Long distance specialists Alexandra Robinson and Lucy Ellis grabbed first and second places for Sunderland in the 800m Northumberland and Durham Distance Championships held at the Sunderland Aquatic Centre. Seventeen year old Robinson was in blistering form to touch home in the fastest time of the championships, stopping the clock at 9.05.61 while fifteen year old Ellis recorded an impressive time of 9.11.07.
The Sunderland girls featured prominently in the remaining top 20 places with Jennifer Tatters (16) claiming sixth place in 9.23.62, Lucy Walton (14) finishing eighth in 9.26.28, Laura Taylor (13) thirteenth in 9.32.39, Gabrielle Burdess (13) sixteenth in 9.43.89 and Jodi Bunker (12) twentieth in 9.53.73.
Other placings for the City of Sunderland were; 26th Jessica Thompson (13) in 9.58.49, 39th Abigail Carlisle (14) in 10.16.31, 46th Jay Whitehead (12) in 10.29.26, 47th Beth Nicholson (11) in 10.29.99, 62nd Alexandra Spencer (13) in 10.45.99 and 76th Jenifer Sharp in a time of 10.58.90.
In the males 1500m distance event Andrew Markham (14) finished 20th with a time of 18.11.16, followed by 27th Ryan Henry (14) in 18.45.25, 28th Jack Tallentire (14) in 18.45.75, 30th Thomas Burns in 18.49.07, 31st Matthew Wylie (15) in 18.53.48 and 32nd was Joshua Campbell (14) with a time of 18.57.93.
Matthew Wylie’s time of 18.53.48 also earned him second place in the Multi Disability Category.