Northern Athletics Under 13/Under15/Under17 Track & Field Championships

Bobbie Griffiths with her Gold Medal

Four Morpeth Harriers were in action at the annual Northern Athletics
combined Under 13/Under15/Under17 Track and Field Championships,
held on Saturday and Sunday, (19th & 20th August 2017) at Leigh Sports Village in Greater Manchester.

Two came away with Championship medals, most notably
Under 17 Woman throws specialist Bobbie Griffiths,
who won Gold in the Javelin, thus retaining the Northern title
that she had won twelve months previously at Middlesbrough.

Griffiths managed to throw a best of 39.75m, winning by a margin of 1.73m,
over her closest rival Harriet Cannell of Kingston Upon Hull.

On Saturday, Griffiths also came very close to a Bronze Medal in the Discus,
where she finished fourth, hurling a best of 30.21m, losing out by a mere 39cm.
She also competed in the Hammer, where she was thirteenth,
throwing a best of 35.20m, and the Shot Putt, finishing eleventh, with a best of 9.85m.

Morpeth’s second medallist in the Championships was
Under 15 Boy Ethan Stephenson, who won a Bronze in the Triple Jump,
producing a new personal best performance of 12.03m.

Stephenson also just missed a second Bronze Medal in the Long Jump,
again producing a new personal best of 5.69m, just losing out by a mere 15cm.

Another Morpeth athlete just missing a medal was Under 13 Girl Ellie Longstaff,
who finished fourth in the final of the 100m, posting a time of 13.45s,
after finishing second in her heat in 13.69m.
​
Although she finished third in her heat of the
Under 15 Girls 75m Hurdles in 12.36m,
Morpeth Harrier Amy Lott made no further progress.