Muddy great effort from brave Leonard
JUNIOR ATHLETICS
MORPETH’S Rory Leonard defied difficult conditions to claim a superb second place in the latest round of the UK Cross Challenge series at Liverpool’s Sefton Park.
Competing in the under-17 5.5km event, Leonard ran a controlled race over a mudbath course while many of his rivals struggled.
The under-17 race was the seventh on the programme, the athletes having to contend with worsening conditions and the odd hail shower - but Leonard handled everything thrown at him to claim the runners-up award.
Always in the leading group of five which quickly broke away from the rest of the 100-strong field, Leonard did two short stints at the head of affairs but sensibly tucked Athletics writer in behind the leaders as one by one his rivals struggled to stay in contact.
Running full of confidence, Leonard had to dig deep into his reserves once eventual winner Thomas Keen (Cambridge and Coleridge) and City of York’s Joshua Dickinson eased to the front and upped the pace on the second circuit.
However, Leonard was still only a mere metre or two adrift and, so confident was he, he reeled them both in and then proceeded to take it on from the front again. That lead was quickly erased, though, as Keen set off for the finish in the final 800 metres - a decisive move which brought him home seven seconds clear of a bloodied and mud-splattered Leonard.
There were no more medals for the small North East representation who made the trip to Merseyside though the region’s under-15 athletes performed with distinction.
Competing over three kilometres, Mohamed Ali (Ealing, Southall and Middlesex), crossed the line eight seconds ahead of Liam Rawlings (Oswestry Olympians) and Leeds City’s Ethan Hussey.
However, the next three places were filled by North East athletes with Archie Lowe (Middlesbrough) finishing fourth - quickly followed across the line by Houghton pair Henry Johnson and Will Bellamy.
The under-15 girls’ race was also over the three-kilometre course and Gateshead’s Ines Curran was the region’s best, finishing in an excellent 14th place as Houghton’s Nicole Phillips was equally delighted with finishing inside the top 40.
The under-17 women lined up over 4.4km and it was a personal success for Darlington’s India Pentland, who caught the eye with a seventh-place finish.
All the youngsters who lined up in Sefton Park will be in action in 10 days when the North East Counties Cross-Country Championships are staged at Redcar Racecourse.