STUDENTS LEAD THE WAY AT LAMBTON
NEWCASTLE and Durham
University athletes turned out in force in the third fixture of the Start
Fitness North East Harrier League at Lambton. On a typical Autumn day, cold and
bright, the region’s visiting competitors were well rewarded as they provided
the winners of both the senior men and women’s races which saw huge fields once
again turn out especially in the senior contests while numbers were slightly
down in the young athletes’ races due to the half-term holidays. However, once
again the mudlarks were disappointed as the course, just as it was at Thornley
Hall Farm and Druridge Bay, was as dry as sticks. Nevertheless, an exciting
day’s sport unfolded as clubs battled for individual and team honours.
SENIOR MEN (3 large laps)
OVER 300 toed the line from the slow pack and once the initial charge settled down it was Newcastle Uni’s Jamie Swindale who headed the charge away from the start area. By the completion of the first circuit Swindale already had a commanding lead over Morpeth’s Lee Cuthbertson and Louis Gardner (Jesmond Joggers) while Duncan Hughes (Blackhill) and Adrien Bailes were making inroads from the medium pack and fast pack respectively from a 2min36secs and 5:16 handicap.
Entering the final lap Swindale, a member of the Lincoln Wellington club, was still well clear with Gardner moving into second place with Hughes now up to seventh and Bailes 28th. Swindale, despite being a third year student on Tyneside, was making his harrier league debut, and his first taste proved to be a winning one as he came home in 36:57 as Hughes crossed the line in second place in 38:02 (actual 35:26) with Gardner completing the one-two-three in 38:38. Bailes meanwhile, worked his way through to finish in eighth place overall in 40:06 to post the quickest actual time on the course of 34:50. Hughes was second fastest with under-20 athlete Liam McDonough (Alnwick) next best after finishing in 13th place with an actual time of 35:34. Second fastest under-20 was Newcastle University’s Max Hazelhurst (35:58) with Joe Willis (Sunderland) next best with 38:44.
In the team stakes, Newcastle
University were runaway winners of Division One with 66 points followed by
Gateshead with 139 and North Shields Poly on 145. In Division Two, Jesmond
Joggers won a close contest with Heaton finishing with 87pts against the
Eastenders’ 92 with Elswick back in third with 136.
417 Finishers
SENIOR WOMEN (2 large laps)
FRESH from helping England finishing second team the previous weekend in the Corsa del Castelli 10k in Trieste, Italy, Durham University’s Megan Stenhouse was a comfortable winner for the second time this season having triumphed in the opening fixture at Thornley Hall Farm. Running from the medium pack this time round, the Rugby and Northampton athlete was in second place behind fellow Durham team-mate Amy Wilson with Amy Styles (Newcastle University) next to appear through the narrow gate on their outward journey for a second time. Stenhouse quickly moved into the lead and it was no surprise when the athletes came back into view 150 yards from the finish she was well clear to cross the line in 28min 08secs (actual time 25:38).
Morpeth’s Catriona MacDonald, also running from the medium pack, finished in second place in 28:51 (27:21), Potts claiming the bronze medal and first under-20 home in 30:48.
Overall Stenhouse was quickest on the course
followed by MacDonald with Houghton’s Anna Pigford, running from the fast pack
and working her way through to finish in sixth place in an actual time of 27:40.
Quickest under-20 on the course was Hatti Stead with 29:30 after crossing the
line in 47th position running from the fast pack; Cadence Willis
(Newcastle University) was next best recording 30:17 running from the medium
pack then came Potts. Morpeth, led home by MacDonald, came out on top in
Division One with 30 points, three points clear of Sunderland with Tynedale
finishing in third place with 48pts. In Division Two Blaydon, with
seventh-placed Letha Whitham, leading them home, finished with 51pts finishing
ahead of both Birtley and Crook who both had 58pts with the Gateshead-based
outfit claiming second place on countback. In Division Three, Newcastle
University, led home by Potts, finished with 19pts, followed by Blyth in second
place with 48pts and Chester-le-Street on 73pts.
358 Finishers
UNDER-17 MEN (1 small lap and
1 large lap)
NOAH WILLIAMSON took full
advantage of a 2min 30sec start to claim victory. The North East Project
athlete held everyone at bat accept the in-form Alfie Cook (Gateshead) who
worked his way through to an excellent second place running from the fast pack.
While Williamson led throughout the contest to cross the line in 19:37, Cook
cut back the deficit to just 13 seconds to post the fastest overall time of
17:20 to add to the quickest time at both Thornley and Druridge Bay. Isaac
Snell (Tyne Bridge) claimed the bronze award with 19:58 while second quickest
on the course was Tynedale’s Jamie Lonergan who finished fourth with an actual
time of 18:34 with James Omerod (Durham City, sixth) next best with 18:40.
Tynedale, led home by Lonergan, won the team event with 31pts with Durham City
in second place with 45pts.
24 Finishers
UNDER-17 WOMEN (1 small lap
and 1 large lap)
GATESHEAD’S Emily Collingwood
led throughout the contest winning by 27 seconds in 22:05 from Darlington’s
Matilda Owens (22:32) and Niamh Phillipson (Birtley (24:21), all three girls
running from the slow pack from a 2:30 advantage. Quickest on the course was
Morpeth’s Molly Roche with a time of 22:03, two seconds faster than Collingwood
with Owens next best with 22:32. Roche led Morpeth to team success with 15pts with
Durham City in second place with 36pts.
17 Finishers
UNDER-15 BOYS (1 large lap)
WALLSEND’S Tom McCann was
never headed as he crossed the line in 13:05, 25 seconds clear of Blyth’s James
Floyd with Darlington’s Daniel Callaghan seven seconds further in arrears in
third place. Fastest on the course was Tynedale’s George Hunter, running from a
1min 15sec penalty to finish in seventh place with an actual time of 12:45.
Just two seconds and one place slower came Ernie Bigg (Tyne Bridge) with McCann
next best with 13:05. Hunter led Tynedale to team victory with 37pts followed.
By Morpeth with 57 and Elswick with 60.
52 Finishers
UNDER-15 GIRLS (1 large lap)
ELSWICK’S Ayla Bright took
full advantage of a 1min 15sec start to claim a popular victory for the West
End club. Blight was always at the head of affairs before crossing the line in
14:43 well clear of Gateshead’s Jessica Gould (15:17) with Birtley’s Olivia
Murphy next home from the fast pack in 15:35 and an actual time of 14:20.
Blight was second quickest on the course with Durham City’s sixth-place Evelyn
Proctor third best overall with 15:07. Blight led Elswick to team success with
15pts followed by Durham City with 24pts.
34 Finishers
UNDER-13 BOYS (1 large lap)
MORPETH’S Luke Thompson took
full advantage of a 1min 15sec handicap to ease to victory in 14:54. North
Shields Poly’s Owen Cunningham followed Thompson home in 15:13 while Jarrow and
Hebburn’s Jacob Hopper was a close-up third in 15:16 to be fastest on the
course with an actual time of 14:01. Second quickest, in fourth place, was
North Shields Poly’s Ethan Hughes (14:15) followed by Tynedale’s Monty Carter
with 14:24. Hopper led Jarrow and Hebburn to team victory with 19pts followed
by North Shields Poly with 28 and Tynedale with 29.
58 Finishers
UNDER-13 GIRLS (1 large lap)
TYNEDALE’S Isabelle Cosstick,
making her harrier league seasonal debut, made it a winning one after seeing
off her main rivals, Sedgefield duo Phoebe Grieveson and Isla Shuffleton.
Cossick crossed the line in 16:14, 11 seconds ahead of Grieveson with
Shuffleton just one second further back in third place. Fastest on the course
was Martha Carr of Prudhoe Plodders with an actual time of 15:15 after working
her way into fourth place from a 1:15 penalty. Gosforth’s Ruby Collins was next
best in fifth position with a time of 15:27 with Celia De Lucas third quickest in seventh
place with a time of 15:40. Sedgefield won the team stakes with Jess Davies (13th)
backing up Grieveson and Shuffleton for a total of 18pts , Tynedale were second
on 23pts and Prudhoe Plodders third with 35pts.
50 Finishers
UNDER-11 BOYS (1 small lap)
SUNDERLAND’s Oscar Paxton
made it three wins from three starts after his latest victory in 6:58. North
Shields Poly’s Edward Duff came home in second place in 7:06 followed closely
behind by Logan Garrington (Gateshead) in 7:10.
63 Finishers
UNDER-11 GIRLS (1 small lap)
NORTH Shields Poly’s Emily
Mann claimed her second success of the campaign in the closest finish of the
day. Mann crossed the line in 7:32, two seconds clear of Sunderland’s Anna
Butler with Millie Carter (Tynedale) just one second further adrift in third
position.
38 Finishers
MEN OVER-65 (2 large laps)
OLYMPIAN Ray Smedley
(Ponteland) was awarded victory (35:59) after the first in the age group was
disqualified for racing from the wrong pack. Smedley’s Ponteland team-mate,
Mick Meaney, running from the medium pack, was deemed second home with an
actual time of 34:41 and quickest overall, followed across the line by Durham
City’s Clifford Feathersone in 37:28. Second fastest was Crook’s Geoff Hewitson
– sixth overall – in 35:33 followed by Smedley in 35:59. Robert Sewell (4th)
backed up Smedley and Meaney to win the team race with 7pts, followed by Crook
on 23pts and North Shields Poly with 38pts.
20 Finishers
***A HUGE thanks to the
landowners at Lambton for the use of their land; to the Low Fell, Birtley and
Washington clubs for hosting another excellent event; to all the volunteer
technical officials and marshalls for being at their posts on a bitterly cold
day and to the first aid team without home the SFNEHL would not be the success
it is. The next fixture is scheduled for November 23 at Wrekenton, will there
be mud, I wouldn’t bet on it!
BILL McGUIRK
Photos: BC Photography
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