RECORDING one of the fastest lap times of the day, junior Alex Wood caught the eye as he represented Tynedale Harriers.

Racing from the fast pack in the U15 category as the North East Harrier League headed to Aykley Heads, in Durham, his time of 11 minutes and 58 seconds over the two mile course was the fastest recorded by any junior on the day - and the third quickest from the men.

His excellent performance saw him finish sixth in the U15 category as he was unable to catch only five runners from the slow pack, but his blistering pace helped Tynedale to fourth place in the team charts.

He was aided by a good run from Aidan Pinkney who finished 10th on the day and will be promoted from the slow to fast pack, while Cameron Grey was the other team counter with 37th position from the fast runners.

Another U15 representative made their mark for Tynedale as Jasmie Couchman claimed gold in the girls’ category to help her team to first place.

Running from the slow pack, Jasmine’s excellent performance saw her finish out on top of the field and earned her promotion to the fast pack. Judging by Saturday’s performance, she should be quite at home at the higher level.

Also playing her part in the team success was Bethan Nitsch who was fourth from the slow pack, while NEHL debutante Holly Thorpe made a big impression to finish 10th. Both will join Jasmine in the fast pack in the next fixture.

Tynedale were well represented in the U15 girls’ department, Keeley French, Bella Chicken, Millie Robertson, Anya Herdman, Freya Barr and Poppy Goldsmith all making appearances too.

Tynedale U13 girls’ claimed fifth place as their counters Lucy Thorpe (slow pack), Olivia Stewart (fast pack) and Olivia Milburn (fast pack) finished 13th, 29th and 33rd respectively.

Olivia Stewart could have finished higher up the rankings but sportingly stopped to help a Birtley AC girl who was sick on the final hill.

Archie Marston, the U13 boys’ team captain, led the way as he finished ninth with a run which will see him promoted to the fast pack. Teammates Magnus Hextall and Tom Barrett were the other counters as the team clinched eighth spot.

Running from the fast pack, Hannah Pinkney finished in 11th place as she guided Tynedale U17 girls‘ team to third spot.

Elena Bluck and Rosie Dawson were the other counters as they crossed in 18th and 19th place from the slow pack, and teammates Laura Vickers, Anna Channon, Freya Murphy and Ellie Barr were also in attendance as numbers were up.

Helping Tynedale U17 boys’ to fouth place, Robbie Langford finished in a fine fourth place as second placed slow pack runner. His performance has gained him promotion.

He will run alongside fellow fast pack runners Christopher Jackson and Jaycee Shotton who both impressed to claim 20th and 26th respectively.

There were excellent turn-outs for Tynedale’s men’s and women’s teams, with the females looking likely to keep hold of their place in the top division after finishing seventh on the day.

The 13 strong team was led home by Jo Sutton in 30th and Kim Bluck in 45th as they both put in good runs from the slow pack. Jo’s performance will see her promoted to the medium pack.

Karen Robertson, from the fast pack, was third counter in 62nd while Kirstie Anderson, the club’s cross country champion, was just nine seconds behind as she became the fourth counter.

The senior men’s team have a fight on their hands if they want to maintain their Division One status as they finished bottom at the weekend.

With 11 representatives on show, Peter Hearn was first home for the club in 76th place and he was followed by Ally Maxwell (126th from medium), Andy Green (133rd from fast), David Armstrong (183rd), Peter Murphy (248th) and Paul Hutchinson (274th).

Adam Pratt put in a great run from the fast pack to finish 112th, but he was disqualified from the fixture as he had mistakenly ran using last season’s bib number.

The Harriers face a quick fire return to action on Saturday as they head to the new venue at Druridge Bay.