27.05 Gateshead International Stadium was the venue for the 2013 North Eastern Counties Athletics Association track and field championships at the weekend with Middlesbrough AC athletes winning 36 medals including an impressive 16 gold medals.

The weekend's action saw impressive performances from Patrick O'Connor, Jack Crosby, Josephine Stone and Charlie Myers.

Myers competing in the under 17 men's Pole Vault went into the competition with a personal best of 4.20 metres after clearing this height, Myers then went on to clear his first personal best of 4.30 metres, before surpassing this with a Gold medal winning clearance of 4.40 metres. That clearance gave Myers a Championship best performance, a new club record and third place in the UK rankings. Team mate Ross Everett claimed third place with a 3.50 metre clearance.

Josephine Stone showed she was in excellent form in the senior women's 5000 metres. Running away from the field from the start Stone stopped the clock at 17 minutes 04.78 seconds to win the race by almost two minutes and improve her year old personal best by almost 12 seconds and set a new club record in the process.

The first day also saw a head to head with two of Teesside's top young male sprinters vying for honours in the blue ribbon event the senior men's 100 metres. Defending champion Christian Carson (Gateshead) and Jack Crosby easily controlled their heats Carson winning his in 11.23 seconds and Crosby his in 11.20 seconds. In the final the two Teessider's made impressive starts but it was 18 year old Crosby who took control the race after 60 metres to pull away to take the gold medal in a new personal best of 10.87 seconds, Carson took the silver medal in 11.13 seconds. Crosby took the track in the 200 metres on the Sunday and duly won the title in 22.03 seconds. Rob Longstaff was a worthy gold medal winner in the long jump with a personal best of 5.88 metres, he also took the bronze in the high jump.

In the senior women's age group apart from the success of Josephine Stone, Faye Winspear and Kristina Grant also put in medal winning performances at Gateshead . Grant ran a good race to take the silver medal in the 1500 metres and Winspear ran her fastest races for three years to claim the silver medal in the 100 metres in 13.03 seconds and the bronze in the 200 metres in 27.08 seconds.

In the junior men's age group Patrick O'Connor was scaling the heights to set new personal best in taking the gold medal in the high jump with a clearance of 2.01 metres. Robin Croft was another double medallist winning gold in the javelin with a distance of 45.21 metres and the silver in the hammer with a throw of 43.35 metres. In the 100 metres last years under 17 winner Sam Norton ran his fastest time of the year of 11.59 seconds to win the silver medal behind Jack Hepple of Morpeth Harriers, Norton then returned on the Sunday to again take the silver medal behind Hepple in the 200 metres in a personal best of 23.21 seconds.

Top of the tree in the under 20 age group was Hannah Segrave in the 400 metres. Segrave ran a strong and well-paced gold medal race to set a club record and personal best of 57.58 seconds. Jess Welburn had her best run of the season claiming the bronze medal in the 200 metres 27.19 seconds and silver in the 100 metres with a new lifetime best of 13.02 seconds.

Sam Day last years under 15 300 metre champion moved up to the under 17 age group and contested the 400 metres/400 metres hurdles and 200 metres. Going into the 400 metre race with a season's best of 53.04 seconds and a personal best of 52.82 seconds, the 15 year old ran a strong race to take the title in personal best of 51.91 seconds. Day returned on the Sunday to take the silver medal in the 400 hurdles in a new best time of 57.83 seconds, a time that lifted him to 6 th place in the UK rankings. In his final event the 200 metres Day was competing against the new 100 metre champion Zach Haddon of Gateshead . With a strong finish Day overhauled Haddon in the final few strides to take his second title of the weekend in a personal best of 23.25 seconds. Martin Croft was again over 50 metres in winning the hammer gold medal with a throw of 50.16 metres.

Rachel Carter was in excellent shape in the under 17 girl's age group. Carter made her debut in the 300 metre hurdles one to remember as she won the gold medal by over three seconds in a time of 54.03 seconds. Carter then leapt to a personal best in the triple jump to win her second gold with a distance of 9.68 metres. The final medal winner in this age group went to Phillipa Stone in the 1500 metres. Stone ran a strong race to take the silver medal in 4 minutes 51.99 seconds.

With no medal winners in the under 15 boys age group it was left to the under 15 girls to lead the way. Francesca O'Connor took the gold medal in the shot put with a distance of 7.66 metres and the bronze in the 75 metre hurdles in 13.57 seconds.. Mia Everett equalled her best in the pole vault to take gold with 1.70 metres. Sprinter Lauren Howells was in great shape setting a personal best in the 100 metres running 13.03 seconds to take the bronze medal, then returning to run 26.79 seconds in the 200 metres for silver. Georgi Kessell improved her best in the triple jump to win the silver medal with a distance of 9.56 metres.

The final age group the under 13's saw a win for Josh Cowperthwaite in the 1500 metres. Cowperthwaite took 1.5 seconds from his best to win the gold in 4 minutes 50.78 seconds. In the under 13 girls age group Charlotte Paterson had a busy and eventful weekend. In the 200m Paterson won the silver medal with a new club record of 27.98 seconds. She went on to show her versatility and claim three more silvers in the long jump and high jump and shot put events.

Finally many thanks must go to our Championship officials over the weekend too, Dr Andy Ward, Mr Mike Kaiser and Mr Marino Danilowicz (field) and Mr Charles Stuart (timekeeping) without them and others like them our athletes would not have a championships top compete in.

Rick Betts

Gateshead Minors Round 1

UNDER 9 – GIRLS
Holly Clarke took a silver in standing long jump – jumping 1.58m and ran a fantastic 400m to easily take bronze at 1min27secs

UNDER 9 – BOYS
Benjamin Savage silver in standing long jump – jumping 1.47m

UNDER 10 – GIRLS
Charlotte Kelsey Silver in 75m 13.1secs, bronze in howler throwing 13.26m and on the day came 4 th the 600m 2min.34secs to be told yesterday that has now changed to bronze due to a girl running that had not entered who had been given Gold ! Excellent results as this is the highest number of entrys age group at 29

UNDER 10 – BOYS
Benjamin Johnson – Gold in standing long jump – jumping an impressive 1.77m which was a long way clear of any other competitors

UNDER 11 – BOYS
Robert Savage – Excellent day taking Gold in the Standing Long Jump – jumping 1.68m and Gold in the 600m 2min.01secs where he ran excellent and was a very clear winner from the start

An excellent morning for our U11 squad meaning everyone of them came away with at least one medal in what was a very difficult meet in not very nice weather.

Jane Kelsey

THE first round of the new UK Athletics Youth Development League took place in blustery conditions at Clairville Stadium last weekend.

Competing in the North-east Division One, Middlesbrough AC's Under-20 and Under-17 teams found the going tough against top opposition from across the Yorkshire region, eventually having to settle for fourth place.

In particularly good form were the club's one-lap runners in the shape of Jack Crosby, Hannah Segrave and Sam Day.

Crosby set a lifetime best of 48.90 seconds as he won his Under-20 men's 400m race by almost 20 metres.

Segrave was equally as convincing as she made it a double for the club by winning the women's under 20 400m race in a time just outside her best in 58.80 seconds.

On his Under-17 men's 400 metres hurdles debut, Day won in 59.40 seconds.

Patrick O'Connor made light of the windy conditions to win the a high jump with an impressive 1.98 metres.

Jack Mitchinson took the B event with 1.65 metres while Charlie Myers and Ross Everett made it a double in the men's pole vault - Myers clearing 4.00 metres in the A competition and Everett clearing 3.10 metres to win the B event.

Martin Croft dominated the Under-17 men's hammer and won with a personal best of 48.15 metres.

Bethany Brown and Gemma Clark had good wins for the team in the B 1500 metres and Under-17 women's 1500 meters respectively.

Rachel McHugh had wins in the Under-20 women's long and triple jumps, the latter with a very good distance of 11.42 metres.

Abigail Reveley and Sophie McCarthy were other throwers to record wins - McCarthy winning the B shot put with 7.42 metres and Reveley the Under-17 hammer with a personal best of 30.06 metres.

Also contributing well to the club cause with great second place performances were: Liam Watson 800 metres (2.07.70), Georgia Hirst 800 metres (2.26.70), Rebecca Palmer Under-17 800m (2.34.90), Charlie Race Under-17 1500 metres (4.37.70 PB), Phillipa Stone 1500 metres (4.50.60), Robin Croft B shot (10.05m), B hammer (40..05m), Sam Day Under-17 men's 100m hurdles (15.40s), Jack Mitchinson 400m hurdles (66.70s) and Patrick O'Connor shot (11.87m).

The second round is in Doncaster on Sunday, June 2.

1st Doncaster 479 points, 2nd Chesterfield 387 points, 3rd York 375 points, 4th Middlesbrough 365 points, 5th Rotherham 268 points, 6th Hull 249 points.
Well done to Rob Longstaff in his first match as manager in this league. Full Results