FOUR-MEDAL HAUL AT NORTHERN XC CHAMPS

Morpeth's triumphant U17 Men at Blackburn

​The weekend saw the Northern Cross Country Championships held at Witton Park in Blackburn. Under louring Pennine skies and mizzling rain, the challenging, hilly course included a number of sections of very heavy going, with one of the club’s contingent losing a shoe to the mud mid race. Organisation by host club Blackburn Harriers couldn’t be faulted, however, with excellent marshalling, toilet and catering facilities – all they need to sort out is the town’s impenetrable one-way system next. 
 
With a  respectable overall turn out , the day’s medal count for Morpeth included three fine individual Silvers and one outstanding team Gold, allied to a number of other strong performances across most age ranges.
 
Millie Breese got the ball rolling early doors in the Junior Women’s 5.9 km race. Still working her way back to her competitive best, she was nevertheless 17th in a time of 24:20, with the race won by Cleethorpes AC athlete Ella Greenway in 22:16.
 
The first of  Morpeth’s medals came early in the day’s proceedings and courtesy of the club’s talented Under 17 athletes, with the team spearheaded by Joe Dixon, who looked in great shape following his success in the North East Schools.
 
Always at the front of the leading group over the 5.9 km course, Joe only lost out to Liverpool Harrier Liam McCay (20:03) in the run in by the narrowest of one second margins after giving it a real go in the finishing straight, with fellow North Easterner, Brandon Pye of Houghton Harriers, in 3rd.
 
Joe was followed home in close order by team mates Will De Vere Owen in 9th, Bertie Marr 12th, Liam Roche 14th, Ryan Davies 19th and Elliot Kelso 21st.
 
With the first four making a total of a miserly 38 points, the club picked up a Gold after finishing comfortably at the top of the team count, but in fact both Ryan and Elliot would have comfortably been scorers for 2nd and 3rd place clubs Wirral AC (109 points) and Trafford (113).
 
The day’s second individual Silver medal followed shortly after in the U/15 boys where Oliver Calvert competed strongly throughout the 4.3 kilometre course, only losing out by a mere three seconds to George Wilson of Cleethorpes AC (14:48). It was a great return to form for Oli, who had been forced to pull out of the Sherman Cup only three weeks ago following a heavy virus. Keighley and Craven AC were team winners.
 
Calvert was supported by club colleague Oliver Tomlinson, who was unfortunate in losing one of his spikes in the sucking mud when well placed in the top ten on the first lap of the course. Credit to Oliver who battled on gamely with only one shoe, finishing in 28th and then going back to thankfully retrieve the lost footwear.
 
There were three Morpeth runners in the U/15 girls race over the same distance, which was won by Rotherham Harrier Isabella Wright in 16:44.
 
Megan Potrac was first back for the club in 89th, with Molly Roche not far behind in 94th and Charlotte Marshall 132nd,  and all three will have benefited from the step up in competition.
 
Sadly there were no blue and white vests out in the U/13s (3..2 km), which was won by Hallamshire Harrier Thomas Thale in 10:53, but Emma Tomlinson looked strong in the matching girls race,  coming home in 32nd place (13:47).
 
The U/13 girls was notable also for the North East’s only individual Gold, with Birtley Harrier Olivia Murphy showing a clean pair of heels to the rest of the field and in addition leading her club to a remarkable team Gold, with the Graham twins 3rd and 4th and final counter Niamh Phillips 20th.  Currently these Birtley youngsters seem unstoppable.
 
The club had no runners in the U/17 women, won by Amelie Lane of Wharfedale Harriers, and only one representative in the Junior Men’s 7.4 km race. In his first run after a good few weeks out following a virus, Ralph Robson placed 54th  (29:50) with local lad Matt Ramsden of Blackburn Harriers winning in 24:34.
 
Penultimate race of the day was the Senior Women over 7.4km, where Cat Macdonald found the course playing to her strengths. She had a tremendous run to make the top twenty in 19th  and was still looking strong at the end.
 
The race also aw one of the day’s biggest margins of victory, and was won with a runaway lead of over 40 seconds by Hallamshire Harrier Phillippa Wilson in 27:11 with Middlesborough Mandale’s Phillippa Stone (who had won the North Easterns in December ) 2nd in 27:52 and Ambleside AC’s Scout Adkin 3rd in 27:57 (were her parents To Kill a Mockingbird fans, one wonders?).
 
With runners in 5th, 7th, 8th and 15th, Leeds City were, unsurprisingly, 1st team on only 35 points with Hallamshire not far behind on 45 and Vale Royal 3rd (89). NSP were 1st NE team on 219, with Charlotte Penfold 41st and Jacqui Penn 44th their leading runners.
 
Final race of the day, the Senior Men’s,  saw another terrific tussle at the sharp end where an in-form Carl Avery went toe to toe with Salford Harrier Joe Steward at the front of the field for three laps of the 11.5k course, only getting dropped in the last kilometre by the younger man and having to settle for Silver.
 
It was a terrific return to form for Carl, who had been Northern champion at Harewood House back in 2018 and has worked with way back to his best in 2022 with some strong performances over the XC after previous serious injuries.
 
With six to count, he led the Senior Men’s team to a strong 6th place finish with Leeds City AC perhaps unsurprisingly dominant (six in the top 25 for a total of 93 points)  over Sale Harriers in 2nd (155) and Hallamshire 3rd (170). Tyne Bridge did well to make the top twenty in 16th ahead of Durham City (17th) and Sunderland (19th).
 
Phil Winkler (19th) had another good run to make the top twenty, Sam Hancox was 47th and Connor Marshall 62nd, while Ali Douglas and Andy Lawrence battled it out together for 86th and 87th places.
 
Further support came from Alex Cunningham, 109th, Adam Pratt 116th and Mark Snowball, 254th. Just short of 500 finished the race, the day’s largest field.
 
Congratulations who to all who took part, not just the medallists, and also to parents and supporters. It’s always good to see the club represent itself, and the region, with distinction.
 
Action moves to the National at the end of February. Please note: entries for this are closing soon, so if you are interested in running, do make sure you have been entered. If not, contact the club urgently. 

Full results from the Northern are available here.