Since joining the club, I have spent 45 summers managing either our men's or women's track & field teams.
This will be the last time. With some notable exceptions, the level of commitment of our women's squad this time has been the worst that I have experienced. The dates of our four fixtures have been available on the club website, noticeboards and elsewhere since well before the start of the season. How is it that so many of our athletes seem unable to plan to make themselves available for our league dates? That's apart from those who don't have the courtesy to reply to phone calls or texts. There were also those who were revising for exams several weeks beforehand and, in some cases, seem to be still revising. I went through the exam system to degree level and still managed to fit in plenty of competition – I found it a great break from the boredom. I suspect that many spent that revision time staring at the wall or playing with their phones, or maybe socialising was higher up their priority list ! I hope that attitudes will change amongst our athletes next summer, otherwise my successor will have an uphill task. For me it will be great to plan holidays without having to keep clear of our league dates and also not having to listen to excuses that defy belief. Mike Bateman
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With only just over four seconds dividing first and last, Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman
finished sixth out of twelve athletes, in the IAAF World Championships Women’s 1500 Final, at London’s Olympic Park on Monday evening.(7th August) Weightman, who had run three good consistent races, including the final, was always in contention, running against some of the best in the world, and could feel well pleased with her efforts, despite just losing out on a medal with her clocking of 4m04.11s, which was just over a second adrift of the medals. The event was won by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon (4m02.59s), with America’s Jenny Simpson getting the Silver in 4m02.76s, and in third place was South Africa’s Caster Semenya (4m02.90s), just outrunning Weightman’s Great Britain colleague Laura Muir (4m03.97s) for the Bronze medal. In the three races, Weightman’s consistency showed as she posted respective finishing times of 4m03.50s, 4m05.63s, and 4m04.11s. Laura Weightman firmly booked her place on the start line for the Women’s 1500m,
at next month’s World Athletics Championships, with two gutsy performances at the UK Championships, at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, on Saturday and Sunday 1st and 2nd July 2017. Commonwealth and European Silver and Bronze Medallist Weightman, won the slower of the two heats on Saturday, posting a modest time of 4m12.36s, to qualify for the Sunday final. Jessica Judd of Chelmsford, who had front run the fastest heat, to win in 4m11.96s, obviously posed the biggest threat to Weightman, in her quest to win back the British crown that she had lost to her great rival Laura Muir of Dundee, twelve months ago. Not surprisingly Judd very much tried to repeat her Saturday plan, however that came unstuck with 300m remaining, when Weightman took a chance to take the lead. Having gone through the bell in around 3m03s, Weightman sensed that Judd was weakening, and made her break for home. Although Judd made a final attempt to thwart Weightman’s effort, the Morpeth Olympian dug deep, to win in 4m06.49s, which although was a little bit adrift of her best, was enough to satisfy her that she had booked her place in London in August, and had regained her British crown. Meanwhile Judd, posted a finishing time of 4m07.09s, with former Jarrow and Hebburn athlete Sarah McDonald getting what could be a vital third place, in a time of 4m08.14s. At 8.05pm on the evening of Thursday 18th May, Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman
faced the Starter in her maiden track 5000m event, at the Bill Henry Track, Jack Kemp Stadium, Eagle Rock, in the City of Angels in California, which she superbly won by a fraction of a second, posting an excellent 15m08.24s, which ranks currently as No 2 in the UK, behind arch rival Laura Muir, who ran 14m49.12s, albeit Indoor, in the Glasgow Emirates Arena, in the BMC Championships on 4th January. Second place went to Colorado born Natosha Rogers, who clocked 15m08.29s, which for her also represented a personal best. This win will certainly prove to be a much welcome confidence booster for Weightman, who becomes 26 in July, and will strengthen her chances of a possible chances of an appearance at the World Athletics Championships, being held in London in August, despite her being stripped of funding following last year’s Olympics in Rio. Weightman has for a long time been a little sceptical of stepping up to the longer distance, however, this her first attempt at the twelve and a half laps, has paid rich dividends for her, and she can now sit down with her Coach Steve Cram, to possibly re-navigate her future in the sport, and seek new targets, in what is still very much a young athletics career. Morpeth Harriers had four Women’s teams in action at the annual
Gordon Smith Memorial Road Relays, held at Wallsend on Wednesday 10th May 2017. Their A team finished fourth behind North Shields Poly, Jarrow and Hebburn, and Tyne Bridge Harriers, in a total time of 36m18s, over the three legs, courtesy of Helen King (12m56s), Gemma Floyd (11m59s), and Jane Hodgson (11m23s). Morpeth’s Women’s B team finished 38th in 44m47s, with legs being performed by Helen Bruce (14m25s), Jenny Glossop (15m46s), and Jane Kirby (14m36s). Their C team were 50th in 46m59s, courtesy of Carol Parry (15m23s), Jane Blackett (16m17s), and Claire Hiscock (15m19s). Finally their D team finished 61st in 49m44s, with performances coming from Shuna Rank (15m43s), Frances Naylor (17m21s), and Susan Smith (16m40s). |
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