NORTHERN SCHOOLS INTER COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Northumberland Schools took pride of place by taking the overall winners title at the
Northern Schools Inter County Cross Country Championships held at Middlesbrough’s
Stewarts Park on Saturday, winning by a margin of ten points over second place Cumbria,
with Durham and North Yorkshire having a close battle for third and fourth placings.

Amongst the Northumberland successes were several athletes from Morpeth Harriers, notably
Senior Girl Millie Breese and Intermediate Boy Joe Dixon, who finished first and second in
their respective events, and who look as if they have firmly booked their places on the bus for
the English Schools Championships being held in Kent on Saturday 19 th March.

Both athletes were competing on the back of strong performances when representing their
club at the previous week’s Northern Championships in Pontefract, and Saturday’s efforts put
further icing on the cake.

Breese won with two seconds to spare over fellow Northumbrian Holly Waugh of North
Shields Poly, with Cumbrian Champion Anna Mason of Border Harriers taking third place, a
further nineteen seconds adrift. All three might have an interesting battle for supremacy when
doing battle again in Kent in just over a month’s time.

Another Morpeth Harrier who could make that bus from the Senior Girls section is Abi
Leiper, fifth home for Northumberland in sixteenth place overall and part of her County’s
winning score in this section.

Joe Dixon led Northumberland Intermediate Boys home to a team victory when he finished
second to Durham’s Brandon Pye. He was twenty seconds adrift of Houghton Harrier Pye,
but also managed to put twenty seconds between himself and third placed Dan Richardson of
Cumbria, who competes for Sedbergh.

Other Morpeth Harriers distinguishing themselves in the Northumberland team in the
Intermediate Boys event were Ryan Davies and Bertie Marr, who finished fifth and eighth
respectively, and were the third and fifth counters for the winning squad and may also still
figure in the county’s future selection plans.

One who may miss out however is Joseph Close, who, a year younger than most in the race
finished thirtieth, but was ninth home from Northumberland. Further back was fellow
Morpeth Harrier Adam Howliston, who finished in sixty third place and fifteenth from his
county.

Another two excellent Morpeth performances for Northumberland came in the Junior Boys
event, where Ollie Calvert and Ollie Tomlinson finished seven seconds apart respectively in
third and fourth places.

The event was won by North Yorkshire’s Jack Sanderson of Settle, with Cumbria’s Will
McNally of Leven Valley only three seconds adrift and a mere second ahead of Calvert.
The strength of Calvert and Tomlinson in terms of performances could well see them receive
the selectors nod for Kent in four weeks’ time.

Northumberland finished as second team to North Yorkshire in this section.
Four Morpeth Harriers were in action in the Senior Boys event, finishing in 22nd , 23rd , 24th and
25th places, with twenty seconds spanning their performances, and they were fifth, sixth,

seventh, and eighth home for Northumberland, which puts them close to the selectors eyes
when pondering choices for Kent. The respective four were: Matthew Walton, Joseph
Anderson, Ralph Robson, and James Tilley.

Two Morpeth Harriers faced the Starter in the Intermediate Girls event. Tabitha Robson,
younger sister of Ralph, was the first of the two home, finishing in 25 th place, and Caitlin
Flanagan followed her home in 34 th place, twenty-two seconds dividing them.
Northumberland were second team behind winners Durham, however Robson and Flanagan
were outside the scoring six, as in eighth and ninth to finish for the county they await
selectors’ decisions.

Two athletes from Morpeth Harriers were in action in the Minor Girls event, although
athletes from this age group do not participate in the English Schools finals.
Emma Tomlinson, younger sister of Ollie, finished fifteenth and was fourth home from the
county, and Grace Cunningham finished fifty sixth, and was eleventh home for
Northumberland.
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Under 13 sprinter Kyle Phillips of Morpeth Harriers turned his hand to cross country in the
Minor Boys event, managing to finish fifty second, and was thirteenth home for
Northumberland.