Long and short of it is depleted Harriers falter
TOUGH FOR MORPETH IN ROAD RELAY
A SEVERELY under-strength Morpeth Harriers were no match for the nation’s leading outfits and could only finish 30th in the National 12-Stage Road Relay Championships in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield.
The Northumbrians, who claimed the title in superb fashion in 2015, were always going to find it tough with so many of the major athletes who have led Morpeth to past glories either injured or unavailable.
Team manager David Swinburne still managed to put out a squad which, after nearly five hours of competition, claimed a finish position in the top half of the field.
The relay consisted of six alternate long and short legs and last weekend’s Port of Blyth winner, Sam Hancox, led off for Morpeth and handed over at the completion of his long stage in 16th position.
Teenager Keiran Hedley dropped two places on leg two despite posting Morpeth’s fastest short-stage time of the day at 16min 39secs.
England cross-country international Carl Avery was next up and managed to haul back eight places by the changeover point to hand over in 10th position, the highest Morpeth achieved during the competition.
Alistair Douglass dropped to 14th in stage four but Ian Harding clawed two places back on the third of the long legs to hand over to Jordan Scott in 12th place.
Scott lost five places on stage six bringing Morpeth to 17th position at the midway stage.
Thomas Straughan slipped back a further two places on leg seven, a position Tom Innes retained on leg eight.
Andy Lawrence lost a further five places on stage nine with late standin Rob Hancox slowing down the decline slightly by losing just one place on the 10th stage.
On the penultimate stage, Neil Gunstone lost another five places but Graeme Thorpe, another lastminute addition to the team, held on to bring the team home in 30th spot.
Six-time former champions Gateshead Harriers, together with Sunderland Harriers, opted out of taking their place in the start line, leaving Tyne Bridge Harriers as the only other North East representatives, and they did their experience a power of good by also finishing in the top half of the field. James Dunce set off for the Tynesiders and, in handing over in 30th place, was rewarded with the Tynesiders’ fastest lone-leg time of the day.
Tom Charlton took over from Dunce and, with the team’s fastest short stage, had moved up seven places to 25th, the highest position they would hold throughout the day.
With the rest of the team – Carl Smith, Paul O’Mara, David Wright, Mark Toward, Tony Carter, Jason Clark, Paul Turnbull, Tom Crossley, Ryan Holt and John Hurse – there was a gradually dropping down the pecking order to eventually finish a highly respectable 34th.