Certainly up with the front runners were Morpeth Harriers pairing Ross Floyd
and newly crowned Most Improved Athlete Sam Hancox, who ran well to finish second and ninth respectively.
Floyd clocked 32m26s, and was thirty seven seconds adrift of race winner Marc Fenwick of Tyne Bridge Harriers.

Meanwhile for Hancox it was indeed an excellent run, as he took nearly two minutes
off his previous clocking for the distance, when he came home in 34m26s.
Third home for Morpeth Harriers was Michael Thomsen, who finished in twelfth place,
and agonisingly just adrift of his personal best with his finishing time of 34m58s.
Thomsen was however first home in the Mens Over 35 category.

Fourth place and final counter for Morpeth Harriers, and third in the Mens Over 35
category was Michael Forster, who finished in 24th place overall in 36m23s.

Ironically as in the individual Mens race, a Morpeth Harrier finished second to a Tyne Bridge Harrier,
and it was the same result in the Mens team race, with Morpeth scorers Floyd, Hancox, Thomsen, and Forster.

A Morpeth Harriers Mens B team finished seventh, being led home by Hancox’s Club Coach Chris Waugh,
who finished 27th in 36m41s, and was second Over 50 Veteran Man.
Next home for Morpeth was Alistair MacDonald, who finished in 33rd place in 36m56s,
and was 6th Over 45 Veteran Man.

The Morpeth B team count was completed by Rob Hancox (47th) (7th Over 45) 37m46s,
and Steve Haswell (54th) (9th O/45) 38m10s.

Other Morpeth Harriers finishers were as follows
Jim Alder (79th) (4th O/50) 39m37s,
Les Cavill (127th) (4th O/55) 42m06s,
Sue Smith (282nd) (61st Lady) (6th O/45 Lady) 49m45s,
Jane Blackett (312th) (82nd Lady) (3rd O/50 Lady) 52m11s,
and Lesley Gemmell (314th) (83rd Lady) (8th O/45 Lady) 42m13s.

WHATS NEW INDEX
Settle Hills Fell Race !
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A New Bench at the Track !
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They were led home by Morpeth Harrier Nick Swinburn, who despite not collecting a team medal
had the consolation of winning a well deserved individual Silver medal in respect of him finishing
a close second to Scotland West’s Ehiopian Junior talent Wegene Tafase.

Swinburn missed out for overall victory by seventeen seconds,
when he completed the tough terrain course in 46m23s.
Fellow Morpeth Harrier Gary Jones finished further down the field in 53rd pace,
and was fourth home from the region, with only the first three to make the team score.

WHATS NEW INDEX
Clive Cookson 10k Road Race !
Most Improved Athlete Award !
A New Bench at the Track !
Purbeck 10k !
BMC Classic Track Meeting !
OTHER NEWS FROM MAY....
NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM MARCH....
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12 to 15 months ago Sam was very dispirited, and suffering from a mystery blood disorder,
however after eventually gaining full recovery he linked up with Club Coach Chris Waugh,
and a very supportive group of fellow Harriers in training, and the end result has been superb to say the least,
of both benefit to the athlete, and to the prosperity of his club.

Sam’s running form and ability has truly surged, and his dedication to his club has been very much exemplary.
He turned out in all six of the North Eastern Harrier League meetings, and in the Sherman Cup,
and more than helped his club achieve victory in both competitions.
The award is thoroughly well deserved by a very determined young man,
who now has a very bright future in the sport to look forward to.

WHATS NEW INDEX
Clive Cookson 10k Road Race !
Settle Hills Fell Race !
A New Bench at the Track !
Purbeck 10k !
BMC Classic Track Meeting !
OTHER NEWS FROM MAY....
NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM MARCH....
NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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Long serving Morpeth Harriers club member and former
President Peter Carmichael has kindly donated the bench,
and was present along with his wife Margaret for the occasion,
which he proudly shared with young members of the club.

Peter’s long association with the club goes as far back as 1954,
and apart from one brief spell with fellow North East club Elswick Harriers,
he has remained a firm supporter, and gave considerable service to the Morpeth Harriers club committee.

He also is very proud of his club’s achievements, and his very welcome donation to the new facility
is pure testament of his admiration of the determination to arm themselves with a new track facility,
even if it’s at the end of a long and very patient wait, and very much overdue.

Peter has very clear memories of his competitive years with the club,
however one of his fondest memories involved with his sport,
as when he was a student at Reading University, he made the trip up to Oxford,
and was present at Iffley Road when Roger Bannister sensationally ran,
what was at the time, his world record breaking mile.

The bench, along with another bench, donated in honour of the
late Tony Bray by his wife Anne, will certainly be put to good use,
when Morpeth Harriers host their very first home fixture at the venue on Sunday 2nd June.

WHATS NEW INDEX
Clive Cookson 10k Road Race !
Settle Hills Fell Race !
Most Improved Athlete Award !
Purbeck 10k !
BMC Classic Track Meeting !
OTHER NEWS FROM MAY....
NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM MARCH....
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In a classy Mens 1500m C Race, where the first nine of 14 finishers,
all finished within nine seconds of each other, Ryan Stephenson finished eighth in a time of 3m55.31s,
which was just under five seconds adrift of race winner Kyran Roberts,
a very promising Under 20 athlete from Carmarthen in Wales.

Fresh from her 3000m event at Wednesday night’s North Eastern Grand Prix meeting,
Morpeth’s Ashley Gibson finished seventh in the Womens 1500m A race in a time of 4m22.94s,
behind GB International Charlene Thomas of Wakefield, who won in 4m14.38s.

In the Mens 5000m C Race, Morpeth Harrier Michael Dawson
finished thirteenth in 15m20.27s, which was a seasons best clocking.

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Purbeck 10k !
Start Fitness North Eastern Grand Prix !
Gordon Smith Memorial Relays !
Trafford Grand Prix Meeting !
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BMC Classic Track Meeting !
Start Fitness North Eastern Grand Prix !
Gordon Smith Memorial Relays !
Trafford Grand Prix Meeting !
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The club also had six age group winners on a night where the weather proved favourable,
despite the torrential downpour that had prevailed during the hours leading up to the meetings commencement.

One of the outstanding Morpeth wins came in the Under 15 Boys 200m,
where Sean O’Hara set new figures of 25.3s.
His clubmate Euan Jones was a fraction outside of his personal best with 27.5s.

Despite being fractionally outside of his personal best, Ryan Green,
who was judged Track athlete of the meeting at the previous fixture,
won the Under 17 Mens 800m in 1m59.8s, finishing just ahead of his
Morpeth Harriers clubmate Phillip Winkler, who was delighted to
achieve a new personal best for the distance of 2m01.7s, for second place.

New figures for the 800m were also set by Jared Lewis, who clocked 2m07.4s.

Kieran Hedley was just inside his personal best,
when he finished 5th fastest in the Under 15 Boys 800m in 2m21.0s.
Another Morpeth Harriers performer in the 800m was Josh Burton, who clocked 2m40.0s.

Mitch Green finished third in the Under 15 Boys Shot, with a best of 7.25m

Two Morpeth Harriers achieved new personal bests in the seeded 3000m event.
Jordan Scott was third in the Senior Mens section in 9m10.6s,
and Elliot Kelly also placed third in the Under 17 Mens section,
knocking a whole four seconds off his previous best with 9m32.4s.

Another good Morpeth Harriers performer over 3000m was Ashley Gibson,
who was easily the fastest Senior Woman on track, with a clocking of 9m36.5s.

Morpeth Harrier Henrik Paulsen won the Under 20 Mens 400m in 58.1s.

Alison Brown was first Under 17 Woman in the 3000m in 11m49s,
after earlier competing in the 800m, where she clocked 2m35.0s.

In the Under 13 Boys events, Morpeth Harrier Joe Dowd certainly had a busy and successful night’s competition.
He won the High Jump, with a new personal best clearance of 1.25m, he then finished second in the 200m,
setting new figures of 29.4s, then wetted his appetite further by competing in the 800m,
where he finished fifth in 2m40.0s, just fractionally ahead of clubmate Alex Cunningham, who clocked 2m40.9s.
Fellow Morpeth Harrier Cameron Dick, also competed in the Under 13 Boys 800m, and clocked 2m45.7s.

When finishing fourth in the Under 17 Womens 800m,
Morpeth’s Amber Cormack set new figures of 2m24.4s.

Another personal best was achieved by Naomi Arkle in the
Under 15 Girls 200m, when she placed fourth in 29.6s.

Alex Nesbit equalled his personal best when he finished fourth in the Under 17 Mens seeded 100m in 12.1s.

Lizzie Rank set new figures of 2m41.6s in the Under 15 Girls 800m.

Craig Pickup won the Senior Mens Discus with a best of 26.27m,
and finished second in the Shot with 8.56m.

Ailsa Jones finished third in her first ever Under 13 Girls High Jump competition,
and she clocked 2m47.2s in the 800m.

In her very first outing over 800m, Morpeth Harrier Ellie Marshall clocked 2m48.1s.

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BMC Classic Track Meeting !
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He was supported in the 3 x 2mile effort by father and son pairing Rob and Sam Hancox,
who clocked 11m25s, and 10m31s on their respective legs.

Morpeth Harriers finished fifty seconds adrift of third placed Tyne Bridge Harriers,
with North Shields Poly squeezing out the hosts for the overall title.

A total of sixty six Mens teams and forty two Womens teams took part,
with the hosts providing the winners of the Womens contest.

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BMC Classic Track Meeting !
Purbeck 10k !
Start Fitness North Eastern Grand Prix !
Trafford Grand Prix Meeting !
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BMC Classic Track Meeting !
Purbeck 10k !
Start Fitness North Eastern Grand Prix !
Gordon Smith Memorial Relays !
Athlete of the Month Award !
OTHER NEWS FROM MAY....
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She finished second against older rivals in a seeded 300m event at
the North Eastern Grand Prix meeting at Jarrow, in a time of 45.2s.
Amber also produced an excellent run to win the Under 17 Womens 800m,
at the first meeting of the newly formed North East Youth
Development League, held at Shildon. She won in a time of 2m32.9s.

Amber is pictured above with her Certificate of Achievement,
which was presented to her by Morpeth Harriers Club Chairman David Swinburne,
at the Clubhouse on Mitford Road, on Monday 13th May.

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Cyril Elliot Memorial Open Track & Field Meeting !
Beverley 10k and 2k Road Eace !
Les Allcorn Races !
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The following Morpeth Harriers were also in the field of 812 finishers.
Mike Winter (56th) (21st O/40 45m13s,
Bob Wells (170th) (4th O/60) 50m20s,
Mike Steven (291st) (37th O/50) 54m19s,
Sue Smith (422nd) (25th O/45 Lady) 58m40s,
Lesley Gemmell (521st) (1st O/65 Lady) 61m45s,
and Jane Blackett (600th) (41st O/45 Lady) 64m25s.

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Athlete of the Month Award !
Cyril Elliot Memorial Open Track & Field Meeting !
Beverley 10k and 2k Road Eace !
Les Allcorn Races !
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After running her heat of the Under 13 Girls 75m in a time of 11.60s, to finish second,
Nadine clocked a slightly better 11.56s as she finished just outside the medals in a later run final.

Nadine also competed in the 150m, however failed to make the final after finishing fourth in her heat in 24.11s.

Meanwhile, Naomi competed in the Under 15 Girls 100m and 200m events,
where she finished fourth in both respective heats with clockings of 14.34s, and 30.74s.

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Athlete of the Month Award !
Pier to Pier Race !
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Les Allcorn Races !
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Shuna finished 296th in the 10k in a time of 46m58s, and was 6th Over 45 Veteran Woman.

Meanwhile Lizzie finished as third girl in the 2k Junior Run, which supported the main event.

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Athlete of the Month Award !
Pier to Pier Race !
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Les Allcorn Races !
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Sam clocked an excellent 35m45s, which was just less than a minute adrift
of event winner John Archer of Low Fell Running Club.
He was also first home in his category, in the total finishing field of 135.

Seven seconds behind Sam in fourth place, was his Morpeth Harriers club colleague Michael Thomsen,
who had successfully completed his first track 5000m for his club 48 hours earlier,
in the North of England League fixture at Cleckheaton.

Next home for Morpeth Harriers was Matthew Forster, who finished twelfth overall in 37m31s.

It was certainly a good night for the Hancox family, when Sam’s father Rob,
finished sixteenth in 39m03s, and was third in the Over 45 Veteran Mens category.

Fifth in the Over 45 Veteran Mens category was fellow Morpeth Harrier
Steve Haswell, who finished 25th in 40m31s.
Morpeth Harrier Jim Alder won the Veteran Mens Over 50 title, when finishing 29th in 41m23s.

Other Morpeth Harriers to feature amongst the top 50 finishers were Richard Kirby and Alison Brown.
Kirby finished 47th in 43m39s, and Brown was fifth lady, and first Under 17 Lady, when placing 48th in 44m06s.

Other Morpeth Harriers results were as follows
Norman Clark (74th) (1st O/60 Man) 48m18s,
Rachel McCoy (91st) (20th Lady) 50m35s,
Claire Bruce (102nd) (28th Lady) (4th O/45 Lady) 52m22s,
Susan Smith (108th) (31st Lady) (6th O/45 Lady) 53m13s,
and Jane Blackett (120th) (42nd Lady) (4th O/50 Lady) 56m50s.
This was Rachel McCoy’s first outing in a Morpeth vest, since joining the club in Mid-March.

Les Allcorn Junior 3k Event !

Unfortunately Morpeth Harrier Phillip Winkler disappointingly missed out in his attempt
to retain his winner’s title in the Les Allcorn Junior 3k event.
Winkler finished second to Alnwick Harrier Adam Weightman,
who won by a margin of eighteen seconds in 10m52s, after seizing his momentary chance of a breakaway run.
However Winkler could take some consolation in the fact that he was first Under 17 finisher.

Next home for Morpeth Harriers was Philip Kirby, who was second Under 15
to the winner Weightman, when finishing seventh in 12m39s.

Daniel Dixon was third Morpeth Harrier to finish, when he came home
in fourteenth spot in 13m29s, and was second Under 11 Boy.

Two seconds and one place behind Daniel came Morpeth Harriers
clubmate Lizzie Rank, who was first Under 15 Girl.

Other Morpeth Harriers finishers were
Ross Charlton (19th) (4th U/11 Boy) 13m56s,
and Adam Kirby (34th) (7th U13 Boy) 15m07s.

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Future events will be run on a handicap basis as in previous years,
however this first event saw all participants go off a level start.

Two Morpeth Harriers took part, and the first of those to finish was new signing Mark McLeod,
who placed second, clocking 16m12s for the 5k distance.
He finished fifteen seconds adrift of winner Mark Fenwick of Tyne Bridge Harriers.

The other Morpeth Harrier taking part was Over 65 Veteran Dave Gray,
who was second in his age category, when finishing 54th in 26m11s.

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Les Allcorn Races !
Northern League Division 2E
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In the Mens events there were good A string wins for Michael Dawson (1500m) 4m17.2s,
and Jordan Scott (5000m) 15m54.5s, a new personal best, which also saw Michael Thomsen
take the B race in 16m56.2s, a new personal best, and Jack Hepple had two second places
respectively in the 100m and 200m events in personal bests of 11.4s and 22.4s.

Hepple was well backed up by B race performances by
David Storey (100m) (4th) 12.2s,
and debutant, Mitch Gray (200m) (3rd) 25.4s.

In his first ever outing in the Senior League, Morpeth Harriers Under 17
middle distance specialist Ryan Green certainly impressed.
He finished fourth in the A race of the 400m in 54.9s, a new personal best,
being well backed up by the B race performance of Henrik Paulsen,
who placed second, also with a new personal best of 56.3s.

Green also went on to set new figures, and gained an English Schools qualification,
in what is arguably his best distance, the 800m, when he finished third in the A race in 1m58.0s,
and the aforementioned Michael Dawson took the B race to add to his 1500m success, in 2m09.7s.

Phil Caldwell, in his first Senior 3000m Steeplechase did well to finish second in 10m34.7s.

Unfortunately Morpeth Harriers Men were very much short of good performers in the Field events,
which they hope to rectify in the forthcoming three matches.
However those who filled in on the day, did do their level best to achieve a few valuable points.

Morpeth Harriers Senior Mens 4 x 400m Relay squad,
comprising of Ryan Green, Elliot Kelly, Michael Dawson
and Mitch Gray, did well to finish third in 3m59.5s.

The Womens section saw a win in the 100m for Elaine Telford (13.0s),
and she just missed out on a second win in the 200m with 27.0s.

Claire Reid worked hard and well in no less than four Field events.
She finished second in the Discus with a best of 36.86m,
third in both the Javelin (21.73m) and Shot (10.47m),
and fifth in the Hammer (31.51m).

As first timers in the Senior League, Amber Cormack and Charlotte Jewell
gave good account for themselves.Amber produced two personal best performances
when she finished fourth in the 400m in 64.0s, and fourth in the 800m in 2m28.3s.

Unfortunately Morpeth Harriers B runner in the Womens 800m Molly McDonald,
was forced out by an injured hamstring, when leading the B race with 300m remaining.

Charlotte Jewell finished second in the B race of the 3000m in 11m59.2s,
backing up Alison Brown’s fourth in the A race in 11m36.4s.
Brown also finished second in the B race of the 1500m in 5m28.3s.

Hannah Sheerin finished third in the A race of the 1500m in 5m14.3s, a new personal best.

Amber Cormack, Lauren Smith, Rosie McDonald, and Elaine Telford,
combined well to bring a Morpeth Harriers Womens 4 x 100m Relay squad home for second place in 55.2s.

Cormack also teamed up with Louise Brett, Hannah Sheerin, and Charlotte Jewell,
to see a Morpeth Harriers Womens 4 x 400m squad home in fourth place in 4m38.3s.

Hard pressed Morpeth Harriers Team Manager Mike Bateman,
was very praiseworthy of both of his squad’s efforts on the day,
particularly the newcomers in both genders,
who had performed well on their first outings.

However he also expressed disappointment in those who had failed to turn out
after earlier positive promises, which sadly had let the team down,
and had left their clubmates with a lot of extra hard work,
which thankfully they willingly carried out,
with much success achieved under the circumstances.

He added that he hoped that the respective squads would be able
to recover some lost ground in the remaining three fixtures.

FINAL MATCH SCORE
1st Gateshead Harriers B 427pts,
2nd City of York 324pts,
3rd Skyrac 316.5pts,
4th Morpeth Harriers 270pts,
5th North Shields Poly 249pts,
6th Middlesbrough (Mandale) 214.5pts.

Click here for complete Senior Mens results

Click here for complete Senior Womens results

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Morpeth Harriers fielded four teams in all, however quick mathematics tells you
that thirteen into sixteen does not quite equate correctly,
which means that some runners from the club actually doubled up their efforts in competing terms.

The ten who took part were as follows
Lewis Timmins, Michael Thomsen,
Nick Swinburn, Phil Walker,
Ross Floyd, Sam Hancox,
Mark McLeod, Billy Gilroy,
Paul Waterston, Neil Wilkinson,
Terry Wall, Fergus Bates,
and Alistair MacDonald.

All of the hundreds who took part thoroughly enjoyed the event,
which was held in excellent conditions, on an excellent scenic course,
and many thanks go to the organising club Sedgefield Harriers for their efforts on the night,

The Morpeth Harriers informant, a Scottish Veteran, with an obvious receding hairline,
(some of his info reliable), was quick to point out that several of the clubs members
had good runs, however he was unsure in some cases, who had run which leg.

He added that it was a night of fun, run in great spirit, enriched with very ripe rewards

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Northern League Division 2E
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Fellow Morpeth Harrier Michael Dawson finished fourth in the Mens 800m D race in 2m08.0s.

In the Mixed 800m E race, Morpeth Harriers Elliot Kelly, and Ashley Gibson
finished 4th and 5th respectively, with times of 2m11.3s, and 2m17.0s.

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First of those was Veteran Woman Joanne Brown, who was tenth Lady in 119th place overall,
in a time of 3hrs29mins26secs, for the twenty six and a half mile effort.

Next home was Scott Wilkes, who placed 174th in 3hrs35mins56secs.

Jane Briggs clocked a new personal best for the distance,
when she came home 205th, in a time of 3hrs41mins19secs.
She was also 22nd Lady.

Hermes Carlyon (210th) 3hrs41mins54s, and Tony Richardson (397th) 4hrs03mins14secs
completed the Morpeth Harriers tally.

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They won by a margin of 68 points over an also strong New Marske,
with Blaydon a further 23.5 points adrift in third place.
Fourth, fifth and sixth places went to Jarrow and Hebburn, Birtley,
and hosts Durham City, in this the first of four rounds of the competition,
which replaces the former UK Young Athletes League.

There were good performances across the three age groups, and by both Male and Female sections.

The Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Women secured no less than four double victories, three B event successes,
and a good sprinkling of seconds and thirds to cement a good score from their section.
Their first double victory came in the 100m, where Kirsty Lang (13.8s),
and Meagan Deakin (14.1s) took respective honours.
Deakin was fourth fastest over the two strings.
Lang and Deakin also teamed up in the 200m, where Deakin won the B string in 29.0s,
with Lang finishing third in 29.5s in a tougher A race.

Second double win of the day for Morpeth came in the 800m,
with Amber Cormack taking the A race in 2m32.9s,
and Molly MacDonald securing a B string victory in 2m47.8s.

Louise Brett (57.9s), and Lucy Pargeter ((59.3s) proved to be a
dominant force against all in the 300m Hurdles.
As were Hannah Sheerin (5m20.8s), and Charlotte Jewell (5m44.5s)
in the 1500m, who scored excellent double victories.
This pair also combined in the Triple Jump, with Sheerin’s 7.95m
good for second place in the A string, with Jewell taking the B event with a best of 7.50m.

Kirsty Lang’s clearance of 1.25m, gave her second place in the High Jump.

Third places were secured by Lucy Pargeter (15.9s) in the 80m Hurdles,
and Charlotte Jewell in the B Long Jump with 3.01m.

Chelsey Morrison took second place in the A Shot with a best of 6.50m,
ably backed up by Molly MacDonald who finished third in the B string with a best of 4.46m.

A good day’s work by the Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Womens squad
was rounded off by an excellent second place in the 4x100m Relay in 58.4s.

The clubs next best performers were their Under 17 Men,
who were boosted by two double victories, a single A string success,
coupled with an excellent 4 x 100m Relay, and some good B string wins,
alongside some close minor placings.

Ryan Green was particularly excellent in securing a victory in the Triple Jump with 11.76m,
a second in the High Jump with a clearance of 1.50m, and a win in the 1500m in 4m31.7s.
Green’s 1500m victory was well backed up by Elliot Kelly taking the B race in 4m36.8s.
Kelly also finished second in the 400m in 59.8s, with Joe Elder securing a B race victory in 60.4s.

Morpeth Harriers secured an excellent double victory in the Under 17 Mens Long Jump.
Phillip Winkler produced a best of 5.51m, and clubmate Alex Nesbit took the B string with 5.21m.

Winkler also finished a good second in the A race of the 800m in 2m09.1s,
and he was well backed up by Jarod Lewis taking the B race in 2m20.4s.

Alex Nesbit finished third in a very fast run A race of the 200m in 25.4s,
and was well backed up by debutant Luke Hegarty, who secured the B race in 25.5s.

Hans Paulsen finished second in the Javelin with his best throw of 20.28m,
and Jarod Lewis finished third in the Shot with 6.15m.

Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Men sealed victory in their 4 x 100m Relay in 50.1s.

Harriet Priest, Hannah Brown, and Nadine Arkle all produced B string victories
for a busy Morpeth Harriers Under 13 Girls squad.
Priest took her victory in the 100m with 15.3s,
where Arkle’s 15.2s saw her finish fourth in the A race.
Arkle also went on to win the B string Javelin with a best of 7.50m,
backing up an excellent second place in the A string by debutant Jessica Young-Rogers, who threw 10.60m.

Hannah Brown won the B string 70m Hurdles in 13.7s, with Harriet Priest finishing third in the A race in 13.5s.

Lucy Huddleston finished third in the B string Shot with a best of 2.32m.

Ailsa Jones finished fourth in the 800m in 2m44.9s, and also fourth in the Long Jump with a best of 3.23m.

Morpeth Harriers Under 13 Girls 4 x 100m Relay squad placed third in 65.0s.

Jacob Hopkins secured two individual victories in Morpeth Harriers Under 15 Boys
efforts towards achieving their successful result.
He won the 300m in 43.7s, and was well backed up by Josh Burton’s 45.7s,
which was second fastest overall, and saw him take the B race.
Hopkins second victory came in his more favoured 800m event, where he clocked 2m20.2s.

Euan Jones secured a B race victory in the 200m, with Mitchell Green finishing fourth in the A race in 29.9s.

Jones and Green also teamed up in the Long Jump, with Jones finishing second
in the A string with a best of 4.73, and Green’s 3.89m securing second in the B string.

Adam Shewry claimed an excellent win in the Javelin with 8.49m

Kieran Hedley finished second in the 1500m A race in 4m47.0s,
and was backed up by Cameron Kirk finishing second in the B race in 5m55.2s.

These two also linked up in the Shot, with Hedley finishing third in the A string with 4.29m,
and Kirk’s 3.81m securing a B string victory.

Morpeth Harriers Under 15 Boys won their 4 x 100m Relay in 57.2s.

Alex Cunningham and Cameron Dick secured Morpeth Harriers best result from a small Under 13 Boys squad.
Cunningham had an excellent win in the 1500m in 5m25.0s, and Dick superbly took the B race,
with his clocking of 5m37.1s, proving to be second fastest in the event.

In the Under 13 Boys Long Jump Ross Charlton finished third in the A string with his best of 3.41m.

Jake Lloyd gave good support when finishing second in the B string with his best of 3.30m.

Joe Briddon also competed for Morpeth in the Under 13 Boys 200m, where he finished fourth in the B string in 33.6s.

Naomi Arkle was Morpeth Harriers leading performer in the Under15 Girls events.
She firstly won the 100m in 14.0s, and then went on to finish third in the 200m in a time of 30.0s.
Other prominent performers in this age group were Harriet Grace,
who finished third in the B race of the 800m in 3m05.7s,
and Georgia Priest, who placed third in the A string of the Long Jump with her best of 3.42m.

The only disappointment of the event was the inability to stage the Hammer and Discus competitions,
because of the dogmatic stance adopted by the relevant local authority,
which employs the Shildon staff, and failed to get the cage in operational mode for the match.
They felt that on grounds of safety, i.e. (wind), and that the cage would prove too dangerous,
however the decision on this had been taken a few days beforehand,
and on the day it was viewed by officials to be usable.

This angered organisers and competitors alike, as some athletes had travelled some distance for their competition,
and not being able to compete was frustrating, and in addition in some cases,
was robbing them of gaining qualification standards for forthcoming Championship events.
Plus also there was lost opportunity for further vital match points to be gained.
No doubt correspondence of complaint will be winging its way to the relevant local authority in the near future.

FINAL MATCH RESULT
1st Morpeth Harriers 596pts,
2nd New Marske Harriers 528pts,
3rd Blaydon Harriers 504.5pts,
4th Jarrow & Hebburn AC 413pts,
5th Birtley AC 339.5pts,
6th Durham City Harriers 316pts.

NON SCORERS
The following Morpeth Harriers were non scoring competitors
at the first North East Young Athletes Development League Meeting,
held at Shildon on Sunday 28th April 2013.
Hannah Brown (Under 13 Girls 200m) 31.8s, and (100m) 15.0s.
Adam Shewry (Under 15 Boys 1500m) 5m34.5s.
Joe Elder (Under 17 Mens 800m) 2m24.1s.
Joe Briddon (Under 13 Boys 1500m) 6m03.2s.
Eve Smith (Under 13 Girls 100m) 16.2s.
Luke Hegarty (Under 17 Mens 100m) 13.0s.

Click here for complete unofficial results

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He finished 39th of 416 finishers who completed the rugged terrain
between Milngavie, (near Glasgow), to Tyndrum,
and took 9hrs 22m 55s on his chip timer device.

Well done to John on his achievement.
After a short break he hopes to return to competition.

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Evening sunshine, with relatively mild temperatures, and very little wind to speak of, allowed athletes
the opportunity of getting some good early season Track and Field performances under their belt.
Some of those good performances belonged to athletes from Morpeth Harriers,
notably sprinters Jack Hepple and Sean O’Hara, and middle distance specialist Ryan Green,
who was having his very first outing in the Under 17 Mens category.

Green’s performance in the seeded Mens 1500m event was certainly the one which caught
the eye, as with 250 metres remaining, he left every chance to a last gasp effort,
which saw him progress from sixth place to third by the time he entered the finish straight,
which he maintained to the finish, and saw him achieve new figures of 4m09.8s,
which was ten seconds faster than previous, and he was first in his age group.
With this form, the 2012 Under 15 Boys North Eastern 800m Champion,
could well emerge as a double medallist this time round in his new age group.

Other Morpeth Harriers competing alongside Green in the 1500m were
Phillip Winkler (4th) 4m22.3s, Elliot Kelly (5th) 4m26.8s, and Jared Lewis (6th) 4m31.5s,
which was good enough to see him achieve an individual victory in the B race.

Another Morpeth Harrier who should achieve medals this season is sprinter Jack Hepple.
He had a resounding victory in the Junior Mens 150m in 16.4s,
which when equated to the more recognised 200m, would have given him
a clocking of 21.5s, which would be a new personal best.

Morpeths Henrik Paulsen was third fastest in the Junior Mens 150m, with his clocking of 18.7s.

Sean O’Hara’s victory in the Under 15 Boys 100m was also eye-catching, as clocked a new personal best of 12.2s.

The Senior Mens 150m saw Morpeth Harrier David Storey achieve fourth fastest with 17.6s,
and his clubmate Chris Robinson was ninth fastest with 19.2s.

Alex Nesbitt was fourth fastest in the Under 17 Mens category for the 150m, with his clocking of 18.3s.

All of these sprinters are working under the very careful guidance of Morpeth Harriers coach Eddie Hedley,
who is also very quick to point out that they are all athletes who have been given good grounding in the work
carried out by their other coaches, however is delighted at their current progress which can be clearly
outlined in all of the performances achieved.

In the seeded Under 17 Womens 1500m, Morpeth Harriers Alison Brown and Hannah Sheerin
finished second and third with respective clockings of 5m15.7s, and 5m25.0s.

Amber Cormack showed great promise in the Under 17 Womens seeded 300m, where she came second in 45.2s.

Morpeth Harriers had four athletes competing in the Under 15 Boys 1500m.
They were led home by Kieran Hedley, who placed third in an excellent 4m39.8s.
Other performances came from Jacob Hopkins (8th) 4m57.6s,
Sam Williams (10th) 5m07.0s, and Adam Shewry (12th) 5m29.0s.

Morpeth Harriers newcomer Eire Marshall competed well in the Under 13 Girls 1500,
where her clocking of 5m49.5s gave her fourth place.

In the Under 13 Boys 1500m, Alex Cunningham finished fifth in an excellent 5m14.6s.

Lizzie Rank finished sixth in the Under 15 Girls 1500m in 5m36.5s.

She also finished third in the High Jump, when she cleared 1.25m.

In other Field Events, Morpeth Harriers gained added success with Craig Pickup
gaining victories in the Senior Mens Shot Putt (8.86m), and Javelin (30.90m),
and Mitchell Green, (younger brother of Ryan), finishing second in the
Under 15 Boys Long Jump, with a best of 3.95m, which was a personal best.

Click here for complete results

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Sharing very close pace throughout with event winner Conrad Franks of Gateshead Harriers,
and Trafford AC’s Jeff Prest, Scott completed his twenty six and a half lap effort in 33m17.9s,
with Franks eventually taking the title in 32m59.4s.

Conditions on the night very much suited the six runners who took part,
compared to the 2012 equivalent, won by Scott’s Morpeth Harriers
club colleague Peter Newton, in a torrential rainstorm at the same venue.

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For Nicholson had established a very healthy lead up till the halfway point,
and only lost out to Geremew in the later stages.
Geremew won with 21 seconds to spare over Nicholson,
as the Morpeth man powered home relentlessly in 15m21s.
Only Sale Harrier Nick Samuels, husband of newly signed Wallsend Harrier Sonia,
who won the Womens race in a new course record time,
could get anywhere near Nicholson and Geremew, and finished third in 15m32s.

Another prominent Morpeth Harriers performer was Thomas Straughan, who finished 12th in 16m20s.
Billy Gilroy showed he is getting back to excellent form,
and was second Over 50 Veteran, when he finished 19th in 16m45s.

One place behind Gilroy was Fergus Bates, who clocked 16m48s, and was third Over 40 Veteran Man.

Under 20 athlete Sam Hancox continued his run of superb form by placing 22nd in 17m07s.

Other Morpeth performers were Mike Hegarty (33rd) 17m38s,
Chris Waugh (39th) (4th O/50) 18m00s,
Rob Hancox (53rd) (8th O/45) 18m39s,
Nick Armstrong (11th O/45) 20m21s,
Pauline Brennan) (129th) (21st Lady) (2nd O/40 Lady) 21m36s,
Archie Jenkins (130th) (3rd O/60) 21m40s,
and Shuna Rank (135th) (25th Lady) (5th O/35 Lady) 22m15s.

Click here for complete results

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Running with a wind speed of minus 4.5, he won the 100m in 11.57s,
and then took the 200m in 23.19s, with a wind speed reading of minus 3.0.
His early season performances will no doubt have pleased his coaches.

Another Morpeth Harrier to perform well in the 100m and 200m events was David Storey.
Storey was third fastest in the 100m with 12.16s, and fourth in the 200m withn24.50s.

Other Morpeth Harriers results from the 100m and 200m
came from Chris Robinson and Henrik Paulsen.
Robinson was fourteenth fastest in the 100m with 13.25s,
and Paulsen clocked 26.11s as eleventh fastest in the 200m.

Recovering from injury, Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Man Alex Nesbit
was fifth fastest in the 100m with 12.55s, and fifth in the 200m with 25.69s.
Wind speed readings were minus 3.10 and minus 2.40 respectively.

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First home from the club was London based Andrew Lawrence,
who unfortunately on this occasion was not wearing the
usual colours donned by his first claim club.
On this occasion, mainly because of local support and pressure,
he chose to wear the colours of his second claim club Highgate Harriers.
Nevertheless we record that he finished 354th overall, and as 249th Male, in a time of 2hrs46m04s.

Second Morpeth Harriers finisher was Neil Gunstone,
who clocked 3hrs00m52s, to come home 1,399th overall and as 1,343rd Male finisher.
Next home was Mike Winter, who clocked 3hrs01m49s for 1,487th place overall as 1,422nd Male.
Fourth home from the club was Matthew Forster, who finished
in 1,657th place overall, and was 1,578th Male in 3hr04m03s.

Three Morpeth Harriers Women were also amongst the finishers.
Charlotte Wilson was first of these, finishing 2,177th overall,
and was 141st Woman, in a finishing time of 3hr09m49s.
Second Woman home from the club was Lorna MacDonald,
who clocked 3hr22m10s, and 3,550th overall, and was 372nd Woman.
At the time of going to press, Morpeth Harriers only other known finisher
in the Marathon was Kate Chapman.
She finished 4,021st overall, and was 463rd Woman finisher in 3hr25m58s.

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In the Under 13 Boys event, where the North East finished as fifth team,
Kieran Hedley was fourth counter in 35th place overall.

Alison Brown was fifth counter for the North East Under 17 Womens squad,
who finished as ninth team.
She finished in 64th place overall.

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As Chairman of the North Eastern Counties Athletics Association, Bill McGuirk addressed those present,
and congratulated League Officers on managing to complete all fixtures in what had been a very tricky winter
in respect of weather conditions, and that some meetings had attracted record fields,
and he thanked respective clubs for putting on fixtures, and announced that South Shields
would be the venue for the forthcoming 2013 North Eastern Counties Cross Country Championships.
He also thanked Start Fitness for their continued support to the Harrier League,
and announced that they would be supporting the League in the forthcoming season.

The six Morpeth Harriers honoured were firstly Emma Holt (formerly Pearson),
who was the Senior Womens Champion. Graeme Taylor, Elliot Kelly, Ryan Green,
and Kieran Hedley had all finished as runners up respectively in the Senior Men,
Under 17 Mens, Under 15 Boys, and Under 13 Boys sections,
and Alison Brown had finished third in the Under 17 Womens section.

All winners received Prize Vouchers from the sponsors,
which some had managed to spend before they had left the Start Fitness premises.
In addition, all Female winners were also presented with a small bunch of flowers,
as a further display of the sponsor’s generosity.

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For March 2013 the judges have selected Under 13 Girl Lizzie Rank,
who produced an excellent run to be one of the fastest performers at the fifth
and penultimate Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League at Alnwick,
and also finished an excellent second in her age group event
at the cold and windy Elswick Road Races, held at Newburn Business Park on Good Friday.

Lizzie is pictured above receiving her performance certificate from
Morpeth Harriers Club Chairman David Swinburne,
at their clubhouse on Mitford Road on Monday 15th April 2013.

She now joins a list of previous winners for selection for a possible
more lucrative award when the Benfield Motor Group
Morpeth Harriers Athlete of the Year 2012-13 is decided in July.

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North East Youth Development League Division 1
Start Fitness North Eastern Grand Prix !
2013 North Eastern Counties 10,000mts Championships !
Terry O’Gara Memorial 5k Road Race !
Gateshead Harriers Medal Meeting !
Virgin London Marathon !
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ERRA National 12 Stage Mens Road Relay Championships !

The last minute loss of Ian Hudspith, due to illness, meant that Morpeth Harriers
Senior Mens Road and Cross Country Team Manager David Swinburne
was forced into making a very early morning call on Saturday 13th April to Mick Thomsen,
in order for him to make the required 3 hour journey from his Morpeth home to Sutton Park,
Sutton Coldfield, to line-up as a late replacement in the English National 12 Stage Road Relays,
where the squad had hoped to pick up more medals, to add to their impressive Winter tally.

Although National medals eventually eluded them, the club could be well satisfied
with the set of Silver North of England medals, when their ninth overall position,
also saw them finish as runners up behind Leeds City in the integrated regional
championships following their cancellation at Blackpool last month because of icy conditions.

As regional champions Leeds City had also finished a very worthy second
nationally behind Southerners Belgrave Harriers.

In addition to Hudspith, Morpeth were also missing Richard Morrell (work commitments),
Peter Newton (persistent foot injury), and Nick McCormick, who although was meant
to be competing in an International event in Ireland, had also pulled out of that with an injury.

Alongside Thomsen in the Morpeth Harriers line-up as replacements for Morrell, Newton and McCormick,
were Thomas Straughan, Neil Wilkinson, and Under 20 athlete Jonnie Nisbet,
who was also having his first ever run at this level.

Matthew Nicholson finished 24th for Morpeth on the 5.38mile Long first leg, clocking a time of 27m26s.
Jonnie Nisbet’s impressive 15m30s on the 2.9 mile Short second leg saw him gain a further four places.
Nick Swinburn’s excellent 26m51s on the Long third leg saw Morpeth rise to eleventh place,
and just under a minute adrift of medals.
Swinburn’s clocking was also fifth fastest of the leg.

Although he lost three places, Thomas Straughan’s fourth leg clocking of 16m02s
still left Morpeth within close contention of the leaders.
Michael Dawson, who had switched to a longer leg in the last minute changes,
slipped to 18th place with his clocking of 28m32s on Leg 5.
Fortunes were revived for Morpeth however on Graeme Taylor’s excellent sixth leg,
when he clocked the seventh fastest time of 15m22s, to rise back up to twelfth place.

So halfway was reached, and Morpeth Harriers Senior Men were now three minutes
adrift of a medal placing nationally, and third from the North of England.

Jonny Taylor’s excellent seventh leg, which saw him clock the second fastest of the leg of 26m03s,
eventually fastest long stage from the North, and third fastest overall, got the squad up to seventh spot,
and now back to two minutes adrift of National medals.
Seventh place was retained throughout the next two legs by Neil Wilkinson (15m59s),
and Lewis Timmins (27m47s).

With three legs remaining, Morpeth Harriers were now in second place regionally behind Leeds City,
and two places and just over a minute ahead of third placed Salford Harriers.

Tenth leg saw late replacement Thomsen join the fray, and he competed well
to come home in eighth spot, having lost very little time with his clocking of 16m49s.
Ross Floyd on the penultimate eleventh leg, managed to fend off the chasing Salford
with his clocking of 28m34s seeing him home in ninth spot.
Silver regional medals for Morpeth were fully confirmed and well deserved when
Ryan Stephenson’s excellent final leg of 15m02s, fourth fastest of the leg,
saw him extend the margin over third placed Salford to thirty five seconds.

So another set of medals came the way of Morpeth to add to an excellent seasons tally,
and the individual fastest long stage medal gained by Jonny Taylor was an added bonus.

The only other Senior Mens finishers from the North East were
Gateshead Harriers, whose final placing of 31st and seventh regionally.

Click here for complete Mens Results

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---

Vets Grand Prix Night !

30 members of Morpeth Harriers gathered at the Joiners Arms, Morpeth,
on the evening of Sunday 14th April, to celebrate athletic achievements
by their colleagues, at the 2012 Veterans Grand Prix Presentation,
sponsored by Phil Walker Financial Planner of St James’s Place Wealth Management.

As host, Walker thanked all of those present for their attendance,
and hoped that all would enjoy their evening.
He introduced himself as the event sponsor,
and outlined some of the work that his company carried out,
and the charities that they additionally supported,
and said that proceeds from the Prize Raffle to be held that evening,
would be supporting some of those charities chosen by the St James’s Foundation,
including underprivileged, and unwell children.

Phil went on to say that the new Grand Prix format appeared to be working well,
and was pleased to add that 20 people had competed in six of the qualifying events,
and that 25 Veterans had actually entered the event overall.
Later he paid tribute to the valued help and contribution that he had received
from John Butters in keeping the Grand Prix tables updated,
with his immense computer skills, and Pam Woodcock for her sponsors
knowledge as his predecessor to the event.

The following received awards for their achievements in the
2012 Morpeth Harriers Veterans Grand Prix

LEAGUE 1
Winner: Paul Waterston,
Runner Up : Chris Waugh.
LEAGUE 2
Winner : Mick Thomsen,
Runner Up : Bob Sewell.
LEAGUE 3
Winner : Fergus Bates,
Runner Up : Jim Alder.
LEAGUE 4
Winner : Scott Wilkes,
Runner Up : Peter Maylia.

OVERALL CHAMPIONS 2012
Male : Paul Waterston
Female : Pam Woodcock

At the close of proceedings, Bob Sewell proposed a vote of thanks
to Phil Walker for his generosity as sponsor, and for providing
an enjoyable year of events, and for the enjoyable evening.
Phil Walker has indicated that he will continue to sponsor the
Morpeth Harriers Veterans Grand Prix during the forthcoming year.

Thanks also go to the Management of the Joiners Arms, Morpeth,
for the provision of their back room, and for the buffet that was enjoyed by all.

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ERRA National 6 Stage Womens Road Relay Championships !
Anne Marie Readshaw Track & Field Meeting !
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---

A very welcome early season victory came the way of Jacob Hopkins in the
Under 15 Boys 800m, where he clocked a new personal best of 2m16.9s.
It will be a particular boost to Hopkins, coming off the back of what he would
very readily describe as a disappointing Cross Country campaign.
The Benet Biscop, Bedlington pupil suffered from various problems mainly associated with his growth,
however with Sunday’s performance he clearly showed that he has a dearth of fitness that will see him
successfully through his second year term in his particular age group, and this was the start he had always
wished for, along with his club and team-mates.

One team-mate, who also benefitted from a good performance on Sunday,
was Kieran Hedley, who by comparison to Hopkins had a more successful Cross Country season.
Hedley ran well to finish third behind Hopkins, and that by degree is excellent,
as he is in the first year of the Under 15 age group.
His finishing time of 2m21.6s was a new personal best.

Also performing well was Hedley’s younger sister Rhiannon,
who is one of the youngest in the Under 11 Girls age group,
and her performance to finish third in the 600m in 2m12.5s
speaks volumes towards a successful future in the sport.

Finally Elliot Kelly can feel well pleased with his second in the
Under 17 Mens 3000m in 10m02.0s, finishing behind Birtley’s Tom Goulding.

WHATS NEW INDEX
Athlete of the Month Award !
ERRA National 12 Stage Mens Road Relay Championships !
ERRA National 6 Stage Womens Road Relay Championships !
Vets Grand Prix Night !
OTHER NEWS FROM APRIL....
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Amongst those taking part were several athletes from Morpeth Harriers.

First home from the club was Karl Taylor, who placed fourth in 32m47s,
and was only sixteen seconds adrift of race winner James Buis,
who was running in the colours of his new club Border Harriers,
following his transfer from Heaton Harriers..

Next home for Morpeth Harriers was new signing Mark McLeod, who finished sixth in 33m23s.
The elder son of former Olympic 10,000 metres Silver medallist Mick has chosen to join forces
with Morpeth following many years with his father’s club Elswick Harriers,
however is currently going through the required transfer process.

Another Morpeth Harrier having an excellent run was Thomas Straughan,
who placed eleventh in 33m58s, and he was followed home by clubmate Fergus Bates,
who clocked 34m38s when placing fifteenth, and was second Over 40 Veteran Man.

Next home for the club in 22nd and 23rd places were Paul Waterston and Sam Hancox,
who clocked 35m58s and 36m05s respectively, and Waterston was fourth Over 45 Veteran Man.

Joanne Brown of Morpeth Harriers was first Lady Veteran home, when placing 113th in 40m36s.

Further Morpeth Harriers results were as follows
Mike Winter (64th) (10th O/40) 38m15s,
Rob Hancox (66th) (8th O/45) 38m20s,
Steve Haswell (95th) (13th O/45) 39m56s,
Lorna MacDonald (137th) (13th Lady) 41m53s,
Jane Briggs (149th) (3rd O/40 Lady) (16th Lady) 42m11s,
Bob Wells (162nd) (2nd O/65) 42m42s,
Scott Wilkes (196th) (24th O/45) 43m49s,
Nick Armstrong (205th) (26th O/45) 44m06s,
Shuna Rank (230th) (4th O/45 Lady) 45m11s,
James McFetrich (249th) 46m06s,
Dave Gray (355th) (6th O/65) 50m50s,
Susan Smith (380th) (15th O/45 Lady) 52m08s,
and Jane Blackett (416th) (5th O/50 Lady).

Well done to all at Blyth Running Club for a splendidly organised event.

Click here for complete results

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Archie Jenkins finished 122nd in 35m37s, and was fourth Over 60 Man, and was third in the area Championship.

Paul Bentley finished 157th in 37m59s, and was third Over 65 Man, however he won the category for the Championship.

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In Newcastle Billy Gilroy finished third in a new personal best time of 17m04s.

Meanwhile in Liverpool Princes Run, Michael Thomsen
finished second in a new personal best of 17m07s.

Laura Weightman and Sarah Graham had respective victories in the
York and Leeds (Roundhay) events, with clockings of 16m14s, and 19m57s.

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Two will be hosted by the town’s resident athletics club Morpeth Harriers,
with one being hosted by their neighbours Blyth Running Club.

The first of these fixtures will take place on Sunday 2nd June 2013,
when Morpeth will welcome opposition from Birtley, Blaydon, Durham City,
Jarrow and Hebburn, and New Marske, in their second round Division 1 match,
of the newly formed North East Youth Development League,
promoted by the North Eastern Counties Athletics Association.

On Sunday 28th July 2013, Blyth Running Club play host to Gateshead Harriers,
North Shields Poly, South Shields and Tynedale Harriers, in their fourth and final round Division 2 (North),
also in the North East Youth Development League.

The third meeting, which is scheduled for Saturday 3rd August 2013,
will be once again hosted by Morpeth Harriers, who will be competing
in their fourth and final North of England Senior League Division 2 fixture,
against City of York, Gateshead Harriers B, Middlesbrough Mandale,
Skyrac of Yorkshire, and North Shields Poly.

Both Morpeth Harriers and Blyth Running Club are eagerly looking forward
to at last being able to compete on home territory, rather than having to travel
to tracks South of the Tyne for their home matches.

Discussions are also underway with Schools’ associations with a view to bringing
some of their area championships to the excellent new Morpeth facility.

WHATS NEW INDEX
Blyth Valley Transped 10K Race !
Hartlepool Marina 5 Mile Road Race !
Park Runs !
OTHER NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM MARCH....
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Hudspith also led home a Morpeth Harriers 1,2,3, with Nick Swinburn
and Michael Dawson filling the minor placings in 31m56s and 32m44s respectively.
Also well up the field was Michael Thomsen, who probably had one
of his best runs in a Blue and White vest, when finishing tenth in 34m39s.
Not far behind him was clubmate Paul Waterston, who finished 14th in 35m20s,
and was third Over 45 Veteran Man.

Two of Morpeth Harriers younger brigade were next to finish,
having each performed well.Elliot Kelly was first Under 17 in 27th place in 36m50s,
and Matthew Boyle can feel well pleased in finishing 32nd in 37m11s.

Other Morpeth Harriers finishers were Gordon Dixon (89th) 39m06s, and Jim Alder (108th) 39m45s, Jane Briggs (213th) 42m28s, Eric Adams (294th) 44m04s,
Gordon Gemmell (355th) 45m22s, and Claire Gutcher (367th) 45m35s.

On the Mens team front Morpeth Harriers were easy winners,
with second place going to North Shields Poly, and Wallsend Harriers finishing third.

Such was the strength of Morpeth Harriers, their Mens B team were sixth.

Click here for complete results

WHATS NEW INDEX
Blyth Valley Transped 10K Race !
Hartlepool Marina 5 Mile Road Race !
Park Runs !
Track & Field League Athletics this Summer in Morpeth !
Elswick Harriers Good Friday Road Races !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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The club managed to break three one year old course records in the act of achieving three team victories,
one second placed team, and a third placed team in addition to providing the winner of the Under 13 Boys event,
and the second in the Under 13 Girls, and also a second in the Under 15 Girls event.

A dominant Senior Mens A squad took the lead from early efforts shown by
Gateshead Harriers in their 4 x 2.2mile Relay, from the second leg onwards,
run by Nick Swinburn (10m43s).
Jonny Nisbet had the squad handily placed third with his first leg clocking of 10m50s.
Following Swinburn’s effort, Graeme Taylor (10m42s), and Matt Nicholson (10m39s)
sealed a very handsome victory, clocking a total time that was eight seconds inside the old course record.

The Senior Mens B team came through well to place 21st team,
with first leg runner Thomas Straughan clocking their fastest time of 11m11s,
which had them in sixth place at the time.

Celebrating his 18th Birthday, second leg runner Sam Hancox
maintained a good steady performance with his clocking of 11m59s.
Under 17 athlete Joe Elder (13m49s), and Veteran Jim Alder (13m15s) took the team to their final placing.

Rob Hancox clocked 12m55s for an incomplete Morpeth Harriers Senior Mens C team.

Neil Wilkinson’s 11m00s on Leg One, was the fastest Veteran Mens clocking of the day,
and it paved the way for a record breaking victory by Morpeth Harriers Veteran Mens A team,
with further excellent support coming from Fergus Bates (11m28s),
Paul Waterston (11m41s), and Terry Wall (11m34s).

The Morpeth Harriers Veteran Mens B team ran superbly to finish third,
with Billy Gilroy clocking the third fastest Over 50 time of 11m40s on Leg One.
Mick Thomsen (11m40s), Phil Walker (11m50s), and John Butters with an excellent 11m21s
completed the B squad’s splendid effort.

Ashley Gibson (11m41s), third fastest, Emma Holt (12m47s),
and Laura Weightman (11m23s), second fastest of the day,
combined to give Morpeth Harriers Senior Womens A team
a record breaking team victory in their 3 x 2.2 mile contest.

The Morpeth Harriers Senior Womens B team also performed well to finish in eighth place.
Under 17 athlete Alison Brown had them placed nineteenth on Leg One with her clocking of 13m50s.
Lorna MacDonald (14m02s), and Gemma Floyd (13m12s) completed the teams effort.

Under 17 athlete Hannah Sheerin competed for an incomplete
Morpeth Harriers Senior Womens C, where she clocked 14m22s.

Morpeth Harriers Veteran Womens squad performed well to finish in second team place.
Their fastest clocking of 13m37s was completed by first leg runner Joanne Brown.
Gwenda Cavill (14m39s), and Lindsay Turnbull (14m13s) completed the teams effort.

In the Under 13 Boys event, Morpeth’s Kieran Hedley had a superb runaway victory in 9m01s.
Fellow clubmates Alex Cunningham, Josh Burton, Adam Shewry, and Mark Booth
ran well to finish 8th, 15th, 18th, and 23rd respectively.

Lizzie Rank finished second in the Under 13 Girls event,
and Morpeth Harriers other finisher in the Under 13 Girls event Lucy Huddleston finished 23rd.

Morpeths Amber Cormack ran strongly to take second in the Under 15 Girls event.

Click here for complete results

WHATS NEW INDEX
Track & Field League Athletics this Summer in Morpeth !
North Tyneside 10k Road Race !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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One of those team victories was the Senior Men, who having all of their
six required counters within the top twenty one finishers,
easily secured the Division 1 League title,
for the very first time in its present divisional form.

The club had last won the Mens Harrier League title in 1988 at Chester Le Street,
when it was a singular division competition, and this was a most welcome title
to add to their already impressive seasonal tally, one which they have been
attempting to achieve for several years of trying.

Morpeth Harriers chances were very much boosted by the surprise
late appearance of five athletes, who had been destined to represent
their club at the North of England 12 Stage Road Relays in Blackpool,
however that event had suffered a cancellation at 8.00am that morning because of ice on the course,
which meant a turn-round after they had reached part way down the M6,
and they re-routed to help their club in a further quest for honours.

Two of those five were Graeme Taylor and Jonnie Nisbet,
who superbly led their clubs charge by finishing sixth and seventh
respectively from the Fast and Medium packs, with Taylor recording
the second fastest of the day, and Nisbet the seventh.
For Taylor, it also meant he had finished second in the
seasons Senior Mens Grand Prix standings

Also up with the leaders in the early stages for Morpeth was Jordan Scott,
however he was forced out of the action with a troublesome injury after
two gruelling laps in an increasingly cold wind.

Third home for Morpeth Harriers was young Matthew Boyle,
who on his very first Harrier League outing, competed well
to finish an excellent tenth from the Slow Pack.

Ross Floyd, fully dressed to fight off the elements with body hugging Lycra,
came through well to finish thirteenth from the Fast Pack,
and as fourth fastest in the field of 354 finishers, and was Morpeth’s fourth counter.
Next home from the club was their leading Alnwick finisher Phillip Caldwell,
who despite dropping out during his English Schools run at Catton Hall,
ran with a new spirit to finish an excellent fifteenth from the Medium Pack.
Morpeth Harriers winning count on the day was completed by Fergus Bates,
who again produced an excellent run from the Medium Pack, when placing 21st.

With Morpeth Harriers Senior Men already celebrating an emphatic
team victory ahead of Gateshead Harriers and Sunderland Harriers,
mention must be made of the superb supporting efforts of those who finished outside the scoring six.

First of these was young Sam Hancox, who in an outstanding season as a Junior Man,
did his club proud throughout the season by turning out in all six of the Harrier League meetings,
and was an actual counter in two, and also turned out in the Sherman Cup.
Sam came through in the Medium Pack to finish 30th.
Three places behind Sam was his clubmate Thomas Straughan,
who was an excellent tenth fastest overall in the field, running from the Fast Pack.

Mick Thomsen had another excellent run from the Medium Pack to finish 54th.
Next home was Rob Hancox, who finished 68th from the Slow Pack.
Rob, along with clubmate Peter Scaife, comes in for extra praise
for his extra supporting work in erecting the club tent throughout the season,
and encouraging Senior Mens turnout in his assistant coach capacity.
Jim Alder was next Morpeth Harrier home in 107th place from the Slow Pack,
and Gordon Dixon completed an excellent set of club performances
when finishing 144th from the Slow Pack, which meant that all
Morpeth Harriers had finished in the top half of the field.

Winning the Senior Womens event in a sprint finish on the day,
gave Morpeth Harrier Emma Holt an excellent victory in her Grand Prix effort.

Morpeth Harriers team victories for the season were also enjoyed by their
Under 13 Boys and Under 15 Boys squads,
after finishing third and second on the day respectively.

The clubs Under 13 Boys were led home at Prudhoe by Kieran Hedley,
who was second fastest overall when finishing third from the Fast Pack.
Kieran also finished second in the Under 13 Boys Grand Prix behind Tynedale’s Max Pearson.
Second counter for Morpeth Harriers in the Under 13 Boys event was Luke Wareing,
who on his first Harrier League outing did well to finish ninth from the Slow Pack.
Alex Cunningham completed the Morpeth Harriers team count when finishing
as ninth fastest in 20th place overall from the Fast Pack.
Other Morpeth Harriers performers were Josh Burton (30th) (Fast Pack),
Adam Shewry (32nd) (Fast Pack), and Robbie Elder (38th) (Slow Pack).

Morpeth Harriers Under 15 Boys were led home by Ryan Green,
whose fourth fastest effort from the Fast Pack got him to fourth overall,
which in turn made him second in the seasons Grand Prix standings.
The clubs team count on the day, was completed by Jarod Lewis (8th) (Fast Pack),
and Jacob Hopkins (10th) (Fast Pack).

Joe Elder was Morpeth Harriers lone Under 17 Man finisher.
He finished 23rd from the Slow Pack.

Kate Seymour was Morpeth Harriers lone finisher in the Under 13 Girls event.
She placed 24th from the Fast Pack.

Although not competing or finishing on Saturday, the following are
amongst the leaders in their respective Grand Prix standings for the season.
Alison Brown (3rd) (Under 17 Women),
Elliot Kelly (2nd) (Under 17 Men),
and Phil Winkler (4th) (Under 17 Men).

Once again despite the cold and severely testing conditions, there was an
excellent Morpeth Harriers turnout for the non scoring Under 11’s Mixed 1k event.
First home for the club was the ever improving Daniel Dixon,
who ran excellently to finish as fifth Boy in sixth place overall.
Next home from the club was Ross Charlton, who was eighth Boy finisher in tenth spot.
Thomas Cunningham was third home for the club in thirteenth place, and was tenth Boy.

Other Morpeth Harriers finishers were as follows
Sam Bradley (20th) (15th Boy),
Bobby Stone (23rd) (17th Boy),
Joseph Gair (27th) (19th Boy),
Rhiannon Hedley (35th) (13th Girl),
and Faye Archbold (41st) (17th Girl).

The club would wish to thank all of its members who turned out
throughout the season to contribute to some excellent squad successes.

Click here for complete Male Results

Click here for complete Womens Results

Click here for Womens Grand Prix Results

Click here for Mens Grand Prix Results

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World Cross Country Championships !
UK Home Counties Cross Country International !
North of England 12 Stage Road Relay Championships !
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Fellow Brits Steve Vernon (Stockport), FrankTickner (Wells City),
Mike Skinner (Blackheath), and Phil Nicholls (Tipton),
finished in 39th, 45th, 51st, and 68th places respectively.

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Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League ( 6 )
UK Home Counties Cross Country International !
North of England 12 Stage Road Relay Championships !
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Morrell finished thirteenth in a 24 man strong field that competed over 10.2k.

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Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League ( 6 )
World Cross Country Championships !
North of England 12 Stage Road Relay Championships !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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A deterioration in weather conditions overnight resulted
in parts of the course becoming hazardous.

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Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League ( 6 )
World Cross Country Championships !
UK Home Counties Cross Country International !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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British Masters Cross Country Championships !

Over 300 hardy competitors from various parts of the country took part in the British Masters Cross Country
Championships, held at Herrington Country Park, near Sunderland on Saturday 16th March,
the home of the 2013 English National Cross Country Championships,
which had been held in snowy and slushy conditions, three weeks previously.

On this occasion runners faced a stiff cold breeze, however conditions underfoot,
although thankfully devoid of snow and slush, still remained heavy,
and by the time the two events, one a three lap 6k course,
the other a four lap 8k course had been completed,
the terrain was well and truly churned up.

The 8k event was for Men from 35 to 65, and Morpeth Harriers
achieved team success when their 35 to 44 year old squad took Bronze medals.
They were led home by Scottish International Neil Wilkinson,
who was well pleased with his performance in finishing eleventh,
especially on return from a leg injury sustained last autumn.
Wilkinson was well supported in his clubs team effort by
Fergus Bates (21st), and Michael Thomsen (49th).

Finishing ahead of Thomsen were his Morpeth Harriers club colleagues Paul Waterston and Billy Gilroy,
who finished in 18th and 29th places respectively, however they were running in the 45 to 54 age group,
and because of the rules of the competition were void from the aforementioned team success.

Other Morpeth Harriers results from the 8k event were as follows
Jim Alder (93rd), Gavin Bayne (102nd), and Archie Jenkins (121st).

In the 6k event for all Ladies and Over 65 Men,
Morpeth Harriers Paul Bentley and Walter Ryder both had very respectable runs.
Bentley finished in 64th place overall, and was 19th in a very strongly participated 65 to 69 age group.

75 year old Ryder made his long journey down from his Scottish base in Ross-Shire
very worthwhile when he picked up a bronze individual medal
in the 75 to 79 age category when finishing 91st.

Click here for M35 to 65 Results Page 1

Click here for M35 to 65 Results Page 2

Click here for Ladies and Men Over 65 Results Page 1

Click here for Ladies and Men Over 65 Results Page 2

WHATS NEW INDEX
English Schools Cross Country Championships !
Park Runs !
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---

His performance can certainly be viewed as enhanced, in that he was running against opponents
who were largely a full year older, and his finishing position was 86th out of a total of 323 finishers.
He was only three seconds adrift of Northumberland’s first finisher
Max Pearson of Tynedale Harriers, who led his county to 24th team place.
Another Morpeth Harrier to feature in this event was Jacob Hopkins,
who was the county’s sixth counter in 232nd place

Northumberland Senior Boys also finished 24th, and were led
home by Morpeth Harrier Jonnie Nisbet, who finished 69th.
Unfortunately clubmate Phillip Caldwell was forced to retire during this race with an injury.

In the Intermediate Boys event Morpeth Harrier Elliot Kelly was well up in the field,
but was firstly caught by the flailing elbow of an opponent,
then unfortunately had an untimely collision with a course marker post
which further affected his concentration in the vital stages, and sadly and unluckily
he was forced to pull out somewhat winded with around 2k remaining.
Meanwhile his club colleague Ryan Green progressed to be third home
from the county when finishing in 245th place.

In the Junior Girls event Morpeth Harrier Lizzie Rank finished 294th, and seventh for Northumberland.

Unfortunately Phillip Winkler and Alison Brown of Morpeth Harriers
were both forced out of the Championships by untimely illness.

WHATS NEW INDEX
British Masters Cross Country Championships !
Park Runs !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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WHATS NEW INDEX
British Masters Cross Country Championships !
English Schools Cross Country Championships !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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For Taylor it caps a superb winter campaign, that firstly saw him win the European Trials event in Liverpool,
and went on to be a GB team Silver Medallist in the European Cross Country Championships,
he was the leading finisher for his club, who were the Senior Mens Team Champions
at the English National Cross Country Championships, and then superbly rounded
everything off with the aforementioned performance last Saturday.

Club colleagues at Morpeth Harriers offer Taylor their sincerest
Best Wishes upon this superb achievement,
and all the best of luck for his big day ahead.

WHATS NEW INDEX
British Masters Cross Country Championships !
English Schools Cross Country Championships !
Trafford 10k !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
NEWS FROM APRIL....
NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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Three athletes from Morpeth Harriers were amongst the prominent finishers.

First home from the club was Michael Dawson, who finished 45th in 32m58s.
Not far behind him were clubmates Thomas Straughan and Jordan Scott,
who finished 68th and 71st in respective personal best times of 33m54s, and 34m03s.

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World Cross Country Championships !
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships !
Run Northumberland Half Marathon !
Athlete of the Month Award !
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It also marked the end of the McCains Cross Challenge Series, run by British Athletics.
Before the event, it had been expected that the region would mount a very serious challenge
for honours in the Senior Mens 12k event, however what was not known was the relatively
landslide margin they would win by in both the six man effort, and the nine man count, especially the latter.

Having all of their nine to run finishing within the top seventy of a near 300 finishers in the event,
run over four laps of ever increasing mud was no mean feat by all means,
and the North East squad are to be credited to a man for their superb efforts.

They were led home by Morpeth Harrier Jonny Taylor, who after a dog fight for an individual medal,
finished fourth, just losing out to Hampshire’s Andy Vernon by the slender margin of eight seconds for Bronze.

Whilst Durham City’s Dan Garbutt, and Stockport’s former Sunderland Harrier
Patrick Martin finished ninth and fifteenth respectively to make the regions second and third counts,
Morpeth Harriers Lewis Timmins (17th), Richard Morrell (24th), and Ryan Stephenson (39th),
all battled well to finalise a winning six man score.

Meanwhile two more Morpeth Harriers, Matt Nicholson (57th),
and Ross Floyd (60th), along with Stockport’s Jack Martin (65th),
added to a tremendous North East Counties overall squad result.

This all also meant that five of Morpeth Harriers winning English National Cross Country squad
had managed to claim a second major title in the space of fourteen days.

The region was also well represented by their Under 13 Boys,
who superbly claimed Bronze team medals in their 3k event.
Amongst their counters was Morpeth Harriers Kieran Hedley,
who added this success to a very good tally of performances,
which include North Eastern Cross Country,
North of England and National Championships.

Hedley was third home from the region, in an excellent 23rd place,
supporting Tynedale’s Max Pearson’s leading effort to finish eighth,
and Middlesbrough Mandale’s Josh Cowperthwaite who placed twelfth.
The Bronze medal winning count was completed by Darlington’s Bradley Davies finishing 59th.

Ashley Gibson of Morpeth Harriers was the regions second finisher
in the Senior Womens 8k event when finishing 50th.
Rosie Smith of Durham City led the squad home in 13th place,
with further support coming from Middlesbrough Mandale’s Josie Stone (63rd),
Jarrow and Hebburn’s Alex Snook (71st), Middlesbrough Mandale’s Kerry Matthew (106th),
and Durham City’s former Morpeth Harrier Aiveen Fox (114th).
Just outside the scoring six, but not far adrift, was Morpeth Harrier
Emma Holt, who came through to finish 122nd.

Morpeth Harrier Alison Brown was seventh home from the region in 77th place
in the Under 17 Womens 5k event, where the North East were led home
to sixth team place by Birtley’s Lydia Turner, who agonisingly just missed out
on an individual Bronze medal by three seconds, when she finished fourth.

Charlotte Jewell of Morpeth Harriers marked her first Inter Counties opportunity
by competing well to finish as seventh from the region, in 165th place
in a field of 287 finishers in the Under 15 Girls 4k event,
where the North East finished seventh team.

Although not a counter, Ryan Green of Morpeth Harriers battled to finish 114th,
and easily in the top half of the Under 15 Boys 4.5k field, where the region finished as ninth team.

Also outside the counters was Morpeth’s Phillip Winkler, who battled gamely
to finish 175th in the Under 17 Mens 6k event, where the region finished a lowly 20th.

There were no Morpeth Harriers involved in the remaining three events on the ten race programme.
In the Under 20 Mens 8k event the North East finished just outside the medals in fourth team place.
The North East Under 13 Girls 3k squad finished thirteenth,
and their Under 20 Womens 6k squad finished fourteenth.

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World Cross Country Championships !
Trafford 10k !
Run Northumberland Half Marathon !
Athlete of the Month Award !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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L to R Matthew Boyle, Joanne Brown and Hamish McCallister-Williams
Photo courtesy of Keith Robertson
Amongst the leading finishers in both genders were several athletes from Morpeth Harriers.
The clubs leading Male finisher was young Matthew Boyle, who finished 29th in 85m11s.

Next Male finisher from the club was Hamish McCallister-Williams,
who was 5th Over 50 when placing 65th in 90m32s.

Other Male runners in the first 200 were Eric Adams (154th) 100m48s,
Graeme Leathard (165th) 101m30s, and Scott Wilkes (191st) 103m23s.

In the Womens race Morpeth Harrier Joanne Brown led the
clubs charge in 5th place in 90m32s, and was first Over 40 Veteran Lady.
Two places behind her was clubmate Lorna MacDonald who clocked 91m37s.
Jane Briggs was sixth Over 40 Woman when finishing 27th in 100m06s,
and Shuna Rank took the Over 45 Womens title when placing 39th in 101m59s.

These were based on all the known results at time of going to press.

WHATS NEW INDEX
World Cross Country Championships !
Trafford 10k !
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships !
Celler Wasa Lauf 10k Road Race !
Park Runs !
Athlete of the Month Award !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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WHATS NEW INDEX
World Cross Country Championships !
Trafford 10k !
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships !
Run Northumberland Half Marathon !
Park Runs !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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NEWS FROM FEBRUARY....

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Other Morpeth Harriers competing at Newcastle were Gavin Bayne and Mike Steven,
who finished 32nd and 63rd in respective times of 19m53s and 21m22s.

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Trafford 10k !
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships !
Run Northumberland Half Marathon !
OTHER NEWS FROM MARCH....
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With Kieran Hedley having already won the award in September,
Kirby won the award as second finisher to Hedley in the English National Cross Country Championships,
and for doggedly still turning out when nursing an injury during the recent schools championships
in addition to supporting his clubs competitive ambitions.

He is pictured above receiving his certificate of achievement from Morpeth Harriers
Club Chairman David Swinburne at their clubhouse on Mitford Road.

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World Cross Country Championships !
Trafford 10k !
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships !
Run Northumberland Half Marathon !
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Over 800 enthusiastic runners in all, accompanied by their usual band of supporters
descended on the venue for nine event programme, which saw some superb results
achieved by athletes from Morpeth Harriers.

The club enjoyed two superb team wins from their youngest Male competitors,
and their Senior Men also competed well, to finish second on the day to Sunderland Harriers,
which clearly maintained their season long interest at the head of the Division 1 league table,
with one meeting still remaining, which will be held at Prudhoe later in the month.

The most notable talking point in the Senior Mens performances
was that of Junior Mens athlete Phillip Caldwell, who certainly took
full advantage of his slow pack start by establishing an early lead,
which he superbly held, until being caught in the later stages
by Sunderland Harrier Weynay Ghebresilasie.
The Northern Champion was easily the fastest man on the course by all of 83 seconds,
as he stole away for victory in his second Harrier League appearance.

Caldwell meanwhile battled on to take a well deserved second place medal on the day,
and led Morpeth Harriers home to second team place, with added support coming from
English National Cross Country Gold team Medallist Graeme Taylor (8th) (fourth fastest) (Fast Pack),
Ross Floyd (12th) (sixth fastest) (Fast Pack), Alistair MacDonald (22nd) (Slow Pack),
a truly brilliant run from Sam Hancox (34th) (Medium Pack), and Fergus Bates (35th) (Slow Pack).

Not far adrift of the counters and having an excellent run was Michael Thomsen,
who finished 41st from the Medium Pack.
In all it was an excellent turnout on the day by the Morpeth Harriers Senior Men,
who including the aforementioned mustered a total of thirteen athletes.

Other performances came from Mike Winter (71st) (Medium Pack),
Ed Hillier (102nd) (Slow Pack), Jim Alder (122nd) (Slow Pack), Gordon Dixon (173rd) (Slow Pack),
newcomer Mark Snowball (217th) (Slow Pack), and Richard Kirby (247th) (Slow Pack).

Morpeth Harriers two younger age group team victories came from their Under 13 and Under 15 Boys,
who in doing so further cemented their placing at the head of the respective Harrier League Grand Prix standings.

The Under 13 Boys were led home by Cameron Dick, who in his first outing revelled
in the part muddy surface to finish in fourth place from the Slow Pack.
Unfortunately he finished just three seconds adrift of a Harrier League individual medal.
An emphatic team victory for Morpeth was duly sealed, with Kieran Hedley
producing a superb fastest on the day from the Fast Pack to place fifth,
and an excellent Adam Shewry finishing seventh, from the Slow Pack.
Other good performances came from Alex Cunningham (27th) (Fast Pack),
Phillip Kirby (37th) (Fast Pack), Josh Burton (39th) (Fast Pack),
and Robbie Elder (44th) (Slow Pack).

Running from the Slow Pack, Morpeth Harrier Euan Jones produced an excellent
run to finish seventh and led the clubs Under 15 Boys home to team victory,
with excellent scoring support coming from Ryan Green (8th) (fifth fastest) (Fast Pack),
and Jacob Hopkins (14th) (tenth fastest) (Fast Pack).
Other Morpeth Harriers performers in this age group were Jarod Lewis (16th) (Fast Pack),
and Sam Williams (19th) (Fast Pack).

In a very tight team race, Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Men finished fourth on the day
behind Tynedale Harriers, Blackhill Bounders, and hosts Alnwick Harriers.
Running an excellent second fastest of the day, Phillip Winkler came through
from the Fast Pack to finish in eighth place, and only thirty one seconds adrift
of the fastest man Isaac Dunn of Blackhill.
Second placed Morpeth Harrier was Elliot Kelly.
He was fifth fastest overall, when he placed 13th from the Fast Pack.
Joe Elder closed the Morpeth Harriers Under 17 Mens team count when finishing 22nd from the Slow Pack.

In the combined Under 17 and Under 20 Womens event,
Morpeth Harrier Alison Brown produced an excellent run to finish fifth from the Fast Pack,
and was a superb fourth fastest in the event.

Ailsa Jones led Morpeth Harriers Under 13 Girls home to fifth team place
when she finished eleventh from the Slow Pack.
Running the eighth fastest time of the day, Lizzie Rank was second
counter when finishing 18th from the Fast Pack.
Kate Seymour closed the scoring count when finishing 36th from the Fast Pack.

Morpeth Harriers Senior Women finished as eighth in Division 2 in their two lap event.
They were led home by a very much in form Emma Holt,
who was fourth fastest overall on the day when she came through
to finish a superb seventeenth from the Fast Pack.
Further supporting runs came from Gemma Floyd (55th) (Fast Pack),
and Claire Bruce (127th) (Slow Pack).

The non scoring mixed gender Under 11’s event, which is classed
as a development event, saw a total of 60 runners toe the starting line.
Amongst them were eight athletes in Morpeth Harriers colours
. It gave the club an opportunity to give some of their aspiring youngsters a rare taste of competition.
The 1k course for the Under 11’s had been modified to include a steep climb,
which also involved a steep downhill.

One young man who certainly revelled was Daniel Dixon,
son of the clubs long serving Veteran Gordon, was first home for the club in sixth place,
finishing two places ahead of clubmate Adam Kirby.
Three places behind Adam came Ross Charlton, also clearly enjoying his first taste of action.
Next home for the club was Rhiannon Hedley, (younger sister of Kieran),
who is gaining more experience with each outing
. She finished 15th, and was fourth girl finisher.
One place behind Rhiannon was another Morpeth debutant in Bobby Stone.
Other Morpeth Harriers finishers were Brandon Thompson (42nd),
Joshua Williams (43rd), Matthew Bell (49th), and Faye Archibold (56th) (19th Girl).

Alnwick Harriers are to be thanked for once again organising and marshalling
an excellent Harrier League in the most scenic of settings,
and thanks also go to the Duke and the Duchess of Northumberland
for the use of their land for the event, and the provision of adequate parking facilities.

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2013 English National Cross Country Championships !

At long last, after many years of numerous tireless efforts,
Morpeth Harriers Senior Men have secured an English National Cross Country title,
and they did it on relatively local soil, albeit on Wearside.

Seventeen athletes from the clubs ranks turned out at Herrington Country Park, on Saturday 23rd February,
in what could only be described as arctic conditions, very similar to the North of England Championships,
held at Knowsley last month, to ensure that they were to be a force to be reckoned with,
and their scoring six, who included four of their Bronze medallists from Knowsley,
brought success by finishing in the top sixty of a 1,000 plus field of starters.

Morpeth Harriers were led home, in this the 126th running of the Senior Mens 12k Championship,
by their severely mud splattered European Cross Country Championship team Silver medallist Jonny Taylor,
who having recovered his composure following a second lap tumble when lying in the first three in contention,
along with Northern Champion Steve Vernon of Stockport,
and 2012 winner Keith Gerrard of Newham and Essex Beagles, finished in a superb eighth position.

It soon became apparent that Morpeth Harriers were winning the battle of the tricky conditions,
as their next three finishers, Richard Morrell, Lewis Timmins, and Matthew Nicholson,
came home in excellent positions of 11th, 15th, and 21st positions respectively.

So with four home, it remained to be seen whether the next two could ensure success,
and indeed there was joy to be seen on the clubs team management faces
when Graeme Taylor and Ryan Stephenson, who were having their first “National” for the club,
defied all odds to finish in 46th and 52nd places respectively.

When the results were finally announced, Morpeth Harriers had beaten fellow Northerners Leeds City,
the reigning champions, who were on for a hat-trick of successes,
with Midland club Tipton Harriers taking third place.

Just adrift of the six counters were Nick Swinburn, Ian Hudspith and Ian Harding,
who all had excellent runs to finish in 74th, 75th and 80th places respectively.

These placings also saw Morpeth Harriers at the head of the separate nine to count listing,
( non award winning), again ahead of Leeds City, but Notts AC replacing Tipton in third spot.

Morpeth Harriers had five more athletes who did well to place in the first 200.
They were Jordan Scott (113th), Michael Dawson (150th), Ben Harrison (166th),
Andrew Lawrence (170th), and Thomas Straughan (185th).

In addition to these, Paul Waterston, Michael Thomsen and Alistair MacDonald,
all produced excellent runs in the tricky conditions, to finish 230th, 345th, and 480th respectively,
which meant that the clubs Senior Mens squad had finished entirely in the top half of a large field.

Morpeth Harriers Senior Mens Road and Cross Country Team Manager David Swinburne was very upbeat
afterwards about his squads performance, particularly the bravery of Jonny Taylor,
Richard Morrell, who had undoubtedly played a star role on the day,
and Ryan Stephenson, who had coped superbly in conditions not to his particular liking.

He also singled out special praise for Nick Swinburn, and particularly Ian Hudspith,
who both despite not getting amongst the scoring six, had shown great supporting character on the day.

David Swinburne added that the present squad could now go on as a realistic force in the quest
for medals at the forthcoming Northern and National Road Relay Championships later in the next two months.

He also praised the clubs President Jim Alder and Secretary Mike Bateman for their work
done behind the scenes as supportive mentors.

Alder was particularly thrilled to be asked to present the medals
on behalf of the England Cross Country Association
to his club at the presentation at the end of proceedings.

The Senior Mens event saw Newham and Essex Beagles Keith Gerrard
retain his hold on the title, with Northern Champion Steve Vernon of Stockport,
once again having to settle up for the runners up spot, after mounting a superb challenge throughout

In addition to the Senior Mens achievements, Morpeth Harriers also celebrated
other good performances at the Saucony sponsored championships.

Most notable was that of Kieran Hedley, who followed up his seventh placing
at last month’s Northern Championships by finishing a superb seventeenth
against countrywide opposition in the Under 13 Boys 3k event.
Although feeling rather shivery afterwards, Hedley clearly mastered
the tricky surface that was getting steadily worse.

He was pleased to lead his club to ninth team place,
with excellent support coming from Philip Kirby (100th),
Alex Cunningham (102nd), and Josh Burton (119th),
in a field of 205 finishers.

Another competing Morpeth Harrier in the Under 13 Boys event was Matthew Ingledew,
who unfortunately was minus his spikes, and finished in 202nd place.

223 runners finished in the Under 15 Boys 4.25k event,
which was run when the snow was falling at its thickest.
Morpeth Harriers were led home to eighteenth team place by Ryan Green,
who adapted better than some to the conditions to finish in 66th place.
Green was supported in his clubs team effort by Jarod Lewis (141st),
Jacob Hopkins (175th), and Sam Williams (203rd).

With the conditions not to his particular liking, Morpeth Harrier Jonnie Nisbet
battled strongly to finish in the top half of the Junior Mens 10k Championship field.
He came home in 71st place.
Although Morpeth could not mount a team challenge in this event,
with only three runners taking part, their other two,
Sam Hancox and Tom Brookes battled well to finish 102nd and 106th.

The Senior Womens 8k event saw Morpeth Harrier Emma Holt
maintain her excellent form by finishing 55th, and was superb second from the region,
having mastered the difficult conditions with a great deal of determination.
Although further back in the field in 330th place,
club colleague Claire Bruce battled bravely to the finish.

In the Under 17 Womens 5k event, which was the first on the ten race programme,
runners were experiencing relatively virgin snow,
which was proving to be deep in some parts of the course.
Nevertheless Morpeth Harrier Alison Brown coped well with a great deal
of determination to place 58th in a total field of 150 finishers.
She was also seventh from the North East, and well ahead of some useful opposition.
Hannah Sheerin from Morpeth Harriers finished 125th.

In the Under 15 Girls 4.25k event, Morpeth’s Charlotte Jewell
battled all the way to finish 108th in a total field of over 200 runners.
She was also eighth from the region.

Another Morpeth Harriers finisher in this event was Harriet Grace,
who ran a determined race to place 202nd.

In her very first “National,” Morpeth Harrier Kate Seymour
ran well to finish 173rd in the Under 13 Girls 3k event.

Morpeth Harriers wish to thank their most loyal supporters
Rob Hancox and Peter Scaife for turning out in the early morning,
in what could only be described as appalling conditions,
in order to erect the well required club tent,
and for providing hot liquid, with the added bonus of some hot food al fresco,
a treat well appreciated by all on cold and wintry day.

Thanks also go to the organisers English Cross Country Association,
and UKA Officials and volunteer course marshals and first aid
for their sterling efforts to ensure the welfare and safety
for all who took part in a superb event,
despite the difficult conditions that prevailed throughout.

Click here for complete National results

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---

Five personal bests were created, and in many cases some of the clubs
athletes were competing a year young in their age group.

In the Under 15 Girls 60m three personal bests were set by
Morpeth’s Lauren Eadington (9.11s) (4th),
Shannon Docherty (9.19s) (5th), and Grace Tighe (9.77s) (6th).

After running 8.74s for 6th in Round One of the Under 17 Womens 60m,
Morpeth’s Kirsty Lang, returned to action a little later to record
a new personal best of 8.72s that earned her fifth place.
Although she went out after Round One, her club colleague Megan Deakin
also clocked a personal best of 8.92s in the same age group.
Kirsty also cleared 1.40m in the High Jump.

Two other Morpeth Harriers also competed at the meeting.
They were Jarod Lewis, who finished sixth in the Under 15 Boys 60m in 8.71s,
and also cleared 1.40m for sixth in the High Jump.

His coach and fellow Morpeth Harrier Craig Pickup had a solo victory
in the Senior Mens Shot, with a best of 8.99m.

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In Hobart, Australia on Saturday 23rd February, Nick McCormick continued his
World Athletics preparations by clocking a seasons best of 13m34.72s,
when finishing second to Collis Birmingham in the talent packed open Mens 5000m
at the Briggs Athletics meeting, held at the Domain Track.

In Hong Kong, Mongolian Serod Batochir finished 15th in the Standard Charter Marathon,
behind fourteen athletes who were all from African nations.

This therefore gave him the title as Asian Champion in the Asian Games,
which were incorporated within the event.
The Marathon was run on a very hilly course,
which ultimately meant that times were relatively slow.

Winner Julius Maisei of Kenya clocked 2hrs14m18s,
with Batochir clocking 2hrs17m56s.

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Posting a total time, which was agonisingly just five seconds outside the course record,
Morpeth Harriers comfortably won the six stage Senior Mens title by a margin of around ninety seconds,
from second placed Sunderland Harriers, with reigning champions New Marske further adrift in third place.

The Senior Mens event also saw the club win the Royal Signals Trophy,
in honour of the originators of the event, which Morpeth Harriers have also won
on numerous occasions in bygone days.

After Under 20 athlete Jonny Nisbet had the Morpeth A team handily placed in ninth spot
on his first leg clocking of 11m20s for the 2.22mile, 2 lap course,
new signing Ryan Stephenson marked his first competitive team outing for the club,
by posting their fastest time of the day of 10m43s, which was also the fifth fastest overall,
and took the squad into a lead that was never relinquished over the remaining four legs.

Lewis Timmins took up the gauntlet on Leg 3, and by the end of his effort
had increased Morpeth’s leading margin to forty one seconds.
Timmins personal clocking of 10m53s was eighth fastest overall.

Fourth leg saw Ian Hudspith increase their lead even further as he clocked the sixth equal
fastest time of 10m48s, which he shared with his clubs fifth leg runner Matt Nicholson.

By the time Graeme Taylor went off on the final leg, and his own personal relay debut,
Morpeth Harriers carried an unassailable lead, and Taylor certainly maintained it to
the finish line by clocking 11m00s, which was just outside the top ten on the day,
and only surpassed on the leg itself by Sunderland Harrier Weyne Ghebreselasie,
and New Marske’s Ricky Stevenson, who were battling for the second
and third spots behind Morpeth Harriers.

Morpeth Harriers Senior Mens B team also made an impressive showing by finishing in sixth spot,
courtesy of Michael Dawson, who had an excellent first leg run of 11m03s,
and was superbly further supported by Simon O’Donnell (11m16s),
plus youngsters Phillip Winkler (12m10s), Elliot Kelly (12m23s),
Sam Hancox (12m22s), and Phillip Caldwell (12m22s).

Afterwards Morpeth Harriers Mens Road and Cross Country Team Manager David Swinburne,
said that he was very pleased with his squads overall effort to claim a handsome victory,
and also heaped praise towards the performances of the aforementioned younger members of the squad,
who definitely had shown maturity in the challenge, and held great promise for the future.

In addition to the Morpeth A and B team performances,
Mick Thomsen (12m10s), and Rob Hancox (13m52s)
had also competed well for an incomplete C Team.

Medals were also won by Morpeth Harriers Over 40 Veteran Mens squad,
who finished a close third behind North Shields Poly and Tyne Bridge Harriers.

Paul Waterston got them off to an excellent start on first leg,
when he came home in fourth place in 11m53s.

The further good work to ensure medals was carried through by the efforts of
Neil Wilkinson (11m48s), Fergus Bates (12m03s), Phil Walker (12m27s),
Alistair MacDonald (12m47s), and Terry Wall (11m44s).

Morpeth Harriers Senior Women and Over 50 Men finished just outside
the medals in fifth and fourth places respectively in their four stage relay events.

The Women unfortunately were missing key athletes such as Ashley Gibson, Laura Weightman,
and Morag Stead, however they battled through to achieve an excellent result.

Morpeth’s Womens A team fielded Under 17 athlete Alison Brown on Leg One,
and she performed well to come home in 14m17s.
Further excellent legs followed from Charlotte Wilson (13m36s),
Gemma Floyd (13m50s), and Emma Holt (formerly Pearson),
who rounded the efforts nicely with 13m21s, which took them closer to the medals.

Morpeth Harriers Womens B team also performed well to finish eleventh
courtesy of Joanne Brown (14m21s), Kate Chapman (14m33s),
Lorna MacDonald (14m31s), and Claire Mooney (17m31s),
in her very first outing in a Morpeth vest.

Sarah Wilkinson, Morpeth Harriers Womens Road and Cross Country Team Manager
was very praiseworthy of her squads efforts, and considering they were currently missing
some key athletes including herself, the achievements were still showing well.

Jim Alder (13m43s), Billy Gilroy (12m05s), Peter Scaife (14m28s) and Gavin Bayne (13m36s),
steered Morpeth Harriers Over 50 Veteran Mens A team to an excellent fourth place,
finishing behind winners Durham City, second placed Sunderland Harriers, and third placed North Shields Poly.

Their Over 50 Veteran Mens B Team also performed well to finish eighth,
with runs by Richard Sill (14m26s), Les Cavill (14m53s),
Archie Jenkins (15m01s), and Bob Sewell (15m09s).

Click here for complete Relay results

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2013 NECAA Indoor Track & Field Championships !

Morpeth Harriers have produced a brand new North Eastern
Counties champion in Under 20 sprinter Jack Hepple.

Jack took the Gold Medal in the final of the 60m at the regions Indoor
Championships held at Gateshead College on Sunday 17th February.
After firstly winning his heat in 7.37s, he went on to clock 7.29s for his victory,
which was agonisingly just outside his lifetime best of 7.26s.

Another Morpeth Harrier to taste success was Sean O'Hara,
who won his heat of the Under 15 Boys 60m in 8.07s,
a new personal best, then went on to clock the same time again in the later run final,
which brought him a championship Bronze medal.

Despite running a massive new personal best of 7.89s,
Henrick Paulsen of Morpeth Harriers just failed to make the final
of the Under 20 Mens 60m, to accompany the aforementioned Hepple in his success.

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Eventually they narrowed it down to two candidates, and the eventual winner
Alison Brown won their decision by the mere slenderest of margins.

She won it for her excellent performance in the hard fought Under 17 Womens event
at the snow affected North of England Cross Country Championships, held at Knowsley Safari Park,
on Merseyside, where she finished a superb 29th in a ninety strong field,
and beat off some of her North East rivals into the bargain,
which has also ultimately led to her winning a most coveted place
in the regions squad for the UK Inter Counties Championships,
scheduled to be held at Birmingham’s Cofton Park next Month.

Alison is pictured above receiving her Certificate of Achievement from
Morpeth Harriers Club Chairman David Swinburne,
at their Mitford Road Clubhouse.

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Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League ( 4 )

Morpeth Harrier Emma Holt (formerly Pearson), fully celebrated her call up to the North East’s
Senior Womens squad for the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships,
scheduled to be held in Birmingham next month,
by storming to an impressive second place from the Medium Pack,
at the fourth Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League,
held at Wrekenton on Saturday 9th February.

She also picked up a well earned Harrier League individual Silver Medal
for her effort, and clocked one of the day’s fastest times.

Holt is also preparing for a spring triathlon, and her form at present certainly points
to a successful period of competition for the Morpeth based Veterinary Surgeon.

She not only picked up a team medal with her club at December’s North Eastern Counties Championship
at Hartlepool, but was also one of the region’s top performers at last month’s
North of England Cross Country Championships, hence her inclusion for the Inter Counties.

Morpeth Harriers other Senior Woman finisher was Claire Bruce,
who placed 110th from the Slow Pack.

It was also a successful day for Morpeth Harriers Senior Men,
who scored an impressive team victory, despite missing some of their leading lights.

The clubs first finisher however was a non scoring athlete,
when Adam Morrell placed sixth from the Medium Pack.

However his brother Richard, who can now count officially for Morpeth,
following his transfer from New Marske, was not far behind in eleventh place,
and led the clubs charge from the Fast Pack, and was second fastest overall on the day.

One place behind Richard was Morpeth’s Thomas Straughan,
who impressively came from the Medium Pack to make the second count for his club.

The clubs third, fourth, and fifth counters finished in quick succession.
Veteran Paul Waterston finished 26th from the Medium Pack,
and Fast Packers Ian Harding and Graeme Taylor
both had excellent runs to finish in 27th and 28th places.

Morpeth Harriers certainly showed their superiority when Rob Hancox
closed his clubs winning count in 41st place from the Slow Pack.
Other Morpeth Harriers Senior Mens finishers on the day were
Alistair MacDonald (59th) (Slow Pack), Mick Thomsen (62nd) (Medium Pack),
Mike Winter (71st) (Medium Pack), Ed Hillier (110th) (Slow Pack),
and Sam Hancox (155th) (Medium Pack).

With the Northern Inter Counties Schools Cross Country
taking place at Guisborough, North Yorkshire,
the younger age group races were subject to some notable absentees,
so therefore the grand prix and league competition was suspended
for the Under 13 Boys and Girls, the Under 15 Boys and Girls,
the Under 17 Men, and Under 17 and Junior Womens events.

In the Under 13 Boys event, Morpeth Harriers Adam Shewry,
and Josh Burton placed third and 23rd from the Slow and Fast Packs.

Sam Williams placed 18th from the Fast Pack in the Under 15 Boys event.

Morpeth Harriers lone runner in the Under 17 Mens event was Joe Elder,
who finished seventh from the Slow Pack.

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---

Nisbet is obviously rounding into some excellent form, following a short layoff due to exams,
and will now eagerly look forward to competing for the county at the English Schools
at Catton Hall, Derbyshire in March.
He can also take much pleasure that he also defeated 2011 North Eastern Champion
Wayne Parker of Cleveland, who finished well behind him in fifth place.

Hopefully joining him on the bus for Derbyshire will be his Morpeth Harriers club colleague Phillip Caldwell,
who also produced a good run to finish 15th, and was fourth home from the county.

Another excellent Morpeth Harriers performer was Phillip Winkler,
who finished third in the Intermediate Boys, and was first from Northumberland,
which guarantees him his English Schools spot.
Elliot Kelly should also make the Derbyshire trip, after finishing as fifth counter in 21st place.
Not so fortunate however was Ryan Green, who disappointingly
finished 47th, and as 13th home from the county.

In the Junior Boys event Kieran Hedley once again produced
a brilliant run to finish fifth, and as second from the county.
It remains to be seen whether Morpeth Harrier club colleague
Jacob Hopkins 41st placing as ninth counter will see him make the English Schools.
Unfortunately Philip Kirby was forced to battle his way round with injury,
which saw him finish 53rd, and 14th from the county.