Durham team go to top of the class

Feb 8 2010 by Les Venmore, The Journal

DURHAM dominated the annual Inter-County Schools Cross Country match at Meadowfield on Saturday, retaining the overall trophy and winning six of the eight team events.

Their main rivals Northumberland won the other two events for senior and minor girls.

In the cold, foggy conditions, Northumberland’s Andrew Crichton pulled away on the second of the three laps to win the senior boys’ race.

Michael Grimes and Liam Johnston of Durham filled the minor places.

Rachel Lundgren of Northumberland won the senior girls’ race, overhauling early leader Sigourney Bell of Durham, after the halfway point.

Helen Waddell from Northumberland took second place ahead of Bell.

In a hotly-contested Intermediate boys’ race, Cameron Boyek of Durham pulled away from North Yorkshire’s Fergus Roberts in the final 800m.

Durham’s Charmaine Porter won the intermediate girls’ race from team-mate Zoe Hewitson, with Northumberland’s Phillipa Williams moving into third.

Durham gained a clean sweep in the junior boys’ race as Michael Wilson overcame the challenge of the much-improved Luke Clark, with Chris Peverley taking third.

Northern under-13 champion Ben Spencer of Cleveland was close behind in fourth.

Lydia Turner of Durham comfortably won the junior womens’ race from Cleveland’s Chloe Loredo.

Daniel Pickering of Durham and Ella Eadon of North Yorkshire won the two minor (year 7) races.

l Former Middlesbrough Harrier, Richard Morrell, competing as a guest, won the senior men’s event at the penultimate North Yorkshire and South Durham League fixture at Acklam Grange.

Morrell soon opened up a lead on the muddy undulating three-lap course, holding off the persistent challenge of North York Moors veteran Paul Lowe. Middlesbrough junior Grant Hawkins took third place.

Carolyn Summersgill of host club Middlesbrough and Cleveland won a hard-fought senior women’s race, building up a 100m lead over guest runner Maxine Czarnecka of Chester-le-Street at the halfway point.

The lead was reduced, however, to six seconds at the finish line, with third place going to Middlesbrough’s Kristina Grant.

:: Morpeth’s Nick McCormick defeated a class field to win the Alsager 5M Road Race in Cheshire. Morpeth were narrowly defeated by Sale in the team event.