UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships North East team Selection

Last years Inter Counties Senior Mens Race

Fifteen athletes from the ranks of Morpeth Harriers have been selected to run for the
North East Counties at forthcoming UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships,
which will be held on an entirely new course and venue,
at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough, on Saturday 11th March 2017.

Three of those athletes line up in the Senior Men’s squad, who are the current champions,
and have won the title for the last six consecutive years, and twelve times in all since the events inception in 1926.
North East Champion Jonny Taylor heads the list, and is also currently second in the
Senior Men’s section of the UK Cross Challenge standings to Aldershot’s Andy Vernon,
the final of which is incorporated into the Championships.

Joining him in the squad are Nick Swinburn and Carl Avery, who were
respectively second and third in the regional Championships.

In the North East Under 20 Men’s event, Morpeth’s Scott Beattie,
current North East and Northern Champion,
and Jake Masterman are in the regional line up.

Four athletes from Morpeth Harriers have won selection to the Under 17 Men’s squad.
Taylor Glover and Rory Leonard, who were respectively Silver and Bronze medallists
in the regional Championships, are joined in the line-up by club colleagues Matthew Waterfield
and Liam Marsh, who both impressed in the more recent Northern Championships.

North East Champion Daniel Dixon of Morpeth Harriers leads the line-up of the regions Under 15 Boys,
and Ben Walker and Dylan Davies have won the selectors hearts to be included in the Under 13 Boys squad.

North Eastern Silver medallist Emma Holt leads the regions line up in the Senior Women’s line up,
and is joined by club colleague Josie Cram, and former Morpeth Harrier
Ashley Gibson, now running with Southern Club Tonbridge.
 
In the North East Under 15 Girls squad, Morpeth’s Holly Peck is included,
courtesy of her Bronze medal placing in the regional championships,
and her consistent form, which includes a ninth place in the recent Northern Championships.

Additionally, no less than ten athletes from the club are listed amongst standby reserves.
They are as follows
Robert Balmbra and Ian Harding (Senior Men),
Kieran Hedley and Joe Ramshaw (Under 17 Men),
Ross Charlton and Daniel Melling (Under 15 Boys),
Jane Hodgson and Catriona MacDonald (Senior Women),
Abby Sheldon (Under 20 Women),
and Rhiannon Hedley (Under 13 Girls).

In further addition as revealed in last week’s report, Morpeth Harrier Ady Whitwam
will be competing for Yorkshire in the Senior Men’s event in Loughborough,
courtesy of him finishing seventh in their County Championships.