Morpeth Harriers win a hard fought team bronze at the Northern Athletics Relays

The event features team races for young athletes over a one lap, 2.8 kilometre course, with Seniors completing two laps of the same course.

Morpeth Harriers were represented in the Junior races by the Under-13 squad of Jacob Thompson, Jack Dhawar and Mason Gaylor, all new to an event of this size but not at all phased by the quality of the competition and giving a highly respectable account of themselves.

Jacob posted a time of 13 minutes 11 seconds for the sharply contested mass start, with Jack recording 12:31 on leg two.

The fastest leg was by a new recruit to the club’s ranks, Mason Gaylor clocking the team’s fastest and final leg of 11:21, with the team finishing just outside the top 20, with just short of 50 teams finishing.

A rather gloomy morning had given way to a rise in temperatures by the time the Senior relays got under way, where the action could certainly be described as red hot.

Finn Brodie took his customary first leg for Morpeth where he put the blue and white vest right in the thick of the action after a furious tussle, coming back in 16:17 for fourth place behind early leaders Clayton le Moors and City of York AC.

Carl Avery went out on leg 2 and showed outstanding form to move Morpeth into the lead with a storming charge for 16:13.

Alex Brown kept the club in the medals on leg 3 with 17:02, handing over to the team’s youngest member, Joe Dixon, younger brother of Team GB triathlete Daniel.

It was a baptism of fire for the teenager, who found himself up against Leeds City international Philip Sesemann, who had competed for Team GB in the Paris marathon only weeks ago, and Derby’s Ben Connor, who was second in the previous week’s National Cross Country Championships.

Dixon held his own, keeping the squad in contention with a time of 17:25, only losing one place.

George Lowry’s run of 17:00 meant the club were still in fourth at the end of leg five, but there was a further twist still to come, with final leg runner for Derby, then in a medal position, starting to feel the heat over the last kilometre.

Morpeth’s Ellis Hetherington reeled in the Derby runner shortly before entering the final section on the track, his time of 16:54 meaning Morpeth took a hard-fought but richly deserved team bronze, behind Hallamshire Harriers and the winners, Leeds City AC.

Morpeth Harrier James Young contested the Vitality Westminster Mile in the capital over a show-stopper of a royal route along the Mall that finished in front of Buckingham Palace.

Returning to competition after a spell out with injury, Young had to settle for silver behind Joe Wigfield from Liverpool AC.

Mark Banks was another silver medallist, finishing second in the half marathon at the Redcar Running Festival.

In his first race since competing at the World Masters Championships, Gavin Bayne finished first Over-65 in the North East Masters 10,000 metres Championships at Jarrow.

Cat Macdonald was a clear winner of the Women’s title at the Thropton Show fell race, with team mate Robyn Bennett third.