Page 16 - Summer2018Gazette

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Spoiler Alert!
Our Girls (and Boys) are National Champions Again

The timetable bears only scant
It’s been another fine year for our resemblance to that used during
Junior Athletes and we arrive the regular season, but variety
at Bedford in early September to is the cinnamon of life, and we
defend our National titles, once begin the day’s campaign with
more, as Southern Premiership the long jump. It could hardly be
Champions. The future looks better for us but no chickens are
bright, that is, if there is a future. being counted. It’s not a great
At last year’s YDL AGM a day for jumping (or most other
resolution was proposed to cancel events) with a blustery wind
the Finals until future notice on making its presence felt. With
financial grounds. After much her first jump in the U17 pool,
discussion, the resolution was Funminiyi Olajide, fresh from
deferred for a year in order to her English and Schools Games
enable the League to demonstrate victories, produces a solid mark Bekah Walton attempting to
that sufficient savings could be that, while a little below her break the 50m barrier in the
made to make subsequent finals best, no-one else comes close to Javelin
viable. Which is why we’re in matching. Jade Oni and Mary McDonald (along with Issie
Bedford with only 5 other teams Adeniji (a double Cambridge Hilditch and Immanuela Aliu)
and not 7 – there’s been no paper Blue this summer) are suitably has already left for a college
match and, thus, no Windsor, inspired and share the spoils in life in the US, but Jess Keene
which has to make life easier the U20 event. Maximum points steps in to take second in the
for us – and the call room has in the first event. Perfect! And, U20 ‘metric mile’ with Sabrina
been dispensed with, but last with a smile on our faces, it’s off Mannes, Lily Tappenden and
year’s message has got through to the hammer, where Victoria Jess Neale all producing bronze
and there will still be medals. Wiltshire, for once, isn’t finding medal performances in their
Fortunately, most of the athletes too much to smile about, but events. And there are more
are blissfully unaware of the with new member, Molly Walsh, good points in the 100m as Par-
Sword of Damocles suspended proving a danger to low-fly- ris Johnson and Team Captain,
over the competition and are able ing aircraft in launching her Anastasia Davies, both take 2nd
to focus on contesting another implement out to 52m, we have places and Katia Cienciala is
Finals Day. another win and a silver medal 3rd in the U17 to maintain the
for Victoria as well. And there’s momentum.
more good news to come from
The propensity of fate the pole vault where Lois War- Rising to the challenge
We must be the bookies’ favou- den wins the U20 and Ellie Bar- Back out in the field, there’s
rites, but there is no place in our rett and Zoe Austridge complete a bit of a scare with Hannah
sport for bookies and we know the clean sweep in the U17s. Macaulay having had traffic
better than to take anything for problems and arriving just as her
granted: 2013 remains a blot on Long hurdles haven’t been our first event, the shot, is starting.
our escutcheon and fate has the strongest track events of the Completely unflustered, multi-
propensity to be outrageous if summer, but Steff Fisher and eventer and ever-reliable Lauren
you let it. Shaftesbury ended the Grace Scopes (at the beginning Farley rises to the challenge,
Premiership season strongly so of a busy day) emerge with silver winning the U17 A string with
we know we have to be on song and bronze medals, respectively, Hannah warming up as she goes
from note one. in the U20 and Holly Platt has and coming through to win
a fine win in the B 300H to the B string and Anika Olalere
take us into the 1500s with a completing another clean sweep
spring in our step. Katy-Ann