3000m contest highlight at hedley cup

Birtley's Chris Perkins on his way to victory at Jarrow. Photo: Stuart Whitman

Although the opening 800m event of the night for the Jimmy Hedley Cup was meant to be the showpiece at the second NEGP Meeting held at Jarrow’s Monkton Stadium, it was the first 3000m event which certainly caught the spectator’s eye, as 16 athletes battled it out over seven and a half laps, with the lead changing hands on many occasions.
Midway through the event, on the evening of 24 May, Richmond and Zetland’s Charlie Stephenson went to the front, a lead that he held onto for almost two laps.
Gateshead’s Josh Blevins who had been prominent in the early stages slipped back slightly, as the pace heated up, courtesy of Stephenson, Houghton’s Chris Coulson, Newcastle University’s Sean Barry, and Birtley’s Chris Perkins, who was the event favourite.
It was truly anybody’s race at the bell, and in fact the race lead changed hands no less than five times over the final lap.
Morpeth Harriers' hopes rose with 200m remaining, as their Under 20 athletes James Tilley and Will De Vere-Owen mounted a two-pronged attack on Perkins as the finish line beckoned.
Entering the finish straight Tilley was out in front and looked to be on the verge of a superb victory.
That was until Perkins struck again, just before the finish line in the final strides, to claim his win in a brand new personal best time of 8m31.94s, taking almost six seconds off his previous figures.
For Tilley, who finished second in 8m32.31s, and De Vere-Owen who finished third in 8m32.84s, there was undoubted elation in consolation by the fact that they had bettered previous figures by a mammoth sixteen and twelve seconds respectively.
Another Morpeth Harriers performer of note was Connor Marshall, who gallantly battled through to finish fifth in 8m33.93s, bettering his previous figures by ten seconds.
William Cork finished in eighth place, posting a season’s best of 8m36.69s.
Other Morpeth Harriers in action in the 3000m were Alistair Douglass (11th) 8m47.15s, a new personal best by seven seconds, Joe Dixon (12th) 8m47.29s, taking 16 seconds off previous figures, Elliot Kelso (13th) 8m48.32s, a new personal best by 26 seconds, and Liam Roche (14th) 8m49.48s, a whole 43-second improvement here.
Twelve athletes faced the starter in the opening heat of ten 800m events, where the first event winner was presented with the Jimmy Hedley Cup, in honour of the late former Jarrow and Hebburn Coach, who was also the mentor for international legends Steve Cram and David Sharpe.
Henry Johnson of Houghton Harriers received the winner’s trophy from Jimmy’s daughter Dianne Holmes, after achieving his victory in 1m51.41s, holding off the late challenge from Birtley AC’s Adrian Bailes, who posted a new personal best of 1m52.62s.
Amongst the 12-strong field in the race were four Morpeth Harriers.
The quartet were headed by Under 17 Man Joseph Close, who finished ninth, and improving his personal best by four seconds, when posting a finishing time of 1m55.61s.
Behind Close came Morpeth club colleagues Peter Smallcombe (10th) 1m56.28s, a new personal best by four and a half seconds, Matthew Waterfield (11th) 1m57.15s, an improvement of marginally under two seconds, and Bertie Marr (12th) 1m59.31s, a new personal best by five seconds.
In race two, Mark Banks finished third out of ten in the field, posting a season’s best of 1m59.85s.
Oliver Tomlinson of Morpeth Harriers finished fifth in the third fastest heat of the 800m, posting a time of 2m10.31s, which was a two second improvement on previous figures.
In heat five, Morpeth’s Caitlin Flanagan posted a season’s best of 2m26.66s, when finishing tenth.
Morpeth’s Daniel Burrow very nearly pulled off a win for himself in the sixth heat of the 800m, when he took the lead from the break point after 100m.
He led untilthe final strides, as he finished second to Durham City’s Cian Rynne, posting a time of 2m20.45s, in his first competitive 800m.
Morpeth’s Under 13 Boy Ewan Line finished ninth in this race, posting a new personal best of 2m29.99s, taking two seconds off his previous figures.
In the seventh race of the ten, Morpeth’s Emma Tomlinson improved on her 800m time by two and a half seconds, when clocking 2m34.09s for tenth place.
Brother and Sister Thomas and Molly Roche, younger siblings of Under 20 Man Liam, lined up in direct opposition to each other in the eighth race of the 800m.
Both posted respective new personal bests, of 2m35.40s, and 2m39.0s, taking four and a half and two seconds, as they finished second and sixth, so it was a happy drive home that night for the pair of them.
In heat nine, Morpeth’s Charlotte Marshall, younger sister of Connor, produced a season’s best of 2m53.54s, as she finished eighth.
Rounding off the Morpeth 800m performances was Under 13 Girl Zoe Tomlinson, younger sister of Ollie and Emma, who took eight seconds off her best time, when posting 2m58.96s, when finishing fifth in the final heat.
Again, Daniel Burrow of Morpeth Harriers employed front running tactics from the gun, however on this occasion, he managed to claim victory, as in heat five of the 200m, he posted a first-time effort of 27.55s.
Ellie Wickens of Morpeth Harriers finished fifth in heat four of the 200m, posting a season’s best of 28.90s.
Under 13 Boy Ewan Line finished seventh in heat six of the 200m in 31.87s.
Morpeth’s Edward Gardiner was the club's only Field Event athlete in action on the night.
He won a close contest with Gateshead’s Ryan Cook in the Under 20 Men’s Discus, managing a best throw of 36.77m, to Cook’s 34.35m.