With only the Birtley relays to go, this was the penultimate XC fixture for the juniors in the 2018-19 season. Much warmer than the previous year with the wind picking up a little for the later races, overall the conditions were very dry. The unexpected and unwelcome addition of many tonnes of hardcore to the wooded section, made the choice of footwear quite important, but as most of us only brought spikes we struggled a bit.
Alnwick Castle – a beautiful setting for the final Harrier League XC of 2019
Post-race refueling was largely focussed around the burger van, but I’m pleased to report sandwich choices included cheese and homemade apple chutney.
In the first race, our only U11 boy, Laurence Hattaway, had a very strong run in his last outing in that age category, as he will be moving to the U13 category in the next XC season. Laurence finished in a time of 5:23 in 49th place.
In the U11 girls race (also their final outings in this age category) Ruby Colver was first back in a time of 5:06 finishing 25th followed closely by Laura Whitman in 50th place in a time of 5:51.
Next we had our two U15 girls racing, with Amelia Short running 16:32 for 37th place, and Eve Tovey running really strongly finishing very close behind in 46th place in a time of 17:01.
Next up were the U13 boys with Harry Snaith earning himself a promotion to next season’s fast pack by finishing in 10th position in a time of 14:54, followed by Jake Moir in 21st in a time of 15:24 then backed up by David Carr in 27th, running from the fast pack, in a time of 14:05. This gave the boys a 5th place finish at this fixture, and an overall result of 7th out of 50 clubs, beating many clubs with much bigger junior sections.
The final junior race of the Harrier League season was the U13 girls. First home for Tyne Bridge was Anna Dorman running from the fast pack in a time of 15:08 followed very closely by Amber Maynard in 34th place in a time of 16:54, then Hope Moir in 69th place in a time of 19:29 and Katie Smeaton in 71st place in a time of 20:05. This 10th place position at this fixture gave the U13 girls a 12th place overall position out of 50 clubs, again beating clubs with much larger junior numbers.
Both the U13 team results have been due to the great commitment to racing and training by members of my racing group, and goes to show that the hard work and effort has paid off. I’d like to also mention that Zak Kettle was 16th in the individual Grand Prix, David Carr was 18th and Jake Moir 40th in the U13 Boys’ competition. Amelia Short was 39th in the U15 Girls’ competition. Anna Dorman was 18th and Amber Maynard 43rd in the U13 girls. Well done to everyone who has raced XC this season, every effort has contributed to the success of Tyne Bridge Harriers junior section.
Dave Moir
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