Strong showing for Morpeth Harriers at cross-country league fixture at Alnwick Pastures

With two team wins and one second place, it was a good day for the many Morpeth Harriers who made the short journey to compete.

The first of those wins came in the Under-17 Boys race, where Ben Moll had a fine second place to lead the team count ahead of Harry Armstrong (fifth) and Oliver Tomlinson (seventh), both of these from Fast Pack.

The U13 Girls team of Heidi Wilkinson (sixth), Zoe Tomlinson (11th), Izzy Cromar (12th) and Lucy Raper (31st) missed out on a victory in their fixture behind winners Elswick Harriers, but the squad continues to shape up well for the future.

Jacob Thompson in 16th and Michael Madgwick 17th were the club’s only two representatives in the U13 Boys.

Regulars Emma Tomlinson in 11th and Faye Heatley 13th had their customary scrap in the U15s, with Emma winning out this time, while fellow regulars Charlotte Marshall (seventh) and Lucie Todd (ninth) also ran well in the U17 Girls.

The first race of the day saw five blue and white vests running in the U11 Boys race, where Luke Thompson was first back in 10th place with Mason Ellison (15th) and Will Fawcett (17th) making the top 20. Ben Hodgson was 42nd and Jacob Raper, who had also played a full game of rugby earlier, 59th.

The penultimate race, the Senior Women’s, was won by North Shields Polytechnic Harrier Charlotte Penfold from Slow Pack in her first outing in the league for two years.

Club stalwart Jane Hodgson led Morpeth’s challenge from Fast Pack and finished 12th overall.

She was backed up by Lizzie Rank, 22nd, also from Fast, with Sophie Ward 63rd from Slow and Anna Wright 71st from Medium, the team finishing in fourth place.

At the top of the table, Sunderland Harriers and Jesmond Joggers continue to slug it out for the overall title, with Morpeth heading for a probable third place.

The last race of the day, the Senior Men’s, saw both the day’s largest field and, with 19 competing for the club, Morpeth’s largest numbers as they looked to rein in overall league leaders Durham City.

In a race won by Heaton Harrier Louis Head with Tyne Bridge’s remarkable veteran Jarlath Mckenna recording the day’s fastest time in sixth, Morpeth placed three in the top 10, five in the top 20 and six inside the top 30 for a comprehensive team victory.

Running from Medium, Tom Balsdon was fourth, Tom Innes ninth from Slow and Tom Prentice 10th, also from Medium.

With Sam Hancox and Alex Brown also running strongly in 14th and 15th, both from Fast, the team’s final count was made up by Jimmy Dixon in his NEHL debut, 23rd from Slow.

The victory saw Morpeth’s Senior Men take giant steps towards retaining the title they have won for the last three years as they moved to within one point of overall leaders Durham City in the table.

With only one fixture remaining at Druridge Bay in three weeks’ time, it is certainly still all to play for.