16 harriers take part in grand prix season opener

The opening meeting of the 2025 North East Grand Prix series took place at Monkton Stadium, Jarrow, on Wednesday 30 April.
Morpeth Harriers had 16 members in action and had a winner as early as the first event, when Under 15 Boy Charlie Townsend crossed the finish line in 19.59s in the 150m.
Townsend also finished an excellent second in a later run 75m, posting a time of 10.26s.
All of the other performances for the club on the night, centred on the series of 1500m events.
In a superb competitive fastest race, Finn Brodie led the Morpeth charge, coming home in fifth place, posting a personal best time of 3m54.20s.
A whisker away from Finn was club colleague Alistair Douglass, who had an excellent run, finishing seventh, also posting new figures of 3m55.59s.
Other Morpeth Harriers running in the fastest race were Josh Fiddaman (9th) 3m56.91s, Joseph Close (10th) 3m58.33s, and Elliot Kelso (11th) 4m02.43s.
In the second fastest 1500m race, Morpeth’s Ollie Tomlinson finished in twelfth place, posting a time of 4m16.74s.
Jason Dawson finished seventh in the fifth fastest 1500m, in a time of 4m47.66s.
Morpeth Under 15 Girl Heidi Wilkinson posted a personal best time of 5m01.79s, when finishing sixth in the sixth fastest 1500m event.
Club colleague Emma Tomlinson also produced new figures of 5m06.36s, when finishing in eleventh place.
Emma’s younger sister Zoe also produced new figures of 5m11.80s, when finishing seventh in the seventh fastest race.
Club colleague Charlotte Marshall finished 17th in the same race, posting a season’s best of 5m59.40s.
Four Morpeth Harriers faced the starter in the eighth fastest 1500m.
They were led home by Mason Gaylor, who won the event in a new personal best time of 4m50.48s.
Not far behind him in second place was club colleague Hector Beere, who posted a time of 5m21,44s.
Under 13 Brothers Joseph and Willliam Fawcett were Morpeth’s other finishers, in fifth and eighth places respectively, posting finishing times of 5m30.51s, and 5m49.14s.

* Morpeth's Joseph Close produced a personal best time of 1m54.06s, when finishing fifth in a fast 800m A Race at a regional BMC Meeting, held at Gateshead Stadium on Sunday 4 May.
He finished just ahead of Morpeth club colleagues Alistair Douglass and Josh Fiddaman, who posted times of 1m55.29s, and 1m55.69s, respectively.
In the 3000m A race, Morpeth’s Connor Marshall finished seventh in 8m58.99s.
Tom Innes finished eighth in the B race, posting a time of 9m54.71s.