It’s been a busy few weeks of action for the club, with a number of Track and Field fixtures taking place, including the North East Championships, the NEGP series and the Senior and NEYDL leagues. See reports below for these.
 
Elsewhere, the relay season has continued apace, with the Gordon Smith Relays following hard on the heels of the NEMAA Road Relay Championships. Locally, the Les Allcorn 10k multi terrain was followed by the popular Sunderland City Runs.
 
Les Allcorn 10k
 
Held in the grounds of Hulne Park on Tuesday 6 May, this year’s Les Allcorn was won by local lad Liam McDonough in a time of 34 minutes and 47 seconds.
 
Morpeth’s Cat Macdonald was 1st female finisher and also 6th overall in a time of 37:16.
 
Lee Cuthbertson was not far behind, 8th in 37:44, with Nicola McCoy 21st in 47:37.
 
Sad to see numbers falling off (and results hard to find) for what had always previously been a popular fixture, not least with Morpeth Harriers. Hopefully there’ll be a pick-up next year, although proximity to other races clearly hasn’t helped.
 
North East Masters Athletics Association Road Relays
 
Bedewell Park was once again the venue the following night for the annual NEMAA road relay championships, with two races, the first for women and male vets over 65, the second for male vets 35 and over, with Morpeth fielding six teams across the two fixtures.
 
Race 1 was won by Wallsend Harriers in a time of 31 minutes 42 seconds, for whom Jennifer Berry ran the day’s fastest time of 9:49.
 
Houghton Harriers 0/65s were the surprise winners of the Men’s, finishing in 34:50 with Morpeth’s team of Gavin Bayne (11:13), Richard Sill (12:59) and Stephen Land (12:45) clocking 36:57 for 2nd place. Gavin’s 11:13 was however the fastest O/65 time of the night, with Richard also recording the fastest O/70.
                                                                                
The club’s O/45 team of Jill Bennett (13:35), Margaret Macdonald (15:22) and Nicola McCoy (12:34) were 31st overall, clocking 41:32 for 7th in their category.

If anything, competition seems to be getting tougher at the sharp end in these races, and Race 2 was no exception, with Sunderland Harriers (26:51) seeing off Gateshead by only two seconds in O/35s.
 
Morpeth’s team of Jimmy Dixon (9:25), Tom Straughan (9:07) and James Deathe (9:36) finished 6th in a cumulative time of 28:08.
 
There was further medal success for the club, however, in both the 45s and 55s, both team and individually.
 
The O/45s team of Andrew Ball (9:33), team manager John Butters (9:44) and Ian Armstrong (9:47) finished 8th overall in 29:04, but were fastest O/45 team, with Ball 3rd O/45 (and Butters and Armstrong 4th and 5th O/50s).
 
The O/55s of Rob Hancox (10:10), Tony Horsley (11:32) and Lee Bennett (10:06) were 23rd overall but 2nd O/55s to Sunderland Harriers by the narrowest of margins – one second! Bennett and Hancox were 1st and 2nd O/55s however.
 
Sunderland City Runs
 
Sunday 11 May saw the staging of the Sunderland City Runs, with both a half marathon and a 10k being run.
 
The half marathon was won by Highgate Harrier Monte Watson in 1 hour 9 minutes 33 seconds, with South Shields Harrier Jackie Murdy 1st woman home in 1:28:57.
 
Morpeth’s Jake Parmley was 26th in 1:21:05.
 
The 10k was won in 30:44 by New Marske’s Lewis Gamble-Thompson in 30:44, with NSP’s Stacey Smith clocking 36:23 as 1st female finisher.
 
Gordon Smith Relays
 
The popular Gordon Smith Relays took place on a slightly amended course at Cobalt Business Park, Wallsend the following Wednesday, with the usual requirement for each time of three needing to include one Over 35 runner and Morpeth putting out some seven teams this time.
 
In the women’s race, Morpeth’s A team of Holly Lawrence (12:23), Kirsty Burville (12:51) and Poppy Buck (12:37) ran winners NSP close, coming in second place and finishing in 37:51 to the Poly’s 37:39, with Molly Pace running the day’s fastest leg of 11:51, with TBH 3rd.
 
The B team of Tayla Douglass (13:11), Jane Briggs (14:11) and Lindsey Quinn (13:28) finished in 10th place in 40:50. 
 
The C team of Fran Naylor (16:42), Margaret Macdonald (18:48) and Sophie Ward (14:52) came in 48th in 50:22, with some 63 complete teams running.
 
In the following Men’s race, won by TBH in 31:09 with Zak Kettle running the day’s fastest leg of 10:09, Sunderland Harriers 2nd in 31:25 and hosts Wallsend 3rd (31:34), Morpeth’s A team of Ethan Bond (10:39), Andy Lawrence (11:20) and Tom Balsdon (10:26) came in 6th place.
 
The B team of Rob Balmbra (10:27), Deathe (11:17) and, on debut, Andrew Mirfield (11:22) were 8th in 33:06.
 
The all vets C team of Jimmy Dixon (11:17), Dave Stabler (11:24) and John Butters (11:34) were 16th in 34:15, and the D team of Andriy Volkov (12:47), Richard Glennie (12:57) and Gavin Bayne (13:25) 46th in 39:09.
 
Some 77 complete teams finished.
 

Morpeth Harriers athletes achieved a total of 13 medals at the annual NECAA Track and Field Championships, held at Shildon 2000 Stadium on 10 and 11 May.
Under 15 Girl Sophie Pledger was the brightest of the club’s performers, as she won two Gold Medals in the 200m and 300m, respectively.
In the 200m on the Saturday, Pledger just got the nod from the judges for victory, as she posted a time of 27.07s, a season’s best, having qualified for the final earlier, by winning her heat in 27.18s.
In the 300m on Sunday, her victory was a little more clear cut, as she posted a winning time of 42.23s, which was a personal best.
Another Saturday Gold Medallist from Morpeth was Senior Man Peter Smallcombe, who won the 1500m in a time of 4m06.33s, just ahead of his club colleague Finn Brodie, who took the Silver Medal in 4m06.59s, a season’s best.
In addition to Pledgers’ 300m Gold Medal win on the Sunday, the club added another three of the same colour in the Sunday competition.
Under 17 Woman Hammer Thrower Alexandria Hodgson produced a lifetime-best effort of 52.44m, which was only a mere metre adrift of the Championship record for her age group.
Senior Man Alistair Douglass collected a very welcome Gold Medal, when he took the 800m title in a season’s-best performance of 1m58.30s.
The third Gold Medal on Sunday, went to another Morpeth Senior Man in the form of Connor Marshall, who took the 5000m title, posting a season’s best of 15m24.08s.
In her first ever North East Track and Field Championship, Morpeth Under 15 Girl Heidi Wilkinson won an excellent Silver Medal in the 3000m in Saturday’s first day of competition, posting a time of 11m18.74s, it was also her first attempt at the distance on the track.
Unfortunately, she missed out on medals on the Sunday in the 1500m, when she finished fourth in a time of 5m06.89s, behind teenage sensation Gabriele Pinder of New Marske, who front ran to win in 4m34.11s.
Another Morpeth Silver medallist on the Sunday was Under 20 Man Joseph Close, who only just lost out to North Shields Poly’s Zac Brannon by a whisker in the 800m, when he clocked 1m56.35s.
Making his championship debut, Morpeth Under 15 Boy Charlie Townsend secured a Bronze medal in the 300m, when he posted a time of 44.37s.
Earlier in the day, he had also finished sixth in the final of the 100m, where he posted 13.45s.
Other Bronze medallists from Morpeth Harriers on day one on the Saturday were Over 55 Veteran Ben Harding in the 400m, where he posted a time of 57.58s, Under 15 Boy Mason Gaylor in the 1500m, who posted a personal best of 4m39.56s, and Under 20 Man Ollie Tomlinson, who also produced new figures of 4m15.05s in his 1500m.
Tomlinson’s younger siblings Emma and Zoe were also in action.
On the Sunday, Emma finished fifth in the Under 17 Women’s 1500m in 5m28.64s, whilst Under 15 Girl Zoe finished eighth in what was her first County Track and Field Championships, posting a time of 5m28.08s.
Under 23 Man Ethan Bond competed in both the 800m and 1500m at Senior level, but on both occasions was unlucky to lose out on medals, as he finished fourth and fifth, posting respective times of 2m04.12s, and 4m15.13s.
Other Morpeth members outside the medals, were Senior Man Lee Cuthbertson, who finished tenth in the 5000m in 16m39.17s, and Veteran Man Paul Bellingham, who finished fourth in the 400m in a time of 68.80s.
Thankfully, it was an excellent sunny weekend throughout the two days of competition, glorious sunshine, with a mere whisper of wind, and very much enjoyed by the seven hundred plus athletes who took part across the many disciplines.
Many thanks to Shildon Stadium for accommodating.

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.