The annual Weetslade Relays at Lockey Park, Wideopen, saw Morpeth retain their mixed relay title for the 5th consecutive year by the narrowest of five second margins in one of the event’s closest finishes. 
 
Balmy conditions on a still sunny evening last Wednesday made the 2.65 mile ascent of the old Weetslade  spoil heap, now a country park, even more challenging than normal, although it was certainly a great evening’s racing for those only having to spectate.
 
The unique format of the race has the sole requirement that each team of three must involve a man, a woman and an over 35 veteran of either sex, with clubs free to apply  permutations of this in any combination.
 
Outfits from South of the River Tyne, Jarrow and Hebburn AC and Sunderland Harriers, came home challenging for the lead after the first leg, with Sunderland’s Stephen Jackson running what proved to be the day’s fastest overall time of 13 minutes 20 seconds ahead of Jarrow’s Peter Smallcombe (13m 36s).
 
 Over 35 Adam Pratt, meanwhile, ran a sensible 13m 58s for 7th to keep Morpeth firmly in contention.
 
With most clubs choosing to send out their female runner on leg 2, all changed quickly. A flying Cat Macdonald quickly ate up the gaps to those ahead of her,  her time of 15m 18s proving to be the fastest female time of the evening with Cat one of only two women to break the 16 minute barrier.
 
At the end of leg 2, the club was now in 1st place by a narrow 5 second margin over Jarrow and Hebburn, for whom Alexis Dodd’s 15m 45s was the fastest female veteran time of the night, with Sunderland now some twenty seconds behind in 3rd.
 
In his first Weetslade Relay, it was a challenging position for Ponteland High School sixth former Joe Anderson to find himself in then, but he proved to be in no way overawed by the task as he extended the lead over his immediate rival, Jarrow’s Jack Brown. Certainly the maturity of his run impressed club president, the watching Jim Alder MBE.
 
The main  challenge was to come from experienced Over 35 Sunderland veteran Nathan Reed, who was steadily eating away at the 20 second lead. However, Joe always looked to have enough in the tank and finished looking comfortable enough with a clocking of 13m 52s. Reed’s 13m 33s was the evening’s fastest male veteran time.
 
Morpeth’s final time of 43:08 put them some 5 seconds of Sunderland in 2nd place with Jarrow some 49 seconds behind in 3rd ( 43:57).
 
The club’s B team of Graeme Cook (14m 34s), Linzi Quinn (17m 21s ) and Richard Johnson ( 13m 57s) placed a strong 6th also with a cumulative time of 45:52.
 
The club put out a further 4 teams, with the C of Lee Bennett (15m 23s), Sarah Lawson (17m 40s) and Shaun Land (16m 32s) placing next in 20th (49:53).
 
The F team (53:13) of Paul Brown (17m 37s), Gemma Floyd (17m 46s) and Gary Hall (17m 50s) stole a march on the D and E teams, largely thanks to a fine run by Gemma in her first outing for several months.
 
For the D team, Andy Leeson ran 17m 31s, Robyn Ferguson 20m 4s and Jamie Johnson 16m 44s for 48th, just managing to stay ahead of the E in 50th, for whom Mike Winter ran 17m 44s, Jane Kirby 19m 54s and Phil Walker 17m 14s (54:19 and 54:50).

There were three Morpeth Harriers in competitive action at the Muller British Athletics Championships at the weekend.
 
San Francisco-based James Young returned home to take part in one of the most keenly-contested events, the Men’s 1500m. Running in the first of Friday’s heats, Young qualified in third place in a time of 3 minutes 43. 99 seconds behind one of the event’s overall favourites, Josh Kerr of Edinburgh AC along with Jake Heyward of Cardiff to make Saturday evening’s final.
 
This proved to be a very close contest between Kerr, Neil Gourley of Giffnock North AC and Jake Wightman of Edinburgh, with Wightman winning in a time of 3:40.26 ahead of Gourley ( 3:40.38) and Kerr (3:40. 63).
 
Young meanwhile finished in a very respectable 7th place with a time of 3:44.61, some three seconds off his best for the season of 3:41.06.
 
Also in action in difficult blustery conditions on Saturday was veteran hurdler Nisha Desai, who placed 3rd in Heat 4 of the 400m in a time of 1 minute 2.97 seconds, just over a second off her best for the season  but sadly not making the following day’s final.
 
Sunday saw another Morpeth Harrier competing with Scott Beattie, currently studying at Tulsa University, involved in the straight run final of the Men’s 5000m.
 
Beattie finished in 7th place with a time of 13 minutes 51.36 seconds, some way off his personal best set in the States earlier in the year, with the race itself won by Marc Scott of Richmond and Zetland Harriers in a time of 13:42. 82. 

Morpeth Harriers provided seven winners at the Northumberland Schools Track and Field Championships, held at Wentworth Stadium on Saturday 11 June.
Oliver Calvert won the Junior Boys 1500m in 4m18.9s. In the Junior Girls 100m Final, Amy Longstaff won in 13.2s. Fellow Junior Girl Amelia Hamlin won the 300m Final in 45.6s. And Alexandria Hodgson won the Junior Girls Hammer event, with a best throw of 26.53m.
Back on the track, William DeVere Owen won the Intermediate Boys 3000m in a time of 9m07.1s. Back with Field Events, Edward Gardiner won the Intermediate Boys Discus, when hurling a best of 39.83m. Victoria Hodgson added to her family spoils when she won the Intermediate Girls 300m in 44.3s.
Other minor medallists from Morpeth Harriers were, Conner Phillips, who won a Silver in the Junior Boys 300m (40.4s), Oliver Tomlinson (Silver), in the Junior Boys 1500m (4m32.3s)  , Jack Dinning (Silver), in the Intermediate Boys 200m (25.5s), Joseph Close (Silver), in the Intermediate  Boys 800m (2m06.8s), Liam Roche (Bronze) in the Intermediate Boys 800m (2m11.5s), Bertie Marr (Silver), in the Intermediate Boys 1500m (4m21.4s), Jack Dinning (Bronze) in the Intermediate Boys Discus (24.64m), and Kate Kennedy (Silver), in the Intermediate Girls 1500m (5m23.7s).
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Three Morpeth Harriers were top points scorers for Northumberland Schools at the Northern Schools Inter Counties Track and Field Championships, held at Gateshead Stadium
The county were winners overall, with North Yorkshire second, Cumbria third, Durham fourth, and Cleveland fifth.
Ten points each for the county were won by Amelia Hamlin, who was the fastest Junior Girl over 300 metres, clocking 43.7s, Will DeVere Owen was fractionally just short of the English Schools Entry Standard, when he won the Intermediate Boys 3000m in 8m56.5s, and Edward Gardiner was a clear winner of the Intermediate Boys Discus, throwing a best of 38.18m.
Another Morpeth Harriers winner on the day was Charlotte Earl, but it was outside the main competition in the Triple Jump, where she achieved a best of 11.20m, which was inside the National Standard, so an impressive performance for her individually.
Other notable points winning performances came from, Ollie Calvert, 2nd in the Junior Boys 1500m (4m20.7s), Oliver Tomlinson 5th in the Junior Boys 1500m (4m30.1s), Alexandria Hodgson 4th in the Junior Girls Hammer (29.36m), Joseph Close 3rd in the Intermediate Boys 800m (2m02.2s), Bertie Marr 4th in the Intermediate Boys 1500m (4m14.2s), and Victoria Hodgson 4th in the Intermediate Girls 300m (45.0s).

Once again, only a narrow margin of points divided the leading four teams at the second round Northern League North East Premier match, held at Churchill Playing Fields, Whitley Bay, on Sunday 12 June.
Only 28 points divided match winners Gateshead Harriers and fourth-placed Morpeth Harriers at the end of a hard-working day for the respective squads.
Tom Innes, Mark Snowball, and George Patterson (Men), and Vina Desai (Women), had worked hard to get decent squads together, despite one or two last-minute withdrawals and key athletes competing elsewhere at major championships. However, the end result sees the club's Senior Men and Women still in a very respectable third team place cumulatively at the halfway point in the season.
On to the match itself, and the best result in the Men’s performances came in the 1500m where Alistair Douglass won the A Race in 4m09.5s, and Under 20 athlete, Joe Anderson, took the B Race in 4m16.7s.
The clubs main Men’s sprinters, both of them still Under 20, Evan Logan and Charlie Lane, were also in excellent form. In the 200m, Logan finished second in the A race, posting a time of 23.3s, and Lane finished second in the 200m B race in 23.8s. Lane also finished second in the 400m A race in 52.6s, and Birthday Boy Connor Marshall finished second in the B race in 58.8s. Logan, meanwhile, also finished second in the 100m A race in 11.4s, being supported in the B race by Alistair Douglass, who was third in 12.4s, a warmup no doubt for his forthcoming 1500m win, later in the day.
Marshall also got a good warmup for his later 400m in the 800m, finishing third in the A race in 2m07.2s.
The 800m B race, saw a much-awaited Richard Johnson comeback, and his return from a long-standing injury paid rich dividends for Morpeth, as he won in 2m13.4s. Johnson later went on to finish a good third in the 5000m A race in 16m12.0s, being supported in the B race by Mark Snowball, who was second in 16m38.2s.
Adam Pratt was assigned to the Morpeth hurdling duties for the day, finishing second in the A race of the 400m Hurdles in 66.7s, and getting round the seven and a half laps of the 3000m Steeplechase, to also finish second in the A race in 10m36.7s.
Giving B race support for Morpeth in both events, was a brave Neil McAnany, who finished second in the 400m Hurdles in 75.7s, and third in the Steeplechase in 14m15.6s, a brave effort for valuable points.
In the field events, it was particularly pleasing to see specialist thrower Hayden Richards back in a Morpeth vest. He was particularly very much at home in the Javelin, winning with his best throw of 41.80. Alistair Douglass finished third in the B string, with his best throw of 22.18m. Richards also performed well in the Hammer, finishing third with a best throw of 34.20m. He finished fifth in the A string Discus, with a best of 22.96m, and David Marshall finished as fourth B string with 15.84m.
In the Triple Jump, Charlie Lane secured valuable points when finishing third in the A string with 9.86m, and Mark Snowball was second in the B string with 7.66m.
Morpeth Harriers Men rounded off a good day, by winning the 4 x 400m Relay in 3m52.8s, courtesy of Evan Logan, Connor Marshall, Alistair Douglass. The same quartet also brought the baton home in third place in the earlier 4 x 100m in third place, posting a time of 49.4s.
On to the Women’s events, where unfortunately Morpeth were forced to reckon without the services of leading lights Nisha Desai and Claire Reid, who were competing at the British Masters Championships during the same weekend.
However, they welcomed back Tayla Murdy and Rachelle Falloon following a lengthy period of inactivity due to injuries.
Murdy began excellently, by winning the 800m A race in 2m44.9s, and later followed that up well by placing third in the 400m A race in 76.7s.
Morpeth had good support in the respective B races by Sarah Routledge. Routledge finished second in both B races, posting times of 87.4s and 3m10.5s.
It was also good to see Falloon make a winning return, when she took the 1500m A race in 5m09.3s, and she certainly came close to a second win in the 3000m, where she finished second in the A race in 10m49s.
Giving B race support for Morpeth in both the 1500m and 3000m was Julie Vermaas, who was second on both occasions, posting respective clockings of 5m52.5s and 12m11.0s. Under 20 athlete Mia Belton and Laura Kincaid tackled the Women’s sprints for Morpeth.
In the 100m A race Belton finished fourth in 12.7s, and in the 200m, she very nearly beat Gateshead’s Megan Costello in a close finish to the A race in 26.9s. Meanwhile, Kincaid finished fourth in the 100m B race in 14.3s, and she finished third in the 200m B race in 30.2s.
Morpeth Harriers best performance in the Women’s field events came from Under 20 athlete Charlotte Earl, who won the Triple Jump with her best effort of 11.00m
In the Long Jump, fellow Under 20 athlete Abbie Ross finished fourth with her best of 4.69m.
Morpeth Women’s Team Manager Vina Desai, Mia Belton, Julie Vermaas and Laura Kincaid shared duties in the Shot, Discus, Hammer, and Javelin events.
Desai did the lion's share, competing in all four of them. She finished fifth in the A strings of the Discus (13.96m), Hammer (13.34m), and Javelin (8.24m), and supported Mia Belton in the Shot Putt, by finishing fifth in the B string with 4.43m.
Belton finished fifth in the A string with a best of 5.94m.
In the B string Javelin, Laura Kincaid finished fifth, producing a best throw of 7.08m.
Sarah Routledge, Tayla Murdy, Laura Kincaid, and Mia Belton, combined to finish third in the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay, posting a time of 60.5s.
In the 4 x 400m Relay, Julie Vermaas, Rachelle Falloon, Laura Kincaid, and Mia Belton, combined to bring Morpeth home in second place, in a combined time of 4m56.4s.

​MATCH RESULT
1st Gateshead Harriers 350pts, 2nd New Marske Harriers 341pts, 3rd North Shields Poly 339pts, 4th Morpeth Harriers 328pts, 5th Wallsend/Blyth 309pts, 6th Middlesbrough AC (Mandale) 71pts.

NORTH EAST MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
The weather above Jarrow may have been overcast, but Gavin Bayne continued what is proving to be a golden Summer already with three more Gold medals at the North East Masters Athletics Association Track and Field Championships at Monkton Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Following last weekend’s British Masters Championships, this time Over 65 Bayne took part in no less than three track finals: the 800m, the 1500m and the 3000m, winning Golds in all three races.
 
Taking the 800m in a time of 2 minutes 48.96 seconds, he moved on to the metric mile, winning this time in 5:30.51 before moving up to the 3000m, which he also took in 11:28.75.
 
O/75 Paul Bentley also picked up a Gold in the 3000m in a time of 14:50.61.
 
O/35 Laura Kincaid took Golds in both the 100m, with a time 14.50s, and the 200m (30.16s).
 
A frequent visitor to these Championships, Scotland based Claire Reid, competing as a Guest, was 2nd in both the O/45 Shot Putt with a best of 9.32m and the Hammer (25.36m). A busy afternoon’s throwing was completed with a 3rd in the Javelin (15.64m) and a further 2nd place in the Discus (29.37m).
 
RAT RACE THE WALL
 
It was a case of a much longer distance for club companion Mark Snowball – 70 miles, no less, as he took on the fearsome ‘Rat Race the Wall’ event. Starting from Carlisle Castle at 7 am in the morning, the run takes in most of Hadrian’s Wall, with a finish on the Newcastle Quayside. Remarkably, Mark completed the distance in a time of 12 hours 41 minutes, with leading NE veteran Jarlath Mckenna setting a new course record.
 

PENSHAW TRAIL OUTLAWS HALF MARATHON
 
Ian Harding continued to work his way back to his competitive Best with a fine win in the Penshaw Half marathon on Sunday with a time of 1 hour 26.58 seconds, over four minutes ahead of nearest challenger Chris Fothergill of Darlington.
 
Starting at the foot of Penshaw Hill, the route take in trails along both sides of the River Wear and includes a fair degree of ups and downs.

NEWBURN RIVER RUN
 
Last  Wednesday saw the return of another old favourite of a race, the Newburn River Run. Traditionally a 6 mile race from Newburn Sports Centre that had crossed the Tyne at Wylam, this year’s race saw a newer and shorter 5 mile race due to subsidence on the South bank of the river, so this time it was an out and back along the Wylam Wagon Way.
 
Won by Jarrow and Hebburn runner Peter Smallcombe in 26 minutes 6 seconds with Sunderland Harrier Craig Gunn in 2nd place, Richard Johnson finished in 3rd with 26.38s and John Butters was 5th  and 1st O/40  in 26.53s. With teenager James Tilley 11th in 28.11s and O/35 Adam Pratt one place behind in 28.15, the club picked up the Men’s team prize.
 
Finishing in 33rd place overall, Rachelle Falloon was 1st Female finisher in a time of 30.35.
 
There were a lot of other club finishers keen to enjoy the Tyne Valley scenery. Anthony Liddle was 13th in 29.56, Jamie Johnson 48th in 32. 07 and Dave Nicholson 55th and 1st O/60 in 32. 23. Phil Walker was 57th in 32.42, Mike Winter 67th in 33.59, Lindsey Quinn 78th  and 5th Senior Female in 34. 39, Rich Kirby 105th in 36.45 and Jane 124th in 38.19, Mike Steven 131st in 38.34 and Sue Smith 193rd in 44.36.
 
Some 233 finished in all. ​