Morpeth Harriers in English relays

Ryan Davies, Rachelle Falloon, Alistair Douglass - Morpeth Harriers the 3rd Team at Norman Woodcock Relays

The well-attended competition for both Young Athletes and Seniors usually features some of the best runners in the country, and Saturday was certainly no exception with big fields in all ages and keenly contested races.

Morpeth’s U17 team were first up, with Elliot Kelso going out on first leg and completing the 3 kilometre course in 9:37 for 26th place. Liam Roche moved the team up ten places on leg 2 with his clocking of 9:50, with Will de Vere Owen’s 9:20, the team’s fastest split, getting the team into a highly respectable 10th of 81 teams in a total time of 28:48. They were also 2nd team from the North of England, behind winners Rotherham (27:49).

The club’s U15s were unfortunately hit by a late withdrawal from illness on the Friday night, with Steven Craske commendably stepping into the breach at very short notice.

In a keenly fought 95 team race, the boys finished in 57th place overall (22:57) with legs by Harry Armstrong (7:57), Oliver Calvert (6:30), who gained over 50 places on his leg, and late replacement Craske (8:29), and will certainly have benefitted from the advanced competition.

A youthful team of the club’s Senior Women were among 139 teams led home by Loughborough based club Charnwood AC.

Lizzie Rank went out first for Morpeth, completing the 3km stage in 12.00 followed by Robyn Bennett in 12:52 and Rachelle Falloon in 11:25 for a final position of 59th. The team did have the distinction of being first back from the North East, with only Elswick Harriers also making the 340 mile round trip.

Final event of the day was the four stage Men’s race with longer, 5km stages, where, as expected, Leeds City AC were once again a dominant force, winning in a time of 1:01:29 , with Cambridge and Coleridge 2nd and Aldershot 3rd.

Will Cork headed Morpeth’s challenge, with an excellent clocking of 15:50, which was also the team’s fastest, to come home in 17th place.

Subsequent legs by Phil Winkler (16:30 for 22nd), Matthew Briggs (16:55 for 25th) and Connor Marshall (17:19) saw the team ultimately finish 27th of 198 teams, and first North East club.