Morpeth Harriers' Senior Women come agonisingly close to a top 10 finish in the Northern Athletics Cross Country Relays

In a competition won by Trafford AC in a time of 37 minutes 53 seconds for the three-stage relay, they finished a commendable 13th in 41 minutes 53 seconds, less than a minute off a top 10 place.

Poppy Buck got them off to a strong start with the team’s fastest clocking of 13 minutes 38 seconds for the two-mile lap, with Lizzie Rank recording 24:11 on leg two and Rachelle Falloon bringing the team home in 13:5.

One of the same team was back out at a windswept Lambton Castle course for the North East Harrier League the following day.

In the day’s first race, the Under-11 Boys, three Morpeth Harriers had their first run in a blue and white vest, with Mason Ellison first back in 14th place, Will Fawcett 19th and Ben Hodgson 55th.

The club’s best turnout was in the Under-13 Boys, where what looks to be a strong squad is developing with five running. Following promotion to Fast Pack Mason Gaylor was 15th and Jack Dhawar and Jacob Thompson were 24th and 43rd, also from Fast.

Joseph Fawcett was 17th and Michael Madgwick 40th, both in their first runs for the club.

There was a great story in the matching U13 Girls where Lucy Heatley, having played a morning game of football at Cramlington, ran in the same boots and wore a much too big for her borrowed man’s vest – but somehow still came home in sixth place!

Heidi Wilkinson, like Gaylor promoted to Fast after the previous race, ran well to finish eighth, with Zoe Tomlinson 31st and Emily Hodgson one place behind in another good squad showing.

Ewan Line was back in action in the U15 Boys, coming home in ninth place, with Evan Laude 21st, although sadly the team missed a third counter. There was a similar story in the Girls’ race, with Lucy’s elder sister Faye 16th and Emma Tomlinson 27th.

Oliver Tomlinson was 13th in the U17 Boys and Ben Moll 16th, while in the Girls’ race Molly Roche was first back for the club in ninth. It was good to see four Morpeth vests in the U17 Girls, with Molly followed in by Lucie Todd, 22nd, Megan Potrac, 24th and Iris Dungait, 25th.

There were over 350 finishers in the Senior and Veteran Women’s race where Holly Lawrence made her Harrier League debut and came third.

With Jane Hodgson 27th, Kirsty Burville 34th and Poppy Buck, who had also run in Sheffield, 65th, the team look to be well placed to move up the team division.

More than 450 runners took on the challenging three-lap, six-mile Senior Men’s course.

Tom Straughan was back in competitive action for the club after several years away, coming back as first of six counters in 21st.

Also running his first Harrier League was James Deathe, 37th.

Under-20 Ethan Bond was another competing for Morpeth for the first time, finishing in 94th from Fast Pack.

The club’s final three counters were Liam Ramsay, 124th, Ian Armstrong, 127th, and Jake Parmley, 146th, all running from Medium Pack.