19.09.2009

Great North City Games - Day two LIVE

Final scores: England 10 Australia 1

The final showdown kicks off on the banks of the river Tyne in just a few minutes with the scores locked at one-all. We are now just nine events and about 90 minutes away from announcing the winning team.

There is a big crowd gathered, with Great North Run registrants, participants in the Bupa Mini Great North Run and junior wheelchair racers just crossing the line joining interested shoppers and spectators in creating an atmosphere that can only be described as electric.

Team members from both England and Australia are making their final preparations and looking pumped, excited by the opportunity to bring athletics to the streets.

The BBC countdown is on and we are about to go.

Women's 100m hurdles

The first event is the women's hurdles, where Australia will be represented by Target 2012 squad member Lauren Boden and Jump Start to London athlete Shannon McCann. Boden will be in the tricky lane four alongside 12.81 runner and Olympic finalist Sarah Claxton. The other English representative is Louise Wood, the southern counties senior and U20 championships silver medallist.

The girls are on the start line and wave to the camera.

After a false start against the whole field they are away. World championships finalist Claxton is out well in front and McCann and Boden are hurdling cleanly. Claxton takes the points for England in a time of 13.17 ahead of countrywoman Woods (13.75). McCann was Australia's best in 14.23 and Boden was close behind in a lifetime best of 14.25.

Women's Two miles

Across the river and down beneath the Tyne Bridge the two milers are warming up in the street ready for the start in just a few minutes. The NewcastleGateshead locals are great supporters of middle distance running and are cheering loudly. Three-time Olympian and well known face in these parts, Australian Benita Willis is introduced to a rousing reception. Despite time off due to injury Willis looks in great shape and is a strong street competitor, experienced in this type of racing over a number of distances; she looks to be the one to beat. Alongside her are fellow Australians Eloise Wellings, who is also making a welcome return from injury, with Nikki Chapple and Lara Tamsett rounding out the Aussie line-up.

The English challenge will be led by Katrina Wooton, the European indoor championships representative over 3000m, and cross country specialists Charlotte Purdue, Emily Pidgeon and Faye Fullerton.

They are at the line and they are away.

Nikki Chapple goes to an early lead with Wellings just behind.

Wooton is moving up now with less than a lap to go.

Willis sits on her shoulder and when she gets to the bridge, kicks. She is in the lead now, hoping to take the points for Australia.

The former Great North Run winner heads up the last incline still in the lead.

The English athletes are moving up but Willis has a 10 metre lead. The Poms are working together trying to catch Willis, not renowned for her finishing speed but definitely known for her toughness.

At the final turn with 250m to go Willis is holding on to her lead with Purdue for England chasing hard.

The gap is less than two seconds. The last straight and Purdue goes at her.

Purdue takes victory on the line in 10 minutes flat. Devestating for Willis, who also officially finishes in 10-flat, but just didn't have enough left and the 18-year-old English woman wins by less than half a stride. Another one for England. Chapple finishes in third place also in 10-flat, with Pidgeon in 10:04, Tamsett in 10:10, Wooton in 10:14, Fullerton in 10:15 and Wellings in 10:17 rounding out the field.

Women's Mile

Again on the other side of the Tyne, four Australians and four English women will take to the streets for one lap of the circuit.

Australia’s up-and-coming 800m and 1500m division of Selma Kajan, who represented Australia at the 2007 world youth championships, Youth Commonwealth Games silver medallist Katherine Katsanevakis, national U23 champion over 800m and 1500m Kelly Hetherington and emerging talent Holly Noack will carry Australia’s hopes. They take on Jenny Meadows, the 800m bronze medallist at the world championships in Berlin, Hannah England, the 2008 NCAA indoor and outdoor mile champion in 2008, and Celia Brown. World championships silver medallist in the 1500m Lisa Dobriskey was a late withdrawal with an injury worry, replaced on the start line by Charlotte Best, who is mentored by the famous Kelly Holmes.

And they are away. The English girls are leading out with the four Aussies running together; they are going to run their own race.

Kajan has just moved up as they move onto the bridge but the four English girls are stringing out in the first four positions; it's a strong English line up. The young Australians will gain a lot of experience from this type of race.

It's a fast-paced race, not as quick as Kelly Holmes in 2006 but Hannah England is really motoring.

The Australians have lost touch with the English competitors and the gap is increasing.

Meadows, the favourite, is sitting in third but Hannah England looks like she has it sewn up.

Hannah England takes the points for England in a time of 4:49 ahead of Meadows in 4:56, Brown in 4:56 and Best in 5:04. Katsanevakis was the best of the Australians, finishing in fifth place in 5:09 with Hetherington on her heels in the same time. They were just ahead of teammates Selma Kajan (5:10) and Holly Noack (5:11).

Men's Mile

After a cracking couple of women’s races it’s the men’s turn to navigate the street loop. Collis Birmingham, who knows this area well and looks at home in his beanie warding off the summer chill, much like in his hometown of Ballarat, will be the Aussie spearhead with Commonwealth Games 800m finalist Nick Bromley, Beijing Olympian Mitch Kealey and Target 2012 squad athlete Brad Woods alongside him. They will take on Birmingham’s training partner and Olympic and world championships representative Andy Baddeley, Mo Farah, Mark Draper and Sean Moralee.

With a quick wave to the camera they are ready to go for a quick one-lap trip.

The Aussies Kealey and Birmingham have taken it out hard with a five metre gap on Baddeley and Farah.

They are stretching it out to a 10 metre gap by the halfway mark and look in a good position.

Kealey is starting to hurt and Baddeley is making a move but Birmingham looks well in control.

Baddeley is starting to kick and Farah is chasing, they've overtaken Birmingham and Baddeley takes the points. We are being out-foxed! The final results are Baddeley 4:02, Farah second in the same official time, Birmingham third in 4:04, then a nine-second gap to Kealey, who finished in 4:13, Draper (4:14), Woods (4:18), Bromley (4:21) and Moralee (4:24).

Men’s 110m hurdles

World University Games representative John Burstow and world junior representative Daniel Martin are about to take to the very quick temporary track on the north side of the Tyne in the 110m hurdles, taking on Will Sharman, who was just outside the medals in this event in Berlin, and 2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Andy Turner. It’s going to be a quick race but the boys look relaxed as they are introduced.

They are in the starter's hands and away, it's a false start against the field and the rules say if another break is recorded the race goes and the competitor who breaks is eliminated but finishes the race.

Again they are in the blocks and it's clean, Martin got out well but was eclipsed by Sharman and Turner in the second half of the race. Martin hit the third hurdle and Burstow was clean but a little off the pace of the Poms. Another point to England. The Englishmen finished neck and neck with Sharman recording 13.53 to shake off Turner in 13.54 by the slimmest of margins. Martin finished well in 14.15 and Burstow recorded 14.40.

Men’s 60m

World championships 4x100m relay representatives Anthony Alozie and Matt Davies are on the track and ready for the short sprint, where it’s all about the start and pure speed. The English will be represented by world championships bronze medallist in the 4x100m relay Tyrone Edgar and Richard Kilty, a former captain for the Great British world junior championships team.

They are introduced to the crowd and take the blocks. Alozie sizzles out of the blocks and it was a close race through the field. Kilty chased him down and we will await the results. It's Kilty 6.67 from Edgar 6.69. Davies took third place in 6.71 and Alozie faded on the line for fourth in 6.72.

Men’s 150m

Bronze medallist in the 4x400m relay in Berlin Sean Wroe and fellow Flame representative Davies are ready to do battle with Englishmen Marlon Devonish and Jefferey Lawal-Balogun. It should be a great race - Australia needs this one!

They are in the starter's hands and away, Devonish gets out early and is well in front for the whole race. He takes the point for England in 14.88 from Lawal-Balogun (15.21), Davies (15.24) and Wroe (15.67). It's the fastest 150m ever run by a Brit, which just goes to show this is a fast track.

Men's Long jump

Further down the river bank world junior championships representative Henry Frayne and World University Games representative Shaun Fletcher are getting ready for the long jump competition, where they will take on experienced opposition in world championships finalists Greg Rutherford and Chris Tomlinson. The Englishmen have personal best jumps of 8.30m and 8.29m respectively, so the young Aussies will have some work to do but the Poms are coming off a long season and Frayne and Fletcher are fresh so who knows.

Results are in from across the river and it's Englishman Rutherford with 8.17m from countryman Tomlinson 7.92m. Youngster Henry Frayne leapt 7.81m for third place and Fletcher was fourth with 7.36m.

Women’s 150m

With the scores now at nine-one we find ourselves waiting for the last event. The English are confident that their captain Ohuruogu, the Olympic 400m champion, can do it after she set a personal best and national record over this distance in the street meet at Manchester, where Jamaican world record-holder Usain Bolt blitzed the field. Canberra’s Melissa Breen and Lauren Boden have something to say about that and both are looking sharp in their uniforms and ready to go.

They are in the starter's hands and it's another false start against the whole field.

Australia's hopes are on the young Canberra-based athletes as they take on Douglas and Ohuruogu, a real challenge.

An even start but the Poms break away and Ohuruogu takes the point for England in a personal best time of 16.94 from Douglas in 17.18, well ahead of the best of the Aussies Breen, who ran 17.70 and Boden, who finished in 17.72.

It's presentation time now and plenty of gloating opportunities for the Poms. It's been a great competition and we'll be back next year.

The Great North City Games have been a fantastic opportunity for athletes and fans to get up close and personal in the streets of NewcastleGatehead. Thanks to Nova International and the Cities of Newcastle and Gateshead for the organisation and support of this event, and congratulations to the English team on a well-deserved victory.