Juniors Do The North East Proud

A fitting end to an exciting season of track & field athletics took place last Sunday; the annual showdown between the North East and Yorkshire as the best of our NEYDL athletes took on their counterparts from over the border. Taken from the results throughout the season, the top 3 from each event came together to form the North east team and, as you would expect, several of our junior Harriers were amongst them.

There were no raincoats or umbrellas required this week! As a total contrast to last weekend, summer was back to grace us with it’s presence once again. So the stage was set, athletes were poised, ready to give it their all. Here’s how things went on the day…..

It was a close run thing in the U15 girls 75m hurdles. Charlotte Rutter ran a great race but unfortunately had a really bad fall as she crossed the line, leaving nasty scrapes to her face, shoulder and leg! It took a while for the result to come through, but she was just beaten into 2nd place in a time of 11.32, just 0.11s behind the winner. She was due to run the 100m and be part of the 4 x 100m relay team but unfortunately, due to her injuries she had to withdraw from the competition. Well done Charlotte, a great effort as always. Hope you’re feeling ok now ☺

Today was the culmination of a fantastic season for Kate Williams, both indoors and out. It’s been a year where she’s dominated on the track, with further success in the high jump and even the pentathlon! Today she added another 1st place to her tally in the 150m – not a regular distance for our North East athletes, but one favoured by Yorkshire at U13 instead of the 200m. Kate was also selected for the high jump where she came 2nd with a best on the day of 1.40m. Great work Kate, well done.

Darcey Garbutt is another one of our junior athletes to excel at the sprinting this season, including appearances at two national finals. She’s also an accomplished hurdler, long jumper, and even tried her hand at the shot putt and javelin. Watch out KJT! Today she finished 3rd in the 100m, only 0.06s behind the winner and 4th in the long jump with a best of 4.48m. Great effort Darcy, well done.

Rosie Thompson has gone from strength to strength this year, continually improving as the season’s progressed. Still in her first year at U17, she has produced some fantastic throws across all disciplines Today she finished 1st in the discus with a new PB of 28.08m and 2nd in the hammer with a best of 32.35m. Well done, Rosie. Tremendous effort.

There aren’t many Under 13 athletes who are over 6 feet tall, but Benedict Davies certainly falls into that category. There have even been times where officials have questioned his age, and checked if he was in the correct race! But this season Benedict has used this advantage to good effect by honing his skills in the high jump, and using that long stride in the sprints. Today was no exception as he came 1st in the 150m, and 1st in the high jump with a new PB if 1.53m. Well done Benedict, another successful day’s work!

One young athlete who has proved his worth again and again this year is U13 Harrier, Daniel Richardson. Whenever he steps up to the start line you know he’s going to be somewhere in the mix when it comes to the finish! And he was there again today in the 800m…..after a perfectly judged race he was 1st across the line with a new PB, just sneaking under the 2½ minute mark with a fantastic time of 2:29.59. Well done Daniel, a tremendous run!
It’s been an excellent T&F season for Under 15 Harrier, Nat Bell.

Daniel, even manages to face the camera as he crosses the line! Coo

His development into a powerful young athlete has been quite something, as he moved away from the 800m and concentrated more on the sprints. Back in June he tried out the 300m for the first time, won, and hasn’t been beaten at that distance since, as a Harrier, or when representing his school. Today he added to that with another 1st, crossing the line in 38.84s. He also PB’d in the 100m with a time of 12.21s. Great work Nat, well done. Next weekend Nat will be competing at the English Schools National Combined Events Finals as part of the Durham County Junior Boys Team. We’ll let you know how he gets on!

Nat bags another victory in the 300m

It’s been quite a season for Liam Brittle. His first as an Under 17 athlete, and one where he has not only developed into an accomplished middle distance runner, but also into a steeplechaser! Yes, as I’m sure you’ll know by now he tried out the steeple chase earlier this season, with great success, including appearing at the English Schools Finals in Birmingham. Today though, there were no jumps involved as he took on his counterparts in the 800m. Some tough competition against older athletes, he came home in 5th place in an excellent time of 2:10.35. He also helped the NE U17 boys to victory in the 4 x 300m Relay. Great stuff Liam. Well done!

It’s been another eventful year for Under 17 throwing champ, Jasmine Sharp. As well as her usual success as a Harrier, once again, she represented her country at the FISEC Games in Genk, Belgium, coming home with a silver medal in the javelin. She was (as Tim would say) “spear chucking” again today, dominating proceedings on the way to being the clear winner. Her best throw was 32.36m, nearly 4m ahead of her nearest rival! Well done Jasmine, a terrific performance! Now in his 2nd year at Under 13, Dylan Wilson has proved himself to be a force to be reckoned with. Whether it’s cross country or on the track, this “pocket rocket” is always a serious contender when it comes to the end of a race. He was up against some tough competition today, but put up a great battle, eventually finishing 4th with an excellent time of 5:03.80. Great effort Dylan, well done!

When your big sister is Rosie Thompson, I suppose it’s inevitable that some of that throwing skill is going to rub off! For Lily Thompson, it’s been an incredible season in what is only her second year of competition. She’s continued to improve as the year’s progressed – for example, back in march she was throwing about 7.5m in the shot; now her PB is over 10m!! You may recall, back in June she took part in the British Decathlon of throws where she broke the WORLD RECORD for the total points for an U13 girl! Today she added another 1st place to her name by throwing 9.39m in the shot. Another day to remember, well done, Lily!

There’s just no stopping Under 17 Harrier, Dan Boyer. Just back from Loughborough after 3 gruelling days of triathlon events, and he’s straight back into it representing the North East here! Whether it’s cross country or track (or pool or bike!), Dan never fails to impress. He’s a member of the Tees Valley Future Champions scheme and trains with Darlington Harriers as part of his triathlon programme. He ran a strong race today finishing the 1500m in 3rd place in a time of 4:30.30. Great effort Dan, well done!

As always, a fantastic effort from all our junior Harriers – and a great contribution towards the North East team who dominated events throughout the day, and were the clear WINNERS over Yorkshire in the end. Congratulations to all. For more photos of the day’s action

Full results can be found here

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