Morpeth Harriers put out no less than nine teams – more than any of its North East rivals, in fact – in the Norman Woodcock Relays on a blustery Saturday lunchtime in Gosforth Park.
Since 2017 a three runner mixed relay race instead of the previous five miler, the event is held in an unusual setting around the ambulance track inside the horse race circuit of Gosforth Race Course, with each runner completing a lung-bursting 1.66 mile lap, on this occasion made all the more challenging by a strong westerly wind directly into the face for the final half a mile. (Bizarrely, the park was also hosting Covid vaccination boosters and a Winter Wonderland to boot.) Hosted by Elswick Harriers, there were some 76 teams entered on this occasion, with Morpeth the existing holders from the competition’s last staging in 2018. Early action saw a hard fought first leg and a terrific run by Ponteland High School student Joe Anderson, who led most of the way and was only pipped over the last hundred yards by runners from Sunderland Harriers, finishing in a recorded time of 8 minutes 6 seconds. Joe was followed home by fellow teenager Ryan Davies in 8m 24s with A team Senior Mark Snowball a few seconds behind (8:32) and B team lead off Anthony Janetta chasing him home in 8:49. The placings changed on the second leg however, with most clubs choosing to put out their female runner on the second leg. (Although local outfit Gosforth Harriers went for a Senior Man instead, and hung their two Senior Female youngsters out to dry on the last leg). A youthful Tynedale Harriers squad now came into the picture, with talented triathlete Jess Sails running the day’s second fastest time by a female athlete (9:00). Sails was chased all the way by Cat Macdonald, whose 8:59 was also the fastest female run and who moved the A team back into contention. Behind Macdonald, Abi Leiper’s 9:35 also moved the B team into a strong position. Tynedale’s Harry Courtney took the lead in the race half way through the final lap, and although he was chased hard all the way by Tom Innes, his time of 8:10 proved just good enough to stay ahead, Tynedale winning in a combined time of 25 minutes 34 seconds. Tom had to settle for second place, his 8:15 clocking meaning the A team finished some twelve seconds behind. Behind Tom there was a tremendous performance by an in form Conor Marshall, whose 7:58 was the fastest run of the day and also moved the B team into 5th position by the end with a time of 26:22. Ironically, had Conor run for the A team, the club would have retained the trophy. (Wonder who was responsible for that decision?) There was some compensation however with victory for the club in both the Over 40’s and Over 60’s categories. Guy Bracken (8:41, 2nd fastest Veteran time of the day and all that only a few weeks off turning sixty), Jane Hodgson (9:26, the fastest Over 40 time of the day) and Lee Bennett (8:52) placed 7th overall in the race and were out of sight of their nearest competitors by the end, with the team’s 26:59 only a minute and a half behind the winners. It was a little closer in the Over 60s, with Dave Nicholson (10:16), Pam Woodcock (13:12) and Neil Macanany (9:56) holding off the challenge from Elswick’s squad for a 33:24 total. In 14th place were the club’s C team who had been led out by Joe, with Caitlin Flanagan running 10:03 and Lindsey Quinn the same time for 28:12. Ryan’s team were 18th, with Lizzie Rank recording 10:16 and Lorna Macdonald, back in competitive relay action, in 10:17 and thankfully coming through unscathed. (28:57) The Over 40 B team of Eric Adams (9:28, Gemma Floyd (10:13, and great to see her back competing) and Ed Hillier (10:00) were 22nd in 29:41. 35th in 32:18 were the team of Shaun Land (9:25), Sarah Lawson (10:25) and Savannah Kelley (12:28) in 32:18, with the club’s final team still in a respectable 50th place with runs by Paul Bellingham (10:36), Margaret Macdonald (13:26) and Andy Leeson (10:14) in 34:16. The club placed no less than five of its nine teams in the top twenty, and with wins in two of the four competitions, second and fifth overall places and the day’s two fastest times by male and female runners, there was perhaps more than adequate compensation for the loss of the trophy itself. Better team management would have brought a win of course. (At least team manager Scaife could forlornly claim to have taught, in a previous life, two of the winning Tynedale team at QEHS…) The annual Heaton Harriers Memorial Races took place on Newcastle Town Moor on Remembrance Sunday morning.
First held in 1920 to remember the dead of the Great War, Heaton Harriers instituted the races because so many of their own members had fought and died in the conflict; indeed, the club records that some 100 of its original 120 members were involved in action, of whom 12 paid the ultimate price. The current races offer opportunities for Young Athletes in races from Under 11 upwards in distances from 1k to 5k, as well as a Senior 10k race, which this year incorporated the North East Masters Athletics Association Championships. With cool and still conditions ideal for racing, the Newcastle Royal Grammar School was again able to offer its facilities for race HQ with athletes making the short jog across from the school and over Brandling Park via the subway to the start on the Town Moor – thankfully now cow-free. In the earlier Under 15 three kilometre race, Morpeth’s Joe Close finished 3rd in a time of 9 minutes 58 seconds behind race winner Harry Lyons. Tabitha Robson was 13th and 4th female finisher in the same race in a time of 11:26 behind winner Hannah Wightman (10:48). The following U/17 five km race was won by Morpeth’s Will De Vere Owen in 15:42, Will showing no after effects from the previous day’s cross country exertions at Middlesborough. Will was backed up by James Tilley, 4th in 16:45, and Ralph Robson, 5th in 17:01 for a winning team. The Senior Men and Women’s 10k saw a pair of equally outstanding performances from Calum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers and Sonia Samuels of Sale Harriers, North East-born and formerly of Wallsend. Johnson looked in imperious form as he raced away from the rest of the field in dominant fashion, winning in a time of 28 minutes 28 seconds, both a course record and a new personal best. Morpeth’s George Lowry had chosen to try and go with Johnson at least part of the way, but was soon left stranded between the leader and a chasing group of club colleague Sam Hancox, Birtley’s Adrian Bailes and Jarlath McKenna of Derby AC. He paid the price after half way sadly, with the chasing group reeling him in and then passing him, and then having their own three-way battle for the minor placings. In the end it was Bailes who was able to take 2nd place in a time of 30:23, with Mckenna 3rd and Hancox 4th in 30:24, although as an Over 40 Mckenna was later given the veteran’s prize and Hancox 3rd. It was particularly good to see young Hancox back in competitive action after a difficult lockdown and disruptions caused both by injury and lack of racing opportunities. Lowry placed 5th in the race in 31:03 ahead of the reliable Conrad Franks of Gateshead Harriers. For Morpeth, O/45 Eric Adams was 91st in 38:01 with Lindsey Quinn the club’s first female finisher (166th and 9th Senior Woman) in a new pb of 40:53. Lizzie Rank was not far behind in 184th with 41:31, also a pb, and she was in turn just ahead of her mum Shuna, who, in her first 10k for a good while, ran an excellent 45:02 for 247th and 4th Over 45. Two of the club’s leading veteran runners picked up age group awards, with David Mcguchin 2nd Over 70 with 44:40 and Paul Bentley, who has clearly got the competitive bit between his teeth this Autumn, 1st Over 75 in 51:24. Former GB international Samuels meanwhile also looked to be in a different league, winning the women’s race in a time of 33:29 ahead of Justina Heslop of Elswick, no mean athlete herself and back on the comeback trail, with a time of 35:51. Alex Sneddon of Jarrow and Hebburn AC was 3rd. In all some 382 finished, although competitors will be a little alarmed that several athletes reported the distance as being slightly short on their GPS, with match referee Bill McGurk investigating if a course marker had been placed slightly short at the turn round. A shame, as this would spoil an otherwise very well organised and enjoyable event. An excellent team victory by a margin of thirty-four points saw King Edward VI School Senior Boys qualify for the final of the English Schools Cross Country Cup in their regional final, held at Stewart Park, Middlesbrough on Saturday.
The squad, made up of talented Under 17 Men from the ranks of Morpeth Harriers, were led home by Will DeVere-Owen, who finished in third place overall, thirty seconds adrift of race winner Alex Thompson, running for Ermysted School of Skipton, North Yorkshire. Second place went to Max Creasey of Macmillan School in Middlesbrough, who was nine seconds ahead of DeVere-Owen. Joining Will on the Team Winners podium for King Edward were fellow Morpeth Harriers Bertie Marr (4th), Liam Roche (5th), and Matthew Walton (6th). Also running for the school but outside the scoring four were Ryan Davies (11th) and James Tilley (17th). Another Morpeth Harrier in action in the Senior Boys event was Kieran Mutch, who finished 23rd, representing Dame Allan’s School in Newcastle. So King Edward School in Morpeth will be sending a confident team to the English Schools Cross Country Cup Final, scheduled to be held in Newquay, Cornwall on Saturday 4th December – a location more associated with surfing perhaps than cross country, and a very long journey to make, but with the realistic prospect of national recognition. The club also gave good representation in the Junior Girls event, where Molly Roche (14th), Iris Dungait (18th), Megan Potrac (32nd), and Charlotte Marshall (43rd) saw the town’s Chantry School into eighth team place. Abi Leiper of Morpeth Harriers led Dame Allan’s School home to fourth team place in the Senior Girls event, finishing in sixth place individually. Also in the Dame Allan’s squad were former Morpeth Harriers Olivia Carruthers (19th), and Laura Melling (20th). Morpeth Harriers have been asked if they are able to provide marshals for the East Northumberland Schools Championships at Woodhorn on Monday 29 November - first race at 12.30 pm.
If you can help out, you would need to be at South (museum) end of the park by midday and should be finished by 2.15 pm. Any volunteers please contact Mike Bateman. Thanks for your support. Morpeth Harriers’ international Triathlete Daniel Dixon has been presented with a performance of the year award by Sport Newcastle at Newcastle Eagles Arena by distinguished Olympian Jonathan Edwards.
The 52nd Annual Awards Dinner took place in the presence of patrons Sir John Hall and Alan Shearer CBE along with vice-presidents Stephen Miller MBE and Edwards, and saw winners from a wide range of sports receive their awards. Dixon was also awarded the Platinum Sponsorship, worth £1,500 per year for each of the next three years. He gained his award by being the biggest young sporting success of the year, a timely award as he has only just become a Professional Full Time Triathlete. Unfortunately this weekend an untimely fall from his bike led to him finishing a lowly 26th in the World Junior Triathlon Championships in Portugal. He had been in the lead group of three at the time, but the resulting injury restricted him in terms of movement. Daniel had led after the earlier swim, battled through the stages of bike, and run very bravely to the finish such was his determination. |
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