Last updated
11 November 2019
Press Releases for
April, May & June 2007
26/06/07
Montell Douglas was part of the women's 4x100 team whose
victory at the European Cup at Vaasa, Finland helped the Great Britain team to
get promoted back to the Super League Final for 2008. The Blackheath & Bromley
athlete, who had earlier in the day run a new best of 11.51 ran an excellent
back straight as the quartet timed a very useful 43.24 which is a qualifying
time for the World Championships in Osaka.
Scott Huggins is the National Under 20 champion in the
pole vault. He took the title at the England Athletics Championships at Bedford
with a clearance of 4.80 that won the contest on countback.
Anike Shand Whittingham made a big breakthrough in the 100
metres as she not only picked up the silver medal but also set a new best of
11.60 in a race that recorded a wind speed of 2.0 metres per second. She was
also 4th in the 200 in a new best of 24.26.
There were two bronze medal winners, both in the under 23
age group. Shavaun Henry was third in the 3000 steeplechase in 11.24.41 while
Stuart Harvey threw the javelin 61.22.
Others did well despite not winning medals. James Alaka
was 4th in the 100 metres in a new best of 10.51 and he was 5th in the 200 in
21.64. Danny Doyley was 5th in the 200 in 21.64 and Funmi Sobodu was 6th in the
100 in 10.63. Alex AlAmeen equalled his best of 14.34 in placing 5th in the 110
hurdles. Victoria Thomas and Rachel Blackie were 4th and 5th in the under 23
hammer.
National Young Athletes League, Lee Valley
The Club’s youngsters have secured a place in this
years National Young Athletes Final by defeating National Champions Enfield &
Haringey on their own ground at Lee Valley. Last year the North Londoners
narrowly won the National title with B & B having won the previous two. With a
strong Shaftesbury Barnet also in action the afternoon proved an absorbing
affair with the Club eventually winning by just ten points.
Two of the squad received Athlete Of The Match Awards.
Aaron Lloyd received the men’s track award for his 12.7 winning performance in
the under 13 boys 75 metre hurdles.
Katherine Jones received the female award for her new
personal best of 11.03 in the shot , a well earned accolade as she also won the
discus and B Hammer achieving maximum points from her three permitted events.
The only other Club Athlete to do this was Sarah McGuire
who won the A javelin and B shot and discus, and with Banke Jemiyo first in the
A Hammer and Helen Silvester returning to action to win the B javelin the Club
achieved maximum points in the Under 17 women’s throws.
Other wins for the girls in this age group came from
captain Isobel Ivy in the 300 metres; from Katrina Cosby in the 300 hurdles and
from Jessica Matthews who returned from injury to win the high jump.
For the men Dan Putnam was in majestic form in the 400
winning in 49.60 and Andrew Jordon won the Hammer by over 27 metres with 65.66
while Jake Haylock won the B event with a new best of 52.14. Eddie Ekanem also
set a new best in the shot with 14.23 and Jermaine Alexander timed a useful
22.60 to narrowly win the 200. Stephen Cavey again impressed in winning the 800.
Many of the above were grade one performances and there were more in the under
15 age group from Tom Bensted in the 100, Ben Parkin and Ben Hopkins (400) and
from Ben again in the 80 hurdles with 11.7. Philip Sesemann continues to improve
in the 1500 winning in 4.29 Kelly Davey won the shot again with 9.69 and Nenisha
Nelson Roberts had a successful afternoon with her best position being in the A
string high jump where she was a joint winner. Anton Daly achieved two grade
ones in the under 13 age group in the 200 with a time of 12.70 and in the 75
metre hurdles with 13.20.
One of the most exciting finishes of the day came in the
under 13 girls 1200 where Jessica Jones dug deep in the home straight to move
from third place to secure victory. Frances Read and Lara Lalemi won both
strings of the high jump.
Kent Young Athletes League, Deangate
The previous weekend the under 15s and under 13s
were in action again in the Kent Young Athletes League at Deangate where there
were wins for the under 13 boys and under 13 and under 15 girls with the under
15 boys runners up. This meant a win overall for the girls and second place for
the boys.
Highlight of the day came in the under 15 girls pole vault
where Jessica Nicole Smith set a new Club Record of 2.81 for victory. Other A
string wins came from Sian Hurlock (300); Krystal Galley (800), Nenisha Nelson
Roberts (75 hurdles and high jump), Letitia Noel (shot) and the 4x100 team of
Letitia, Nenisha, Sian and Amar Jacobs.
Stephen Camacho enjoyed a successful day with wins in the
A 100, the 80 hurdles and the long jump. He also joined Bernard Channon, Jamie
Sadler, and Jimmy Clack to help the Club to victory in the 4x400.
Anton Daly was a double winner in the under 13 age group
taking the 100 and 200 titles and there were further wins for Aaron Lloyd (75
hurdles), Eddie Otoyo (high jump), Charlie Penny (long jump) and the 4x100 team
of Anton, Eddie, Charlie and Joe Green. Dina Asher Smith won the long jump with
a leap of 3.78 and she joined Lara Lalemi, Lauren Pariola Birch and Rachel
Dickens to win the 4x100.
Peter Tucker has hit a rich vein of form recently. He won
the Kent 10,000 metre title at Deangate with a new best of 31.41.6. Fran Green
was first Senior Woman to finish in the 3000 timing a new best of 10.30.9.
Pete also ran a new best in the 3000 metres in a
representative match at Loughborough timing 8.47, narrowly beating veteran
Spencer Newport. Bill Foster, who is 50 next year, recently timed 9.20 for the
distance at an Open Meeting at Watford, a time he feels is superior to both if
the times were age adjusted.
Following on from his track success Tucker also retained
his title at the Orpington 10km winning the multi terrain event in 34.30. Second
home for the Club in 8th was Darryl Hilliar in 37.10 with Lee Warren 13th 38.15.
Wilf Orton looked a different athlete as he made a remarkable recovery from
injury to finish 19th in 38.48.
First woman home was Viv Mitchell in 69th with Annie
McDonough 103rd and Elle Harker 270th.
The Senior Men enjoyed a good victory in their latest
Southern League match of the season at Norman Park. Against good opposition they
won by 18 points and are now 3rd in Division Three South.
Best performance of the day came from Tom Robinson with a
4.20 clearance in the pole vault but Man Of The Match according to team manager
Dave McKinlay was Dale Willis who won both hurdles events as well as scoring
good points in the jumps.
19/06/07
Blackheath & Bromley athletes had a highly successful
weekend at the South Of England Championships for Senior and Under 20 athletes
at Crystal Palace. They came away with eight gold medals from a Regional contest
that covers athletes from 19 different counties with seven of those golds coming
from athletes in the under 20 age group.
Victoria Thomas was the Club's only Senior winner. She
claimed her first Senior title with a comfortable win in the Hammer, her
distance of 53.40 being a season's best. There were silver medals from Stuart
Harvey in the javelin with 61.80; from Alex Pope in the shot with a new best of
12.82; and from Shaunagh Brown in the discus with 46.25. Liz Hughes and
Christine Lawrence both just missed out on medals with 4th places in the pole
vault and javelin.
The previous day Shaungh had picked up golds in the junior
age group in both the shot and the discus with throws of 12.67 and 45.17, the
Club's only double winner of the two days.
It was another memorable weekend for Scott Huggins. He
broke the Scottish Junior record for the 4th time this season as he cleared 4.81
to win the pole vault. The Allan Williams coached athlete looked to have gone
even higher as he seemed to clear 4.90 only for the bar to come down after he
had landed on the bed.
Both men's sprints were won by athletes who have been
suffering from injuries. Funmi Sobodu took the 100 metre title timing 10.90 into
a -1.9 headwind while Danny Doyley swept to victory in the 200 metres in 21.59.
Bronze medallist in the both races was James Alaka with times of 11.00 and
22.03.
To add to the success in the sprints Anike Shand
Whittingham claimed silver in the women's 100 in 11.86 and Alex AlAmeen won gold
in the 110 hurdles in a new best of 14.34. Back in the field there was another
impressive victory in the Hammer for Alistair Williamson who threw 65.76 with
Richard AlAmeen third in 50.09.
There was bronze too for Emily Godley in the pole vault
with a clearance of 3.50 and a new personal best for Alex Bruce-Littlewood in
the 2000 metre steeplechase in 6.09.29.
Shaunagh Brown is the Club's first recipient of a Jack
Petchey Foundation Achievement Award. Each month a Club member aged between 11
and 25 receives a framed certificate and a cheque for £200 to be spent on a Club
project of the recipient's choice. The award will not necessarily go to
outstanding athletes, it could equally go to members who are making a valued
contribution to Club Life.
Shaungh's award is, therefore, made, not just for her
breaking the Club Junior and Senior discus records; achieving a European Junior
Qualifying distance; and gaining her first Great Britain Junior International
vest; but also for the consistent support which she gives the Club's teams. Her
award was presented by her coach John Hilliar in front of her training group at
Sutcliffe Park track. Visit
www.myspace.com/discuschampbrown for more on Shaunagh.
Both the men's and women's veteran teams moved a step
closer to places in the Southern Veterans Final in August as they won their
respective matches in the latest Kent Veterans League match of the season at
Deangate.
For the women there were A string wins for Jane Bradshaw
in the 1500 and for Barbara Terry who moved down in age groups to win the shot.
Jane then joined Bridget Davey, Helen Godsell and Annie McDonough to win the
4x400. It proved an exceptional day for Annie who had earlier broken the Club
over 50s 1500 metre record winning her race in 5.46.4.
Helen also had a win in the over 50s 200 metes while
Beatrice Simpson took the over 50s shot title in 8.74 and Barbara Terry returned
to her correct age group to win the javelin. The men's strongest area was the
over 50's age group where Vice President Bob Minting made the trip up from
Exeter worthwhile as he won the 1500 metres. Maximum points were also achieved
by Tom Phillips (200) and Craig Mitchinson (high jump and javelin) with John
Robinson winning the over 60s high jump in 1.25.
The Women's B team finished as runners up in their
Division Two match at the same venue.
A number of the Club's youngsters were in action at the
Schools Inter Counties match at Bedford. Stephen Cavey helped the Kent
Intermediate Boys team to victory with his win in the 800 in 1.58.5 while
Jermaine Alexander (Surrey) won the 100 in 11.2.
Katherine Jones continued her excellent season with a new
best of 10.75 in the shot and added the discus title with 29.72. Isobel Ivy won
the triple jump with 11.08 and was also second in the long jump and there were
runners up spots too for Sarah McGuire with a season's best of 32.91 in the
javelin; and from Grace Sheppard in the 100.
Tom Bensted had another good win in the Junior Boys 400 in
52.2, as did Ben Hopkins in the 80 hurdles and Phillip Sesemann improved his
best yet again in the 1500 with a 4.22.6 clocking.
12/06/07
Scott Huggins broke the Scottish Junior Record for the
third time this season when he cleared 4.80 at the Bedford International Games.
His clearance was another Blackheath & Bromley Club Junior Record and there
seems every chance that this will be improved again as the 17 year old still has
the rest of this year and 2008 in the age group.
Alistair Williamson moved ever closer to the qualifying
mark for the European Junior Championships as he threw 67.65 in the Hammer and
Andrew Jordon threw another excellent 65.63 in the under 17 age group.
The Club's sprinters were out in force and Inter Counties
100 metre champion Anike Shand Whittingham again impressed. Her time of 12.02 in
the 100 metres B race was quicker than all the competitors in the A race. Four
of the men were in action with the quickest being Duayne Bovell who ran a very
useful 10.80. There was a welcome return to competition for Fabain Collymore who
ran 10.90 while Juniors Danny Doyley and James Alaka timed 10.94 and 10.98
respectively.
Four hundredths again separated them in the 200 with James
running 21.73 to Danny's 21.77. Montell Douglas and Sam Singer both ran seasons
bests in the 400 of 55.45 and 56.90 while Alex AlAmeen timed 14.38 in the 100
hurdles.
Shaunagh Brown had another good day in the throws
launching the discus out to 47.36 and putting the shot 13.20 just 10 centimetres
off her best. There was a seasons best for Christine Lawrence in the javelin
with a throw of 45.18 and Victoria Thomas threw 62.74 in the Hammer.
Alex Pope enjoyed an outstanding weekend at the AAA's
Combined Events Championships at Stoke, setting personal bests in seven out of
the ten events in the decathlon. This enabled him to set a best ever points
score of 6576 to finish in 13th place overall, just 116 points off 5th place. He
set new bests in all the five events on the opening day with 11.38 in the 100,
6.31 (long jump), 12.68 (shot), 1.80 (high jump) and 51.44 (400). The second day
started with a new best of 16.77 in the 110 hurdles. The discus (41.07) and pole
vault (4.05) did not go as well as he had hoped but he bounced back with a new
pb of 53.46 in the javelin. He rounded off the weekend tired but happy with 5.08
in the 1500. The Loughborough University student was delighted with his weekends
performance and pointed to the British League as being the perfect competition
to hone his skills.
Alex was joined at Stoke by legendary MC Sniper E aka
Bomene Barikor who was competing in his first decathlon. He finished with a
score of 5,200 which is actually higher than Alex achieved in his first attempt
and there is no doubt that he will score considerable higher when he has
improved his throws and pole vault. His best event was the 400 metres in which
he ran a new best of 48.99. Visit the Sniper E website at
www.snipere.co.uk
A small group of Club members enjoyed great success at the
St Mary's Relays at Twickenham. Representing the Borough of Bromley a quartet of
Amy DeMatos, Jessica Saville, Katie Vistuer and Grace Sheppard took part in a
medley relay for under 17 athletes aimed at trying to better Kelly Holmes 1500
best of 3.57.9. Not only did the quartet win the race but they clocked an
impressive 3.53.77 well inside the target time.
Grace and Katie then joined Daniella Annon and Rebecca
Cook in the 4x100 where against Senior students and Club teams they finished in
second place in 49.79 the first time they have run inside 50 seconds.
Both Stephen Cavey and Bryony Proctor set personal bests
on the night. Stephen ran 4.07.55 in the 1500 and Bryony 9.54.61 in the 3000.
Jamie Atkinson timed 8.31.31 in the men's 3000.
Blackheath & Bromley's Senior teams both progressed to the
semi final stage of the 10 in 100 Cup with fine team displays in the first round
match at Copthall. The women's team finished comfortable winners while the men
finished just three points behind National champions Belgrave. The first three
teams qualified for the semi final.
This year is a new format for the Cup, the 10 in 100 title
referring to the fact that there are just 10 individual events in each match
which are completed in 100 minutes.
The women had four individual wins on the day with perhaps
the most notable being Vanessa Nakangu's victory in the 400 metres. She timed a
new best of 56.86 to win by over two seconds. Youngest member of the team
Katherine Jones won the shot putt and Katy Benneworth was victorious in both the
100 and long jump as well as joining Vanessa, Ella Fisher and Sarah McLellan for
a win in the medley relay.
Juniors Neil Francis and Daniel Haque secured maximum
points for the men in the sprints and Mensah Elliott got the meeting off on the
best possible note by winning the 110 hurdles. In the field Liam Presnell took
the shot title by nearly three metres with a putt of 12.28, a new personal best
and the furthest by a Club athlete for a long time.
The qualification for the Final will be a much tougher
affair as only the winning team form each of the six semi finals is guaranteed
to go through. The remaining two spaces go to the best two losers. Women. 1.
Blackheath & Bromley 89, 2. Dartford 76, 3. Bexley 75, 4. Medway & Maidstone 63,
5. Belgrave 28. Men. 1. Belgrave 83, 2. Blackheath & Bromley 80, 3. Bexley 62,
4. Medway & Maidstone 55, 5. Highgate 52, 6. Dartford 48
There was more success for the Club in the latest Kent
Veterans League match of the season at Norman Park. Both the men's and women's
teams won their matches and the Women's B team were runners up in divison two.
There were A string victories for the women in the over
35s categories from Maureen Miller (100) and Beatrice Simpson (discus) as well
as the 4x200 metres team of Maureen, Helen Godsell, Jane Bradshaw and new girl
Caroline Nyamusi. Caroline had earlier won the B 100 while Helen had triumphed
in the over 50s 100. Annie McDonough took the 800 title and Barbara Terry won
the shot.
For the men there were wins for Paul Sutherland in the
long jump, Tom Phillips in the over 50s 100, and Colin Brand in the over 60s
discus. This was followed by victory in the 4x200 for the quartet of Ricky Fox,
Nigel Keogh, Clem Leon and Tom Phillips.
Blackheath & Bromley's Triathlon brigade made their annual
trek to Weymouth for the Half IronMan that is used as a stepping stone to the
full version later in the year. Nick Kinsey, preparing for Frankfurt and later
on the Canada IronMan, showed the youngsters how to do it by beating the field
by a five minute margin finishing in 4:05:08. He also won a share of the first
team prize of a crate of lager. John McConville, completing his seventh
consecutive Weymouth was 6th in his age group, 81st over all in 4:43:38. John is
preparing for IronMan Austria in July as is Jim Phelan who finished second in
the V55 category with a time of 4:59:11 in 122nd spot. Having collapsed with
heat stroke last year, Trevor Simmons was back to confront his demons and
successfully did so in 5:19:47 finishing 188th out of a field of 300. Distances:
1.2 mile sea swim,56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.
5/06/07
One of Blackheath & Bromley's most talented and popular
athletes Julian Golding has decided to retire from competition. A Club Vice
President and Life Member, the 32 year old made his decision after picking up an
injury in April which refused to clear.
After a series of injuries in recent years he enjoyed a
low key Summer in 2006 before embarking on a full Winters training with the aim
of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics before retiring. Training was going well
until he started to feel hamstring trouble which would not clear. " I decided
that I would listen to what my body was saying and call it a day." said the
former Commonwealth Games 200 metre champion.
The good news for the Sport, however, is that he is now
passing on his knowledge and experience to the next generation of sprinters.
Although based in Catford he is coaching in schools in North and East London as
part of the Newham Sports Academy, and expects to do more in South London soon.
The Club's Senior men could have done with Julian at the
latest British League match of the season at Lee Valley. The squad finished in
7th place on the day and with the positions of the other Club's changing greatly
from the previous match the Club are now are now bottom of Division One. The
team needs to be at full strength for the remaining two matches in what is
proving to be a very competitive division.
It was not all doom and gloom, however, as Scott Huggins
broke the Scottish Under 20's pole vault record for the second time this season
when he cleared 4.75. This added 4 centimetres to his previous best and was also
a new Club record. He was the Club's only individual winner of the day. Those
who were at Lee Valley performed well and, as well as Scott, there were new
bests for James Poole and David McKinlay in the 800s with times of 1.54.86 and
1.55.7; Liam Presnell in the shot (11.97) and for Richard AlAmeen in the Hammer
(43.98) and discus (18.59).
Liam and Richard were both making their British League
debuts as were James Alaka, who ran well to gain 5th places in the A string 100
and 200 races, and Andrew Conway and Alistair Cliff who came in at short notice
in the 1500 and 3000 steeplechase.
Mensah Ellliott had his first race of the season to claim
2nd place in the 110 hurdles and Mark Steinle returned to track racing after a
two year break to finish 5th in a good standard 5000 race. Another returning to
action was Stuart Harvey, after injury disrupted his Winter training. He
finished 3rd in the javelin with 61.74.
Alex Pope again performed admirably competing in seven
events and placing 2nd in the B string Pole Vault and javelin.
The Senior Women had a more successful time in their
opening UK Women's League match of the season in Swansea. They finished in a
fine second place, an impressive result considering the number of athletes
missing through injury, exams and work commitments.
Inter Counties champion Ankie Shand Whittingham continued
her rich vein of form with a win in the 100 metres in 11.87 while Vicki Cole
made it maximum points in the B string. There was a double victory also for
Sandra Alaneme and Lauren Blackie, a particularly pleasing result as the duo
have had to overcome a number of injury difficulties.
Further A string victories came from Liz Hughes in the
pole vault and from Vicky Thomas in the Hammer.
Bryony Proctor broke through the 10 minute barrier for the
first time in the 3000 metres as she finished second in 9.55.84 and there were
runner up places also for Christine Lawrence in the javelin, for Shaunagh Brown
in the shot, and the 4x100 quartet of Vicki Cole, Anike Shand Whittingham,
Sandra Alaneme and Sam Singer.
The Club's under 20's team just missed out on first place
in the second National Junior Athletic League match of the season at Copthall.
However, having won the first match, they still head the Southern Premier
Division and so are in one of the automatic qualification places for this years
National Final.
Alistair Williamson received the Male Athlete of the Match
award for his win in the Hammer. Defying the wet and slippery conditions he
launched the 6kg implement out to 65.68 just shy of the qualifying distance for
the European Junior Championships. Richard AlAmeen made it maximum points by
winning the B string with a new best of 54.09.
Other A string victories came from James Alaka in the 100,
Shaunagh Brown in the shot and discus, and from Emily Martin with a 5.49 leap in
the long jump.
There were a number of B string wins as well. Neil Francis
enjoyed an emphatic win in the B string 400 metres and there were further
victories for Liam Presnell (shot), Sarah McLellan (400 hurdles), Katherine
Jones (Discus), Isobel Ivy (Long jump) and Charlotte Walden Day (shot).
Unfortunately the pole vault competitions were cancelled which meant that Simon
Hemmings, Aston Stockdale, Emily Godley and Rachel Arnheim all enjoyed joint
wins as the points were shared among the competitors that had been declared.
The youngsters of the Club made it three wins out of three
as they enjoyed a comfortable win in the latest National Young Athletes League
match of the season. However, while three wins is most satisfactory it needs to
be remembered that the two toughest matches of the season have yet to take place
and so a spot in the National Final is still not guaranteed.
Aaron Lloyd was rewarded for his 12.6 victory in the Under
13 boys 75 metre hurdles with the male Track Athlete Of The Match award, which
was well deserved considering his consistently high level of performance this
Summer.
Girls team captain Isobel Ivy led by example again with
wins in the 300 metres, long jump and triple jump in the under 17 age group and
there were further A string victories for Jessica Saville (800), Daniella Annon
(100), Katrina Cosby (80 hurdles), Rebecca Smith (3000), Sarah McGuire (discus
and javelin) and Katherine Jones (shot).
For the boys Jermaine Alexander enjoyed a double win in
the sprints and there were firsts also for Dan Putnam (400), Stephen Cavey
(3000) and Andrew Jordon (Hammer).
Tom Bensted again demonstrated what an asset he is going
to be for the Club. The John Powell coached athlete won both the under 15 boys
200 and 400 metre races with Mark Longhurst and Charlee Debolla picking up wins
in the 80 metre hurdles and pole vault.
Jasmyn Raikes, Letitia Noel and Nenisha Nelson Roberts
secured maximum points in the sprints with Nenisha also enjoying victory in the
high jump. Other wins came from Michelle Fewster (1500), Lauren Stevens (long
jump and 75 hurdles) and Kelly Davey in the shot.
The under 13 girls scored a staggering 61 out of 68 points
with maximum points in the sprints from Dina Asher Smith, Lara Lalemi, and
Charlotte Colgate and in the shot putt for Eleanor Dumper and Charlotte Hughes
Broughton.
Anton Daly continued his winning ways in the boys 100 and
200 races while the promising Adam Willis won the 800 metres by nearly seven
seconds. Eddie Otoyo won the high jump and the B string 100 and long jumps.
This was, however, a real team effort with the
contribution of athletes in B strings playing a vital part in the overall
result. So for example wins by Greig Holder in the under 17’s B 400 hurdles and
high jump; and Claire Wickham in the under 17’s B shot and discus were crucial
to the Club’s push to regain the National crown.
29/05/07
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC's work with youngsters
has been recognised by the Jack Petchey Foundation who have added the Club to
its Achievement Award Scheme. The Club has been awarded Gold Status, the highest
level at which the Scheme operates. Each month the clubs selects one young
person, in the 11 to 25 age group to receive an Achievement Award. The month’s
winner receives a framed certificate and a cheque (payable to the club) to be
spent on a club project of the recipient’s choice.
In addition more Senior Club Members can be recognised
through the parallel Leader Awards Scheme.
This has been a huge boost to the Club who are the current
National Champions in the Junior Age group and who have twice won and finished
second in the Young Athletes in the last three years. Senior Internationals such
as Montell Douglas, Michael Skinner, Dwayne Grant, Julian Golding and Mark
Steinle have all progressed through the Club's younger age group teams. Further
detail of the Jack Petchey Foundation can be found at
http://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/
Highlighting the Club’s great pool of developing talent
two under 20 athletes actually won gold medals at the Senior Inter Counties
Championships at Bedford. Scott Huggins took the men’s pole vault title with a
clearance of 4.70. On the track Anike Shand Whittingham made a great beakthrough
as she won the women’s 100 metres in 11.82, having set a new best of 11.77 in
the heat.
Another youngster to excel was Shaunagh Brown who took
third place in the discus with a throw of 49.64, again exceeding the qualifying
mark for the European Junior Championships. There was a bronze too for Michael
Skinner, who has been competing for the Club since he was 10 years old. He
placed third in a tight mile race with 4.21.90.
Shavaun Henry was just outside the medals with 4th place
in the women’s 2000 steeplechase; Vickie Thomas placed 5th in the Hammer and
there were 6th places for Chelsea O Rawe Hobbs in the 3000 metres walk and
Christine Lawrence in the javelin.
Andrew Jordon was the Club’s star performer at the South
Of England Under 17s and Under 15 Championships at Ashford. He won the Under
17’s Hammer contest with a throw of 67.44, the third time that he has broken the
Club Record this season. Training partner Jake Haylock was over 50 metres for
the first time with 50.33 to take 5th place. Promisingly both are in the first
year in this age group.
Another first year under 17 Stephen Cavey took the runner
up spot in the 800 metres in 1.55.47 and followed his excellent 1.54.64 at the
British milers Club Meeting at Watford last week. Dan Putnam had to settle for
bronze in the 400 despite running a new best of 49.38, just three hundredths off
second spot.
Two of the under 17 girls won medals. Team captain Isobel
Ivy won silver in the triple jump with a leap of 10.93, while reigning champion
Sarah McGuire was second in the javelin despite throwing a seasons best of
32.43.
South Of England Indoor sprint hurdles champion Ben
Hopkins added to outdoor title to his rapidly expanding Athletics cv. His time
of 11.50 to win the 80 metre hurdles was a new personal best.
New member Tom Bensted picked up the silver medal in the
400 metres in 53.18, having timed 52.04 in his heat.
There were some good individual performances at the latest
Southern Women's League match of the season at Sutcliffe Park although the Club
placed 4th overall. Vickie Cole won both the 100 and 200 metre races and there
were wins too for Sam Singer (400), Sandra Alaneme in the triple jump with Jade
Castell Thomas taking the B string and for Victoria Thomas in the Hammer. Fran
Green marginally improved her best as she timed 10.52.1 in the 3000 but she had
to settle for the runner up place.
Both the men's and women's teams were victorious in the
latest Kent Veterans League match at Ashford, but both remain in second place in
the League having been beaten in the opening fixture.
Highlight for the women was the over 35s 3000 metres where
Bridget Davey and Jane Bradshaw battled down the home straight to win both the A
and B string races. There were wins too in the over 50's age group for Helen
Godsell (400) and Annie McDonough, again in the 3000, with a new Club Record of
12.25.8.
Helen also helped also won the over 50's triple jump with
Nanette Cross winning the over 60s event. Beatrice Simpson won the over 50's
Hammer. The Club is fielding a B team in the League and in Division Two there
was a win for Justine Eastbury in the triple jump to add to her runner spot in
the A 3000 metres.
For the men there was maximum points in the over 35s 400
for Ricky Fox and Mark Watling plus victories for Tim Soutar (over 50's 3000)
Rob Hall ( B O35s 3000) and Mike Martineau (over 60's triple jump)
There has been more success on the roads with the trio of
John Turner, Peter Rogers and David Leal winning the team prize in the Halstead
Marathon, the first time the Club has ever won this event. Dave Taylor finished
2nd in the Bognor Prom 10km in 32.34.
22/05/07
A number of Blackheath & Bromley athletes were in action
at the Loughborough International at the weekend. Most prominent of these was
Dwayne Grant, who, fresh from breaking the Club Men's 100 metre record last
week, joined Jason Gardener, Mark Lewis Francis and Marlon Devonish in the
England 4x100 metre team that won in 38.88, the only quartet to time under 40
seconds.This a promising time and the quartet will want to build on this as they
prepare for the World Championships later in the year.
Shaunagh Brown made her England Junior debut and produced
her second best ever throw with 47.47 and for the England Junior Men Danny
Doyley clocked 22.23 in the 200 metres.
Two of the Club's middle distance runners made big
improvements in their personal bests. Dan Ryan timed 1.53.52 in the 800, the
first time he has broken 1.56, and James Poole broke through the 3.50 barrier in
the 1500 as he timed 3.49.78. There was a personal best also for Alex AlAmeen
who ran 14.38 in the Junior Men's 110 hurdles.
Funmi Sobodu and Duayne Bovell timed 10.92 and 11.18 into
headwinds in the 100 metres while In the field Scottish Junior Record holder
Scott Huggins cleared 4.55 in the pole vault. For the women Anike Shand
Whittingham ran a very useful 12.05 to place 2nd in the Invitation 100 metres.
Victoria Thomas threw 52.95 in the Hammer.
The Club's Youngsters made it two wins in a row in the
latest round of the Southern Premier Division of National Young Athletes League
at Bedford. Their margin of victory was not as great as their opening home match
but it was not an easy weekend with a number of athletes unavailable. Two Club
members received athlete of the match awards. Anton Daly received the boys track
athlete award for his 25.4 winning performance in the Under 13 boys 200 metres
while Kelly Davey won the women's field event award for her new personal best of
10.10 in the under 15 girls shot putt.
Dan Putnam continued his outstanding start to the season
as he broke 50 seconds for the first time clocking 49.7 to win the under 17
men's 400 metres. He also set another grade one performance in the 200 where he
won in 22.8. There was a personal best and grade one also in the 100 metres for
Jermaine Alexander who despite running an outstanding 10.8 had to settle for
second place. In the field Andrew Jordon enjoyed A string victory in the Hammer
by an astonishing 39 metres and there were other A string wins for Tom Mitchell
in the discus and Eddie Ekanem (shot).
For the girls there was a big break breakthrough for
Katherine Jones as she putt over 10 metres for the first time with a distance of
10.35, to add to her wins in the discus and hammer. Team captain Isobel Ivy
produced a grade one time and personal best of of 41.2 in the 300 metres but
came second in the race. However the Hayes schoolgirl did enjoy victory in the
long and triple jumps. There was a double win for Katrina Cosby in the 80 and
300 hurdles.
Tom Benstead and Ben Hopkins both achieved fine wins in
the under 15s 200 and 80 hurdles and Ben also took the 400 metres. In the field
Jesse McDonald improved to 5.92 in the long jump to add to his win in the 100
metres. Other victories came from Philip Sesemann in the 1500 and Charlee
Debolla in the pole vault. A wealth of good performances from the girls included
A string victories for Danielle Critchley (800) and Kelly Davey (shot).
As well as his 200 win Anton Daly also comfortably won the
under 13 boys 100 while Aaron Lloyd produced another good time of 12.7 to win
the 75 hurdles. Adam Willis impressed in the long jump wining with a leap of
4.72. For the girls there were A string wins for Holly Fletcher (800), and
Jessica Jones (70 hurdles).
The squads rounded off the afternoon with victory in seven
of the nine relays to confirm victory in the match.
There was more success for some of the Club’s older
members at the National Masters Road Relay Championships at Sutton Coldfield.
Last year the Club won the over 50’s title but his year had to settle for third
place in a much higher standard contest.
Nevertheless the team of Tim Soutar, Bob Minting, Ken
Daniel, Alan Camp, Graham Coates and Con Griffin were delighted with their
medals. Camp was actually the sixth fastest runner of the day timing 16.19 for
the 3 mile course.
The Club fielded an over 40s team for the first time in a
while and, although they did not feature at the front, Spencer Newport was the
5th fastest of the day with 15.05 and there is no doubt that with a full
strength team they would feature highly.
15/05/07
A busy few days has seen Blackheath and Bromley athletes,
in action at home and abroad, break Club Records; gain International selections
and make important returns to competition.
In Spain Dwayne Grant broke Julian Golding's 10 year old
100 metre Club Record as he timed 10.26 in La Laguna. Up in Leeds Britain’s
fastest marathon runner of the century, Mark Steinle returned to action with an
emphatic victory in the Leeds Half Marathon. The 32 year old won the race by
well over a minute and will now have some races on the track.
At home at the County Championships there were over 40
gold medals medals won at the various venues.
The majority of these were at the Kents at Ashford
Shaunagh Brown enjoyed an outstanding weekend despite the horrendous wind and
rain which caused havoc in the track events. Not only did she achieve a
double-double winning both the senior and junior shot and discus titles but her
throw of 51.18 in the discus was both a Club Senior and Junior record. This
easily exceeds the 48 metres qualifying distance for the European Junior
Championships that take place in Holland in July.
Also in the Under 20's age group Scott Huggins set a new
Scottish Junior record of 4.71 in the pole vault which was again a Club Record.
Finally in the under 17's age group Andrew Jordon exceeded his own Club Record
in the Hammer with a mighty throw of 67.09, an improvement of over 5 metres.
Scott also competed in the Senior Men's pole vault contest
and was the Club's only male Senior Champion winning with a leap of 4.30. For
the women there was a welcome return to competition for Sandra Alaneme who won
the triple jump with a leap of 12.59 while there was a seasons best of 53.34 in
the Hammer for Victoria Thomas and wins for Vickie Cole in the 100 and Katy
Benneworth in the long jump. Great Britain International Liz Hughes opened her
season with victory in the pole vault.
In the under 20 age group James Alaka enjoyed a double
victory in the sprints as did Liam Presnell in the shot and discus. Alistair
Williamson launched the hammer out to 63.49 to win by nearly 10 metres and Alex
AlAmeen took the 110 hurdles title by over a second.
For the women there were track wins for Serita Solomon
(200) Vanessa Nakangu (400), Bryony Proctor (1500) Holly Williams (3000 walk)
and Sarah McLellan (400 hurdles). In the field Rachel Arnheim cleared 3.30 for
victory in the pole vault.
There were more double wins in the under 17 age group from
Katrina Cosby (300 and 300 hurdles), Katherine Jones (shot and discus), Dan
Putnam (200 and 400), and Stephen Cavey (800 and 1500). Jermaine Alexander and
Daniella Annon took the 100 metre titles and there were wins in the field for
Sarah McGuire in the javelin and Isobel Ivy in the long jump.
Philip Sesemann has been in good form recently and he won
the under 15's 1500 title in a new best of 4.32.05. National Indoor champion Ben
Hopkins took the 80 hurdles title by over a second while there were wins in the
long jump contests for Stephen Camacho and Sian Hurlock. To complete an
excellent weekend for pole vaulting at the Club Jessica Nicol Smith cleared 2.40
to claim gold.
At the Surrey Championships at Kingston Neil Francis won
the Under 20 men’s 200 title in 22.51 while Ashley Healy set a new best of 58.68
to win the 400 hurdles. At the Essex Championships there was a win in the Senior
Men’s 110 hurdles for Taiwo Sodeyi and a double victory in the Junior age group
for new member Olufunmi Sobodo in the 100 and 200. Chelsea O’Rawe Hobbs enjoyed
victory in the Under 17 women’s 3000 metre walk.
These wins were just the tip of the iceberg with athletes
of all ages and abilities achieving personal bests.
On the back of their early season form four athletes have
gained selection for the Loughborough International this weekend.
Dwayne Grant has been picked for the England Men’s 4x100
team. Danny Doyley has been chosen to run the 200 for the Great Britain under 20
men’s team and he joins new member Olufunmi Sobodu in the 4x100 squad.
Shaunagh Brown has been picked for the women’s team in the
discus.
8/05/07
British Universities Championships, Bedford
Montell Douglas added the British Universities
outdoor 100 title to her indoor 60 metre crown at the annual championships at
Bedford. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete who studies at Brunel University won
in 11.64 but had to settle for silver in the 200 metres in 23.82.
Victoria Thomas was the Club’s other medallist as she
placed 3rd in the Hammer with 50.20. Alistair Williamson was 4th in the men’s
event with 53.08.
Duayne Bovell qualified for the final of a very
competitive 100 metres and finished 7th in 10.90.
British Athletics League, Division One, Cardiff
Blackheath & Bromley struggled to field a complete
team in the first British League match of the season at Cardiff. With over 40
athletes unavailable the squad was stretched to its absolute limits leaving a
small group of 14 people to cover the 42 strings in the match. Their response
was admirable and they exceeded expectations to avoid finishing last.
Leading the way was last years Athlete of the Year Alex
Pope who competed in 7 individual events. His best performance was the pole
vault where he won the B string with a clearance of 4 metres but he also set a
new best of 1.80 in the high jump. He scored 50 of the teams 212 points. Bomene
Barikor did 5 individual events and both relays.
Only A string winner of the day was Ed Harrison who won a
tight 400 hurdles race, but Scott Huggins claimed a good 2nd in the pole vault
with 4.60. There were third places for captain Michael Skinner in the 1500 and
from Alloy Wilson in the 400.
Encouragingly there were personal bests for Dan Ryan
(1500), Peter Tucker (5000), Danny Brewer (5000), Alex Bruce Littlewood (3000
steeplechase), Ashley Healey (200 and triple jump), Bomene Barikor (discus) and
Scott Huggins (shot and javelin).
This was Ashley Healey’s debut for the first team after a
late call up and he secured a valuable 4th place in his main event the 400
hurdles. Also making his debut was Taiwo Sodeyi who placed 4th in the 110
hurdles.
The Club will be expecting a much better turn out for the
second match of the season at Lee Valley on the 2nd of June.
National Young Athletes League, Norman Park
The Club’s youngsters started their bid to regain
the National title with an emphatic victory in their opening match of the season
at Norman Park. Not only did they win by over 100 points but they provided the
boys track and field athletes of the match. Ben Hopkins took the track award
with his 11.6 in the under 15s 80 metre hurdles while Andrew Jordon received the
field award for his 58.70 in the under 17s Hammer.
There were a string of top class performances in the under
17's age group with Jermaine Alexander, returning to competition, in the 200,
Dan Putnam (400), and Isobel Ivy (300) all setting National grade one
performances.
Isobel achieved a hat trick of A string victories as she
also won both the long and triple jumps and Katherine Jones won the A string
shot and hammer contests and the B string discus. Simon Lloyd and Josh Clarke
achieved maximum points in both hurdles races.
In the under 15s age group Jesse McDonald made his debut
for the Club and produced a fine leap of 5.77 to win the boys long jump to
achieve a grade one. Another athlete making his NYAL debut was Mark Longhurst
and he didn’t disappoint winning the A string shot and javelin and the B string
80 hurdles.
For the girls Mollie Norris, Kelly Davey and Nicole George
achieved maximum points in the throws competitions.
Highlight of the under 13s age group was Anton Daly’s
performances as he achieved grade ones in the 100 and 200 as did Aaron Lloyd in
the 75 hurdles.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the day was to see so
many new athletes competing for the Club and judging by the talent and
enthusiasm displayed, in particular in the under 13s age group, it promises to
be a successful season.
Southern Mens League, Battersea
The problems that affected the British League team
were also felt by the Southern League team at Battersea. Although there was a
reasonable turn out of track athletes the Club were very weak in the field.
However all events were covered and the team finished in
2nd place on the day, a good effort. New team manager David McKinlay was proud
of his team’s performance and singled out Neil Francis, James Summersby and Alex
Cooper for particular praise before adding “If I could name a B&B athlete of the
match, it would be tied between John Vinter and Adam Atkinson who were both
willing to do everything, and were therefore landed with 4 events each, but
managed to pick up valuable points in events that they were fairly unfamiliar
with”.
Kent Veterans League, Sutcliffe Park
The Club’s veterans had a steady start in the
opening Kent Veterans League match of the season at Sutcliffe Park and with many
athletes unavailable and some traffic problems on the way both the men and women
placed third.
Individual wins were few and far between but for the men
Tom Phillips won the 200 metres in 25.7. The only other win came from Colin
Brand in the over 60’s shot with a putt of 9.38. For the women Bridget Davey won
the over 35s 1500 by over ten seconds and Helen Godsell the over 50’s 200 by
over three seconds. In the field Beatrice Simpson won both the over 50s shot and
javelin competitions.
Ted Pepper Memorial 10km, Beckenham
Peter Tucker won the Club's annual Ted Pepper 10km
road race in 32.42 with Jamie Atkinson second in 33.04. Carolyna Jones Baldock
took third in the women's race in a new personal best of 41.37 while Viv
Mitchell won the over 35s race and Angela Cook the over 45s.
1/05/07
Montell Douglas ran her fastest ever 100 metres at the
Kansas Relays in the United States. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete who
represented Great Britain in the European Indoor Championships timed 11.35
albeit wind assisted.
On the roads Dave Taylor had a useful win in the recent
Dunsfold Park 10km timing 32.34. Further down the field youngster Cameron Ward
placed 32nd in 39.16
The Senior women opened their Southern League season with
a victory in their home match at Norman Park. Best performances of the day came
in the hammer where Rachel Blackie and Victoria Thomas both threw over 50 metres
to achieve maximum points with distances of 54.21 and 51.03. They also collected
good points in the shot and discus.
There were double wins also for Katy Benneworth and
Rebecca Cook in the long jump, and for Vickie Cole and Katy again in the 100.
Vickie also won the 200 and there was also a win for
Vanessa Nakangu in the 400 where she defeated the European Junior Cross Country
champion Steph Twell from Aldershot timing 58.0.
Elsewhere Fran Green took 20 seconds off her best for the
3000 metres as she timed 10.52 and the team would not have achieved victory
without the efforts of Carolyna Jones Baldock and Stephanie Allerton who both
competed in a number of events.
It was a good start in team management for Katy Porter and
Michael Champion and Katy celebrated by returning to action after a long break
and running in the 4x400 metres.
There was a significant performance in the non scoring
pole vault where Siobhan Parr set a new Under 13s Club Record with a clearance
of 2 metres.
1. Blackheath & Bromley (121), 2. Marshall Milton Keynes
(105), 3. City Of Portsmouth (94), 4. Aldershot Farnham and District (92), 5.
Newbury (63).
24/04/07
London Marathon
Blackheath & Bromley had over 40 finishers in the London Marathon. The warm
conditions meant that many were outside their target finishing times but first
home for the Club was Alex Gibbins who finished in 2.42.33. He was followed by
47 year old Nick Kinsey who clocked 2.43.40 and was 5th in the over 45s age
group. Rob Hall who was third home in 2.46.37.
First woman from the Club to finish was Annie McDonough
who timed 3.29.42. She was 14th in the over 50s category. She was followed by
Bridget Davey (3.33.53) and Kate Jones (3.53.07). Further down the field Mike
Peel continued his record of having run in every London Marathon since the first
race in 1981. Only 24 people have done this. For Colin Poole this was the 200th
marathon he has completed.
Many younger Club members took part in the accompanying
London Boroughs mini marathon. In the 15 to 17 year age group Alex Bruce
Littlewood did well to place 4th with Sam Hunt in 9th. This helped Bromley to
take team title. Katie Murray was 9th also in the women's event. Best placed
finisher of the day, however, was Philip Seseman. He ran above himself to take
the runner up spot in the 13-14 year olds race. Hector Kurtyanek took 5th spot.
Michelle Fewster was 7th in the girls race leading Bromley to the team title.
Jessica Jones was first home in the 11-12 year olds age group in 35th place.
Alpha Beta Trophy Meeting
The Club finished in 4th place in both the senior and under 15 contests at
the Alpha Beta Trophy Meeting at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre at Picketts
Lock. This meant that in the combined scores they placed third overall in the
Alpha Trophy.
Shaunagh Brown in the shot (12.28) and Christine Lawrence
in the javelin (42.37) were the Club’s two Senior A string winners with Katy
Benneworth (100), Isobel Ivy (long jump), and Florence Clark (shot) picking up B
string victories.
In addition Sarah McLellan was just outside her new best
with 65.93 to take runner up spot in the 400 hurdles; Maureen Miller celebrated
her 44th birthday with a very useful 2.24.4 in the 800 and Vanessa Nakangu timed
a promising 25.81 in the 200 metres.
Best performance in the under 15 contest came from Kelly
Davey who won the shot putt with a distance of 10 metres exactly, a new personal
best and a grade one performance. Christine Lyston continued her progress in the
high jump winning with a leap of 1.50.
Michelle Fewster won the 800 metres by nearly eight
seconds and the 4x100 team of Letitia Noel, Christine Liston, Sian Hurlock and
Sian Duffy had a useful win with a time of 52.80.
There was also a win in the B long jump for Lauren Stevens
to add to her useful 12.93 in the 75 hurdles and both Kelly Davey and Mollie
Norris achieved grade 2 standards in the discus.
17/04/07
Nike National 12 Stage Road Relay
With a below strength team Blackheath & Bromley's
Senior men finished in 22nd place out of 65 finishing teams at the Nike National
12 Stage Road Relay at Sutton Coldfield. Fastest long leg of the day came from
Michael Skinner who timed 26.51 on leg three to move the Club up to 12th place
while the quickest short stage came from veteran Spencer Newport who timed
15.31.
Under 20 athlete James Poole timed a useful 27.59 on the
opening stage and there were other good runs on the day from fellow youngsters
Jonathan Vintner and Danny Brewer as well as solid performances from regular
stalwarts.
Sward And Kinnaird Trophy Meeting
A number of the Club athletes used the Sward And
Kinnaird Trophy Meeting as a warm up for the coming League season including some
youngsters who took the rare opportunity to taste some Senior competition.
Only winners of the day were Marcus Morrison who took the
triple jump with a leap of 13.59 and Alex Bruce-Littlewood who won the 2000
steeplechase, but there were some useful and interesting performances elsewhere.
Under 20 athlete Neil Francis timed 11.1 and 22.9 for the 100 and 200 while
training partner Dan Putnam produced a 50.7 for the 400 metres.
Unfortunately Ed Harrison picked up a niggle in the 400
hurdles but still managed to time 55.6. Bomene Barikor ran his first ever 1500
in 4.33.6 as he continues his training for the decathlon while Paul Sutherland
enjoyed a busy afternoon in the throws and jumps.
Kent Young Athletes League
The Club's youngsters won three out of the four
age groups in the first Kent Young Athletes League match of the season at
Canterbury. Matthew Fletcher was in fine form in the Under 15 Boys age group. He
won both the 100 and long jump contests with National Grade One performances of
11.7 and 6.27. It was a grade one also for training partner Ben Hopkins. The
National Indoor 60 metre hurdle champion took the 80 metre hurdles in 11.9 and
he also timed a useful 55.8 in the 400 metres.
New member Mark Longhurst enjoyed a successful afternoon
with wins in the A string shot and javelin as well as the B string 80 hurdles
and there were other A string victories for Stephen Camacho (200), Hector
Kurtyanek (3000) and the 4x100 metre team.
There were more good performances in the girls age group.
Nicole George enjoyed wins in both the discus and javelin and there were further
field event victories for Christine Lyston (high jump), Anna Huggins (pole
vault) and Sian Hurlock (long jump).
Sian also won the 300 metres while other track wins came
from Letitia Noel (100) and Danielle Critchley (1500).
There were a number of athletes making their debuts for
the Club in the under 13 age group in both the scoring and non scoring events.
Impressively in the girls age group Rachel Dickens, Lauren Pariola Birch, Dina
Asher Smith and Holly Fletcher won all four of the 75 and 150 metre races while
Nancy Carney took the 600 metre race.
In the field there were A string victories for Hannah Cook
(high jump) and Jessica Moore (long jump).
Best performance for the boys came from Aaron Lloyd with a
grade one clocking of 12.7 to win the 75 metre hurdles. He also won the high
jump and B string 200 metres. Eddie Otoyo made the most promising debut as he
won the 100 metres in 13.9 and helped the 4x100 team to a comfortable win of
over two seconds.
Despite this success the Club is still very keen to
recruit new members to Club, particularly in the throws. This Sunday afternoon
the Club hosts the second of its open meetings for youngsters in school years 6
to 11. Entries will be accepted on the day and forms can be downloaded from the
Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk or can be obtained from the Club's track and
field secretary Joe Camacho on 0779 556 7 556 or
joe.camacho@ukonline.co.uk
Hercules Wimbledon Open Meeting Crystal Palace
More Club members were in action at the Hercules
Wimbledon open meeting at Crystal Palace. In the under 17 girls race Daniella
Annon ran a grade one of 12.5 in the 100 metres with Grace Sheppard clocking
12.6. Together with Katie Vistuer and Rebecca Cook they won the EA London Region
4x100 metre Championship that was incorporated in this event.
Kelly Davey made an impressive debut in the under 15 age
group winning the shot with a putt of 9.64 and there was another fine victory in
the high jump for Nenisha Nelson-Roberts with a leap of 1.55.
Anton Daly was the fastest of the day in the under 13s 200
metres with 25.7 and he was equal quickest in the 100 metres with 12.7, both of
which are grade one performances.
11/04/07
Michael Skinner did not enjoy his first appearance at the
European 10000 Challenge in Ferrara, Italy. Unexpectedly hot conditions made it
difficult for the Blackheath & Bromley athlete in his first attempt at the
distance.
Nevertheless he was on schedule at half way for a time of
around 29 minutes. However the heat began to take its toll and he had to settle
for a finishing time of 30.06.41 which gave him 17th position. His time is
actually the second quickest by a Briton this year.
Many Club members took part in the Tonbridge Open Meeting
on Bank Holiday with the highlight of the day being the performance of Andrew
Jordon in the under 17 men's hammer. In his first competition in the age group
he set a new Club Record of 62.06 to add over a metre further that Richard
AlAmeen's previous best of 60.84. This is the furthest in the country this year
and he will almost certainly be throwing further as the season progresses.
Some consolation for Richard for losing his record was
that he set a new personal best of 52.97 in the under 20's event. Back in the
under 17's event Jake Haylock, also in his first contest in the age group, threw
47.93 which is further than he threw with the under 15's implement last year.
This distance is just 7 centimetres outside the English Schools qualification
distance for the event and he actually had a no throw in excess of 49 metres.
Also in the field there was a big breakthrough for under
13 Jessica Moore who made a huge improvement in the long jump with a leap of
4.57, a National Grade One performance. Full results from the meeting are not
yet available
The Club held an open meeting for school years 6 to 11 on
Good Friday at Norman Park where a number of current members and potential new
recruits were in action. Perhaps the most noteworthy performances came from Dan
Putnam who is a first year under 17. He ran 11.2 for the 100m metres and then
doubled his normal 400 metre race distance with a rare outing over 800. Here he
timed 2.10.3 and then rounded off the afternoon with an excellent 22.6 for 200
metres.
3/04/07
Michael Skinner has been selected to represent Great
Britain at the European 10,000 Challenge at Ferrara in Italy this weekend. Fresh
from being second Britain at the World Cross Country Championships Skinner is in
good form and should make a good impression in his first attempt at the
distance.
Because of his race commitments he was unable to represent
the Club at the Nike South Of England Championships at Milton Keynes.
Nevertheless, the squad comfortably qualified for the National Final in two
weeks time by placing 16th overall.
Best run of the day came from James Poole on the opening
leg. The under 20 athlete finished in 8th place on a very strong opening stage
in a time of 24.45. The team was a mixture of youth and experience including
veterans Bill Foster and Spencer Newport who have been GB Internationals as
seniors and juniors Danny Brewer and Jonathan Vintner who made their debuts in
the event and ran long legs.
There are no qualification requirements for the National
event for the women but the Blackheath & Bromley squad were a good 14th in the 6
stage event. Bryony Proctor got the team off to a good start in 10th and they
edged up to 5th by the third leg. Despite some spirited efforts the squad
slipped back a little in the second half of the race.
Four athletes from the Club took part in the European
Veterans Athletic Championships in Helsinki with three of them bringing home
gold medals. Not only did Helen Godsell win gold in the over 50's 200 metres but
her time of 27.97 broke her own UK record which has stood since 2004. She also
won the 60 metres by nearly half a second in 8.87. She rounded off a successful
weekend with another gold in the 4x200 metres.
Her brother Bob Minting also set a new UK record with a
time of 56.20 in the over 55's 400 metres. However this was only good enough for
the silver. He made up for this by winning the 800 in 2.08.98 less than a second
off the World Record. He did break a World Record, however, as part of the GB
4X200 team. He was also 4th in the 1500.
Tom Phillips picked up gold as part of the over 50s 4x200
metre team. They were informed this was a new World Record but after a night of
celebrations the quartet were told there had been an error and the record hadn't
been broken. Tom had been unlucky in his individual events in missing out on the
finals in both the 60 and 200 metres but set a seasons best of 7.84 in the 60
and a new best of 25.52 in the 200.
Clem Leon enjoyed his first big championship and although
he did not pick up any medals in the over 50s age group he was close to his best
with 8.12 in the 60 metres and 5th in the high jump. He also took part in the
200, 60 hurdles and triple jump.
Darren Ko was the winner of the Closing 5 handicap with
John Copley second and Mike Peel third. Fastest of the day was Darryl Hilliar
with Fran Grreen the fastest woman.
The race was the last of the 9 race Bennett Cup series and
the overall winner was Mark Ellison with Bernie Bater second and Andy Tucker
third.
At the Club AGM last Saturday outgoing President Ken
Daniel introduced his successor as Les Roberts. Les is someone who started in
the Sport late at the age of 35. However, he went on the perform at the highest
level. His personal bests of 14.32 (5000) and 30.15 (10,000) on the track speak
for themselves as do his road times of 49.24 (10 miles), 65 minutes (half
marathon) and 2.24.59 (marathon). What they don't reveal is the devastating kick
finish and sheer will to win which characterised some of his most famous races
which include winning the World Masters 5000 metre title in 1985 to add to the
European title he won the year before.
He has served the Club in a number of areas including
holding the post of Gazette Editor and reorganising the Club's Wine Committee.
His racing career went into decline in the late 80's and subsequently it was
discovered that he had Parkinson's Disease. It was felt by some that this might
mean he could be the best President the Club never had but to the delight of the
membership he has now accepted the highest office in the Club With typical wit
he announced that he had been looking at the job description and one of the
requirements was to be a "mover and a shaker" for which he felt he was
overqualified. He is greatly looking forward to his year in office and aims to
"get out to all "four corners" of the Club to experience first-hand what goes on
and to put faces to the names that feature in the Wednesday evening results
round-up and in the press every week."
