Goden day for Morpeth at NE XC

Morpeth's Senior Men who won the team prize at Temple Park.

The event was held at Temple Park in South Shields when there were wins for the Senior Men, Senior Women, the U20 Men, the U17 Boys as well as an individual gold for Millie Breese in the U20 Women’s event.

She stopped the clock in 16:05 to win by 16 seconds ahead of North Shields’ Holly Waugh, and in so doing qualified for the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships, which will be held at Loughborough.

In the corresponding U20 Men’s race, Matthew Watson and James Tilley finished second and third respectively, in 22:30 and 22:46, behind winner Josh Bevins from Gateshead Harriers (21:54). Peter Smallcombe was eighth for Morpeth, which meant Morpeth took the team prize ahead of Sunderland Harriers.

In the U17 Boys, Morpeth’s Liam Roche was second in 23:52, Elliot Kelso was fourth and Bertie Marr fifth, securing the team win, whilst in the U17 Girls Tabitha Robson was the first home for the Northumbrian club in seventh (17:44).

Elsewhere in the juniors, in the U15 Boys, Harry Armstrong was 30th in 17:30 whilst Molly Roche was 33rd in the U15 Girls in 19:09.

In the U13 Boys, Evan Laude was 31st in 11:05, whilst in the U13 Girls, Emma Tomlinson was eighth.

In the U11 Boys, George Moll was tenth in 7:12 and in the U11 girls Lucy Raper was first Morpeth runner home in fifth, finishing in 6:57.

The concluding Senior Men and Senior Women’s races both produced good results for Morpeth.

The Senior Men’s event was won by Calum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers in 30:17, but Morpeth runners Carl Avery and Dan Dixon were second and third respectively in 30:50 and 31:37 and with Sam Hancox in sixth in 31:51, Philip Winkler in eighth in 32:33 and Connor Marshall 11th in 33:33, Morpeth took the team award ahead of Gateshead.

It was a similar story in the Senior Women’s race where Phillipa Stone of Middlesbrough AC won in a time of 23:43.

But with Morpeth’s Cat MacDonald second in 24:41, Jane Hodgson third in 25:17, Rachelle Falloon eighth in 26:36 and Michelle Thompson 32nd in 29:07, the HJarriers lifted the team prize ahead of Gateshead and North Shields Poly.