Young stars doing Grand
REGION’S TOP TRACK AND FIELD TALENTS HONOURED AT NEGP AWARDS CEREMONY
THE curtain finally came down on a successful track and field campaign with the presentation of awards for the North East Grand Prix, a series of six fixtures, at a packed function room inside Gateshead Stadium.
Over the series, sponsored by Start Fitness, athletes accumulated points - with the top six in each age group invited to the ceremony.
It was hosted by NEGP secretary Chris Betts with North East Counties president Bernard Johnson and World and Para Championships officials Margaret and Mick Fraser on hand to present the awards.
With all age groups involved, the final tables resulted in wins for Abigail Thwaites (under-13 girls, Birtley); Joshua Hickson (under-13 boys, Gateshead); Philippa Ellis (under-15 girls, Houghton); Jack Halpin (under-15 boys, Gateshead); Alisha Lamb (under-17 women, Gateshead); Luke Carroll (under-17 men, Houghton); Emily Stewart (under-20 women, Gateshead); Liam Reveley (under-20 men, Blaydon); Laura Fenwick (senior women, Houghton) and Phil McCluskey (senior men, Houghton)
As well as the GP presentation there were also Start Fitness awards for the competitors, male and female, judged to be Athletes of the Match over the series.
The opening fixture in April saw Morpeth duo Andrew Knight and Bobbie Griffiths named as the top performers on the night in their under-17 shot and javelin events respectively.
Meeting two’s top athletes were Tynedale’s Daniel Joyce (under-15 800m) and Sophie Littlemore (Gateshead) in the senior discus.
It was field eventers again to the fore in the third, fourth and fifth fixtures, proving the region is no longer just a base for endurance running.
Birtley’s Michael Graham and Grace McGlone (Chester-le-Street), competing in the under-15 category at the third fixture, showed their potential in the javelin and long jump respectively.
Shot putters Jack Halpin (Gateshead) and Charlotte Pickering-Pruvot (Morpeth) shone in the under15 and under-17 age groups to win the award in fixture four.
In fixture five, Morpeth’s Ruaridh Lang (under-17 discus) and Gateshead’s Lucy Giles (under-15 shot put) added their names for presentation. The final fixture of the series, held at the International Stadium, saw Houghton pair Henry Johnson and Philippa Ellis taking the pluadits.
Johnson’s performance in the under-15 3,000m and Ellis’s under15 long jump really caught the eye of the adjudicators.
The 12 Athletes of the Match then went forward with one being named Athlete of the Season and with it went the Colin Miller Trophy Olympians Laura Weightman and Richard Kilty previous winners named after the former long-time secretary of the Grand Prix.
Such was the high standard of the athletes, after much deliberation it was decided Tynedale’s Joyce should receive the top award after he went on to win both the England and English Schools’ 800 metres titles later in the season - to see him firmly lodged at the top of the UK rankiings.
With 11 of the 12 awards for the Athletes of the Match going to youngsters, athletics is in a very healthy state in the region.
It is thanks to the support they have from family, friends and, of course, their coaches who spend many unpaid hours helping them along the way that we have so many extremely talented athletes.