Laura Weightman leads Morpeth AC to gold in Start Fitness North Eastern Cross Country Championships at Durham

Sneddon, in the senior women’s 8km race, recorded 31.08, as Olympian 1500m speciallist Laura Weightman, coached by Steve Cram, was an impressive winner in 28;10, leading Morpeth to the team golds.

Josie Cram was the third Morpeth counter in eighth with 30:51.

Jarrow had Gina Rutherford 10th in 31:17 and Georgia Campbell 12th in 31:38.

Stephanie Pattinson was 13th in 31;57, with Angela McGurk 23th in 34;08.

South Shields Harriers were an excellent seventh from the 26 clubs finishings.

Rachel Breheny finished 30th in 34:08, with Claire O’Callaghan 48th in 36:38.

Angela Charlton was 52nd in 36:57, with Paula Atkinson 55th in 37;06.

Jarrow also finished in a high position in the senior men’s 12 km in fifth.

Brendan McMillan was 30th in 41:46 and Jonthan Taylor won in 36:42 as Morpeth retained their title.

Jonny Evans was 35th for Jarrow in 42:15, with Lee Gifford 53rd in 44;04.

Jonathan Gilroy was 63rd in 45:14, with Nick Atkinson 70th in 45:54.

South Shields were 21st with Mark Hodgson 74th in 50;59.

Miles Weston finished 165th in 52:11 with Mark Wood 185th in 54:05.

Sophie Robson just missed the bronze medal in the Under15 girls’ race as the team were also in fourth position.

Robson clocked 17:42 for the 5km with Darlington’s Catherine Roberts, the champion, in 16:42.

Hannah Holman was 23rd for Jarrow in 19:26 with her twin sister Jessica 26th in 19;46.

After the 111th Championships the NECC Chairman, Bill McGuirk, of Wallsend Harriers, presented awards to long serving officials Audrey Ogle of Tynedale, Heaton’s Dick Balding and Nick Hodgson of Chester le Street for their dedicated work.

Progressive junior Jamie Barnshaw, from the home club, was a remarkable winner of the South Shields Park Run on Saturday.

Barnshaw, only 11, from South Shields Harriers, left his older rivals behind with senior runner Neil Dick, of North Shields, 14 seconds behind Barnshaw who recorded 19:36 for the 5km over the Leas.

Shields’ Adam Hodgson was ninth in 21:16. John McCarthy was 13th in 22;06 with Ian Stephenson 16th in 22:54 and Lee Baldwin 18th in 23:16.

Tommy Copp was 19th in 23:19 and first over 65, with Darren Lough 20th in 23:20 and third over 45.

Dan Cooke was 21st in 23:48, with Sid Astbury 26th in 24:11 and second over 65 and Jon Murphy 28th in 24:40.

Susan Jarman, of Chiltern Harriers, was fifth in the mixed field of 105 in 20:43 winning the women’s title.

Frances Dembele, from the Shields club, was third in 22:08 with Jackie Murdy fourth in 22;16 and Rachel Hawdon sixth in 22:47.

Chloe Smith was seventh in 25:21 with Jemma Amin eighth in 25:58 and Clare Stoker 11th in 26:56.

Susan Burgess was 17th in 28;01 with Lesley Downey 20th in 28:21 and second over 55.

Katie Hamilton was 22nd in 28:54 with Alison Kidger 25th in 29:22 and Julia Barnshaw 26th in 30;23.

Jarrow’s Susan McNally was 28th in 31:56 with Vickie Borrell 29th in 35:51.

Leanne Defty was 30th in 36:34 with Cheryl Reah 31st in 39:18.