OLYMPIC Games 1500m finalist Laura Weightman found herself overshadowed by a 17-year-old rival as Morpeth Harriers had to settle for second place in the Royal Signals North-East Road Relay Championships at rain-swept Hetton Country Park.

Running on the second 2.2-mile leg Weightman passed 28 other athletes in the mixed race to shoot the Northumbrians into the lead, clocking 11 mins 22 secs, comfortably the fastest time of the day. Morpeth then maintained their lead, going into the final leg with a 23 seconds advantage pover defending champions Jarrow and Hebburn who, in turn, led Birtley by 19 seconds..

But Birtley AC's four-times Junior Great North Run winner Lydia Turner, who made her Great Britain debut in Belgrade in December, moved from third place, making up a 42 seconds deficit, to snatch the lead by overtaking former Great Britain World Half Marathon Championships international Sarah Wilkinson - now a 44-year-old veteran - and go on to win by ten seconds, with the second fastest run of the afternoon.

Three times North-East cross country champion and Great Britain international Rosie Smith led on the opening leg but her team, Durham City, dropped back to take the bronze medals.

Morpeth's men's team, victorious in each of the two previous years, had to settle for third place behind winners Gateshead, who overtook silver-medallists New Marske, winners in 2011, on the fifth leg, thanks to the two fastest runs by Callum Johnson (10.45) and Chris Parr (10.44).

Results - Senior Men (6x2.2m): 1 Gateshead 67 mins 3 secs (C Franks (6) 11.37, M Elliott (2) 11.01, K Flannery (3) 11.40, D Johnson (2) 11.16, C Johnson (1) 10.45, C Parr (1) 10.44); 2 New Marske 67.37 (S Garrett (13) 11.39, D Shaw (3) 11.01, A Wiles (1) 10.48, C Pascoe (1) 11.29, S O'Grady (2) 11.25, R Best (2) 10.55); 3 Morpeth 68.10 (C Avery (5) 11.32, M Dawson (6) 11.46, T Straughan (4) 11.41, N Swinburn (3) 10.47, I Harding (3) 11.09, R Floyd (3) 11.15); 4 Gateshead B 70.06; 5 Tyne Bridge 70.54. Fastest times: 1 C Parr 10.44; 2 C Johnson 10.45; 3 N Swinburn 10.47.

Over-50 Veteran Men (6x2.2m): 1 Elswick 76.17; 2 Morpeth 77.50; 3 Crook 77.52.

Senior Women (4x2.2m): 1 Birtley 52.15 (S Burnett (7) 13.25, P Chambers (4) 13.17, T Millmore (3) 13.26, L Turner (1) 12.07); 2 Morpeth 52.25 (A Brown (20) 14.39, L Weightman (1) 11.22, J Hodgson (1) 13.25, S Wilkinson (2) 12.59); 3 Durham City 53.13. Fastest times: 1 L Weightman 11.22; 2 L Turner 12.07; 3 R Smith 12.16.

Over-50 Veteran Men: 1 North Shields Poly 50.35; 2 Sunderland 51.27; 3 Billingham Marsh House 53.41.