Page 12 - Summer2018Gazette

12
Nothing Succeeds Like Success…
The Junior Men 2018

The 2018 season was a par-
ticularly memorable one for the
junior men’s team and certainly
one of the most successful in living
memory. The previous season
had seen us overtake Shaftesbury
Barnet Harriers, a team that
have been as dominant on the
men’s’ side for the past decade as
our B&B junior women have
been on theirs. That meant start-
ing the summer as favourites to
achieve our goal of retaining our
national title, but also carrying
the pressure that comes with being
the number one ranked junior The 4x4 team’ s time of 4.17 was the fastest by a B&B junior squad for
squad in the country. 20 years
men recorded 16 A-string wins. 800m and Kelechi Aguocha
Victory at Reading We were particularly dominant in the high jump, while for the
The season started well, the in the middle distance events U17s Ollie Briars impressed in
side having been bolstered by winning both strings in 800, the 400m and there was a con-
some excellent first year under 1500, 3000 and the ‘chase at vincing win for the 4×1 team.
17s that had come through the U20 level. At U17 level one of
ranks added to a handful of the highlights of the day was a Dead rubber at Shaftsbury
talented new second claimers. fine win in the 400 hurdles by The final group match at Shaft-
The first match, away in a chilly Oscar Heaney Brufal (who also esbury came in the middle of
Reading saw a dominant B&B set the fastest U17 time in the summer holiday season and was
clinch victory by more than country for the season so far), essentially a dead rubber. Sadly
100 points. A-string wins by although star performer was the aforementioned unbeaten
Ollie Bright (3000m) and Ben probably Pedro Gleadall who record finally came to an end.
Hawkes (SP) on their squad took A-string wins in Pole Vault,
debuts were highlights as were discus and the javelin (with a A depleted squad, many of
double A-string wins for Har- 61m PB effort). whom were having to double or
rison Thorne (HJ and SP). The even triple up in their events,
day ended on a high with a huge Winning streak at Eton battled hard but ultimately were
win in the 4×4 for the U20 lads. Match 3 saw the club’s junior overturned by the home side
athletes maintain a winning by just 10 points. Wins were
Total domination at home streak that stretched back three hard to come by but Ethan
The second match was on our seasons and that helped ensure Brown, recent winner of an U18
home turf and not surprisingly their place in the national final European silver medal, took the
produced one of our most dom- for another year. Unlike the 200m and the U20 sprint quar-
inant performances of the sum- home fixture, the match at
mer. The total score of 869 was Eton was close however, with tet anchored by Camron Lyttle
a league record, overtaking the injuries and absences beginning took the 4×1 win. Performance
record we had set in the same to take their toll. Just a handful of the day went to Kelechi who
fixture the year before. Spurred of A-string wins included PBs leapt to a huge 2.06m win in the
on by home support, the junior from Angus Harrington in the high jump.