This weekend would have seen the annual British Masters Relays
take place in their now established home at Sutton Park, just north of Birmingham. Sadly of course cancelled, the venue has been a happy hunting ground for Morpeth Harriers vets twice in the last ten years, so in the absence of competition now seems a good chance to go back and remember two memorable medal winning performances. In 2011 the competition had moved to include the M35 category in accordance with IAAF rules and was then an 8 stage event. A Morpeth team that included Phil Walker, Paul Waterston, Chris Waugh, Ian Hudspith, George Hall, Neil Wilkinson, Alan Shepherd and Terry Wall finished in 3rd place in a time of 2:09:11 behind Salford (2:07:38) and winners Cambuslang (2:08:45). A flying Ian Hudspith’s remarkable time of 14:08 for the 3 mile leg still remains a course record, however. Five years later when the competition had slimmed down to a 6 stage relay, there was a record breaking performance from what Athletics Weekly would memorably describe later as ‘another northern powerhouse’. With Chris Smith (15:05) scrapping his way ahead of Birchfield Harriers on leg 1, the club set its stall out early and though Mickey Morris (16:06) slipped just one place behind the home town Birmimgham outfit on leg 2, all changed when Peter Newton went out on the 3rd leg. In imperious form and running in his first and only BMAF Championships, he recorded the fastest time of the day (14:31) to open up a gap of well over a minute (Ian was later relieved to find his record still stood). Thereafter it was almost a procession, with John Butters (16:06) on 4th, Ian Hudspith (14:40) on 5th and Ade Whitwam bringing it home on the final leg (15:27) for a finishing time of 1:31:55 and a new course record, with a winning margin of well over two minutes. Newton, Hudspith and Smith in fact ran the three fastest times of the day. Since then, no one has got near Morpeth’s record which will be a tough act to beat for any club. Sadly, the club hasn’t got back to Sutton Park over the last few years, a situation which surely has to change in the near future. With the M45-55 and W35-45 requiring only teams of four, and the W45, W55, M55 and M65 teams of three, it must be time to get back into competitive action for Morpeth Harriers. It’s a long day out, but a great chance to pit yourself against the best vets from all over the UK, and an opportunity for one of the best medals that you may ever own! As we move into May, we look back all of nineteen years, and an event that saw Morpeth Harriers Over 40 Men in action at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, on Saturday 12th May 2001, and the annual British Masters Road Relay Championships. It was certainly a day well enjoyed by the eight athletes who represented the club, in finishing an excellent thirteenth out of fifty-three complete teams. They posted a total finishing time of 2hrs13min19secs, just over eight minutes behind on the day winners Swansea Harriers. Silver and Bronze team medals went to Woodford Green (2hrs06mins02secs), and Ron Hill Cambuslang (2hrs07mins27secs), who included one Archie Jenkins (16m37s) (eighth fastest in his leg), in their esteemed line-up. The Morpeth eight were Kevin Bray (50th) 17m34s, Tony Robinson (39th) 16m15s (7th Fastest of Leg), Steve Beattie (30th) 16m55s, Les Atkinson (17th) 15m15s (2nd Fastest of Leg), Gordon Dixon (13th) 16m45s, Gavin Bayne (13th) 16m55s, Bob Sewell (13th) 16m59s, and George McDougal (13th) 16m41s. Unfortunately, the squad just missed out to Sunderland Harriers by five seconds on being the top finishers from the North East, with them finishing two places ahead. Other North East squads in action on that warm sunny day in Sutton Park, were Tynedale Harriers (31st) 2hrs18min54secs, and Sunderland Strollers (51st) 2hrs39mins47secs. Morpeth Harriers also had an Over 60 Men’s team in action that day.
Walter Ryder (18m32s), Bernie Cordes (19m30s), and Alan Oliver (22m15s), combined to finish seventh of nineteen complete squads, just over three and a half minutes behind winners Swansea Harriers, who had capitalised on the earlier success of their Over 40 Men’s squad, with Thames Hare and Hounds, and Halesowen taking the Silver and Bronze titles. Ryder, Cordes and Oliver, were actually only just over a minute adrift of minor medals. Morpeth Harriers led the Northern challenge here, ahead of Clayton Le Moors (8th), who had the legendary Ron Hill in their squad, Barnsley (13th), Derby & County AC (15th), and Cleethorpes (19th). We are now in the month of May, and into our second month of lockdown and social distancing due to the unfortunate, most fatal, and nasty Coronavirus epidemic, which has seen a complete obliteration of the Summer Athletics Fixture List, including competition and training plans, which has left our athletes, coaches,
and club officials permanently grounded, apart from engaging themselves in individual pursuits. Whilst all of this has been happening, several athletes have been doing sessions as guided by their coaches by either face video communication, or telephone, and have been using technology instruments such as Strava and Garmin to monitor their progress. Sam Tate for instance has joined the Strava Group, and is currently doing 3 to 4 runs a week, with a session set in the middle of each run by his coach, which he incorporates, however he reports that he is dearly missing the encouragement and natural camaraderie that he receives from his Morpeth Harriers & AC Club Colleagues. One athlete who is certainly using her time well during lockdown is Morpeth Veteran Woman Jane Kirby, who following a series of various unfortunate injuries, is throwing herself into the 2.6 challenge, and is completing a Marathon as her personal quest to raise money for worthy causes, which she reckons will give her running a purpose, whilst having to complete it in isolation as designated. Under 15 athletes Caitlin Flanagan, Zara Naughton and Abi Leiper have been putting their Garmin apparatuses to good effect, as they competed in a few virtual events, which requires them to run separately to eventually establish a team relay performance. On the 14th of May, two young athletes, Daniel Dixon of Morpeth Harriers and Jack Stanton-Stock of Cambridge and Coleridge, will be riding 18 hours on Zwift (virtual cycling platform) for their 18th Birthdays. This is to raise crucial funds for the NHS during this global pandemic, helping the people and families affected by Covid-19. To ensure that they are following government rules of staying indoors, they are using the virtual training platform called Zwift and the ride is therefore all done within the safety of their own homes. Working behind Competitive scenes, Morpeth Sprint and Hurdles Coach, and Young Athletes Girls Team Manager Dave Thomas, and Helena Lott, mother of Amy and Hannah, signed themselves up to the AAA’s Standards Scheme, which provides a platform for athletes, mainly those engaged in Track and Field activity, which allows them to put any performances achieved between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2021, forward for certificates of standard, Graded from 4 to 1, and based on those shown in Power of 10. Morpeth Harriers sprinters Lynsey and David Storey, Matthew Waterfield, Sam Yates, Phil Pitt, Kirsty Lang and Jess Young-Rogers, who have all been very heavily hit by all of the inactivity, with the addition of the Morpeth Harriers Track facility having to be closed, have been engaged in separate sessions in accessible alternatives, but keep in touch and exchange ideas by video, taking part in virtual quizzes, and regularly keep contact with coaches Eddie and Brian Hedley by telephone to discuss possible sessions to remain active. Although definitely not their distance, none of them are up for refusing an opportunity to compete. Matthew Waterfield entered them all into a 5k Challenge on a virtual basis, (means alone), which they have accepted, if only to retain positivity. Last but certainly not least, Coach Adrian Barnes has the final word, "Lockdown came just as my recovery from open heart surgery in January allowed me to start more vigorous exercise. As I'm in the 'most at risk' category my one form of exercise outside is a jog round the common with my little dog Benji - dodging the other dog walkers to keep a social distance is a bit like a ritual dance. I started with a walk/slow jog and have now progressed to a fast jog! 3 miles each morning, who knows how good I will be by the time lockdown finishes? I may even be able to keep up with some of the younger ones I coach. OK, maybe set my goal a bit lower - and be able to keep them in sight" Stay safe everyone for as long as it takes. If anyone from Morpeth Harriers & AC, other than those covered in this general article, wishes to add any interesting details they may wish to share with us, please feel free to use the comments boxes below, but keep it clean everyone. Jim Alder remembers clearly him coming into his shop on Manchester Street: a young Neil Black in search of a pair of running shorts. Ever curious, Jim wrung out of him that he needed them to run in a Northumberland Schools cross country championship he’d been selected for.
Then an Ashington Grammar School pupil (where he would coincidentally share classes with Ross Floyd’s Mum), he was a talented all round sportsman good enough to be selected at stand-off half for Northumberland Schools Rugby Union and was also later a triallist at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, then managed by another son of Ashington, Jack Charlton. Another achievement he was more reticent in sharing with his training group: he had also won medals for ballroom dancing. A hard man to say no to, Alder had soon persuaded Black to join Morpeth Harriers where he was coached by him for some four years. During this time, his successes included finishing 2nd as a Junior to Steve Binns in 1979 at the Inter Counties cross country (Binns would win the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships that year before going on to compete in the 1988 Olympics). Described by Alder as ‘a lovely mover’, among his other achievements were beating a young Steve Cram on his home turf, the old cinder track at Jarrow, and going on to finish 5th in the AAA Senior 1500m at Edinburgh in a stacked field, where no less a runner than Dave Moocroft outsprinted him for 4th place. His personal best for 1500m was 3:44:40 and for the mile, 4:02:08, both set at the age of 18. As might be expected of a Morpeth Harrier, he also competed in the legendary Morpeth to Newcastle Road Race, finishing 3rd in 1982 in a time of 67:04 behind Mike Kearns of Tipton (66:31) and Andy Robertson of the Army (66:51). The following year he looked set to win the race after leading at Seaton Burn, but sadly was forced to drop out, Kevin Foster going on to win. Sadly, injuries would continue to blight his running, although he finished well up in the second staging of the Great North Run in 1982 in 1:06:35. He also won an England International vest for cross country at Mallusk, where he placed 6th. Later going on to be coached by Lindsey Dunn, there was a brief comeback to road racing in 1987, when he won the two lap Chester-le-Street road race, outsprinting Elswick’s Chris Lees and Gateshead’s Charlie Spedding for the victory. Neil’s involvement with the club ended in the early 90s with a move South and a career initially in physiotherapy. Despite having lost contact with Neil for many years, Alder remembers him fondly: ‘Everybody liked Neil Black. He was a class act.’ (With thanks to Ian Brown for extra information) As an incentive for our track and field athletes,
myself and David Thomas have signed up for the AAA standards scheme. Athletes are awarded certificates based on their performances from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2021 in both indoor and outdoor events. The standards are rated from Grade 4 to Grade1. The certificates are free but if you would like a badge they are £2 each. David is working out all the awards currently held by Morpeth Harrier boys and girls from the Power of 10 results. If you would like any more information or a certificate and badge please contact me on 07919910912. I’m happy to post these out to any athletes who would like them before lockdown ends. Our notice board will be at the track clubhouse once we are able to access the facilities again. Helena Lott |
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