniel Melling (9th) (4th Counter), Matthew Briggs (14th) (7th Northumberland), and Alex Cunningham (17th) (8th Northumberland). Undoubtably the best Boys performance for Northumberland, came from their Juniors, who won by a margin of fifty points over Cumbria. Ryan Davies of Morpeth Harriers was fifth counter home from Northumberland, finishing an excellent sixth in the 4k event. Other Morpeth Harriers in action in this event were Sam Tate (21st) (8th Northumberland), Joe Dixon (25th) (9th Northumberland), and Matthew Walton (28th) (10th Northumberland). Having missed last week’s Northern Championships because of a mystery virus, it was perhaps surprising to see Morpeth Harrier Ben Waterfield in the line-up of Intermediate Boys in their 5.3k event. Nevertheless, he bravely mastered the tricky surfaces, and by now biting cold breeze, to come home in 16th place overall, and was Northumberland’s second counter in a squad which finished fourth on the day behind a strong North Yorkshire, with Durham and Cumbria finishing second and third respectively. Other Morpeth Harriers accompanying Waterfield in the Intermediate Boys squad were Tom Balsdon (28th) (4th Northumberland), Rowan Bennett (30th) (5th Northumberland), Dylan Davies (36th) (6th Northumberland), Ben Walker (43rd) (9th Northumberland), and Thomas Cunningham (12th Northumberland). In the Minor Boys 2.6k event, Morpeth’s Sam Dent was Northumberland’s twelfth finisher in 57th place overall. The best Northumberland Girls result on the day belonged to their Intermediates in their 4k event, who finished third behind Durham, with North Yorkshire finishing second. Leading the Northumberland squad home was Morpeth Harrier Holly Peck, who just lost out for an individual victory to North Yorkshire’s Lilli Carr by six seconds. Peck posted a finishing time of 16m27s over the tricky surfaces. Carr, who runs for Keighley and Craven, had finished twelfth in the Under 15 Girls event at the previous weeks Northern Championships. Another excellent Morpeth Harrier performer in the Intermediate Girls event was Rhiannon Hedley, who has been seeking a return to Cross Country form of late. Rhiannon missed all of last years winter season, but by finishing seventeenth overall here, and as fourth home for Northumberland, it is clear that she is getting ever closer to her target, which is not only pleasing for, but also her club, and coaches. Around a minute adrift of Rhiannon, and in 31st place as seventh home for Northumberland, was her club colleague Rebecca Bradley. Northumberland’s Junior Girls finished fourth behind Cumbria in their 3k event, with Morpeth’s Abi Leiper coming home as their second counter in 15th place overall. In the Senior Girls 4k event, Northumberland again finished fourth, however on this occasion to winners North Yorkshire. Amongst the county’s scorers were three Morpeth Harriers in the form of Kirsty Duffin (30th) (3rd Northumberland), Kay Errington (33rd) (4th Northumberland), and Ella Duffield (35th) (5th Northumberland). There were no Morpeth Harriers competing in the Minor Girls event. Schools Cross Country competition now centres on the English National Championships, which this year once again will be held at Temple Newsham, near Leeds, on Saturday 16th March. Northumberland selectors will be sitting down over the next couple of weeks to finalise their squad choices, with the exclusion of the Minor age groups, who do not compete at the Nationals. Following Saturday’s performances, several Morpeth Harriers may well come into their reckoning for inclusion. Squads should be known before early March. Hannah Lott of Morpeth Harriers, younger sister of Amy, repeated that of her older sibling, a week previous,
on Saturday 2nd February 2019, by getting to the final of the Under 13 Girls 60m Hurdles Championship, at the Scottish National Indoors, held at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena. Lott finished second in her heat in 10.31s, a new personal best, her previous being 10.51s. In her final, where she qualified as fourth fastest overall, she just missed out on a Bronze medal by a whisker, posting a superb new improved personal best of 10.09s, which now ranks her as fifth in the UK. On Day 2 on Sunday 3rd February, two of Morpeth’s Under 15 Girls were in action. Alice Geoghegan managed to get through to the final of the 60m Hurdles, after winning her opening heat in 9.87s, which was the fourth fastest of the first round. She went on to finish second in her Semi Final in an improved 9.67s, which was the fourth fastest time of that round. In the later run final, Alice clocked an identical time, which gave her fifth placing. Mia Belton competed in the 60m sprints, where she had total opposition from 54 others. She managed to finish second in her opening heat of seven, posting a time of 8.39s, which was just fractionally adrift of her lifetime best, and she qualified for the Semi’s as tenth fastest overall, which was a superb achievement. Qualification for the later run final was tough, and she finished third in her Semi in 8.42s, which was tenth equal fastest of the thirty one fighting for a final place, which meant that she just missed out on a final qualification. Morpeth Harriers Coach Dave Thomas can feel justifiably proud of his three charges at the end of the day. Morpeth Harrier Mhairi MacLennan was in medal winning form yet again on Saturday 2nd February 2019,
following her previous weeks retention of the Senior Women’s title at the Northern Cross-Country Championships. She battled all the way in tough conditions at Bicton College in Exeter, to win a well-earned Bronze in the Senior Women’s event, at the annual British University Students Championships, representing Edinburgh. MacLennan finished a mere sixteen seconds adrift of St Mary’s race winner Anna Moller, and only five seconds adrift of second placed International talent Amelia Quirk of Bracknell AC, who was running for Birmingham University. However, to MacLennan’s credit, once again she headed GB International Jessica Judd of Blackburn, who was competing for Loughborough.Judd, who finished third to MacLennan the previous week, was 21 seconds adrift in fourth spot. Morpeth Harriers Ady Whitwam and Lorna MacDonald both competed in the annual Army Cross Country Championships, which were held at Minley Manor in Hampshire, on Wednesday 30th January 2019.
In the Men’s event, Whitwam finished second to Avon Valley’s Edward Knudsen, losing out by a margin of thirty mine seconds over the 10.3k course, when he posted a time of 34m15s, just nine seconds ahead of third placed Kevin Sheppard, formerly a Morpeth Harrier, now linked with Cheltenham AC. MacDonald finished thirty fifth in the Women’s 6.5k event, posting a finishing time of 27m57s. |
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