The indoor season came to a thrilling climax, as Team Blyth dominated the NECAA Indoor Pentathlon Championships, sweeping up nearly half of all the Gold medals on offer. Here is how the (very long) day unfolded:

U13's
Alex Robson-Lamb was joined by pentathlon debutant Harry Ross in the U13 boys age group, and both boys incredibly achieved PB's in every single event as they had days to remember. Alex was in stunning form, with his run of PB's including 10.01s in the hurdles, and 1.55m in the high jump, both of which rank him #2 in the UK in the respective events. His final points total of 1961pts gave him the NECAA title, and smashed the championship record which was held by our very own Luke Pichler.  Harry was full of energy throughout the day, learning with every event and supporting his team mates in fine style. Every event was superb, but his hurdles debut and fine 60m sprint were undoubted highlights as he took a brilliant NECAA silver medal, as well as bronze in the open comp.

U15's
Our three U15 girls were in impressive form, in what was the largest age group by far in terms of numbers. 
Kimi produced a series of consistent performances, with a highlight being a PB in the hurdles, and a heat win to finish the day in the 60m's as she took 6th. Fearne was in PB form throughout, with PB's in 4 events, as she took a big step up in performance to finish 7th. India was in stunning form throughout, with a solid high jump being followed by PB's in the Hurdles (10.48s), 60m, Long Jump (4.06m) and shot put as she took a fine NECAA bronze with 2264pts

U17's
Abi Huntly and Hollie-Anne Sudder set their intentions out early, with massive long jumps that were just outside their PB's. Next up was the high jump, with Hollie scoring solid points in one her less favoured events, whilst Abi equalled her PB with 1.40m. In the shot up Hollie-Anne smashed out a massive new personal best of 9.82m, whilst in the hurdles Abi was an impressive winner overall. It came down the 60m, with Hollie taking the heat win just ahead of Abi. It was Abi who was crowned NECAA Champion, with Hollie taking silver, and both girls also on the podium in the open comp.

U20's & Seniors
Senna Gorvett produced yet another superb combined events competition, and was only beaten to gold thanks to a championship record performance. Highlights included a hurdles PB of 9.44s, and a thrilling 5.13m long jump in the final round. Senna has to settle for silver in the NECAA comp, also stepping onto the podium in the open comp. Luke Pichler embraced the chance to compete along senior athletes in the U20 mens comp, and he was consistent if not spectacular accross all events, and put together a fine combined events comp to take a convincing gold medal. Alfie Ward made his long awaited Combined Events return in the Senior Men's comp, taking a brilliant gold after an excellent series of events, as he hurdled and high jumped for the first time in several years in competition.

​RESULTS

Congratulations to George Bryce for representing the North East in the British Athletics Intercounties Cross Country Championship! A tough course in a competitive field and coming home 6th counter for the team.

Meanwhile in Scotland, Alfie Ward set a long overdue in the long jump, with a massive 6.93m enough to secure Scottish Senior Indoor Championships bronze!

It was another busy weekend for our juniors, with Saturday seeing a fantastic squad of athletes travelling up to Alnwick for the Harrier League XC. Here are the results!

U11 Boys - Alex F 18th 4:09, Jack Ellis 31st 4:22, Henry Bryce 40th 4:33, Tom Floyd 50th 4:40, Isaac Browell 58th 4:50 
U11 Girls - Eliza Payne 53rd 5:41
U13 Boys - Oscar Valentine-Beech 23rd 17:10
U13 Girls - Liliana Meikle-Lopez 22nd 18:26
U15 Boys - George Bryce 11th 12:56 (3rd fastest time), James Floyd 26th 16:05
U15 Girls - Maisie Payne 28th 20:25
U17 Women - Beth Munro 13th 24:02

Sunday was all about track and field - and we start our round-up at the NECAA Indoor Track Champs at Gateshead.
The day started with hurdles, with Fearne, India, Aman all just outside their PB's, whilst Kimi set a new PB. Aman and India progressed to the U15 girls final, where they were just out of the medals in 4th and 5th. In the U17 event, Abi sailed through her heat with her 2nd fastest ever time, before claiming bronze in a fierce battle for the medals in the final. 

It was the 60m sprints next. India set a new PB in the heats, with Fearne and Aman just outside their bests. Amara set a fine new PB of 8.84s to qualify for the semi, but an injury meant she was unable to start. Kimi progressed through the rounds, taking wins and PB's in both the heat and semi-final. It was another fine run in the final to set a new PB of 8.44s and she claimed silver, her first NECAA medal. In the U15 boys, Ben made it through to the B-final, whilst Elliot was in fine form, as he progressed to the final where he set a new PB of 7.44s to take his first NECAA medal with bronze. In the U17 60m, Isla ran strongly in her heat, whilst Hollie-Anne Sudder looked supreme as she won both heat and semi with sub-8 clockings. In the final, there was a dramatic finish and Hollie just missed out on the dip for the line - regardless, a silver medal and new outright club record of 7.94s was a fine reward.

Up in Glasgow, Scotland, it was the Scottish National Age Group Champs. Alexander Robson-Lamb was making his debut at these champs, and in an incredibly busy morning, squeezed in 2 hurdles races, a shot put comp and high jump in less than 2 hours! He was rewarded though with a full set of U13 medals - gold in the high jump, silver in the hurdles, and bronze and a new PB in the shot put. Well done Alex, a fantastic series of results especially after recent injury issues. A lot more to come this summer and beyond!

Senna Gorvett went in the U20 hurdles - she continued her steady progression in this event, scoring yet another PB as she ran 9.49s to extend her club record further, although agonizingly missed out on a finals place. Sadie Parker looked to finish her indoor season on a high in the long jump. After a tricky start with a foul in the first round, she re-grouped and extended our to 5.59m in round 3 to take the lead. Her comp finished with 3 fouls, and agonizingly she was just pipped for gold in the final round. Nonetheless, silver was a great achievement, and Sadie was able to share the podium with two of her long-time friends from Scotland. Both girls were not done yet though - as they lined up for the 400m heats. Sadie was making her long-awaited debut, and she ran a well judged raced to finish 2nd in her heat in 59.01s, a new U20 club record. Senna had already raced over this distance earlier in the winter, and was able to make a massive step up, finishing just behind Sadie in 3rd place with a huge PB of 59.47s. Both girls qualified for the final, although it didnt go to plan from the tricky inside lanes. Sadie was boxed at the break, costing her rythym, and issues with breathing for Senna meant she dropped out after 150m. Nonetheless - a fantastic days work. 

Prior to COVID, the North of Tyne Athletics Network (NOTAN) organised a fantastic series of quadkids events across the summer at Churchill Playing FIelds. Athletes in school years 3-6 took part in a sprint, endurance run, long jump and howler throw, with results, certificates and end of season prizes. This was a fantastic series that attracted youngsters from all over the North East, and most importantly provided and incredible pathway for young athletes to go on and develop in the sport. Our very own Blyth Sportshall Athletics Series provided a similar format indoors in the winter months, but again this did not return after COVID. There were also series organised by Gateshead outdoors and Jarrow & Hebburn indoors over the decade which have fallen by the wayside.

There were several reasons that these series were discontinued, but one of the main ones is that the organising team was largely made of of coaches and parents of the athletes competing - as the children were getting older and moved onto other things, it meant that these volunteer coaches and parents moved on to as circumstances changed.

There is now a real passion from the local athletics community to see events return - to enable young people to develop multi-event skills regularly in a fun and engaging environment. Local clubs and organisations are starting to put plans in place. But this will ONLY be possible if we have a new generation of volunteers who are able to plan, manage and deliver the events and all that goes on behind the scenes. So this is an appeal for anyone who would like to get involved in some capacity, however big or small. There are no specific skills or experience necessary, just a passion for athletics. It would suit coaches, parents, family members, senior athletes, older junior athletes, officials, etc etc. 

If you would like to be involved in the re-establishment of foundation junior athletics comps in the North Tyneside/South East Northumberland area - then please get in touch, just email Daniel - [email protected]

What an incredible experience and achievement for Luke Pichler. He became the clubs first U20 international, having been selected to be part of the elite England team for the Swedish Combined Events Championships in Stockholm. Just gaining this selection was a result of years of hard work - however what Luke achieved over the weekend showed just how exciting a future he has, with continued hard work and opportunities like this.

Luke adapated superbly to the new environment, with the wonderful hosts giving the England team the best chance to shine. On day 1, Luke started with a swift 60m despite a small stumble, and came alive in the long jump as he leapt out to 6.96m in the 2nd round, a massive PB. A long gap followed before event 3, giving Luke the experience of the format of a major international champs. The shot put was the toughest event of the weekend, with Luke struggling to get to grips with the 6kg shot. Nevertheless, a solid final throw kept Luke in a strong position. The day ended late, at 2030 local time, with a 1.85m clearance in the high jump to leave Luke in 2nd place overnight.

Day 2 began with hurdles, and Luke was in scintillating form running 8.25s. Next up, and Luke soared like an eagle to clear 3.92m in the pole vault for a huge PB. In the 1000m, Luke set himself a tough target, but wasnt quite able to hit the planned pace. He finished in a fine 2nd place, with 5150pts, ranking him #1 in Europe for athletes born in 2008, and first in the UK for U20 athletes. The whole weekend provided a fantastic opportunity for Luke to experience international competition - and Luke made the most of every second.

For the first time, the NECAA Indoor Championships are split accross 2 seperate weekends, with the field events taking place on Sunday 16th February at Gateshead College. There was a lively atmosphere, and this helped deliver a stunning day of athletics with plenty of success for Blyth's young athletes. 4 Gold medals were won, 2 silvers, and 5 bronzes, with 12 new PB's set.

High Jump
It was a highly succesful day for our 5 athletes  who took part in the high jump. In the U15 girls event, India took bronze with 1.31m, whilst Fearne was delighted to clear a new PB of 1.21m on the 3rd attempt. In the U17 competition Isla Bell recorded a new PB of 1.41m to take bronze - higher heights are just around the corner for sure. Senna Gorvett was in fine form in the U20 comp, taking gold with a stunning new PB of 1.57m.

Shot Put
The medals kept on coming in the shot put. Ben Compton took our first gold of the day as he threw beyond 10m in the U15 boys comp. In the U15 girls event, India threw well, and Fearne smashed her previous PB no fewer than 5 times to record a best of 6.99m for 4th. In the U17 event, Abi Huntly destroyed her PB to record 10.16m for silver, with Hollie-Anne taking bronze with a PB of 9.33, and there was a well deserved PB for Talia with 5.84m. Senna continued her strong day, with a club record 9.24m to take U20 bronze.

Long Jump
In the U15 girls event, India did superbly to qualify for the final 6 with a PB of 3.92m, whilst there was heartbreak for Kimi as she could not quite put together a strong jump, and she finished just shy of the medals. In the U17 event, there was plenty of drama as athletes battled for the medals. Abigail Huntly's massive PB of 4.91m gave her a well deserved silver medal, however Hollie-Anne just missed out in 4th. Talia and Isla both exceeded 4m, but were unable to make the top 6. The U20 event was absolute fire. Sadie smashed the championship record with 5.49m to take gold. In a competition of the highest standard, Amber produced a superb best of 5.21m to take bronze, and incredibly Senna's massive 5.15m PB was not enough for a medal.

Triple Jump
What a day for Millie Train - nearly 8 years after her first NECAA gold medal, she finally returned to the top of the podium thanks to a stunning display of triple-jumping. Her leap of 11.20m was enough to secure a convincing gold, and extend her outright club record. 

Results
Abi Huntly - LJ SILVER 4.91m PB, Shot Put SILVER 10.16m PB
Amber Wright - LJ BRONZE 5.21m
Ben Compton - Shot Put GOLD 10.07m
Fearne Bell - HJ 6th 1.21m PB, Shot Put 4th 6.99m PB
Hollie-Anne Sudder - LJ 4th 4.80m, Shot Put BRONZE 9.33m PB
India Gorvett - HJ BRONZE 1.31m, Long Jump 6th 3.92m PB, Shot Put 6th 6.27m
Isla Bell - LJ 14th 4.02m, HJ BRONZE 1.41m PB
Kimi Ng - LJ 5th 4.12m
Millie Train - Triple Jump GOLD 11.20m PB, Club Record
Sadie Parker - LJ GOLD 5.49m, Championship Record
Senna Gorvett - LJ 4th 5.15m PB, Shot Put BRONZE 9.24m PB, Club Record, High Jump GOLD 1.57m PB Club record
Talia Green - LJ 11th 4.15m, Shot Put 8th 5.84m PB

It was a huge weekend of top quality action around the UK - read our full round-up below!

At the England Athletics Indoor Age Group Champs, 4 Team Blyth athletes took part over the two days having achieved the tough entry standards.

Hollie took 4th in her u17 60m heat, just outside her PB with 8.03s. Sadie was part of an extremely high quality u20 long jump, with her 3rd round jump of 5.66m (SB) securing her an extra 3 attempts, and she eventually finished 7th. Millie opened up in the u20 Triple Jump with her biggest jump for a year - 11.09m, just shy of her PB. She was just 0.02m away from an extra 3 jumps - but a 9th place finish is a great achievement. Abi went in a loaded u17 60m Hurdles field, and gave it 100%. Despite not executing the race she had hoped for, it was still her 2nd fastest time ever.

A wonderful opportunity for our juniors to represent Northumberland on Saturday at the Intercounties Crosscountry and Middlesbrough - brilliant performances from all!
Junior boys - Jamie 39th, Charlie 68th
Inter boys - George 33rd, Dexter 43rd
Minor girls - Amelie 23rd, Lily 37th

At the Scottish Combined events in Emirates, a small squad took on the Scots, and it was quite a day!

India Gorvett went in her first u15 pentathlon - and what a start she had! A massive 10cm PB in the high jump as she won her pool with 1.41m. In the hurdles, India was flying before falling at hurdle 3 - but she bravely continued. A long jump PB followed later in the day, it was truly a day of ofs and downs! India once again showed true spirit.

Senna Gorvett went in the U20 pentathlon - and started with a new PB in the hurdles of 9.58. She was close to her PBs in the high jump and shot, but the long jump did not go to plan. In an incredible battle for the medals, Senna gave it her all in the 800m, but was not quite able to do enough by the smallest of margins. It was bronze 🥉 for Senna, just 1pt behind Silver. A new overall pentathlon PB was well earned, and congrats to Hannah and Tilly who took gold and silver in a fantastic contest.

A small but focused squad took to the track and field at the final Thursday night meet of the winter on the 6th February at Gateshead College.

Ben Compton led the way with the longest shot put of all age groups on the night, before smashing his 60m PB. Senna Gorvett was in similar form, with a small shot put PB and U20 club record, before she went head to head with her Dad (coach Nigel) in the 60m. A massive PB and club record of 8.15s was the reward for Senna, despite losing out to Dad!

Kimi Ng juggled the shot put and 60m, and came away with a race win and big new PB in the 60m. Luke Pichler continued his prep for his England U20 debut with a new club record and PB in the pole vault of 3.80m, whilst Alexander Robson-Lamb took victory in the U13 high jump, and also the 60m hurdles where he set a new PB and club record of 10.15s.

​What a night!

Temple Park was the venue for the Sherman Cup XC on Sunday, with 5 Blyth juniors battling the icy ground. George Bryce produced one of his finest XC runs to date, to take a fantastic silver medal in the U15 race. Dexter Heatley was not far behind in 7th. In the U11 boys race, Alex was 12th, whilst Amelie was 21st in the U13 Girls race. Beth finished things off with a strong 15th in the U17 girls race.

Meanwhile, The Nothern Indoor U15 champs were taking place in Sheffield, with India joined by new club member Kimi Ng. India had a busy schedule, and recorded excellent PB's in both the 60m hurdles and 200m, although her shot put was a little below her best. Kimi produced her 2nd best Long jump ever in the 1st round, however 4.25m was not quite enough to secure a top 8 placing and an extra 3 jumps in what was a massive field. Kimi also ran well in the 60m.

Photo Credits for Northern Indoors: Mick Hall