Hawks down the Warriors in overtime
DIXON FINISHES
WORLD Championship marathon representative Alyson Dixon was no match for Mary Keitany, the Kenya athlete surging home to her third Great North Run victory.
However, the Wearsider still managed to make it onto the podium after finishing in third place in the English Championships which was held in conjunction with the world’s biggest half-marathon.
Dixon admitted after crossing the finish line that the second half of the race was really tough.
“Naturally, I would have liked to have run a bit quicker,’’ said Dixon, whose next championship target is a place on the start line at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April.
“It was a solid run though and I’m quite happy with it for I felt strong throughout the race, it was just that at about seven miles my legs reminded me that I’d run a marathon just five weeks ago.
“I just couldn’t pick up the pace when the other two girls – Gemma Steel and Lily Partridge – started to push on.
Dixon, as she has done on a number of occasions, was the first North East athlete home in the women’s race, finishing in eighth place in a time of 72min 29sec, just 20 seconds outside her best GNR time set two years ago. Keitany, who led a Kenya one-two-three, broke away inside the opening mile which consequently left her alone out in front for the remainder of the journey to South Shields, posted a remarkable winning time of 65:59.
In the English Championship meanwhile, Steel (Charnwood) won the gold medal after finishing in sixth place overall in 71:32 with Partridge (Aldershot) claiming second spot on the podium finishing seventh in 72:10.
Next North East finisher behind Dixon was Birtley’s Tracy Millmore (14th) with Michelle Nolan (Gateshead) following her home in 15th place before Jarrow and Hebburn pair, Georgia Campbell, who knocked two minutes off her previous best time, and Alex Sneddon, crossed the line in 17th and 18th place respectively.
From the massed start South African visitor Gerda Steyn, last weekend’s Middlesbourgh 10k winner and a likely starter in next week’s Tynedale Jelly Tea 10-mile, was first woman home in 77:47.
Claiming the bragging rights for the North East in the men’s race in the chase behind Mo Farah was New Marske’s Dom Shaw, who finished in 16th place six minutes behind the four-time champion.
The Teessider recorded 66:04 to finish two places and one minute ahead of Saltwell’s Abraham Tewelde, with evergreen Ian Hudspith finishing in 24th spot.
The Morpeth athlete ran away with the over-45 prize, although the first veteran (over-40) home was Bernard Lagat (USA) in eighth place in 63:02. WHITLEY Warriors suffered overtime heartache last night as the Tynesiders lost out 3-2 to Blackburn Hawks at Hillheads.
Warriors were in action twice over weekend, as their NIHL North One Moralee campaign began on the road in the Scottish Borders away to last season’s treble winners Solway Sharks.
Forward Iain Bowie put Solway ahead with 6.32 showing on the clock, firing the puck beyond returning Warriors netminder Mark Turnbull.
Solway doubled their lead early in the middle session when Czech blue liner Marek Charvat netted for 2-0, but Warriors reduced the deficit to a single goal when Canadian import Phil Edgar notched his maiden strike in maroon and gold.
Any hope of a comeback was shortlived, however, as Bowie grabbed his second of the night and ensured Whitley would lose out 3-1 on the night.
Yesterday the Blackburn Hawks travelled to the North East for what proved to be a hard-fought, exciting game.
Hawks took the lead on the power play thanks to former EPL D-man Luke Boothroyd, but Warriors were level inside the opening minute of the second period when Edgar scored, also with the man advantage.
Both sides were standing toe to toe but Warriors were arguably creating the better chances, only to be stunned when Richard Bentham made it 2-1 to the Hawks at 24.42.
Back came Whitley once more and they levelled the game for a second time when Ben Richards tapped home unmarked following a flowing move involving David Longstaff and Harry Harley.
With the score locked at 2-2 neither side were able to find a winner in the third period.
As a result the game went into to three-on-three, sudden-death overtime.
Warriors thought they had won it two minutes into added time when they had the puck in the Hawks’ goal, only to see the officials wash out the effort for the puck having struck the netminder’s face mask.
That was the reprieve Hawks needed, and when they were presented a power play opportunity Lewis Baldwin struck to break Warriors hearts and complete a 3-2 victory for the visitors.