Recent winner of the Senior Men’s race at the Gosforth Harrier League,
Matthew Briggs, was Morpeth Harriers leading finisher in the 67th Brampton to Carlisle Road Race on Sunday 18th November 2018. He finished 12th, posting a time of 54m58s, and was also the leading Under 20 Male finisher, in an event which also incorporated the Northern Athletics 10 Mile Road Race Championships. Next Morpeth Harriers finisher was Paul Waterston, who was 61st, and was the third Over 50 Male finisher, posting a finishing time of 61m02s. Not far behind Paul, was fellow Morpeth Harrier Phil Walker, who was 73rd in a time of 62m13s. Finishing 178th and 179th, were Morpeth Harriers Paul Bellingham and Richard Kirby, who posted times of 69m40s and 69m41s respectively. Bellingham was tenth Over 55 Veteran Man, and Kirby was 23rd Over 45 Veteran Man. Finishing 327th in 77m44s, Morpeth’s Norman Clark was 2nd Over 65 Veteran Man. The event had 654 finishers. Gateshead Harriers held the first meeting of their 2018/19 Indoor Athletics
programme at Gateshead College on the evening of Thursday 15th November 2018. Seven athletes from Morpeth Harriers were in competitive action, three of them taking part in the 60m Hurdles. Alice Geoghegan and Hannah Lott, younger sister of North East Champion Amy, were respective winners in the Under 15 and Under 13 Girls events. Geoghegan set a new lifetime best of 9.75s, and Lott was experiencing indoors for the first time. Morpeth’s other 60m Hurdler was Lucy Charlton, who was also an indoor first timer, finishing fifth in the Under 17 Women’s competition, producing figures of 11.55s. Hannah Lott also competed in the 60m sprint, finishing fifth in her age group, posting a time of 9.07s, and she also triumphed in the High Jump, her clearance of 1.25m beating four other rivals in her age group. Meanwhile Amy Lott, made a steady start to her indoor season, her first in the Under 17 Women’s age group. On her coach’s advice she missed out on her specialist Hurdles event, and competed in the sprint only, finishing ninth fastest in 8.49s, which was equal to her best 2017 performance at the same venue, exactly a year ago. Other Morpeth Under 17 Women sprinters in action were Rosie Winter, who was seventeenth fastest with 8.78s, and Lucy Charlton (26th) 9.33s. Mia Belton was the best of the Morpeth 60m sprinters on view, finishing third in the Under 15 Girls section, posting a time of 8.34s, which for her, was a brand-new personal best. Also posting new figures was Alice Geoghegan, who finished as seventh fastest Under 15 Girl with 8.55s, and Ellie Longstaff of Morpeth was eighth fastest Under 15 Girl with 8.58s. The athletes from Morpeth Harriers were once again amongst the headline performers, at the fourth Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League fixture of the 2018/19 campaign, held at Aykley Heads, close to Durham City, on Saturday 17th November 2018. Team wins by their Senior Men, Senior Women, Under 17 Men, and Under 13 Boys, along with two individual victories, plus three fastest times, very clearly indicated the club’s dominance in the programme of ten events. In his first Harrier League outing for the Senior Men, Under 20 athlete Taylor Glover, running from the Slow Pack, quickly got away from the rest, and was never caught as he cut a lonely force throughout the three long laps, to eventually win untroubled by a comfortable 112 second margin from his closest rival Graham Crammond of North Shields Poly, who also ran from the Slow Pack. Glover, who eventually emerged as the third fastest overall performer in the 570 strong finishing field, led Morpeth Harriers Senior Men to an emphatic team victory from Durham City, with further club support coming from excellent performances by Thomas Straughan (4th) (Medium Pack), Kieran Hedley (6th) (Fast Pack), Jordan Scott (7th) (Fast Pack), Andrew Lawrence (15th) (Fast Pack), and Andrew Hebden (28th) (Medium Pack). Hedley and Scott were the fastest and second fastest on course, Lawrence was seventh fastest, and Straughan was fifteenth fastest, such was the dominance of the overall Morpeth Senior Men’s performance, which now sees them leading the Division One table by a clear six points over fierce rivals Tyne Bridge Harriers, who on Saturday could only finish in fourth team place. Other Morpeth Senior Men in action at Aykley were, Lee Bennett (174th) (Fast Pack), Andrew Leeson (387th) (Slow Pack), and John Clark (469th) (Slow Pack). With two fixtures remaining in the league at Thornley in February, and Alnwick in March, a fairly reasonable turnout from the club in those, should see Morpeth Harriers Senior Men achieve Championship status in Division 1, which Team Manager’s Peter Scaife and David Swinburne are most hopeful of. An excellent turnout of eleven athletes, who all finished in the top half of the 416 finishers in the two full lap Senior Women’s event, saw Morpeth Harriers finish as on the day winners in Division 1 by two league points ahead of second placed Heaton Harriers. As a result of this, cumulatively they now rise one place to fifth at the exclusion of Sunderland Harriers, who could only finish sixth on the day. Morpeth Harriers were led home by Emma Holt, who finished an excellent sixth from the Fast Pack, and was well clear as second fastest overall behind Wallsend’s Danielle Hodgkinson, who finished second behind Gateshead Harrier Brigid Dennehy by a fifty-six seconds margin. Second home for Morpeth in eighth place was Catriona MacDonald, who was also running from the Fast Pack, and was third fastest in the field. Next home for the club was Veteran Woman Gemma Floyd, who worked her way through from the Fast Pack, to finish 30th overall. Completing the Morpeth Harriers scoring four was Rachelle Falloon, currently leading the Senior Women’s Grand Prix, who finished in 42nd place overall, again from the Fast Pack. Other Morpeth Harriers Senior Women’s finishers were, Lorna MacDonald (70th) (Fast Pack), Claire Calverley (110th) (Medium Pack), Sue Smith (153rd) (Slow Pack), Jill Bennett (175th) (Medium Pack), Jane Kirby (185th) (Slow Pack), Lesley Chapman (205th) (Slow Pack). Morpeth Harriers Senior Women may well struggle to retain their Harrier League Division One title this year, however on this showing, they are not failing without a fight. By being on the day winners in their two medium lap event, Morpeth Harriers slightly extended their lead at the top of the Under 17 Men’s league table. They were led home by a very much in form and very determined Ross Charlton, who produced an excellent on the day performance in finishing second overall from the Fast Pack and boasting the fastest time of the day in a finishing field of 31 runners. He very nearly won the race outright, finishing a mere five seconds adrift of Blaydon’s Tom Rutherford, who was competing from the Slow Pack. Joining Charlton in the Morpeth team success were Daniel Melling (Fast Pack), who was equal second fastest with Will Bellamy of Houghton Harriers, whom he just outsprinted to the finish line, and Tom Balsdon, who finished fifth from the Fast Pack, and was fourth fastest overall. Other Morpeth Harrier Under 17 Men in action were Rowan Bennett and Brad Brown. Bennett had an excellent run to finish tenth from the Fast Pack, as sixth fastest overall, as did Brown running from the Slow Pack to finish thirteenth. Morpeth Harriers Under 13 Boys maintain a very healthy six-point lead at the head of their league table over Durham City following their excellent on the day victory on Saturday. They were led home by Ryan Davies, who finished third overall in the field of 81 finishers, just ahead of club colleague Bertie Marr, with four seconds dividing them. Both ran from the Fast Pack, posting the fourth and fifth fastest times overall. Completing the winning Morpeth trio was Joe Dixon, who is improving with every outing, and on this occasion, he certainly looked the “Master Athlete,” as he finished an excellent eighth from the Fast Pack and posting the eighth fastest time. Other superb Morpeth Under 13 Boy performers were William De Vere – Owen (11th) (Fast Pack), Joseph Hudspith (23rd) (Fast Pack), Adam Howliston (61st) (Fast Pack), and Sam Dent (67th) (Fast Pack). In the individual Grand Prix, Marr and Davies are currently in second and fourth place respectively, with two fixtures remaining. By winning yet again individually, Morpeth Harrier Holly Peck maintained her lead in the combined Under 17/Under 20 Women’s Harrier League Grand Prix rankings. and helped her club also to maintain their lead in the team League table, albeit by three points over closest rivals Gosforth Harriers, who only beat them on countback on the day, when finishing on an equal point count. Running from the Fast Pack, Peck just managed to pass club colleague Kay Errington in the final stages, as she won by a mere twenty-seven seconds. Errington, meanwhile just managed to hold on for second place, ahead of Houghton’s Eva Hardie, and the Morpeth count was completed by Lauren Cummings, just outsprinting club colleague Lily Heaton to finish 21st from the Slow Pack. Heaton was running from the Medium Pack, and her placing means that she is currently in fourth place in the individual Grand Prix. Morpeth’s other runner in the Under 17/Under 20 Women’s event, Gracie Hufton, finished in 30th place from the Fast Pack. Dylan Davies led Morpeth Harriers home in the Under 15 Boys one lap event, where they finished second on the day to Tynedale Harriers. Davies finished sixth, just one place and eight seconds ahead of club colleague Euan Duffin, both running from the Fast Pack. The Morpeth scoring count was completed by Ben Waterfield, who finished thirteenth from the Fast Pack. Despite finishing second, they remain in first place cumulatively by five points ahead of Durham City Harriers, who could only finish sixth on the day. Other Under 15 Boy finishers for Morpeth Harriers were James Tilley (43rd) (Slow Pack), and Ben Walker (48th) (Fast Pack). The Under 15 Girls single lap event saw Morpeth Harrier Abbi Leiper produce an excellent run from the Fast Pack to finish in eleventh place in a total field of fifty-six finishers, and she led Morpeth Harriers to seventh place on the day, with further scoring counts coming from Rebecca Bradley (29th) (Fast Pack),
and Rhiannon Hedley (33rd) (Fast Pack). Unfortunately, their on the day placing sees them drop to fourth place cumulatively, behind leaders North Shields Poly, and second and third placed Birtley AC, and Gateshead Harriers. Morpeth’s other Under 15 Girl in action was Laura Melling, who finished one place behind Hedley, running from the Slow Pack. The club had one Under 13 Girl facing the starter in their single lap event. Molly Baker finished 27th from the Slow Pack. In the non-scoring Under 11 Boys event, Morpeth’s Oliver Tomlinson continued his excellent competitive progress, by finishing fourth. Daniel Reynolds on his competitive debut for the club, finished 21st. In the Under 11 Girls event, Keira Peck, younger sister of Holly, finished 18th. In his first Under 20 International appearance, Morpeth Harrier Rory Leonard performed superbly to finish a very close second to Cardiff’s Jake Heyward in the IAAF Cross De Atapuerca Permit event in Burgos Spain on Sunday 11th November 2018.
It was the second time within a month that Leonard had finished second to the Welshman, however on this occasion, he proved more than a match for his slightly more Senior rival, only drifting in the later stages, to lose out by seven seconds at the finish line. Leonard had every reason to be overjoyed however, when he learnt that he had led England to a handsome team victory, with further support coming from City of Stoke’s Connor Bentley (12th), Cambridge and Coleridge’s Tom Keen (23rd), and Benjamin West of Milton Keynes (24th). The 2018 Inter Counties Champion is next in competition when he heads for Liverpool, and the UK Trials at the end of the month, for hopefully a good run to earn him a place in the GB European Team for the Championships in December in Tilburg in the Netherlands. The younger athletes of Morpeth Harriers were the prominent performers at the annual Heaton Harriers Memorial Road Races, held on Newcastle’s Town Moor on Sunday 11th November 2018. These events are always held to commemorate the Armistice, and it was most appropriate that this year they were held on the 11th, exactly to the date, 100 years since the end of World War One. The club won the team races in the Under 13 and Under 15 Boys 3k events, and Taylor Glover and Gracie Hufton were respective winners of the combined Under17 and Under 20 Men’s and Women’s 5k events. Posting a finishing time of 15m48s, Under 20 Man Glover, won with forty-three seconds to spare over Gateshead Harrier Charlie McMillan, and Hufton enjoyed her first ever Under 20 Women’s outright victory,
posting a finishing time of 19m53s, which saw her win by sixty-seven seconds from the host clubs’ Holly Matheson. For both Glover and Hufton, it saw them produce brand new personal best performances. Morpeth’s other athlete competing in the Under17/Under 20 event, was Under 20 Man Matthew Waterfield, who finished in sixth place, posting a finishing time of 17m46s. Waterfield was fourth Under 20 Man. Morpeth’s Under 13 Boys produced an emphatic team victory over Gosforth Harriers in their 3k event. They were led home by Bertie Marr, who finished an excellent third in 10m41s, behind race winner Tom Slane of Blackhill, who clocked a winning time of 10m21s. Second counter for Morpeth was Joe Dixon, who clocked 10m46s in fourth place, with the clubs count being completed by Ryan Davies who was fifth in 10m51s. Other Under 13 Boy finishers for Morpeth were Joseph Hudspith (8th) 11m40s, and Adam Howliston (11th) 11m54s. Dylan Davies led Morpeth Harriers Under 15 Boys squad home to a three-point margin team win over Gosforth Harriers in their 3k event. He finished fourth in 10m17s, eleven seconds of fifth placed club colleague Dylan Gooding. Completing the winning Morpeth team count was Sam Tate, who finished seventh in 10m38s. Morpeth’s other finisher in the Under 15 Boys event was Ben Walker, who was tenth in 10m48s. Morpeth’s Abbi Leiper finished as third Under 15 Girl, posting a time of 11m30s. Two Morpeth athletes faced the Starter in the Under 11 Boys and Girls 1k event. Aaron Hayes, who finished seventh overall in 3m42s, was fourth Boy home. Keira Peck finished eleventh overall in 4m09s, and was fifth Girl home. Disappointingly only three Morpeth Harriers faced the Starter in the Senior Men and Women’s 10k Race. Immediately prior to the event all runners joined a two-minute silence in memory of those who fell during the two World Wars. First home of the trio was Mark Long, who finished fifth in 32m08s. Second home from the club was Paul Bellingham, who was 151st overall, and was fourth in the Over 55 Veteran Men’s section, posting a finishing time of 42m13s. Completing the Morpeth trio was Mike Steven, who finished 241st in 45m33s, and was tenth in the Over 60 age group. Thanks go to all at Heaton Harriers for once again organising a superb event. |
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