Five athletes from Morpeth Harriers were in action at Sunday's Tartan Games, held once again at Gateshead Stadium, and they gave a very decent account of themselves, with performances that included two event wins, one second and one third place. 
 
Sean O'Hara placed 4th in the Senior Men's 100m in a time of 11.50 seconds, a season's best, with the race won by New Marske Harrier Caleb Hanif in a pb ime of 11.10s. In the same race the tireless Anthony Liddle was 7th in 12.32s.
 
Liddle was back in action later in the 400m where he placed third this time with a pb of 55.29s. 
 
Freya Caygill was second in the U/17 100m in a time of 13.19s with Gateshead's Millie Wilkinson winning in 12.55s. 
 
Amelia Hamlin was a winner however in the U/17 300m in a time of 44.34s. 
 
Finally, it was great to see Bobbie Griffiths back in action in a blue and white vest, turning her arm over once again to win the Women's Javelin with a best throw of 35.84 metres. 

There was a string of medal-winning performances at the Watergate Trail Race 5k last week, which also incorporated once again the NEMAA Masters Championships.
 
Run over a relatively fast, two-lap, off-road course in Watergate Park, Lobley Hill, and hosted by Low Fell Running Club, the race certainly proved popular with Morpeth Harriers old and young looking for something to bridge the gap between the Track and Field and Cross-Country seasons.
 
Won by an in-form Adrian Bailes of Birtley AC in 15:25 with Sunderland Harrier Liam Taylor 2nd and also 1st O/35 (15:39) and Birtley’s Lewis McConnell 3rd (15:50), Elliot Kelso was first back for the club, 4th in a time of 15:54 and in the process collecting the prize for fastest Junior athlete by a big margin - as he had indeed confidently predicted he would in the clubhouse the previous Monday!
 
Elswick’s Justina Heslop, now an O/40 vet, was first female finisher in 18:35 with TBH’s Kathryn Stevenson 2nd and also 1st O/50 in 18:56. Birtley’s Chloe Bailes was 3rd Female and 1st Senior in 19:05.
 
It was a keenly-contested race between Robyn Bennett, Lorna Macdonald and Lizzie Rank for Morpeth, with all three neck and neck having good runs and coming in 3rd, 4th and 5th Seniors in 19:41, 19:48 and 19:49 respectively.
 
Shuna Rank picked up 1st O/55 in 22:48 with Margaret Macdonald 3rd in the same category (27:16). Pam Woodcock was 1st O/70 in 28:31.
 
Stephen Cessford was 35th and 9th O/35 in 19:42, but there were four further medal winning performances from James Dixon, Andrew Ball, Lee Bennett and Al Macdonald.
 
James was 3rd O/40 in 17:28, Andrew 2nd O/45 in 17:13, Lee (who must be itching to move up to the 55s in December) 2nd O/50 in 17:49 and Al 2nd O/60 in 20:06.
 
Well done to medallists and all who ran.

Sam Hancox added the Tynedale 10 to an impressive list of local victories this Summer that already included the Bridges of the Tyne and the Newburn River Run.

Many of you will remember the old Tynedale 10 of course, aka The Jelly Tea, originally held over an enjoyably scenic course running from the back roads just outside Hexham via Corbridge town centre, thence down to Bywell with a finish at Ovingham Middle School.

Sadly, the chicane through Corbridge and some irate local residents did for that one and, after an abortive one year foray up to Hexham racecourse, the Jelly Tea reverted to a variant of the old course, starting from the Middle School and then going out to Styford before turning round and reversing the route.

That course went too however and this year we were promised a new one, and one which had originally been flagged as hosting the BMAF Championships. Well it was certainly new, taking place on the old Ouston airfield at the Albermarle Barracks (which had also hosted the Elswick Relays back in April) but didn’t include the promised championships, sadly.
 
Often run as a warm-up for the GNR, the race did incorporate the NECAA 10-mile championships however, with a two lap course which Rob reports as ‘very hard going into the wind and a bit more undulating than expected - and neither easy nor fast.’
 
Sam already had a one minute lead after the first lap, which he extended to over two and a half minutes by the end, winning in a time of 53:11 with Sunderland Harriers Jake Ridding and Liam Taylor 2nd and 3rd in 55:51 and 56:30 respectively.
 
Andy Lawrence also had a good run, coming in 5th in 57:17, as did Shaun Land, 16th in 1:02:20.
 
Rob was 34th and 2nd O/55 in 1:07:32 with Gavin 38th and 1st O/65 in 1:09:30. Dave Nicholson was 2nd in the same category in 1:15:47, and 64th overall. Matty Boyle was 135th in 1:36:43.
 
Linzi was the club’s only female representative, 77th and picking up a prize as 3rd Senior female in 1:18:33, with the women’s race won by Elswick’s Andrea Banks in 1:07:09, with Sunderland Stroller Julie Pescod 2nd but only 4 seconds back in 1:07:13 and Blaydon’s Emma Cartwright 3rd (1:10:17). Some 172 finished.
 
Sad to report that the old Jelly Tea, which those long in the tooth will fondly remember queuing for in the Middle School, then enjoying sitting down to eat at uncomfortably low tables, now takes the form of a cup of jelly and a sandwich. Bah humbug!

Scafell Pike Trail Marathon
 
On the same morning but on the other side of the country, Jane Kirby and Anna Wright, two ladies never known to shirk a hard run, took on the hugely challenging Scafell Pike Marathon, sponsored by Salomon.
 
Run from Keswick via Borrowdale, the preamble for the event is absolutely clear about the difficulty involved, openly stating it takes place over ‘tough mountain trails’ and is ‘not suitable for novices.’
 
As if all that wasn’t hard enough, some highly inclement weather in the form of driving rain and howling winds added to the joy.
 
So it’s good to report that both Anna and Jane did themselves proud, picking up prizes to boot. Anna was first back, 93rd and 3rd O/40 in 7 hours 11 minutes 10 seconds, with Jane 108th and 3rd O/50 in 7:31:09.
 
The perhaps appropriately named Ricky Lightfoot won in 3:53:41 with Holly Wootten 1st female finisher in 4:35:08.

Despite a number of holidaying absentees, Morpeth Harriers Senior Men’s and Women’s Track and Field squad still managed a respectable final match position of third in the Northern Premier League fixture, held at Churchill Playing Fields, Whitley Bay on Saturday.

That result meant that Morpeth finished in third place overall, having finished two places above closest rivals New Marske on the day, with host club North Shields Poly achieving their best result of the season to finish three match points adrift of Morpeth in fourth place.

Once again it was Gateshead and Darlington well to the fore, with the latter winning on the day, but the former took the league title by finishing second, but only a mere 15 points ahead of Morpeth.

There were some truly excellent efforts from Morpeth's men and women and the team managers finished the day with smiles all round.

In the Men’s events, Morpeth secured one A String victory, and three B String wins.
​
The A String victory came courtesy of Thomas Prentice, who was also making his track debut.

After one quarter of the twelve-and-a-half lap 5000m, Prentice went to the front, a lead that he maintained all the way to the finish line, posting a winning time of 16m34.0s, beating New Marske’s Thomas Aspin by a margin of 22 seconds.

Morpeth’s B Runner James Dixon, also a track debutant, can feel well pleased with his 17m38.3s, which made him sixth fastest, and second place in the B String.

Prentice also backed up Anthony Liddle’s second in the 400m A Race (55.4s), by finishing second in the B Race in 59.3s.

Sprinter Sean O’Hara was certainly up with the pace of things in the 100m and 200m, when he finished third and second respectively, posting times of 11.7s and 23.3s.

Backing him up well in the B String events was Anthony Liddle, who finished fourth and third in respective times of 12.8s and 25.5s.

In the 800m, an in-form Alistair Douglass finished third in the A Race in 2m15.4s, however Mark Banks produced an even better run to win the B Race in a faster 2m10.4s.

Banks also finished third in the A Race of the later run 1500m, posting a time of 4m12.3s, and Peter Smallcombe took the B Race in 4m13.5s.

In the 400m Hurdles, Mark Snowball was second in the A Race in 85.9s.

Mark Banks finished second in the Men’s High Jump with his clearance of 1.55m.

The other most notable Morpeth Men’s Field performance was in the Javelin, where Alistair Douglass finished as second A String with a best of 30.62m, and Tom Innes threw 20.05m to win the B String.

In the Men’s Shot Putt, sprinter Sean O’Hara putted a best of 8.05m for fourth in the A String, and Alistair Douglass finished third in the B String with 7.18m.

Anthony Liddle, Sean O’Hara, Alistair Douglass, and Mark Banks combined to bring Morpeth’s Men’s 4 x 100m squad home in second place in 3m35.2s.

On to the Morpeth Women’s section, where three A String victories were achieved, along with two B String wins.

Four of those victories were achieved by the tireless Nisha Desai, whose commitment and contribution has again been exemplary.

Desai won the 400m A Race in 60.1s, with Tayla Douglass finishing second in the B Race in 76.2s.

Nisha also won the days track opener, posting a winning time of 65.1s in the 400m Hurdles.

She also won the 100m B and 200m B events in 13.4s and 27.3s respectively, backing up Mia Belton’s third place in the 100m A Race (12.8s), and second place in the 200m A Race in 27.4s.

Tayla Douglass also put in a hard shift on the track, finishing third in the 800m A Race in 2m52,5s, and fourth in the 1500m in 6m00.0s. All this and a young child to look after with Alistair!

Veterans Julie Vermaas and Claire Calverley ran the 3000m for Morpeth Women, finishing fourth in the A Race and third in the B Race respectively, posting times of 12m36.7s, and 13m14.0s.

Claire Reid participated in all four throws, winning the Discus with her best effort of 30.20m, and Vina Desai finished fourth in the B String with 12.75m.

Reid also finished second in the Shot Putt with a best of 9.15m, again backed up in the B String by Vina Desai, who putted 4.60m for fifth.

They partnered again in the Hammer, where Reid finished fourth in the A String with a best of 25.16m, and Desai threw 15.59m, for fourth in the B String.

Nisha Desai and Claire Reid teamed up in the Javelin, where Desai finished as fourth A String with a best of 20.00m, and Reid was fourth in the B String with 10.30m.

Morpeth’s Women’s 4 x 400m squad finished second in 4m52.7s, courtesy of Tayla Douglass, Mia Belton, Julie Vermaas, and Nisha Desai.

All in all then a very decent season, but once again the squad has been very dependent on a small number of wholly committed individuals – Mark Snowball and Nisha Desai have set a fine example and worked tirelessly - but really needs to look to some of the younger athletes in the club to be more involved next season.
​
It goes without saying that the club thanks team managers Mark Snowball, Tom Innes and George Patterson for the Men, and Vina Desai for the Women, for all their efforts. It wouldn’t have happened without you. And Tom, happy travels!

​MATCH SCORE
1st Darlington 398pts, 2nd Gateshead 323pts, 3rd Morpeth 308pts, 4th North Shields Poly 305pts, 5th New Marske 273pts, 6th Chester Le Street/Durham 165pts.

Winding down for the season like the NEGP was the North East Masters Track and Field League.
 
With some six meetings in total there were perhaps a few less Morpeth Harriers taking part than we might like, but among the participants were some stand out performances, rewarded with table topping awards.
 
Anthony Liddle, who was really committed himself to the short stuff over the Spring and Summer and taken part in all six meets, topped the Sprints table overall, winning by the narrowest of one point margins from Andy Pattison of Blyth.
 
Trevor Hodgson was 4th in the 0/50s, though unable to make all meets. Jason Dawson was 7th  0/50 and Neil MacAnany 5th 0/60, both only managing a couple of meets.
 
There was more success in the Middle Distance GP, with Anthony again featuring, this time 3rd, and Anthony Jannetta 5th in the 0/40s (three meets). Jason was 5th (two meets).
 
Biggest success came from two of the club’s evergreen vets, however, with Gavin Bayne topping the 0/65 table (five meets) and Pam Woodcock 2nd in the 0/70s (four).
 
Jason was 4th 0/50 in the Jumps and Throws tables.
 
Congratulations to all who took part, although it’s noticeable a lot of other clubs seem to be better represented, and those vets looking for a different kind of competition from the roads might want to follow Anthony, Gav, Pam and others examples and give it a go next year. 

Nineteen Morpeth Harriers took part in the sixth and final North East Grand Prix Meeting, held at Jarrow’s Monkton Stadium on Wednesday 16 August.
Seven of those athletes contested the fastest of four 3000m events where, after a tense battle of wits with Birtley AC’s Adrian Bailes, Daniel Dixon eventually surrendered an earlier lead to finish second in 8m30.65s.
​He was just ahead of club colleague Alistair Douglass, who after running steadily throughout the seven and a half laps, came through to record his best ever time of 8m33.84s, taking around 14 seconds off previous figures.
Other Morpeth Harriers performers in the event were Peter Smallcombe (7th) 8m37.93s a personal best, just behind him was Joe Dixon, younger brother of Daniel, who also posted new best figures of 8m38.37s, Liam Roche (11th) 8m51.0s, James Tilley (12th) 8m57.70s, and Bertie Marr (14th) 9m14.79s.
In the C Race, Morpeth’s Harry Armstrong finished 12th, posting new figures of 11m09.65s.
A super run saw Morpeth’s Ethan Phillips come through to finish second in the fastest 800m event, posting a time of 1m57.77s.
Other Morpeth Harriers finishers in this race were, Joseph Close (4th) 1m58.10s, and Mark Banks (6th) 1m59.98s.
In the second fastest 800m event, Morpeth’s Oliver Tomlinson posted new figures of 2m07.16.
Ewan Line of Morpeth Harriers had an excellent victory in the fifth fastest 800m, posting a personal best time of 2m27.14s.
Other Morpeth Harriers in this race were Thomas Roche (5th) 2m32.07s, and Kate Kennedy (6th) 2m32.46s.
In the third fastest 800m, Morpeth’s Caitlin Flanagan finished fifth in 2m22.67s, which was a season’s best for the Under 20 athlete.
Rounding off the Morpeth 800m performances, in the eighth fastest race, Zoe Tomlinson finished fifth in 2m52.82s, a new personal best, and Charlotte Marshall finished sixth in 2m55.12s.
Sprinter Anthony Liddle recorded an excellent win in the third fastest 200m, posting new figures of 25.65s.