Thirteen athletes from Morpeth Harriers were among the ranks who lined up to take part in the ten events at Saturday’s annual CAU Inter Counties Cross Country Championships.
North East Cross Country Team Managers Stewy Bell (Male) and Lynn Cooper (Female) were forced into having to make several last-minute changes to their respective squads taking part in the event, which was also the final leg of the UK Cross Challenge, held at Prestwold Hall, near Loughborough in Leicestershire. Thankfully the ongoing threat of wintry showers throughout the previous couple of days had abated, and runners generally ran in sunny, dry conditions from the beginning, although there was evidence of a perhaps not unexpected slight chill in the air. Throughout the course of the afternoon however the ground did begin to cut up rapidly, and by the time the final event was underway parts of the course became extremely tricky underfoot. First up from the Morpeth contingent were the Under 20 Men, who no doubt had the best conditions for their 8k event. Two club members were in the North East squad, who eventually finished just outside the medals in fourth team place behind winners Kent, with Berkshire second, and Yorkshire in third place. James Tilley, and Matthew Walton, both having their first Inter Counties outings, were second and fourth counters, in a squad led home by Gateshead Harrier Josh Blevins, who was tenth. For their part, Tilley and Walton finished thirty fourth and forty fourth respectively, excellent runs in a field of 159 finishers, who were all led home by Berkshire’s Luke Birdseye, who took the Individual Gold Medal, added to by a team Silver when team scores became known. Next age group to face the Starter were the Under 13 Girls in their 3k event. In this event, the North East Counties claimed their only medals on the day, those being Bronze, behind winners Essex, and second placed Surrey. Unfortunately there were no Morpeth Harriers in the area squad, who were led home by Birtley's Olivia Murphy, who finished seventh. Fellow Birtley athlete sisters Nell and Kitty Graham also had a share of the spoils, finishing twenty fourth and twenty seventh, along with Houghton’s Kathryn Pye (59th). Catriona MacDonald was the only Morpeth Harrier in the Senior Women’s 8k event, finishing as second counter for a tenth-placed North East squad in 41st place. The squad were led home by North Shields Poly’s Charlotte Penfold, who finished 23rd. Winners of the Senior Women’s event were Surrey, with Leicester and Rutland second, and Yorkshire third. Ollie Calvert was undoubtedly Morpeth Harriers and the region's best performer on the day, when he finished fourth in the Under 15 Boys 4k event, leading the North East to seventh team place, with club colleague Ollie Tomlinson also coming home as third counter in 49th place. Scotland West were winners of the Under 15 Boys Championship, with Yorkshire and Scotland East having a close battle for the Minor spoils. The North East were well served by athletes from Morpeth Harriers in the Under 17 Men’s 6k event, with no fewer than five facing the starter. Houghton’s Brandon Pye ran well to lead the squad home in seventh place, to fifth team place, with Will Devere-Owen, Liam Roche, and Joe Dixon completing the scoring counts in twelfth, 45th, and 50th places respectively. Other Morpeth Harriers competing in the Under 17 Men’s event were Bertie Marr, and Elliot Kelso, who finished in 74th and 123rd places. Winners of the Under 17 Men’s Championship were Essex, just ahead of Scotland East, with Scotland West third. The North East Under 20 Women finished just outside the medals in their 6k event, with Morpeth’s Millie Breese being the second counter home in 37th place. Yorkshire were clear winners of the Under 20 Women’s event, with Sussex and Greater Manchester on level points in second and third places, with the latter losing out on countback. North East Men’s Team Manager Bell, was very much forced to restructure his Senior Men’s squad for their 10k event, and will be a little disappointed by his squad finishing as ninth team. Sam Hancox was the only Morpeth Harrier in his final line-up. Hancox was fourth counter, finishing 86th. Team winners of the Senior Men’s event were Leicester and Rutland, with Hampshire and Lancashire fighting a close battle for the Minor placings. Ewan Line of Morpeth Harriers had his first taste of Inter Counties Cross Country in the Under 13 Boys 3k event, finishing in 122nd place, but only a few seconds outside a scoring count to a team which finished eighth behind winners Hertfordshire, second placed Derbyshire, and third placed Surrey. The North East Under 15 Girls and Under 17 Women’s squads who finished 24th and 10th respectively did not feature any Morpeth Harriers in their line-ups. Winners of the Under 15 Girls team title were Yorkshire, with the minor placings going to Scotland West and Merseyside. The Under 17 Women’s team title went to Yorkshire, with Berkshire finishing second, just ahead of Greater Manchester. The region has certainly had better days in this competition, but the athletes who turned out worked hard to give of their best, and those girls from Birtley AC could certainly return with smiles on their faces. There were some 88 finishers at Sunday’s Brough Law Fell Race, run from Bulby’s Wood Car Park in the Ingram Valley over a challenging circular route that takes in over 1200 feet of climbing, with the difficulties added to by some very windy conditions. The race was won by Northumberland Fell Runner Craig Jones in a time of 39 minutes and 59 seconds with Mick Jones 2nd in 40:09 and Jonathan Graham 3rd (40:50), with Jones’s fellow NFR runner Richie Hughes 4th in 42:56 and also the first member of Morpeth Harriers home. Cat Macdonald made light of her previous day’s exertions at Loughborough to finish in 15th place and 1st female in 47:36, with father Alistair not too far behind in 23rd (49:28). Running in his NFR vest, Morpeth Harrier Lee Bennett was one place ahead of Cat in 14th in 47:31 and was also 1st Over 50 finisher. Club colleague Jamie Johnson was 30th in 50:31, Mike Winter 39th in 53:21, and Richard and Jane Kirby 47th and 48th in 56:01 and 56:08. Congratulations to Mike Steven, late of this parish, for his organisational efforts, and also to Jane Briggs. Also to the many members of the club who helped out on the day. The curtain came down for the NEHL cross country season at Alnwick on Saturday, but not before Morpeth Harriers had wrapped the season up in style with two individual and two team wins.
Once again organised with loving care by local hosts Alnwick Harriers and held in the splendid setting of The Pastures, with its panoramic views across to the castle (draped this year in scaffolding), a chilly afternoon’s action was kicked off by the Under 11 racers. Numbers for Morpeth have grown for this over the season, so this time it was good to see no less than five boys and four girls turning out, with three debutants running for the first time in blue and white. Jacob Thompson was first back in 4th place for the boys, with Lewis Baillie in 27th and Jack Dhawar 33rd having their first taste of cross country action for the club. George Moll was 30th and Eli Mcsparron 34th. Ever present Lucy Raper, who to her credit has run every fixture this season, was 5th in the matching girls race, with Lewis’s sister Heather, like her brother running for the first time, coming home in 31st . Zoe Tomlinson was 13th and Emily Hodgson 22nd. The first individual Gold came from another debutant, with James Rothwell in the U/13 boys first home, while there were no less than seven other team mates running in a squad that has grown in confidence and success as the season has gone on, and whose future looks promising. Ewan Line was 5th, Michael Leeson 29th, Daniel Vermaas 33rd and Evan Laude 42nd, all out of Fast Pack, with William Hawkins 47th, Edward Roff, another debutant, 49th and William Mcbryde 50th, all from Slow. The team were 2nd on the day and finish 5th overall, largely due to a disappointing showing at Aykley Heads. Emma Tomlinson was 11th from Fast Pack in the U/13 girls and Faye Heatley 16th, with Emma finishing 3rd overall in the season’s individual Grand Prix tables and Faye 6th. The squad finish 8th overall, but would undoubtedly have placed much higher with complete teams in all races. There were team and individual Golds in the U/15 boys race, where Oli Calvert once more showed a clean pair of heels to the opposition, and in the process cemented the individual title. With support from Oliver Tomlinson, 2nd in the Grand Prix standings, and and 6th on the day, and Ben Moll 13th, the team were winners over nearest rivals NSP and also take the overall title for the season. Dan Burrow was also 35th and Stephen Craske 40th, both now out of Fast. Megan Potrac was 27th and Charlotte Marshall 35th in the U/15 girls race, and, although sadly short of a third team counter, credit must go to Charlotte who battled on gamely to finish despite falling over an exposed tree root, the injury requiring treatment at the end. Like the U/13s, the team finish 8th overall but, once again, have been one short too often. Megan secured 15th in the final GP tables and Charlotte 26th. The second team win went to the club’s all-conquering U/17 boys squad, whose win on the day meant that they completed the remarkable achievement of winning the team title at all six of the fixtures. They were led home by Will de Vere Owen, 2nd to a Slow Pack runner but recording the day’s fastest time and also, like Calvert, top of the final Grand Prix standings. Bertie Marr in 4th, Elliot Kelso in 5th and Joe Close in 11th have also finished well up the final GP tables, in 5th, 4th and 6th respectively, with Elliot Mavir 28th on Saturday also. Local team GB triathlete Millie Breese was the club’s only runner in the U17 and 20 women’s race, finishing 4th but recording the day’s second fastest time over the distance to Anna Pigford of Houghton AC. Once again the largest field of nearly 500 runners was in the day’s Senior Men’s race, with the club fielding nineteen finishers in total. Most prominent amongst these was Matty Briggs, who had originally turned up to support his Mum in the Senior Women, but whose late decision to run was very nearly rewarded with a victory. With last week’s National Cross Country no doubt still in his legs, and having led for over two of the three laps, he was slowly reeled in by Durham City’s U/20 Morgan Kendall, whose final winning margin was a mere eight seconds. At least team manager Scaife’s borrowed vest recorded its highest placed finish. There was excellent team support from cross country stalwart Andy Lawrence, 19th from Fast Pack and 9th in the end of season GP tables also, James Tilley, 25th in his first outing since his promotion to Fast Pack, Richie Hughes, 38th from Medium and Rob Balmbra, also newly promoted in 51st, and final counter Alistair Douglas, 93rd, the last two both from Fast. Andriy Volkov just missed out on the counters in 94th, but certainly deserves a mention as he has completed five out of the six races. Other finishers included: Jason Dawson, 101st from Slow; Andrew Hebden, 112th from Medium; Richard Glennie, 127th from Medium; Mark Snowball, 200th from Fast; Shaun Land, 228th from Medium; Lee Bennett, 261st from Fast; Al Macdonald, 265th from Slow; Dave Nicholson, 305th from Slow; Andy Leeson, 310th from Slow; Richard Kirby, 320th from Slow; Neil MacAnany, 325th from Slow and Steve Johnstone, 341st from Slow. The club finished 3rd on the day behind rivals Tyne Bridge Harriers by only 8 points, with North Shields Polytechnic Harriers turning out a strong team and finishing in 1st on 53. However, with four out of six team wins and a 4th place (at Druridge, the nearest fixture ironically) to add to Saturday’s 3rd, the squad retained the coveted Senior Men’s title won last year by a big margin of eight points ahead of TBH with Gateshead in 3rd. Durham City look to be on a comeback, and will provide some stiff opposition next year after promotion. Congrats also to Matt Walton, 4th in the Senior GP in his first season, Kieran Walker of NE Project winning ahead of Conrad Franks (of the wide-spread arms) and TBH’s Michael Hedley, and also to JB, 4th in the Vets table, won by the redoubtable Mr. Mckenna. Lee was also 12th. Fastest time on Saturday was by Houghton’s Chris Coulson with 36:21, by the way. The day’s only real disappointment was seeing the club’s Senior Women miss out on the women’s overall title by a frustrating margin of only one point to rivals Tyne Bridge after such a good season. With so many of Morpeth’s runners promoted to Fast Pack as the rounds have unfurled, the squad’s been a victim of its own success in a way, while the Newcastle outfit were in contrast again able to call on a debutant from Slow Pack and two from Medium for three of their four counters to help secure their win. Jane Hodgson capped a remarkable season, however, with 7th place and the day’s second fastest time behind NSP’s flying Charlotte Penfold, who won from Slow Pack with a margin of nearly two minutes, recording the day’s fastest time, from Elswick’s Justina Heslop, herself no slouch of course and TBH’s first finisher in 3rd from Slow. Jane was followed by fellow veteran Morag Stead in 16th from Fast and Anna Wright 34th from Medium. The final team counter was Gwenda Cavill, 86th from Slow, with the team 5th on the day. Another big turn out saw another eight finishers. Robyn Bennett was 109th from Medium, Jane Briggs 120th from Slow, Linzi Quinn 132nd from Fast, Claire Calverley 153rd from Medium, Jane Kirby 168th and Julie Vermaas 181st, both from Fast, Mhairi Line 189th from Medium and Fran Robson 381st from Slow. For Jane and Morag there was at least the consolation of finishing 1st and 2nd in the final GP veteran tables, with Cat also heading the Seniors table, with Lizzie Rank 13th and Linzi 16th. Perhaps worth noting that the vagaries of the NEHL are such that there wasn’t actually one TBH runner in the top ten of either the Senior or Veteran Women’s tables. 2nd overall last year also, on that occasion to Elswick Harriers, the Morpeth squad will certainly be hoping that next year it will be a case of third time lucky. So three out of eight team Golds at the end of the season, and one Silver. Also four individual Golds, one Silver and two Bronzes to boot. Not a bad haul at the end of a long and hard fought season. Thanks from the club to all who turned up and ran, wherever you finished. Hope you enjoyed it. See you at Wrekenton in September. Final league positions are available here. Pictures courtesy of Stuart Whitman - see here for full gallery of images. The 6th and final round of the Start Fitness sponsored NEHL takes place at Alnwick Pastures on Saturday.
Probably the most scenic of the NEHL venues, with panoramic views of Alnwick Castle in the distance, it’s almost a home fixture for us, run over a parkland course which shouldn’t be too muddy and on which, for once, the downhills are perhaps the most challenging, with lots of exposed tree roots and stony ground. There are usually good refreshment and toileting facilities, and the Morpeth tent will hopefully be, as ever, under the first tree on the right as you come down the hill. Please note parking will be at Alnwick Gardens once again and will cost – check NEHL facebook page and bring some change! A lot of people were rushing to make starts of Senior races last year due to not factoring in parking or walking from car park. There’s a lot to turn out for this time, with the club at the top of no less than four of the eight divisions (U/15 Boys, U/17 Boys, Senior Men and Women), but in addition it would be good to get some big numbers out, and complete teams in some of the categories where we’ve struggled to do so this season. Info on NEHL website and NEHL Facebook page. Still time to register runners who haven’t yet competed. Let’s finish the season in style. Thirteen Morpeth Harriers travelled across to the North West on Saturday to take part in the 2023 Saucony National Cross Country Championships, held in the grounds of Bolesworth Castle, south of Chester, close to the Welsh border.
The ancestral home of the Barbour family for over 160 years, the undulating course was a marked contrast to the many hillier and muddier venues experienced in past seasons, with one of the main challenges this time to negotiate some sections of long rough in the park land. Despite not bringing home any medals, the club once again gave a very respectable account of itself and was at the front of teams from the region. Best placed finishers were in the Under 17 Boys, for whom Liam Roche placed inside the top 20 in 18th place, recording 21 minutes 54 seconds for the 6 kilometre course. Liam was supported by Elliot Kelso in 47th position (22:36) and Bertie Marr in 60th (22:57) with Joe Close 119th (24:02). The team finished 5th overall, a strong placing, especially considering the absence of the squad’s two fastest finishers in the Northern Championships last month. Winners were Aldershot Farnham and District, for whom 2nd placed James Dargan was first back, with Shaftesbury Barnet’s Henry Dover 1st in 20:39 Morpeth’s other team performance came in the final event of the day, the Senior Men’s race over 12 kms, where nearly 1500 runners finished. Led home once again by Carl Avery, who has been in excellent form all Winter, the team finished just outside the top ten, 11th of 99 complete teams from across the country. Carl was part of a leading group at the sharp end of the race from the start, finishing in 11th place overall in a time of 36:56, less than a minute behind race winner James Kingston of Tonbridge AC, who won by a margin of six seconds from Jack Gray of Cambridge and Coleridge AC with David Stone of Shaftesbury Barnet in 3rd. The team prize was won, perhaps unsurprisingly, by Leeds City AC, whose sixth counter was 41st with the team winning by a margin of over sixty points from Cambridge and Coleridge, with Tonbridge in third. Carl was supported by Sam Hancox, having a much better run this time in 80th place (38:54), a rather under the weather Phil Winkler (102nd in 39:37), Matty Briggs (128th in 40:04), Connor Marshall (177th I in 40:48) and the indefatigable wheel man Andrew Lawrence (252nd in 41:52), with the club third from the North of England behind Leeds City and Salford Harriers, and first from the North East. Tyne Bridge were 60th and Sunderland Harriers 83rd , with Gateshead not fielding a team. In the U/15 Boys race over 4kms, Oliver Calvert ran well to place 11th (15:12) with club colleague Oliver Tomlinson putting recent injuries scares behind him in 49th (15:56). A shame the club couldn’t get four out, as the team would have had a good chance of top ten or higher. The race was won by Wolverhampton and Bilston’s Owen Ulfig in 14:40 Oliver’s sister Zoe placed 161st in the U/13 Girls race, where Birtley’s flying youngsters were one short, sad proof that it doesn’t just happen to us when we look well set to place. The Senior Women’s race over 8 kms was won by Sarah Astin of Belgrave Harriers in 29:28 ahead of Charnwood’s Gemma Steel (29:33) and Blackheath and Bromley’s Niamh Bridson-Hubbard (29:43). Team honours went to Charnwood AC ahead of Aldershot Farnham and District and Sheffield Hallamshire Harriers, with Leeds City 4th. Tyne Bridge were the only NE team to complete, in 21st position with Amy Fuller in 99th position. NECAA winner Philippa Stone of Middlesbrough AC was 18th in 31:07. Meanwhile Cat Macdonald travelled North of the border to Callendar Park, Falkirk for the Scottish Cross Country Championships, where, representing Bellahouston RR, she had an excellent run to finish in 10th place in a time of 39:40 for the 10 kms course. The race was won by Scout Adkin of Moorfoot Runners in a time of 37:15. |
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