Morpeth Harriers help North East win gold at Inter Counties Cross Country Championships

The North East's winning Men's team, with Morpeth Harriers' Carl Avery, second left, Will Cork, far right, and race winner Calum Johnson of Gateshead, second right. Picture: Morpeth Harriers.

In the opening event for Under-20 Men, the North East team included four Morpeth Harriers, who all made the scoring count, with the team finishing in sixth place out of 21 finishing outfits.

First to show for the region in the total field of 155 finishers was Morpeth Harrier Joe Dixon, who finished strongly in 18th place, with next home club colleague Will De Vere Owen, who finished 31st.

Bertie Marr was 39th, with Ethan Phillips completing the region’s scoring quartet in 61st place.

The best result for the North East came in the day’s final Senior Men’s event, where Northern champion Calum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers took victory and the individual gold medal, winning by seven seconds from Leicester and Rutland’s Tom Evans, with Scotland East’s Scott Stirling getting the bronze.

It was also a team gold for the North East Counties, with a win by 116 points over second-placed Yorkshire, with a Northern Ireland team finishing third.

Morpeth provided two members of the winning six-to-count team, with regular pick Carl Avery 13th and debutant Will Johnson 60th.

The team count was made up by 10th placed Cameron Allan and 30th placed Chris Coulson, both of Houghton Harriers, with Adrian Bailes of Birtley 68th.

Just outside the scoring count was new Morpeth acquisition Ellis Hetherington, who finished 93rd in the day’s largest field of 285 finishers.

In the Senior Women the North East were just pipped for a podium place, finishing fourth behind winners Surrey, with Yorkshire and Kent claiming second and third team placings respectively.

Catriona Macdonald was the second counter of the six for the region, finishing in 44th, with the region led home by North Shields Poly’s Charlotte Penfold in 26th.

Morpeth’s Millie Breese led the North East Under-20 Women home to 10th team place when she finished in 28th.

Three Morpeth Harriers lined up in the Under-17 Men’s event, where the region finished 11th.

Elliot Kelso led the squad home when he finished in 32nd, with Joseph Close and Ollie Tomlinson both receiving late call-ups to the squad. Close was third team counter in 92nd, and Tomlinson 137th.