On her Senior International debut in the Great Edinburgh Cross Country event on Saturday 13th January 2018, Morpeth Harrier Mhairi MacLennan finished 21st in the Women’s 6k event. Posting a time of 22m05s, she was ninth home for Great Britain, behind European Champion Yasmin Can of Turkey, who won in 20m58s, two seconds ahead of GB’s leading finisher Emelia Gorecka of Aldershot and Farnham. North East Cross-Country action got underway for 2018, when the fourth Start Fitness Harrier League took place at an extremely wet and muddy Herrington Country Park, near Penshaw, Co Durham on Saturday 6th January 2018. Heavy overnight rain had certainly taken its toll, and although it had ceased by the time proceedings got underway, it was not long before most of the course had developed into a quagmire of wet mud, which made conditions most testing for competitors in the ten-event programme. As usual, athletes from Morpeth Harriers were well to the fore in some of the hotly contested events, especially on the Male side of the club, where on the day performances, which included two team victories, at the end of affairs, saw the club lead all of the Male gender age groups cumulatively after four meetings, an achievement that has been rarely surpassed. Morpeth’s on the day team wins came from their Under 17 Men and Under 15 Boys squads, and in addition, two third team placings were achieved by both their Senior Men’s and Under 13 Boys squads. On the Female side, only their Senior Women mounted a team challenge, finishing seventh on the day in Division 1, which cumulatively still leaves them top of the Division by six points, in front of their closest opposition Tyne Bridge Harriers. There were also a number of good individual performances within the ranks. One such performance was Euan Duffin, who is quietly developing into a very talented athlete, however he is also a very talented footballer, and is therefore having difficulty devoting his time to both sports. However, on Saturday, because of match cancellations he had made himself available, and he rose to the challenge well by finishing second in the Under 15 Boys event from the Slow Pack, and led his club to team victory, with extra valued team support coming from Alex Porteous, who was returning to the sport after a lengthy lay-off. Porteous, also running from the Slow Pack, finished in eleventh place, with the Morpeth winning team count being closed by Tom Balsdon, who finished in fifteenth place from the Fast Pack. Other Morpeth Under 15 Boy performances came from Dylan Davies (21st) (Fast Pack), Ben Walker (32nd) (Fast Pack), Jack Findlayson (47th) (Slow Pack), and Jonny Kidd (50th) (Fast Pack), who is struggling with troublesome injuries at the present time. Finishing fourth from the Fast Pack, Taylor Glover led the Morpeth Under 17 Men home to team victory, with added team support coming from Daniel Melling (7th) (Fast Pack), and Matthew Waterfield (8th) (Fast Pack). These factors clearly underline the strength in depth in the squad, with them being left with the bare three to count. North Eastern Counties Cross Country medallists Rory Leonard and Daniel Dixon were both unavailable. In Leonard’s case he was competing in a highly competitive UK Cross Challenge event in Antrim, Ireland, where he finished an excellent second in the combined Under 17/Under 20 Men’s event, only a mere five seconds adrift of race winner Jamie Battle of Ireland, who was an Under 20 athlete. Leonard was leading Under 17 Man, finishing six places and thirty-five seconds ahead of his nearest age group challenger Cian McPhillips, also of Ireland. Dixon was absent however, having fallen victim to illness over the Christmas period. Back to the action at Herrington, where Morpeth’s Senior Men finished third on the day in Division 1, behind winners Sunderland Harriers, and second placed Tyne Bridge Harriers, who pose the biggest threat to Morpeth’s Championship ambitions, being only two points adrift with only the two fixtures at Thornley and Alnwick remaining. A full-blooded effort from the club over these fixtures is definitely required, if championship success is to be achieved. On Saturday, Morpeth were led home by Lewis Timmins, who has returned to the club, following a short spell with Gosforth Harriers, who were his first club before his previous transfer to Morpeth. Running from the Fast Pack, Timmins determinately made his way through to finish eleventh, posting the second fastest time of the day, only bettered by Sunderland Harrier Oliver James, son of former Morpeth Man, Albert, who is currently Sunderland’s Men’s Team Manager. James, back on holiday leave from his American University, won from the Slow Pack from Jarrow & Hebburn’s Graeme Taylor, by a margin of 94 seconds. Taylor is also a former Morpeth runner, having returned to his previous club during 2017. Meanwhile Timmins’s excellent performance was well supported in Morpeth team affairs by Sam Hancox (13th) (Fast Pack), Kieran Hedley (14th) (Fast Pack), Jordan Scott (22nd) (Fast Pack), Rob Hancox (49th) (Slow Pack), and Tim Miley (105th) (Medium Pack). The clubs’ other performer Richard Castledine also did well to finish 152nd from the Fast Pack, in a total finishing field of 483 hardy competitors, who were now tramping through ankle deep mud of monstrous proportions, typical genuine Cross-Country stuff. Posting the fifth fastest overall time, Sam Tate led Morpeth Harriers Under 13 Boys home to third team place. The ever-improving Tate, worked his way through from the Fast Pack, to finish in seventh place overall, and was well supported in his clubs’ team count by James Tilley (19th) (Slow Pack), and Bertie Marr, who was 23rd from the Fast Pack, posting the fifteenth equal fastest time in the finishing field of 62 competitors, that also included Morpeth athlete Ryan Davies, who finished 27th from the Fast Pack, and was eighteenth fastest overall. Morpeth Harriers Senior Women finished seventh on the day in their Division 1 encounter, however remain in front by five points from Tyne Bridge Harriers, with Elvet Striders a further two points adrift in third place after four fixtures. Again, as with the clubs Senior Men, it is very much a case of ensuring good turnout over the remaining two fixtures if they are to maintain Championship ambitions. Morpeth New Years Day Road Race winner Jane Hodgson led her clubs’ scoring contingent home, when finishing an excellent second from the Fast Pack, only losing out for victory to Saltwell Harrier Anna Martin by a mere nine seconds, after giving Martin a 220 seconds handicap start advantage. Hodgson was fastest on the course, holding off the close attentions of Gosforth Harrier Helen Warburton, who finished third, fifteen seconds adrift. Further Morpeth Senior Women’s team support came courtesy of Gemma Floyd, recently returned from a family holiday in Australia, who finished an excellent 18th from the Fast Pack, and was eighth fastest in the finishing field of 331. Closing the Morpeth scoring four were Gwenda Cavill, also having a welcome return competitively after injury, and Jane Briggs, who finished in 126th and 141st places respectively from the Medium Pack. Other Morpeth “Mud larker’s” in action were Sue Smith (160th) (Slow Pack), Carol Parry (192nd) (Slow Pack), Lesley Chapman (199th) (Slow Pack), and Frances Naylor (256th) (Slow Pack), who all added to a splendid club effort on the day. One Morpeth Harrier who certainly can not be faulted for her all-season efforts is Holly Peck, who once again produced a top drawer run in the Under 15 Girls event. Running from the Fast Pack, she clocked the days second fastest time, only a mere five seconds adrift of race winner Ines Curran of Gateshead Harriers, and three seconds ahead of Chester Le Street’s Emily Chong in third place, fourth place going to Houghton’s Lydia James, again from the Fast Pack, a further five seconds adrift. Morpeth’s two athletes in the combined Under 17/Under 20 Women’s event produced superb runs, and both mastered the increasingly testing conditions well, all things being considered. Ella Duffield, running from the Slow Pack, maintained decent pace throughout the two laps, to come home in fourth place overall. Six seconds behind her was club colleague Gracie Hufton, who continued her excellent form, as she finished a very accomplished eighth, from the Fast Pack, posting the fourth fastest overall time in the field of 35 athletes, a classy performance indeed. Unfortunately, Morpeth did not manage to field a third runner to mount a significant team challenge here. Faye Archbold competed well for Morpeth in the Under 13 Girls event, when finishing 35th from the Slow Pack.
In the non-scoring Under 11 Boy’s event that opened the ten-race programme, Oliver Tomlinson made a very impressive competitive debut in a Morpeth vest, finishing eighth in a total field of 62, only thirty seconds adrift of the winner. Keira Peck, younger sister of Holly, finished 29th in the Under 11 Girls event, amongst a field of 61. On Saturday 6th January, Morpeths Rory Leonard lined up in a highly competitive UK Cross Challenge event in Antrim, Ireland, where he finished an excellent second in the combined Under 17/Under 20 Men’s race,
only a mere five seconds adrift of race winner Jamie Battle of Ireland, who was an Under 20 athlete. Leonard was leading Under 17 Man, finishing six places and thirty-five seconds ahead of his nearest age group challenger Cian McPhillips, also of Ireland.
Ross Floyd and Jane Hodgson of Morpeth Harriers began their 2018 competitive year in style
by winning the respective Men’s and Women’s titles in the annual Morpeth New Year’s Day Road Race. 157 finishers took part in the event organised by Morpeth Harriers, which can certainly now be regarded as the ideal replacement for the now defunct Morpeth to Newcastle Road Race, which effectively ended its long historic life in 2004. Despite early morning rain, conditions were relatively ideal for those enthusiasts taking part, as the runners set off from the bottom of Dogger Bank on Mitford Road, navigating the usual approximately 11k route, taking in Mitford, Mitford Steads, and heading back to Morpeth, via Whalton Road, Sun Inn, Carlisle Park, to the usual grassy finish line on the Stanners. The early pace, saw four Morpeth Harriers, Floyd, San Hancox, Lewis Timmins, and Karl Taylor very much at the helm of things, along with Trafford’s Jeff Prest, North Shields Poly’s Graeme Cook, Keswick’s George Foster, and Tyne Bridge’s Sparrow Morley. Eventually the four Morpeth Men broke clear, as Taylor forced the pace. As the quartet headed down the Whalton Road, and the home run, Taylor began to wilt slightly, leaving Floyd, Hancox, and Timmins, battling for the top three places. Timmins became detached as they swept past the Sun Inn, and it was very much a close and tense battle between Floyd, and club colleague Hancox, as the finish line beckoned on the Stanners, as the pair went through the gates of the picturesque Carlisle Park. Hancox, who was very much resurrecting his running career, following an injury ridden 2017, attempted to break Floyd, however, the Northumbria Healthcare GP was determined not to be beaten, and it was he who made it to the finish line first, to win by five seconds, posting a time of 34m50s. Meanwhile Hancox finished second, with Timmins completing a Morpeth Harriers one-two-three, posting a time 35m12s. First three for the promoting club, became first four, when early leader Karl Taylor came home in 35m31s. The Morpeth sequence was halted, when Keswick AC runner George Foster finished fifth in 37m15s.
Jane Hodgson was actually the next Morpeth Harriers finisher home,
which also saw her take the Women’s title for the second year running. Hodgson had been close to the leaders in the early stages before Mitford, and had settled into a steady rhythm of pace just adrift of the top ten finishers, posting a time of 40m11s for eleventh place overall. Second place in the Women’s race went to Hodgson’s club colleague Catriona MacDonald, who finished eighteenth in 41m36s. Third Woman home was Alnwick’s Rachelle Falloon, who was 22nd overall in 42m08s. Fourth Woman home was Elswick Harrier Judith Nutt, who was 28th in 42m36s, and the top five Women were completed by Durham City’s Rachel Bentley, who finished 62nd in 48m17s.
Race Director Kevin Bray thanked all Club Members and Friends, who turned out on the day to assist with Course Marshalling, and other much required duties, to make the event once again a success.
Following on from the event, Morpeth Harriers would like the following to make contact with the club, either by Email on morpethharriers@aol.com, or Mike Bateman on 01670712228, as they were Late Entries who are eligible for prizes, and did not attend the after race presentation. Paul McLeod (Race No 68), Jeannie Brady (Race No 230), and Les Hill (Dumfries Running Club) (Race No 87). Other athlete prizes not already collected, will be passed to their club representatives at forthcoming events.
2018 Morpeth Road Race Video
2018 Morpeth Road Race Video courtesy of Morpeth TV News and YouTube
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