With a start and finish on York Racecourse and one of the flattest and fastest courses in the North, the Brass Monkey Half Marathon remains hugely popular with runners and has always sold out well in advance, with 2023 no exception.
The race itself was won in a time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 21 seconds by Spenborough and District AC runner Joe Sagar with Georgia Malir of Leeds City 1st female finisher in 1:15:10. Some five Morpeth Harriers travelled, with Andy Lawrence first finisher for the club, 38th in 1:12:46. Mark Banks continued his welcome return from injury with a good time of 1:14:58 for 68th, while an under the weather John Butters was 288th in 1:24:16. Jake Parmley was 324th in 1:25:00 and Laura Mclean 1189th and 46th O/35 in 1:53:56. Some 1625 finished. Closer to home, Dave Stabler was the club’s only representative in the Run Northumberland 10 miler out of Matfen. Dave had a great run to come in 4th overall and 1st O/45 in a time of 1:00:57. The race itself was won by Elswick’s Luke Hilliard in 57:32 with Tynedale’s Amanda Banks 1st female finisher in 1:07:49. Some 78 ran. Finally, although we don’t often report on parkruns, worth mentioning that one Connor Marshall ran the fastest parkrun time in the UK on Saturday with his 15:33. Not a pb, but worth congratulations all the same. Held in the grounds of Lord Lawson of Beamish School under some splendidly sunny skies, Sunday morning’s Birtley Relays featured three separate races and again included the North East Masters Athletics Association Championships for male and female athletes Over 35.
Those of us somewhat longer in the tooth will remember fondly the event’s predecessor from a number of years ago now, the Durham Cathedral Relays, which, as well as a stunning setting on the University’s cricket fields by the snaking River Wear, also featured some top notch Sunday morning scran for those who’d finished. Sadly, the event was kicked out of there and subsequently decamped for a couple of years to the Maiden Castle Sports Centre a little further downstream; this was never a happy marriage however, and the move to Birtley has seen new host Birtley AC organise with great competence and provide at least a more challenging 3k course, which now contorts itself round the school’s playing fields. First race of the day was for all Male Masters Over 35, and there was one team Gold, one Silver and four Fastest age category legs. A mix and match Over 35 team pulled off a Silver medal, remarkable in that two of the team were actually O/50s or 60s! Lee Bennett got the club off to a strong start with a clocking of 11:10, fastest 0/50 of the day, with Adam Pratt running the team into the lead with Race 1’s fastest time of the day of 9:52, a clocking which shows that he is very much back to his best. Not the place 0/60 Neil McAnany, carrying a dodgy leg, was expecting or perhaps hoping to find himself in, but to Neil’s credit he applied himself very sensibly to record 11:57, an 0/60 fastest, with the team’s final cumulative time 32:59. By then winners Heaton Harriers had got noses in front with 32:06, with Elswick’s 0/45s in 2nd (32:40). The club’s 0/45s were 15th overall and 7th in their category, in what was actually the most keenly contested age range in the race. Dave Marshall clocked 13:51, Jamie Johnson 11:57 and, on last leg, Ed Hillier the team’s fastest of 11:51. As last year, there was a resounding win for the club’s Over 65s, with Dave Nicholson (12:41) and Gavin Bayne (12:24) running the day’s fastest category times, but it was a new experience for Les Cavill, roped in with some reluctance after team manager Scaife’s arm-twisting, but whose 13:40 clocking certainly didn’t disgrace anyone. Les – you’ve got the gig! Second race was the combined Women’s Seniors and Masters, and featured perhaps the day’s most remarkable victory, by the Women’s Masters team of Jane Kirby, Morag Stead and Jane Hodgson, an all the more remarkable win in that two of the team were actually 0/45s. Jane Kirby had a terrific ding-dong with colleague Julie Vermaas on leg 1, a tussle in which it was clear no quarter would be given by either side (both were eventually credited with the same time of 12:30, with Jane K’s the day’s 3rd fastest 0/45 time). Jane came in in 4th and passed on to Morag Stead, who got her nose in front of the three ahead of her before the end of the first lap, and whose 11:35 was far and away the fastest 0/45 age category time. With a lead of a minute and a half and the form she has been in all season, Jane Hodgson was never going to be caught, and it was really only a question of how fast she could go with no one to beat and the margin of the overall victory. In fact, she ran the race’s fastest time of 11:01, with the team’s cumulative time of 35:06 nearly three minutes faster than that of nearest rivals Crook AC in 2nd (38:02), with Gosforth a few seconds behind them in 3rd (38:10). Lizzie Rank had brought the club’s Seniors back in 3rd place on leg 1 with a time of 12:29 and she handed on to Tayla Douglas, back racing only a few weeks after giving birth to daughter Mia. Tayla clocked 15:12 and with Rachelle posting an excellent 11:22, the fastest Senior time of the day and one only bettered by Jane H, the team picked up a deserved Bronze (39:03). There were medals for both O/45 and 55s team also, however, with the O/45s of Julie Vermaas (12:30), Fran Naylor (16:57) and Claire Calverley (14:16) a decent 3rd in 43:43 behind Tynedale and Washington in, again, a keenly contested category. Meanwhile the O/55s were both winners in their category and featured, like the Men’s O/65s, the day’s two fastest legs. Sue Smith ran 15:59 on leg 1, with Shuna and Gwenda recording 15:01 and 14:03 respectively for a cumulative time of 45:03. Last race of the day had the smallest field, with only a disappointing eleven full teams out, but was also the closest, with Morpeth and Sunderland Harriers going toe to toe in a fixture Morpeth had previously won several years running. Sunderland got their noses ahead at the end of leg 1, with Peter Smallcombe for Morpeth coming in 2nd some seven seconds behind Sunderland’s experienced Stephen Jackson (9:19) That changed on leg 2, however, with Carl Avery, looking in very good form a couple of weeks away from the Northern Cross Country Championships, reeling in Sunderland’s Joe Armstrong (late of this parish) to post the day’s fastest time of 8:40 and establish a 15 second lead. A gutsy run for Morpeth by Ali Douglas on the final leg in which he was always there to be shot at saw him stay ahead of closing Sunderland Harrier Stephen Armstrong for three quarters of the way, but he was finally reeled in with just under half a mile to go, with Sunderland taking the victory in the end by a ten second margin (27:16) and the team having to settle for Silver. Congratulations to all who ran, and to team managers Rachelle Falloon, Claire Calverley and Peter Scaife, who worked might and main to get teams on the grid. Morpeth Harriers retained the Sherman Cup for the 10th consecutive year at Temple Park, South Shields on Saturday, while there was two outstanding individual Golds and a Bronze in the corresponding Women’s Davison Shield.
Set up several decades ago, the Sherman Cup and Davison Shield competitions were designed to act as a test of the overall strength of North East clubs, with an overall score for each event made up of the total from five qualifying races: Under 13s, Under 15s, Under 17s (and 20s for Women), Seniors and Veterans, with the first three from each club to count towards the total. Morpeth’s U/13 Boys got the club off to a fine start, with Ewan Line in 2nd place, Ruben Jones on his club debut in 14th and Daniel Vermaas in 16th, with further support coming from Evan Laude (17th), Thomas Roche (28th) and William Hawkins (41st). The team finished in 2nd place behind Blaydon Harriers. The U/15s worked hard to make light of the absence of two of the club’s leading lights to finish in 6th place, Stephen Craske (25th), Dan Burrow (26th) and Ben Moll (28th) packing well and ensuring the club had still had a scoring three to count, with North Shields Polytechnic Harriers the team winner. Perhaps the most remarkable team performances of the day from a Morpeth point of view came as expected in the U/17s, where the club finished no less than six in the top eight, with the first three places all wearing blue and white. Will de Vere Owen picked up the club’s first individual Gold with Ryan Davies taking Silver and Liam Roche bronze. Behind them, new recruit Ethan Philips was 6th, Joe Close 7th and Elliot Kelso 8th, despite the loss of both of his spikes en route. Last race of the day, the Senior and Veteran Men, also featured the largest field, with some 375 plus finishers in total, who were led by home by Gateshead international Calum Johnson, who now looks ominously close to his best from the past two years, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of his nearest rival Greg Jayasuriya with Blyth’s Josh Fiddaman in 3rd. Despite missing out on individual medals, Sam Hancox (4th), Phil Winkler (5th) and Alistair Douglas (8th) meant a commanding team Senior Men’s win ahead of Gateshead and Sunderland Harriers outfits. There were some nine Seniors in action, with further fine runs coming courtesy of Connor Marshall, just outside the top ten in 11th, James Tilley in 14th, Andy Lawrence 30th, Peter Smallcombe 35th, Adam Pratt 49th and Mark Snowball 102nd. The Over 40 veterans, who participated in the same race, finished as 4th team thanks to runs by Lee Bennett (69th), Andrew Hebden (72nd) and Dave Stabler (91st). Some ten vets in total turned out, with Rob Hancox 137th, Andriy Volkov 146th, Richard Glennie 188th, Neil MacAnany 216th, Dave Nicholson 232nd, Andy Leeson 262nd and Steve Johnson 270th. NSP were 1st vets team. When final scores were aggregated, the club’s winning total of some 14 points overall was a full ten less than 2nd place rivals Sunderland Harriers with Tyne Bridge in 3rd on 27th. The matching Davison Shield competition for Women was, as last year, won by Tyne Bridge Harriers, the only club on the day to field a scoring count of three in all categories, with Morpeth certainly not the only club unable to do so. Despite this, there were some notable individual performances from the club. Emma Tomlinson ran well for 7th in the U/13s with support from Faye Heatley (18th), but sadly no third runner to make the team count with Birtley unsurprisingly 1st. The U/15 Girls were, however, complete and also made 3rd team behind NSP with Megan Potrac first home in 17th, Molly Roche 20th and Charlotte Marshall 25th. Triathlete Millie Breese picked up a Bronze in a small but keenly contested U/17 and U/20 combined race, finishing behind Durham City’s Charlotte Dillon with winning team’s NSP’s Holly Waugh in 2nd Emma Tomlinson ran well for 7th in the U/13s with support from Faye Heatley (18th), but sadly no third runner to make the team count. The U/15 Girls were, however, complete and also made 3rd team, with Megan Potrac first home in 17th, Molly Roche 20th and Charlotte Marshall 25th. In the Women’s final event, the Senior and Veteran race, Jane Hodgson undoubtedly provided one of the performances of the day, with the veteran once again in fine form over the country and showing a clean pair of heels to everyone behind her for the overall win in front of proud dad Brian and daughter Emily. However, she was chased home by team mate Rachelle Falloon in 2nd place who was also 1st Senior athlete. NSP’s Charlotte Penfold was 3rd, with the Senior team prize going to Jesmond Joggers ahead of TBH and Sunderland. With no other Seniors running for the club on the day, it was left to the club’s Veterans to fly the flag, and this they did with Julie Vermaas 36th and Mhairi Line in 74th, both runners having watched their sons compete with distinction earlier in the afternoon. There was also a welcome return to competition for Jane Briggs after many months out due to injury, Jane finishing half the way down the field in 154th. The Veterans finished 5th team, with NSP taking the team prize. The final overall team placing was a rather disappointing 8th, although with just two of five teams complete this was to be expected, with only Tyne Bridge ensuring complete teams across all five categories and so retaining the Shield for a 2nd year. Ironically, one more complete team might have brought a minor medal. The day’s earliest fixtures were again the Under 11 races which witnessed some good runs by some of the club’s youngest athletes. Lucy Raper was 7th, Zoe Tomlinson 9th and Emily Hodgson 16th for the Girls, and in her first race for the club Erin Burns 20th, with Jacob Thompson 7th and George Moll, also in his first race for the club, 18th in the Boys. The first fixture of the New Year will be upon us shortly, with the Sherman Cup (for Men) and Davison Shield (for Women) competition taking place next Saturday, 7 January at Temple Park, South Shields.
This fixture is designed as a test of the overall strength of North East clubs, with five qualifying races in both the Sherman and the Davison. These are:
Morpeth Harriers have held the Sherman Cup for a number of years but have narrowly missed out on the Davison Shield recently on a couple of occasions. As a test of the club’s overall strengths, we’re looking for big turn-outs in all categories – and not just from those who might make top three (other non-scoring runners can push further down results individuals from other clubs). As with all XC, it’s all about the numbers. The course should be shorter than the North Easterns in December and the day’s timings are as for the NEHL. Although it is not part of the NEHL competition, NEHL numbers should be brought and worn. (Replacements are available if forgotten or lost, but at an extra cost.) Let’s aim to get 2023 off to a winning start. Any problems or queries, please contact the club via the website. Other fixtures for the next two months are below. Key Road and Cross Country Fixtures January and February 2023 January Saturday 7th: Sherman Cup/Davison Shield, Temple Park Sunday 14th: Birtley Relays, including NEMAA Men’s and Women’s XC Championships Saturday 28th: Northern Athletics XC Championships, Witton Park, Blackburn February Saturday 11th: North East Harrier League, Round 5, Thornley Farm Saturday 18th: Signals Relays, Hetton Lyons Country Park Saturday 25th: National XC Championships, Bolesworth Castle, Tattenhall, Chester Please sign up on the club notice board, contact your team manager or contact the club via the website for entries for all of the above. Six Morpeth Harriers crossed the Pennines post Christmas to take part in the Ribble Valley 10k in Lancashire on 27 December. Despite a rather undulating course, the event continues to grow in popularity, also including for this year the North of England 10k Championships, so there was a quality field out with over 1,000 finishers in total. Won by Gateshead’s Callum Johnson in 29 minutes 10 seconds, University of Oklahoma student Rory Leonard, back for Christmas, had a fine run to come home 2nd in a pb of 29:40, with host club Blackburn Harriers providing the 3rd placed runner, Matt Ramsden (29:50). Carl Avery was 5th in 29:54, Dan Dixon 9th in 29:59 and Sam Hancox 18th in 30:59. Leeds University student Alex Cunningham was 44th in 33:02 with Rob Hancox 123rd and 6th 0/55 in 38:40. With three to count for the team prize, Morpeth were narrowly pipped by Blackburn (16 to 14). The women’s race was won by Jess Warner-Judd in 31:18, with Charnwood AC’s Gemma Steel 2nd in 32:51 and Stockport’s Mollie Williams 3rd in 33:32. Meanwhile Boxing Day had seen the 36th Woodlawn Pudding Run on the seafront at Whitley Bay, cancelled over the previous two years, with a tricky little out and back course made worse by some still icy slopes on the prom.
Despite no results being provided, James Young was once again a clear winner in what he himself described as a ‘blast out’, with a time of 15:35. It was a Morpeth procession near the front end, with Connor Marshall home 2nd , Liam Roche 3rd, Ross Floyd 5th and Ryan Davies 6th. Leaving the banana suit behind, this time local resident Andy Lawrence opted instead for a seasonal Santa outfit, in which he was comfortably first fancy dress wearer back. |
Archives
July 2024
|