MORPETH FINISH WITH A FLOURISH AT ALNWICK

Cat McDonald and Jane Hodgson out in front in the Senior Women's race. Photo: Stuart Whitman

With a sixth and final meeting held at Alnwick on Saturday, the curtain came down on the Start Fitness North East Harrier League cross country season for 2021-22 with the club able to carry off three on-the-day team and two individual wins to round off another highly-successful campaign.
 
There can, of course, be fewer more picturesque settings for racing than Alnwick Pastures, with the castle’s iconic presence imposing itself on events from the distance on a day of both bright spring sunshine and chilly winter breezes, with Alnwick Harriers once again a welcoming and well-organised host.
 
First up were, as ever, the Under 11 boys and girls running over a short but hilly one kilometre course and there were three Morpeth boys out, with Jacob Thompson first back in 13th (4 minutes 3 seconds). William Macbryde had his first ever run in a blue and white vest in front of proud grandmother and clothing supreme Pam Woodcock and was 45th in 4:45 (and commented afterwards ‘It was too short’, not something often heard at cross countries!). Eli Macsparrow  was also 59th in 5:08.
 
In the next age category, it was pleasing to see a full team out at last in the U/13 boys, with Evan Laude 6th (15:55), Daniel Vermaas 11th (16:16), Thomas Roche 25th (16:54) and William Hawkins 40th (17:39), all from Slow Pack. The team finished complete in 3rd overall and there is certainly some promise now for next year’s campaign.
 
One of the most pleasing results of the day was in the matching U/13 girls race, with the team finishing 2nd on the day to North Shields Polytechnic Harriers but winning the overall league title. This time Grace Cunningham was first back, 6th in 17:07 with Faye Heatley 13th (17:34) and Charlotte Marshall just behind in 14th (17:35), all from Slow Pack. Fastest Morpeth time of the day was by Emma Tomlinson from Fast Pack, 18th in 16:22, with Sophie Pledger 20th (18:10) and Molly Roche 27th from Fast (16:51). Rosie Heaton was 30th  from Slow (18:44) with Megan Potrac 32nd (17:13) and Iris Dungait 40th (17:46), both from Fast. An improving squad has shown how important it is to put out full teams and support each other, and can feel justly proud of their season. Emma also made the top ten in the individual grand prix in 9th position.
 
There were, sadly however, no Morpeth vests out in the U/15 girls, where Tabbie Robson to her credit has ploughed a lone furrow all season, and this is the one glaring absence for the club that will need addressing in the autumn.
 
There were in contrast comprehensive wins for both Under 15 and Under 17 boys teams, who have dominated their divisions over the season with both outfits winning five out of the six available fixtures.
 
Led home once again by Oliver Calvert, 5th in 12:44,  the team’s three to count were again made up by Joe Close, only a few seconds behind in 6th (12:47) and Oliver Tomlinson 7th  (12:55), all from Fast Pack. Calvert won the individual Grand Prix, with Close in 3rd and Tomlinson in 4th. Further supporting runs came from Dan Burrow, 17th in 15:17 and Stephen Craske, 25th in 15:52, both out of Slow, and Eliot Mavir, 42nd in 15:27 from Fast.
 
The equally dominant U/17s were led home by Bertie Marr, 4th  on the day (14:43) to Birtley Harrier Chris Perkins (14:00) who also won the individual GP. Ryan Davies, 5th in 14:45 and James Tilley, 8th in 15: 16, both found the conditions much easier than the exertions of the previous week’s National, with Matt Walton 13th in 15:46. Marr was able to  enjoy his 2nd place in the GP table, with Davies 5th, Walton 7th and Tilley 8th.
 
The club’s first individual victory came in the combined U/17 and U/20 Women’s race, where Millie Breese comfortably held off all competition to win with the fastest time of the day, 16:31, and also take the overall GP title. Caitlin Flanagan, also running from Fast Pack, was 18th in 19:00, but sadly there was no 3rd counter. There was at least the consolation of an overall 3rd place for the season, but the contrast with full squads in other categories continues to shows how important it is for us to close out teams.
 
There has certainly not been a problem however in getting the club’s Senior Women to turn out for the cross country with record numbers indeed for the club, and this time there were twelve Morpeth athletes forming part of the 400 plus field where Elswick Harriers looked to claim the overall title.
 
In a two-lap race won by veteran Kirsty Lowery of Sunderland Strollers in 32:19, the day’s fastest time was again recorded by Cat Macdonald, 3rd home overall in 28:10 with Jane Hodgson chasing her most of the way and finishing in 4th (28:54). Cat and Jane were clear winners of their respective Senior and Veteran GP tables.
 
Julie Vermass, now out of Medium Pack, was 3rd team counter in 33:43 while Gemma Floyd (59th) and Lindsey Quinn (60th) were locked in a tussle together all the way for 4th,  both later credited with the same time.
 
Supporting runs came courtesy of: Mhairi Line, 77th from Slow (37:00); Robyn Ferguson, 94th (Slow, 37:18); Sarah Lawson, 143rd in first run from Fast Pack (33:06); debutant Gemma Turnbull, 151st (Slow, 38:14); Sue Smith, 252nd (41:16); and, in their first races back after long-term injuries, Jane Kirby (Slow, 258th, 41:36) and Claire Calverley (Medium, 274th, 39:59).
 
Surprisingly, the team placed only 4th on the day with Jesmond Joggers, Elvet Harriers and even Elswick again finding some Slow Pack finishers. Morpeth could, at least, enjoy a fine 2nd place overall for the season and can look forward to a battle with this year’s winners Elswick Harriers in September, most of whose runners have now moved up to Medium or Fast Packs.
 
Final race of the day  was the Senior Men’s where the club rounded off the season in fine style with overwhelming individual and team victories.
 
The individual victory came courtesy of local lad Phil Winkler, the Leeds resident back on home turf for the weekend but keen to have a post-Covid infection ‘rust buster’ run, something he was most emphatically able to do. Running from Slow Pack, he was soon in the clear and led all the way and, with a final clocking of 39:38, finished a minute and a half of 2nd place finisher and guest Jarlath Mckenna, whose 36:16 from Fast Pack was the day’s fastest time.
 
There was a long-awaited debut for the club from Graeme Cook, 5th in 42:22, and a further one from Richie Hughes, 11th in 43:03, both from Slow. Under 20 Joe Anderson, now out of Medium, was 15th in 40:57 in a season that has seen successive promotions for him out of Slow Pack to Fast, as like Connor, he makes what looks like a seamless transition from the Junior to Senior ranks.
 
With veteran Graeme Thorpe 21st (43:54 from Slow) and Connor Marshall 6th counter in 23rd (39:05 from Fast), the club’s 6 to count score was a miserly 32 points, over a 100 less than Heaton Harriers in 2nd. Indeed, Tom Innes, 5th in the final GP tables and 26th here, didn’t even make the counters on this occasion.
 
Winning three of the six fixtures outright, Morpeth’s Senior Men won the team title by a seven point margin over nearest rivals Tyne Bridge Harriers, who were awarded 2nd place despite finishing on the same points as Sunderland Harriers, but who won two fixtures.
 
There were no less than eleven other Senior and Veteran men out: Shaun Land, improving again to finish 46th from Slow in 45:25; David Stabler, 77th in his first ever NEHL (46:13); Andy Lawrence, 130th from Fast (42:11); Jamie Johnson, 153rd from Slow (47:40); Jake Parmley, one place and one second behind, also from Slow; Alistair Macdonald, 214th (Slow, 49:13); Jason Dawson, 224th (Medium, 46:57); Rob Hancox, 242nd (Medium, 47:24); Richard Kirby, 284th (Slow, 51:15), getting his revenge on Richard Johnstone, 314th (Slow, 52:31); Bill Tilley, 371st (Slow, 53:21). Some 468 finished.
 
Overall then for the NEHL season, a final tally  of four out of a possible eight team victories, plus one second and one third place, and also four individual grand prix wins.
 
Thanks and congratulations to all those who ran – if there’s one thing we are constantly reminded of at the XC, it’s about the numbers out, not just the counters.

If you didn’t run – you’ve missed it! But rest assured, it will be back in the autumn.

Visit Stuart Whitman's gallery of photos from the event here.
The final league tables are available on the Harrier League website here.