A committee decision was made to stop using Webcollect for our membership subscriptions, and move everything to our own website store instead. We have also moved the membership renewal date from 1st May to 1st April, as this fits in with England Athletics re-registration, and we had lots of problems last year with unregistered athletes taking part in the various T&F league fixtures because of the differing dates of registration.
 
To make up for the "lost" month this year, we are offering our members a special discounted rate for renewal, but only if paid before May 1st. It's easier than ever to renew your membership - there's a very short form to fill in, and you can now pay by credit/debit card at no extra cost. Here is the link to the renewal option in our store, and the full store (which includes free club entries for the NECAA T&F Champs and entries for the Angel View races) can be seen at the bottom of this post. 

For those who would prefer to pay by cash or cheque - you can still do that at club, but please complete the online form and proceed through checkout to enable us to process your renewal. You will NOT be required to enter any card details at checkout, but it will ask you for your name and email address (phone no. is not required) - please provide these as EA now require valid email addresses for all members, whether registered as competitive athletes or not. 

Additionally, we now have a Square card reader available at the club, which can be used to pay for memberships, race fees, club kit and even your nightly subs (no more scratching around finding loose change for a club night!). Again, this will not cost any extra for our members and we hope you will find the service beneficial. 

So, in summary:-

• Reduced membership fees if paid by 30th April (2019 only)
• Online or club payment by credit/debit card with no extra fees
• Cash/cheque payment available at club, but online form must still be completed
• Credit/debit card payments now available at club for everything including weekly subs

Thank you!

Six Birtley AC athletes all boarded the Durham Team coach on Saturday for a relatively early morning trip to Leeds to take part in the English Schools Cross Championships. Those six Birtley athletes competed in all championship age groups with the exception of Intermediate Boys, a fantastic achievement for the club.
Temple Newsam Park in Leeds was holding the Championships for the second year in succession so the course was familiar to some making a return.
The weather, as forecast, was dreadful with incessant rain and a gusty wind but this would not dent the spirit of the athletes who had all worked so hard for their selection. They were all determined to enjoy their day.
The course was hilly and run, generally, on well cut grass fields forming the grounds of Temple Newsam House. The course, however, was soon to cut up and by the last race was very heavy underfoot with extremely tricky downhill sections where even long spikes did not guarantee a ‘slip free’ descent.
The day began with Tess Graham in the Intermediate Girls Championship run over a distance of 3710m. Tess had a really solid run finishing in 117th position out of 341 competitors and was Durham’s fifth girl home. Tess still has another year in this age category.
Next up was Chris Perkins in the Junior Boys Championship competing over a distance of 4100m. Chris had a great start and was soon occupying what is becoming a familiar position at the front of the race along with his local rival Josh Blevins along with another athlete known to Chris, Lewis Sullivan from Suffolk. It was a three-horse race until the beginning of the second longer lap, at which point Lewis pulled into an unassailable lead, with Josh clear in second. Chris was occupying a comfortable third place but it was clear that there were a number of runners who appear to have left something in the tank for a final push to the line. On a difficult uphill finish, Chris relinquished three places but finished in an excellent 6th place to claim his first England vest - a fantastic achievement.

Cross-country wasn't the only event this weekend - the NECAA Indoor Pentathlon Championships were also taking place (in somewhat warmer, drier conditions!). Young athlete Amy Drummond was competing in her very first pentathlon, and she PB'ed in almost every event - well done Amy! 
Rebecca Pottinger excelled, becoming North East Champion whilst up against a variety of talented athletes, ably demonstrating that it's always possible to come back to track and field, even after a few years out! Huge well done to Rebecca - full results can be seen on this link

Despite a cold wintry day which turned even colder as the age groups progressed (with the u15/17s running in an awful mixture of rain and sleet), the junior relays had a record attendance, with 382 athletes turning out on the day. There were some terrific performances, with true grit and determination being shown by the youngsters in very trying conditions. 
The girls u11 was a particularly hard fought battle, with only 3 seconds separating the winners Elswick from second place North Shields Poly, with NSP's Katy Otterson winning fastest leg prize. 
The u11 boys team race was won by North Shields poly, with Zac Brannon also finishing fastest leg for the same club.
The girls u13 team race was also won by Elswick, completing a successful day of racing for them, while Hannah Bowyer from Blackhill did the honours for fastest leg.
The boys u13 team race gave Morpeth their first result of the day, whilst Bertie Marr made it the double by running the fastest leg. 
Morpeth again got the honours in the boys u15/u17 team race, although Birtley pipped them to fastest leg with a speedy performance by Chris Perkins. 
Finally, the home u15/17 girls team claimed a resounding victory, finishing well over a minute clear of their rivals, with Abigail Thwaites also claiming fastest leg for Birtley. 
Huge congratulations to all who ran, we hope you enjoyed the event and hope to see a lot of you back next year! (Results link below pic)

Photos of the day can be seen on our FB page - here are the links for those of you who have FB.
Photos by Darren Fairclough:- U11 Race 1    U13 Race 2     U15/17 Race 3
Pictures by Stuart Whitman are available on this link
Photos by John Geddes on this link (Birtley AC runners only)
Thanks to all of the photographers who kindly stood there in the awful weather!

Two Team Birtley athletes raced today at Loughborough representing the North East in the Inter Counties Championships. Katie Francis won team Gold and Adrian Bailes placed well in the team. Fantastic racing both of you, very well done!!
​Tom Millmore

Young athletes - this is your last chance to run cross-country this season, with a home ground advantage! 
Parents and older athletes - please step up and help out with set-up, marshalling, and other duties - you'll still be able to support your child! 
Other clubs - if you haven't signed up your young athletes for this event yet, now's your chance! Full details and an online entry form here.

Please remember to keep an eye on the Fixtures page for the latest race info - currently there's news on there about the Blaydon Race and Darlington 10k, as well as some other events.  The main fixtures heading on the front page is mainly for races that are entered by the club on your behalf (North Easterns, Northerns, relays etc.) - all other races will appear on the Fixtures page so make sure you don't miss out.