NEHL Alnwick 2025 Race Report

 CHARLOTTE AND LEWIS STORM THE CASTLE

UNDER the backdrop of the imposing Alnwick Castle around 1,000 competitors converged to take their chance in the penultimate fixture of the Start Fitness North East Harrier League. 

An excellent course laid out by Alnwick Harriers’ Seve Studley and his team was to prove a real test of cross-country running though what muddy sections there were was nothing to compare to last weekend’s English National Championships at Parliament Hill. 

The weather stayed dry throughout the day and the cool breeze was soon forgotten once athletes were called up to the start while the coffee outlet was kept busy throughout the day.

SENIOR MEN

LOUIS HEAD, having his first harrier league outing since Lambton back in 2022, took full advantage of the generous handicap of 2:30 and 5:00 over the medium and fast pack to storm home by over a minute. 

The Heaton athlete led throughout cutting a lonely trail over the three testing circuits of Alnwick Pastures as fellow slow pack runners Andrew Morgan (Newcastle University) and one of the region’s leading Masters athletes, Darlington’s John Clifford, kept their second and third places respectively throughout the contest as the chasing packs tried to haul the trio in. 

Morpeth’s Tom Balsdon came closest finishing in fourth place from the medium’s while Jarlath McKenna (Tyne Bridge) was quickest from the fast pack working his way through to sixth position after a battle with Birtley’s Adrian Bailes throughout the contest, one place and 13 seconds separating the pair at the line. Third quickest on the course was Bailes’ Birtley team-mate Lewis McConnell. 

Morpeth came out on top in the Division One team race with 49 points followed by Tyne Bridge (96) and Gateshead (165). With just the re-arranged fixture to come at Druridge Bay, Durham City head the table with 12 points with Morpeth one point adrift on 13. No doubt team managers will be rallying the troops for Sunday, March 23! There were 391 finishers.

 

SENIOR WOMEN

THE first two across the line warmed up nicely for this coming weekend’s Inter-Counties XC Championships with eye-catching performances, victory going to 2002 Commonwealth Games 800 metres finalist, Charlotte Penfold who spreadeagled the huge field from her 2:20 and 5:00 start over the medium and fast packs respectively. Penfold led throughout the race but Durham City’s Lucy Storey, running from the mediums, worked her way through into  second place at the completion of the first lap where she remained until the line. 

However, Storey was rewarded with quickest overall time of the day (26:26) with Penfold second quickest with 27:04. Ciara Sinclair (Jesmond Joggers), also from the medium pack, crossed the line in third place while third quickest overall and running from the fast pack was Ellen Downs (Tyne Bridge) finishing in seventh place in actual time of 28:13. 

Tyne Bridge came out on top of Division One with 39 points followed by Jesmond Joggers on 59pts with Sunderland in third place with 60pts. In a tight overall league, Sunderland lead with 11pts, Jesmond are on 13 and Morpeth on 15. There were 351 finishers.

UNDER-17 MEN

IN A sprint finish Durham City’s Aidan Richardson got the verdict by just one second over Morpeth’s Ben Moll while next across the line was Alnwick’s Liam McDonough, who ran from a handicap of 2:05, finished with the quickest time of the day of 14:15. Second quickest was Harry Armstrong (Morpeth) in 14:38 with Morpeth team-mate Oliver Tomlinson next best with 14:53. 

Morpeth were clear winners of the team section with 14pts; Low Fell finished second on 34pts and Sunderland third with 46pts. Despite not closing in a team Durham City still lead the way with 10 points followed by Sunderland and Tyne Bridge on 11. There were 24 finishers.

 

UNDER-17 WOMEN

TYNEDALE’S Hannah Cutler, the only medium pack runner on the start line, weaved her way through her slow pack rivals to claim first place with the second fastest overall time of the day. Host club’s Xara Purvis crossed the line in second position with Jarrow and Hebburn’s Emily Booth completing the one-two-three and being rewarded with the quickest time overall. Third best was Tynedale’s Esme Pugh who followed Booth home in fifth place. 

Only one team closed-in the three-to-score with Naimah Michla leading Tyne Bridge home from sixth-place. There were 15 finishers.

 

UNDER-15 BOYS

ALL three medallists took advantage of the 1:40 start with victory going to Blaydon’s Aaron Jobson who had a nine-seconds cushion over Jacob Wood of Tyne Bridge with Low Fell’s Daniel Davison in third place a further 10 seconds adrift. North Shields Poly’s James Sturman, running from the fast pack, postest the fastest time in finishing fourth. Durham City’s Joe Shields next quickest overall crossing the line in 10^th place with Blyth’s George Bryce next best. 

All three will be at Wollaton Park, Nottingham representing the NE Counties at the Inter-Counties XC Championships. Blaydon won the team section with 25 points; North Shields Poly were second with 29pts and Elswick third with 48pts. Overall Elswick lead the way with nine points. There were 33 finishers.

 

UNDER-15 GIRLS

THE host club’s Emilia Waugh finished a good minute clear of her rivals thanks to a 1:40 start over her fast pack rivals and claim the third quickest overall time of the day (14:28). Second and third girls across the line were fast pack pair Kathryn Pye and Holly Robison of Houghton, Kathryn posting 13:59 against Holly’s 14:15. 

Alnwick came out on top in the team stakes with 14 points followed by Houghton on 26pts with Heaton next on 62pts. Going into the final fixture in two weeks’ time, Houghton lead the table on eight points.

There were 29 finishers.

 

UNDER-13 BOYS

FINLAY Waugh was the host club’s second success of the day with the Alnwick athlete breaking the tape 36 seconds clear of fast pack pair Henry Englehart (Durham City) and Elswick’s Jack Galvin, the second and third giving the winner 1:40 advantage. Third quickest on the course was Low Fell’s William McClean who worked his way through to ninth place.  

Gosforth came out on top in the team section with 35 points led home by fourth-placed Jack McManus; Elswick finished second on 38pts and North Shields Poly were third with 45pts. Going into the final fixture Gosforth look safe to take the overall trophy. There were 43 finishers.

 

UNDER-13 GIRLS

VICTORY went to Houghton’s Chloe Brown who took advantage of a 1:20 start over her fast pack rivals, breaking the tape 20 seconds clear of Birtley’s Izzy Hall with Elswick’s Ayla Blight claiming the bronze award a further 11 seconds adrift, both of whom running from the fast pack. Third quickest on the course was Morpeth’s Heidi Wilkinson in sixth place, with Heidi, Izzy and Ayla members of the NE team for the Inter-Counties XC Championships next weekend. 

Elswick won the team contest with 17 points followed by Morpeth with 29pts then Chester-le-Street with 40pts. Elswick’s win is the third time this season, they were second on the other occasion, so look safe to lift the trophy at Druridge Bay. There were 35 finishers.

 

UNDER-11 BOYS

THE judges had to be on their toes as the first four home finished within two seconds of each other. The verdict went to Jarrow and Hebburn’s Jacob Hopper in first place in 3:44, second was North Shields Poly’s Billy Scrambler in 3:45 and third was Houghton’s Elliott Gorton in 3:46 with fourth-placed Alex Coulson (North Shields Poly), also recording 3:46. 

Once again another excellent turnout despite the school holidays with 70 competitors giving the “Try Cross-Country” a go.

 

UNDER-11 GIRLS

AS SHE has done all season North Shields Poly’s Ada Penfold was first across the line winning this shortened course in 3:27. Gosforth’s Ruby Colins claimed second place in 3:46 with Ada’s Poly team-mate, Elodie Soward, next home in 3:59. In fact the Poly also had the fourth and fifth finishers in Ellie Nelson (4:04) and Emily Mann (4:08). There were 59 finishers.

 

**ONCE again a huge thanks go to Start Fitness for their continued support; to Alnwick Harriers’ Steve Studley who managed to round up an excellent team of marshalls who performed car park duties to setting out and dismantling the course; to the NE Counties technical officials and to the first aid team without their involvement the harrier league would never function. See you all at Druridge Bay with celebration coffee, tea and cake!

 

BILL McGUIRK

Photos - Stuart Whitman Photography

Full Results are here: North Eastern Harrier League 2024/25 Sponsored by Start Fitness

Here is the vlog from Darren Fairclough:

 

 

Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships 8 March 2025

Good luck to the North Eastern Counties squads heading for Wollaton Park, Nottingham on Saturday for the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships.

The NE is sending full squads for the 10-race programme and there is hope of returning home with a number of medals despite the withdrawal of a number of the original squads especially in the senior men. Despite that, team managers Lynn Cooper and Stewy Bell are backing those named in the teams below to do well.

UNDER-13 GIRLS

Poppie Phillipson and Izzy Hall (both Birtley), Ayala Blight (Elswick), Sasha Patterson (Darlington), Evie Kleiser (Durham City), Heidi Wilkinson (Morpeth), Iris Brown (New Marske) and Alice Scrambler (North Shields Poly)

UNDER-15 GIRLS

Gabrielle Pinder (New Marske), Holly Robison and Kathryn Pye (both Houghton), Olivia Murphy (Birtley), Matilda Owen and Charlotte Owen (both Darlington) and Emma Blackburn and Emily Collingwood (both Gateshead)

UNDER-17 WOMEN

Zara Jones (Darlington), Hattie Stead (Blackhill), Isabella Oldfield (Alnwick), Grace Carter (Durham City), Anna Johnson and Darcy Tullis (both NSP), Millie Moat (Gosforth) and Lucy Buckle (Chester-le-Street)

UNDER-20 WOMEN

Charlotte Dillon (Houghton), Imogen Bungay (Elswick), Alice Bell and Iona Johnstone (both Gateshead), Ellie Fellows (Blaydon), Emma Ashman (Gosforth), Tabitha Robson (Morpeth) and Amelie Sillence (NSP)

SENIOR WOMEN

Holly Lawrence (Morpeth), Jennifer Berry (Wallsend), Lydia Turner (Birtley), Charlotte Penfold (NSP), Lucy Storey (Durham City), Anna Pigford (Houghton), Alex Sneddon (Jarrow and Hebburn), Grace Carroll (Sunderland) and Amy Fuller (Kenilworth)

UNDER-13 BOYS

Noah Penfold, Peter Davies and Edward Watson (all NSP), Ollie Curran (Darlington), Mason Gaylor (Morpeth), Hayden Husband (Allerton), Marty Richardson (Darlington) and Henry Engelhart (Durham City)

UNDER-15 BOYS

James Sturman (NSP), Kirsten-Lyle Sridhar (Darlington), Kasper Pearson), Wallsend), Alexander Smith (Heaton), Arthur Darling (Tynedale), Noah Williamson (NE Project), Joe Shields (Durham City) and George Bryce (Blyth)

UNDER-17 MEN

Zander Gribbon (New Marske), Liam McDonogh (Alnwick), Jacob Brown (Middlesbrough), Dawit Asmelash (TS), Daniel Watson (NSP), Alfie Cook (Gateshead), Arthur Di Lullo (Tynedale) and Oliver Tomlinson (Morpeth)

UNDER-20 MEN

Joe Dixon, Bertie Marr, Elliott Kelso and Will De Vere Owen (all Morpeth), Rory Hart (Darlington), Joe Willis (Sunderland), Luke Boothby (Middlesbrough) and Callum Etheridge (Elswick)

SENIOR MEN

Calum Johnson and Matt Linsley (both Gateshead), Philip Winkler and Ellis Hetherington (both Morpeth), Cameron Allen (Houghton), Dan Garbutt (Durham City), Michael Wilson and Stephen Jackson (both Sunderland)and Max Creasey (Middlesbrough)

**Twenty-five of the region’s clubs have at least one representative so well done to all their coaches for giving their athletes the chance of taking part in what, arguably, is the strongest cross-country event on the circuit with teams from all the English counties, together with Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland area teams taking their chance

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