MORPETH HARRIERS
  • HOME
  • News Update
  • About Us
    • Contact
  • NEW MEMBERS
  • Club Documents
  • Training
    • Andrew Dippie
    • Mark Brown
    • Chris Waugh
  • Fixtures
  • Gallery
  • Club Kit
  • Archive News
  • Blog
  • Features
  • Membership
  • Volunteers
  • Newsletters

News update

UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships

10/3/2019

 
​Several Morpeth Harriers were in action at the annual UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships, held a Prestwold Hall, near Loughborough, Leicestershire on Saturday 9th March 2019.
Picture
Junior Mens race gets underway at Loughborough (Photo courtesy of Adrian Royle)
​A heavy morning downpour left the ground in a heavier than anticipated, and strong crosswinds made conditions difficult to master on a day of vital competition for some, as the event not only included the final of the annual UK Cross Challenge, it also acted as a selection event for Senior and Under 20 athletes of both genders for the forthcoming World Cross Country Championships, due to be held in Aarhus, Denmark, on Saturday 30th March.
Two Morpeth Harriers who may see themselves on the start-line in Denmark following their respective performances, are Under 20 Man Rory Leonard, and Senior Woman Mhairi MacLennan.
Leonard is definitely the more certain of the two, after finishing a close second to Welsh Champion Matt Willis of North Wales in the Under 20 Men’s 8k event.
Picture
Rory Leonard and Josh Cowperthwaite in the Junior Mens race (Photo courtesy of Adrian Royle)
The English National Champion only lost out for a Gold Medal victory by a mere twelve seconds,
beating fellow North Easterner Josh Cowperthwaite of Middlesbrough AC,
the North East Champion in the process, who took the Bronze medal.

Leonard and Cowperthwaite led the North East to Silver team medals,
with Morpeth’s Kieran Hedley being the third counter in 23rd place.

Meanwhile, MacLennan ran superbly to finish third in the Senior Women’s 10k,
a distance that they were running for the first time in the competition.

Whilst MacLennan will feel pleased to take the Bronze medal, she must wait for the selectors verdicts as to whether she will be included in the Worlds, as only the first two Jenny Nesbitt (Worcestershire), and Jess Piasecki (formerly Coulson) (Greater Manchester), were being guaranteed selection.

Mhairi was competing for her native Scotland East, who were incomplete, only having three finishers.
Meanwhile, the North East finished as third team behind Yorkshire and Essex,
​who took the respective Gold and Silver team medals.
Finishing 58th and 107th, Emma Holt and Catriona MacDonald were the regions fifth and sixth counters.
Picture
Mhairi MacLennan (1228) and Kate Avery in the Senior Womens race (Photo courtesy of Adrian Royle)
The North East’s English National winner at Harewood House two weeks ago, Sam Charlton of Wallsend Harriers, certainly repeated his form, as he added the Inter Counties title in the Under 17 Men’s 6k event, winning by a slender six seconds from Hamish Armitt of Scotland West, with Yorkshire’s Josh Dickinson securing the Bronze medal, two seconds further adrift.

By his own admittance, Charlton was far from being a winner, as he struggled in the final mile of the contest.
He led the North East to fourth team place, although they may well have finished third if their squad had included Morpeth’s Daniel Melling, who had an excellent run to finish 24th, and ahead of the rest of the regions team.
Melling was running independently as a Morpeth Harrier participating in the UK Cross Challenge.

Further down the field, and fractionally adrift of the scoring four, were fellow
​Morpeth Harriers Ross Charlton (40th), and Daniel Dixon (46th).
Picture
India Pentland (2161) in the Under 17 Womens race (Photo courtesy of Adrian Royle)
​India Pentland of Darlington Harriers was the regions other individual Gold Medallist on the day, winning the Under 17 Women’s 5k event, leading the North East home to fifth team place, with further team support including Morpeth’s Holly Peck, who performed superbly to finish 25th, and was second counter.
Picture
Ryan Davies (624) in the Under 13 Boys race (Photo courtesy of Adrian Royle)
​The regions Under 13 Boys finished as fifth team, with Morpeth’s Ryan Davies producing an excellent run to finish as third counter in 30th place.
PictureCarl Avery in the Senior Mens race (Photo courtesy of Adrian Royle)

​

Morpeth’s English National Bronze Medallist Carl Avery led the North East Senior Men
home to sixth team spot, when finishing in seventh place individually.

Also competing in the Senior Men’s 10k event was Morpeth’s Jordan Scott, who finished 158th in a 293 strong field.

Other Morpeth Harriers in action in the championships were Ben Walker,
who finished 269th in the 313 strong Under 15 Boys field, who ran a distance of 4k,
and Gracie Hufton, who finished 121st, in a 152 strong Under 20 Women’s 6k event.

The North East finished fifth and eighth respectively in these events, and the regions only team victory
​on the day, came courtesy of the Under 15 Girls in their 4k event, the penultimate event of a long day.

Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
© 2024 Morpeth Harriers & AC All Rights Reserved.
 Data Protection Policy.
  • HOME
  • News Update
  • About Us
    • Contact
  • NEW MEMBERS
  • Club Documents
  • Training
    • Andrew Dippie
    • Mark Brown
    • Chris Waugh
  • Fixtures
  • Gallery
  • Club Kit
  • Archive News
  • Blog
  • Features
  • Membership
  • Volunteers
  • Newsletters