Cross Country has returned to the county, with the only Sunday fixture of the season at Druridge Bay, hosted by Blyth running club.

Hoping the cooler weather would help them build on the strong start at Wrekenton, Prudhoe plodders running club once again arrived in mass, fielding six complete women’s teams, almost three complete men’s teams, and complete junior teams for the Under 13 boys and girls.

What no one had counted on was a course that can best be described as uneven. And that was just the area for club tents. Thankfully this was worse at the start, with the ground feeling more stable after the first corner, there was even a little bit of mud, but not quite enough to make it feel like a ‘proper’ cross country, yet.

Despite the difficult conditions underfoot, there were some fantastic results. Arthur Byne, fresh from his victory at the Under 11’s Junior Kielder run, finished 14th out of 53 in his category. In the Under 13 girls race, Phoebe Mulligan flew the flag not just for Prudhoe, but for Northumberland overall with a 4th place finish from a field of 68.

The Under 13 girls finished 6th on the day and currently hold 4th place in their league. The Under 13 boys finished 10th on the day and currently sit 12th in the league.

In the senior races, the ladies ‘A Team’ came in 12th while the men’s quickest team came in 9th, they both maintain a top ten position in their respective leagues.

Stocksfield Striders, who sadly hadn’t managed to have complete teams at Wrekenton, boasted nearly two complete women’s teams and a full complement of men. Finishing within 30 seconds of each other, Anna Halstead, Claire Davies, Jo Mitchell, and Claire Collinson scored the club a 6th place finish in their division on the day.

The men kick started their season with what hopefully won’t turn out to be an unlucky 13th placing.

The next fixture is October 30th, and considering it’s legendary connotations, Lambton Castle seems a fitting setting for the Halloween weekend.