 The Morpeth team at Sutton Park Recording their best finish in many years, Morpeth Harriers’ Senior Men were just over a minute off a medal when finishing 5th at the English Road Running Association Six Stage Road Relays at the weekend.
Held as is traditional within the grounds of Sutton Park in the northern outskirts of Birmingham, the day once again featured the strongest clubs and the best runners from right across the country, with competition for Young Athletes over legs of 3.88 kilometres and the Seniors each completing 5.8k. Losing Scott Beattie, who had struggled all week following his first race in a GB vest at Riga, Latvia and had sadly to withdrew on the morning of the race, was certainly a blow to the team, although they still led the competition at the half way point. Finn Brodie was lead out man once again, his 17:43 getting the team back in 15th with Will de Vere Owen, promoted to the A team after his strong performance in the Northern event at Birkenhead, clocking 18:13 for 19th. All changed with GB international Rory Leonard on leg 3, however, with a barnstorming run of 16:38, the third fastest overall of the day, taking the team into the lead. With strong national outfits Leeds City AC, Aldershot, Farnham and District and Cambridge and Coleridge AC all having their own big hitters on last legs, it was always going to be a challenge to hang on, and despite good runs by Lawrence McCourt (17:54 for 2nd), Will Cork (18:15, 5th and Carl Avery (17:31, 5th), the club just slipped out of the medals, finishing in a time of 1:46:14. Leeds City - an ominously strong club these days - were winners in 1:44:36, just 10 seconds ahead of Aldershot, Farnham and District with Cambridge and Coleridge AC 3rd in 1:44:52. Fastest individual leg of the day was from Birchfield Harrier Omar Ahmed, who clocked 16:34. The B team also had a good afternoon, finishing a creditable 36th and 5th B team, ahead of the A teams of many of the 70 clubs who took part. George Lowry ran 18:24 on leg 1 (43rd), Sam Hancox had the team’s fastest stage with 18:07, moving the team into the top thirty (28th) with Phil Winkler getting up to 25th (18:29). Matty Briggs, creditably coming in as first reserve at very short notice, ran 19:49 (35th) and teenagers Liam Roche (19:21, 40th) and James Tilley (19:00, 37th) brought the team home (Belgrave were disqualified, hence the final place of 36th not 37th). No question of Morpeth not having the North East bragging rights, as neither Sunderland Harriers nor Tyne Bridge, who had both qualified, travelled to compete. Nor was there NE involvement in the Senior Women’s four stage race, where Aldershot Farnham and District A narrowly beat the next team, who were Aldershot Farnham and District B (58:07 to 58:19), with Leeds City given the same time as the B in 3rd place. Morpeth’s Under 17s were also one of only two North East teams to travel to the Young Athlete races, finishing a highly respectable 17th of some seventy-one clubs, with legs by Joe Close (12:26), Oliver Tomlinson (12:48) and Elliot Kelso (12:14). (TBH U/15 Boys were the only other NE outfit who ventured South). Comments are closed.
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