Tyne Bridge Harriers – 2025 Track & Field Season Review

Fast legs, flying jumps, fearless first-timers and fantastic team spirit

The 2025 Track & Field season was a brilliant one for Tyne Bridge Harriers seniors, with TBH athletes competing across the North East Senior Development League (NESDL), North East Counties Athletics Association (NECAA) Grand Prix events, North East Masters Athletics Association (NEMAA) fixtures, plus indoor competitions and meets further afield.

From seasoned competitors to first-time track athletes, this season showcased everything that makes TBH special: willingness to have a go, backing each other to the hilt, and discovering talents people didn’t even know they had.

North East Senior Development League (NESDL)

Across four NESDL fixtures during the lighter months, an impressive 37 TBH members pulled on the vest and represented the club. That’s a huge turnout – and it showed.

Athletes tried new events, stepped into unfamiliar disciplines, and gave everything for the team. The result? 2nd place in NESDL Division 2 — a fantastic reward for everyone’s effort, commitment and enthusiasm. It’s both the highest participation and league finish I can recall in recent years… which probably isn’t a coincidence 😉

While it’s impossible to highlight every great performance, there are some standout stories worth celebrating.

Attendance Award – Ever-Present Heroes 🏅

Competing at all four fixtures

Huge congratulations go to Alison Ennis and Elaine O’Mara, who both turned out at every single fixture — including two determined treks to Shildon in pursuit of Track & Field glory. Outstanding commitment, backed up by fantastic performances throughout the season.

Most Valuable Players – Points Machines 💪

Athletes who delivered the most points for the team

An enormous congratulations to Emily Dodd, who topped the scoring with an incredible 90 points across just three fixtures. Emily competed in six different disciplines:

• High Jump

• Long Jump

• Triple Jump (yes – she clearly likes to jump!)

• 100m

• 400m Hurdles

• Shot Putt

What makes this even more remarkable is that Emily was a newbie. It’s a perfect reminder that turning up to track can uncover hidden talents you never knew you had.

Close behind was Alison Ennis with 77 points, earned largely through sprinting events where she consistently showed her competitors a clean pair of heels.

Completing the podium was Adeline Bourgenot-Lewis with 76 points, stepping up into the senior league this year and delivering outstanding performances. There’s every reason to expect even more from her next season.

Top male scorers were David Cornish and Angelo Gabriele, both of whom made huge contributions across multiple events.

Top 5 NESDL Point Scorers

1. Emily Dodd – 90

2. Alison Ennis – 77

3. Adeline Bourgenot-Lewis – 76

4. David Cornish – 58

5. Angelo Gabriele – 52

‘Have-A-Go Heroes’ 🌟

Celebrating those who stepped out of their comfort zones

Track & Field thrives on bravery, and this season delivered plenty of it.

Fixture 2 – Hammer Throw

With no athlete signed up, Jacob Turner stepped into the hammer cage having never thrown a hammer before. This is a highly technical event. Despite understandable nerves – and an initial setback when his first throw hit the cage netting – Jacob regrouped, found his rhythm and recorded an impressive throw that earned valuable points for the team.

Fixture 3 – Steeplechase Adventures

The steeplechase events were answered by Angelo Gabriele and Justine Carrion-Weiss, who both embraced the barriers, water jumps and the unique challenges of this demanding race.

Fixture 3 – Women’s High Jump Revival

A traditionally unattended event suddenly had two Tyne Bridge Harriers stepping up. Emily Dodd and Sammie Buzzard both took on the Women’s High Jump, jumping superbly and banking big points for TBH.

Fixture 4 – New Challenges All Round

Emily Dodd added yet another discipline by tackling the 400m Hurdles, a technical and physically demanding event.

Meanwhile, Kenny Chambers, having never thrown a discus before, stepped up — and in his own words, “loved it”.

This is exactly what league athletics is all about.

Top Volunteers – The People Who Make It Happen 👏

Track & Field doesn’t run without volunteers, and TBH was brilliantly represented.

• Sandy Anderson, Jessica Anderson and David Cornish officiated at all NESDL events
• Gemma Finnie, Hannah Stewart and Yam Thiru also stepped in to support officiating
• Many others chipped in whenever needed – thank you all

Your time and effort made it possible for the team to compete.

Club Records – History Made 📈

Across just four NESDL fixtures, an astonishing 21 new club records were set. That’s an incredible achievement and a testament to the quality of performances throughout the season. Huge congratulations to everyone who raised the bar and set new benchmarks for the club.

NEMAA Masters Track & Field League (courtesy of input from Marie Bell)

A huge congratulations to our TBH masters athletes who competed in this year’s North East Masters Athletics Association (NEMAA) Track & Field League. Although the squad was small, it was very much perfectly formed — and TBH athletes delivered some excellent individual performances across the series.

NEMAA Individual Grand Prix Highlights

In the FO50 Throws, Marie Bell placed 5th overall, sitting comfortably mid-league in a competitive field.

The O35 Sprints saw strong TBH representation, with Adam Pratt finishing 6th and Robyn Naylor an impressive 4th overall.

In the O55 Sprints, a particularly large male field saw Kenny Macpherson place a highly respectable 6th, while Heather Allaway took 3rd in the female league.

Middle distance also brought standout results. In another very large MO55 middle distance field, Kenny Macpherson again placed an excellent 6th. Podium finishes followed for:

• Marie Bell – 3rd (FO50)

• Adam Pratt – 3rd (MO35)

• Robyn Naylor – 2nd (FO35)

• Heather Allaway – 1st (FO55), topping the Grand Prix

Under league rules, athletes must compete in at least 4 of the 6 events in a discipline to qualify for medals. As a result, Heather Allaway was the only TBH athlete eligible to collect silverware — taking both bronze and gold 🥇 – but the real story is just how high everyone else placed despite competing in only two or three events. Outstanding performances all round 😱👏👏

NEMAA Team Competition Highlights

While there weren’t enough male competitors to score team points, the TBH women’s team still made it onto the leaderboard, finishing 7th overall. Congratulations to Crook men and South Shields ladies for winning their respective team leagues.

Other Things Worth Celebrating 🌟

A few more well-deserved mentions from across the season:

• Davy Anderson and Kenny Chambers deserve huge thanks for delivering track sessions every Saturday, come rain or shine. Their commitment has been invaluable in helping athletes build confidence, skills and a love for Track & Field.
• Russell Dickinson-Deane and Micky Baker also gave their time to officiate at a variety of fixtures throughout the season, further supporting both TBH and the wider athletics community.
• A special congratulations to Robyn Naylor, who was selected to represent NEMAA at the Intercounties event in York — a fantastic achievement in itself. Robyn went on to take Gold in the 3000m, setting a personal best in the process. An outstanding performance and a brilliant example of where league competition can lead.

More Than Just Results

Beyond the points, positions and records, this season was packed with camaraderie, laughter, encouragement – and an impressive quantity of cake, both baked and enthusiastically eaten.

If you’ve ever thought Track & Field “isn’t for you”, this season proves otherwise. There are opportunities for every ability, every age group, and every level of experience — whether you want to sprint, jump, throw, run middle distance, or simply support the team.

Getting Involved – Off the Track Too 👏

If Track & Field has sparked your interest this season, there are also great ways to get involved off the track as a volunteer technical official. League athletics depends on officials across track, field events, timekeeping and starting, and it’s a rewarding way to support the team and learn more about the sport.

No prior experience is required — training is provided, and Tyne Bridge Harriers will cover the cost of England Athletics officiating courses. If you’re interested in helping out, please do come forward. More information on officiating pathways can be found via England Athletics here.

I hope this inspires even more TBHers to give it a go next year.

See you on the start line in 2026 — let’s make it even bigger. 🖤🤍