Well done to our SEVENTEEN juniors who took part in the Great North Run on the 7th September! Fantastic performances and brilliant spirit and results from all.

George Bryce 14:45
Joseph Hickey 17:08
Jack Webster 18:11
Tom Floyd 18:31
Amelie Hall 19:48
Elliot Harrison 19:58
Jacob Martin 20:07
Jack Ellis 20:19
Henry Bryce 20:30
Oscar Valentine-Beech 21:02
Beth Munro 22:11
Katie Lisle 28:58
Lucy Lisle 29:58
Elliot Summers 17:36
Joseph Dixon
Lucas Johnson 17:07
Jamie Floyd 16:22

On Wednesday 4th September, the traditional end-of-season track relays to took place at Monkton Stadium, with a typically fierce line-up of Team Blyth relay teams.

We had slightly lower numbers than usual in the younger age groups, which meant that we fielded a very young but fantastically committed team in the U15 girls 4x100m. Martha and India stepped up an age group to join Safia and Fearne to run a 60s flat time with some great changeovers. Our relentless U17 team have progressed through the age groups together and over the last 5-6 years have been pretty much unbeatable - this run continued as Sadie, Senna, Abi and Hollie took a huge victory in 50.70s, just 0.05 outside the outright club record despite one very messy changeover. Our senior team included Mia and Isla who ran with vets Lauren and Kandis, and they smashed the senior club record with 53.31 to take 4th in a very close senior race.

In the 4x200, Izabela joined up with India, Martha and Safia to run a non-scoring U15 4x200m, whilst our two U15 boys Ben and Jacob stepped up to the U17 4x200 team and were joined by Amber and Hollie as they took 2nd in their heat. Finally, it was the 4x400 and Senna, Sadie and Beth stepped up to the senior team to take on the most challenging of distances. They produced a fine performance to take a brilliant victory and conclude a fantastic evening.

What a weekend! First up in our round-up this week is a report from the UK School Games, where we had athletes competing for the very first time, and having the opportunity to proudly wear England vests. Sadie, Luke and Senna earned there places due to all being ranked very highly in their strongest events this season, and spent several days in Loughborough in a multi-sport event similar in format to the Olympics. Rather than competing for their home nation, athletes are equally split into teams based around Olympic host cities (e.g Rio, Athens, Paris).

Our athletes competed in their individual events on Friday and Saturday, with Sadie (Long jump), Senna (300m Hurdles) and Luke (100m Hurdles) all finishing in the top 6 despite not performing to the best of their abilities. All three were selected to compete in the 4x300/4x400 relays to complete the programme, with Luke coming away with a fantastic silver medal. It was a great experience for all, with memories and new friends made.

On Sunday, the XC season kicked off with a massive Blyth contingent at Farringdon. It was great to see so many athletes taking part for the first time, with some brilliant results. In the U11 race, Alex Fielding (6th), Eliza Pain (23rd girl), Jacob Martin (18th), Jack Ellis (21st) and Henry Bryce (22nd) were all superb. In the U13 race Isabelle Ann Hope was 10th girl on her club debut, with Amelie Hall 16th. Oscar Valentine-Beech was 20th boy, a strong performance. In the U15 race, it was a brilliant 7th place finish for George Bryce. Finally, we had Beth Munro going in the U17 race, and she finished as 9th girl home.

It was wonderful to see such a big team out - lets keep up this momentum! 

Following our fantastic NEYDL & NESDL campaigns this season, it was great to have the opportunity for a bonus meet, with different age groups including seniors going up against each other in a handicapped meet, with points based on the England Athletics PB awards system.

Conditions were tricky, with a strong and chilly wind making top performances a challenge, but there were still some fine results. Alex Robson-Lamb starred with a 1.45m club record in the U13 high jump to take the win, with a big PB in the hurdles as well. Amber Wright saved her best until last with a 4.94m into a headwind in the long jump, whilst Ben Compton set a new discus PB, also producing a solid shot put. Charlie Makepeace smashed his shot put PB, whilst Fearne Bell scored a new in the 75m hurdles, also with a  strong shot put. Hollie battled the wind in her javelin but still produced a strong performance, and finished 3rd in the hurdles. India Gorvett was 2nd in the hurdles, and is showing a return to form in the high jump with a solid 1.25m. Isla Bell didnt have the best hurdles run, but had 3 good attempts at her high jump PB. Senna Gorvett was 2nd in the hurdles after a poor start, also throwing the shot put where she was just below her best. Well done also to the seniors that competed, including coach NIgel, Alfie with a 6.70m long jump, and Liane in the throws.

It was a busy week of Track and Field across the UK, with our athletes in action in a variety of events. Here is how the weekend unfolded.
 
On Wednesday, three of our juniors took on the NEGP over 800m. Geroge Bryce continued his fantastic season with another huge PB of 2:12.66. Elliot Summers was just outside of his PB, whilst Charlie Dixon set a new PB of 2:47.27. On Saturday, 3 of our athletes arrived at Eton, probably the further south they have ever competed! Sadie Parker was making her first appearance in an international event – competing as an invited guest in the long jump in the U20 international. Competing against athletes an age group above, she acquitted herself superbly and finished 4th, although was not able to hit the distances set in recent weeks. Hannah (U17 Heptathlon) and Luke (U17 Decathlon) started their campaigns in the England Athletics Combined Events Championships. For Hannah, day 1 yielded a series of solid performances, and finished with a strong 200m where she was fastest of all. Sadly Hannah withdrew early on day 2 due to a slight injury concern, but can be proud to have been positioned strongly near the top of the standings up to that point. Luke went through the full range of ups and downs, coming out as top points scorer in his favoured events the long jump, hurdles and also in the high jump where he set a new PB of 1.87m. Alongside this, some events didn’t bring the points haul expected, with the throws a little down on his usual standard. Despite this, Luke was going well in medal contention heading into event number 8 the pole vault. Sadly this was where his competition would come to a competitive end – as he did not clear his opening height. Luke bravely carried on in the Javelin but sadly any chance of the podium was now gone – a tough weekend.
 
On Sunday, there were some fantastic performances from our juniors at the Tartan Games at Gateshead. Aman was just outside her PB in both the 75m hurdles and long jump with some strong performances. Amber Wright went in the girls high jump, with a best of 1.45m for 2nd place. It was a fine day for Hollie-Anne Sudder, starting with a solid 4.78m in the long jump. She then ran her fastest ever 100m with a windy 12.75m, before setting a big hurdles PB as she dipped until 13s for the first time with a new PB. Izabela was also competing in 3 events, setting an equal PB in the high jump, and was just outside her PB in the hurdles and long jump. A note also to Alfie Ward, a previous Team Blyth junior and now a senior – he took part in the Scottish National Champs Long Jump on Sunday, jumping his equal longest jump ever of 6.85m(w) in a competition of the highest standard.

The England Athletics Age Group Championships in Birmingham provided our young athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level nationally, with seven of our athletes taking park having achieved the tough entry standards. For the first time ever the event was spread over 3 days, with Sadie kicking the weekend action off on Friday evening in the U17 Long Jump. Having finished 5th at the ESAA Champs here only 2 weeks ago, Sadie was certainly looking to upgrade to a place on the podium – but she delivered so much more than that! However, it was a nervy start, as Sadie began her competition with 2 no jumps. It wasn’t until round 4 that she really started to fly, moving into the lead with her longest jump ever – 5.75m. No other athlete was able to match this, allowing Sadie a pressure-free victory jump in the final round and she leapt out to a fantastic 5.79m, to become English national champion with a new lifetime best.
 
Saturday saw a full schedule of events, and there was excitement in the arena as Heptathlon World Champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson warmed up for the Olympics with a partial programme in the heptathlon. We only had two athletes competing today – Senna and Isla in the 300m hurdles heats. This was Isla’s first national championships, and she acquitted herself superbly, showing no nerves and attacking from the outset. She was in a strong position at the halfway point, although lost a bit of rhythm in the home straight. She did not progress to the final but 12th fastest overall was as fine achievement. Senna ran a sensible heat, finishing in  2nd to secure an auto-Q ahead of Sundays final.
 
Sunday saw the busiest day of action, with 5 athletes looking to give it their all in the blazing sunshine at the impressive Commonwealth Stadium. First up were Hannah and Hollie-Anne who began their 200m campaigns in the same heat. Both girls produced strong runs, with Hannah finishing a few tenths ahead of Hollie who ran a 25.92s personal best. Both girls proceeded to the semi-finals as fastest losers. Next up was Abigail Huntly in the 80m hurdles. After a disrupted preparation due to injury, the goal for Abi was a clean race and gain experience ahead of further championships later on in the season. She absolutely delivered, running superbly and just a couple of tenths outside of her PB.
 
Luke Pichler then commenced what was to be a hugely busy afternoon. First up he went in the first round of the 100m hurdles, safely winning his heat. From here, it was straight across to the long jump where produced the series of his life, with a brilliant leap of 6.78m enough to secure a new personal best and an England championship bronze medal. A superb performance! Back on track and Hollie and Hannah went in the semi-finals of the 200m. Both girls produced strong runs once again, but were unable to progress to the final.
 
The scene was then set for Senna in the 300m hurdles final. Two weeks previous at ESAA championships, her race didn’t go to plan – she was determined not to let that happen again. Senna ran a fully committed race from the outside lane, and absolutely nailed her race plan. In the fastest 300 hurdles race in the UK for over 2 years, she pushed all the way to the line and was rewarded with a huge PB of 43.63s and bronze, her first English national medal.
 
Luke was back in action in the hurdles semi-finals, and it was safe progression once again through to the final to conclude the weekend. In a race of the absolute highest quality, Luke gave it his all and in a blanket finish for bronze just missed out by the smallest fraction, but can be delighted with his new PB of 13.46s.
 
So the weekend concluded with 3 medals, 5 personal bests, and lots of smiles. A very proud weekend for the club.

It was fantastic to see so many juniors in action on Wednesday night at the 5th NEGP of the season at Monkton Stadium. Here is how the team got on!

Alexander Robson-Lamb
1st U13 in the high jump with 1.40m and a strong 100m 
Benjamin Comption
Big new PB's and 1st places in both the Hammer (27.96m) and shot put (10.16m) as his fantastic summer continues
Caitlin Creaby
Running into a strong headwind, a great performance from Caitlin in the 100m, just 0.01 outside of her PB.
Charlie Dixon
A fantastic run in the 1500m, recording a time of 5:37.68 on debut over the distance
Charlie Makepeace
2nd fastest U13 boy in his heat with a PB of 5:22.73 in the 1500m
Dexter Heatley
A 14 second PB in the 1500m, a fantastic performance from Dexter!
Fearne Bell
Big PB's in both the shot put (6.50m) and 100m (14.93s) on a fantastic night for Fearne.
George Bryce
Another strong run from George over 1500m, as he is 5th fastest U15 and just outside of his PB.
India Gorvett
A tough night for India in the high jump, with a best of 1.15m.
Joseph Hickey
A brilliant performance to win his heat in the 1500m in a PB of 5:20.56
Liliana Meikle-Lopez
A 4 second PB in the 1500m for Liliana, a superb performance in the warm conditions!

Our NEYDL season has built fantastically over the summer, and the combined Blyth/Alnwick team headed into the final fixture with an outside chance of promotion to division 1. Here is how the day unfolded at a warm and sunny Shildon for our 24 athletes.

U13 Girls
Our intrepid team of girls were in fine form. Martha set PB's in the 100m, 200m and Long jump as she scored fantastic points for the team. India Gorvett took another hurdles win, lowering her PB to 12.7s, with another PB and a strong shot put. Amelie set a big PB in the 800m, also setting a 200m PB and leaping to a strong long jump performance. Liliana scored big points in the 800m, and produced a storming 200m race before a solid shot put. the girls teamed up to run a brilliant 4x100 relay to finish the day.

U13 Boys
Harry concluded his debut NEYDL season in fine style. A massive 3.60m PB in the long jump was baked up with strong runs in the 100m and the 200m. Alexander Robson-Lamb was in sensational form, taking the win in the high jump with a new PB of 1.42m, having earlier on lowered his hurdles PB to take 2nd place. Alex also smashed his 100m PB. Charlie racked up huge points for the team, taking wins in the 800m and shot put, and launching the javelin to a PB of 17m. Oscar Valentine-Beach produced a brilliant run in the 800m, lowering his PB by serval seconds. Joseph Hickey made his NEYDL debut, with a great run for 3rd place in the 1500m.

U15 Girls
Aman gave full commitment to her events despite a slight niggle, and was rewarded with a new long jump PB. She also scored great points in the hurdles and javelin. Caitlin was a fine 2nd in the 300m, whilst Izabela had a great day with big new PB's in the long jump and hurdles, and an equal PB in the high jump. Caitlin and Izabela teamed up with two Alnwick team-mates to finish the day with a strong relay.

U15 Boys
Oscar Pichler was just outside his PB's in both the long jump and shot put as he scored big points for the team. Ben Compton had a busy day of throws. The discus did not go to plan, however he set a new club record to win the hammer, also setting a PB to win the shot put. Jacob smashed his PB to win the high jump with 1.60m, and he also scored great points in the 100m. George took a fine win in the 1500m, also setting a javelin PB for more great points, whilst Dexter Heatley was an excellent 2nd in the 800m and he also scored well in the javelin and long jump.

U17 Women.
Our team of 6 in this age group were in dominant form once again. Beth Munro took a big chunk off her personal best in the 300m, whilst Senna also set a big personal best in the same event. Senna had earlier won the 80m hurdles with a PB of 12.21s, and she added more big points with 1st in the shot put. Abi was focused on the throws, with a new personal best in the shot put backed up with a solid javelin and a discus debut. Sadie took 2nd in the discus on her debut, and followed this with a victory in the 300m. Earlier on, Sadie had produced a stunning performance in the long jump, leaping out to 5.65m which is an all-time league record. Hollie-Anne finally breached the 26s barrier as she took a fantastic win in the 200m, and also performed well in the long jump and shot put. Amber Wright was 2nd in both the 80m hurdles and long jump to score great points, before taking over 6 seconds off her PB to win the 300m hurdles with a fine run. She then joined up with Sadie, Senna and Hollie to form a record-breaking 4x100 relay team that took the win and overall club record with 50.65s.

U17 Men
Luke was our sole representative, and he absolutely smashed his long jump to break the league record with 6.62m. He also took the win in the shot put and discus to secure maximum points on his final NEYDL appearance.

We finished the day as massive match winners, with a huge points advantage. However, promotion would only be ours if the Middlesbrough/Houghton/Derwentside team finished 3rd or lower. They had a huge push at the end of the day and just managed to secure 2nd place and thus the title, with Blyth/Alnwick agonisingly in 2nd place despite scoring more match points over the season.

It was a fantastic effort from all, and a huge thanks to everyone who has participated, officiated and supported this season. We will be back in 2025 ready for another promotion push!

Results