Last updated
11 November 2019
Press Releases for
April, May & June 2008
24/06/08
Montell Douglas was part of the Great Britain womens squad
that finished third in the Spar European Cup at Annecy in France. The Blackheath
& Bromley athlete ran in the 4x100 metres team that finished in second place in
a time of 42.95, one of the quickest times in the world this year.
They would undoubtedly have been quicker but the
changeover from Anyika Onoura to Montell was not the best with Montell having to
slow down to avoid going out of the takeover box. Earlier Montell ran 11.58 in
the B 100 metre race.
Also abroad Dwayne Grant continued his preparations for
the Olympic Trials by timing 10.47 for the 100 metres at a meeting at Salamanca
in Spain. Dwayne was in the GB 4x100 squad in Athens in 2004 but did not get to
run.
It has been a tough couple of months for a number of the
Blackheath & Bromley’s athletes as they have been aiming to gain selection for
the World Junior Championships at Bydgoszcz in Poland next month.
The window in which to achieve the qualifying standards
has not been wide and they have been training and competing against a background
of exams; treading a fine line between fitness and injury; and trying to cope
with the vagaries of the British weather.
Conditions at the Trials at Bedford last weekend were no
better as the blustery conditions militated against athletes meeting UK
Athletics tough qualifying marks. Initial disappointment, disappeared, however,
after the weekend as seven athletes from the Club have subsequently been
selected for the World Championships, a fitting reward for all the hard work put
in by themselves, their coaches and supporters.
Three of those selected enjoyed individual wins at the
trials at Bedford. James Alaka won the 100 in 10.52. He also ran 21.95 in the
semi final of the 200 metres but withdrew from the final with an injury. He has
been picked for the 100 metres and the relay in Poland, subject to fitness.
In the field, after a slightly shaky start, Scott Huggins
cleared 4.95 to win the pole vault title but the windy conditions prevented him
from going higher. However, having won both Junior and Senior titles at the
County and Area Championships and retained his Inter Counties title his
Championship credentials cannot be questioned. He will be taking his poles to
Poland.
Likewise Shaunagh Brown who came to Bedford with a target
of 50 metres. She threw 48 on both days winning the under 20 title and finishing
4th in the under 23 contest. She also picked up silver in the under 20s shot
contest with a putt of 13.40. She is selected for the discus.
Alex AlAmeen may have finished third in the Trials but he
too has gained selection. The UK qualifying standard was set at 13.90 and he had
run 13.91 prior to the weekend. He ran quicker at Bedford but his time of 13.86
was with the aid of a +2.5 metre per second wind. He picked up the selection
though but, unfortunately at the expense of second claim member Simon Merrill
who was second at the Trial with 13.81.
Anike Shand Whittingham was part of the GB 4x100 team that
won gold at the European Junior Championships last year and she has been
selected for the squad again this year, although she missed out on an individual
place in the 100 as she finished 4th in 11.93.
Fumi Sobodu was in the mens 4x100 silver medal winning
team at the Europeans last year and he too gains a relay berth this year. He ran
10.86 in the semi final of the 100 but had to withdraw from the final with a
slight injury.
Femi Owolade is the 7th Club member to gain selection but
not for Great Britain. He has taken up an option to compete for Nigeria and been
picked for the 200 metres. He was 5th in this event at Bedford despite suffering
with a groin injury but has already achieved the qualifying standard. For those
disappointed at non selection they should look no further than a couple of other
Club members who did not gain International honours when they were younger but
who are enjoying success at Senior level.
Stuart Harvey finished second in the Under 23s javelin at
Bedford with a throw of 71.60, his first time over 70 metres and further than
the GB representative at the European Cup. Victoria Thomas took silver also in
the under 23 womens’ hammer with a throw of 53.63.
To add to a memorable weekend the Club’s youngsters won
their fourth match of the season in the National Young Athletes. Their win at
Reading against tough competition from the hosts, Enfield & Haringey, and
Shaftesbury Barnet means there are now certain to contest the National Final in
Manchester in September where they will be aiming to retain their National
title. Full details of this match are not yet available but the results will
appear on the Club website as soon as possible.
Closer to home a number of the Club’s athletes were in
action at the Darrick Wood 10km where Peter Tucker won in a time of 34.02.
Second home for the Club was Nick Gasson in 6th with 36.25 with Roy Smith 8th in
37.37. First woman from the Club was Elle Harker who was 167th overall in 50.44.
Ben Greenhalgh won the Senior School 2km race from Andrew
York with Lauren Heria second in the girls race.
17/06/08
Blackheath & Bromley athletes enjoyed an excellent set of
results at the South Of England Championships for Seniors and Juniors at Crystal
Palace . They came home with a dozen gold medals, up from eight last year, from
an event that caters for athletes from 19 counties. To put it in perspective, no
other Club won more than five golds. In addition a number of the Junior athletes
were very close to achieving World Junior Championship qualifying performances.
The World Juniors take place at Bydgoszcz in Poland from
the 8th to the 13th of July and with the deadline for countries to submit their
teams being next Monday time is running out for athletes to achieve the
necessary standards. With this in mind both Shaunagh Brown and Scott Huggins
entered both the Senior and Junior discus and pole vault respectively at the
Palace. They both won the Senior and Junior events and both were just outside
the qualifying marks.
Shaunagh needs to throw 50.00 metres in the discus and on
Saturday she hurled the 1kg implement out to 49.69 to retain the Junior title
she won last year. She also won the shot with a putt of 13.80. She was back the
next day to win her first Senior title with a throw of 48.95 over seven metres
clear of the second ranked athlete. She rounded off her weekend with third place
in the Senior shot with 13.82.
Scott, who needs to clear 5.20 to get the qualifying mark
for Poland, took the Junior pole vault on Saturday but his attempts to set a new
Championship record of 5.02 were thwarted by a swirling wind that cruelly
changed to blow into him on the run up. Conditions were not much better on the
Sunday when he won the Senior contest with a clearance of 5 metres. Still, to
win both Junior and Senior events on one weekend is an outstanding achievement.
Also tantalisingly close to a World qualifying mark was
Alex AlAmeen. He won the Under 20 110 hurdles in a new Championship best of
13.91. There was a legal following wind of +1.6 but his time was just one
hundredth of a second outside the qualifying mark.
James Alaka and Funmi Sobodu both bettered the 100 metre
qualifying standard in the semi finals where they clocked 10.46 and 10.48 but
unfortunately the wind speed was above the legal limit. James won the final in
10.56 to add to his 21.48 victory in the 200, a race where Femi Owolade took
silver.
Montell Douglas won the Senior Womens’ 200 by over half a
second in 23.65 and Shavaun Henry had a comfortable win in the 2000 steeplechase
as she was the only competitor! Despite this she ran a very useful 7.23.51, not
far outside her own Club Record.
In the field team captain Liz Hughes won the pole vault
with a clearance of 3.60 and Lorraine Ugen claimed the Junior long jump title
with a leap of 5.47.
Also impressive were the number of silver and bronze medal
wins. There were a hat trick of silver medals in the hammer. Victoria Thomas had
to settle for silver in the Senior Womens’ event with 52.50, having won the
competition last year, and it was second also for two of her training partners
in the Junior age group. For the women Banke Jemiyo set a new best of 45.44
while Richard AlAmeen was just outside his best in the mens’ event with 55.23.
There was a best, however for Lauren Blackie in the triple jump as she leapt
11.99 the 6th furthest in the country by a junior this year.
There were bronze medals in both Senior Javelin events.
Stuart Harvey launched the mens’ spear out to 67.26 while Christine Lawrence set
a seasons best of 46.39. On the track Bryony Proctor was marginally outside her
best with 4.35.67 in the 1500 metres and Anike Shand Whittingham, who is still a
Junior, stepped up an age group to place third in the Senior 100 metres. Emily
Godley was third in the pole vault with a seasons best of 3.40 in the pole vault
hotly pursued by training partners Rachel Arnheim and Christina Moore who were
4th and 5th.
Michael Skinner skipped these Championships to race in the
latest BMC races at Watford where he ran a seasons best of 3.46.72 for 1500.
Many of the Club’s younger athletes were in action at the
Kent Schools Championships at Ashford as they sought to qualify for the English
Schools Championships which take place at Gateshead next month. In the
Intermediate Boys age group Dan Putnam won the 400 metres in 49.5 while training
partner Ben Hopkins took the 100 hurdles title in 14.1. Third in this was Mark
Longhurst but he did win gold in the pole vault in a leap of 2.95. Stephen Cavey
won the 800 with some ease in 1.58.6 and Jake Haylock was a class apart in the
hammer winning by nearly 20 metres with a throw of 57.91. For the girls Grace
Sheppard won the 100 metres in 12.9 and Katherine Jones the shot with a putt of
10.43. Highlight in the Junior Age group came from Kelly Davey who set a new
Club Record in the shot with a putt of 11.03 adding 2 centimetres to the
previous record of Shaunagh Brown. Kelly also won the discus with a throw of
29.87 and there were further wins for Lauren Stevens with a leap of 4.87 in the
long jump and from Amara Llalemi Jacobs in the 100 with 13.0. Jonathan Pettet
was the only winner in the boys events taking the 200 metre title with a time of
24.3. In the year 7 events Dian Asher Smith won both the 100 and the 200 metre
races in 13.3 and 27.3 while Holly Fletcher claimed victory in the 800 with a
time of 2.30.6 nearly twelve seconds faster than the runner up.
At the other end of the age range, both the Club’s mens
and womens team won their match in the latest Kent Masters League match of the
season at Ashford. The men now have a commanding four point lead in their
division and will almost certainly qualify for the Southern Final. The women
just head their division. They are level with Cambridge Harriers on League
points but are top of the table because they have superior match points.
For the men individual wins came from the older members of
the team. Steve Langdon was a class apart in the over 50s javelin winning by
over nine metres with a throw of 46.82 and there were further field event
victories in the over 50s high jump from Clem Leon and the over 60s high jump
and javelin from John Robinson and Colin Brand.
Sole win on the track came from Ken Daniel who was first
in the 1500 with 4.43.0. He was, however, trumped by Club President Tim Soutar,
who ran as a non scorer and crossed the line in 4.39.5. There was also a new
over 60s Club Record for Peter Hamilton as he timed 5.04.0 again as a non
scorer.
For the women Jennie Butler celebrated her Masters League
debut with a comprehensive victory in the 1500 timing 5.03.5 to win by over 35
seconds. She then joined B string winner Carolyna Jones Baldock, Jackie
Montgomery and Helen Godsell in the 4x400 where they won by nearly 40 seconds.
Helen had early enjoyed an even more emphatic win in the
over 50s 200 metres. She won in 28.8 over seven seconds ahead of the runner up.
In the field Barbara Terry enjoyed wins in the over 50s
shot and over 60s javelin while Nanette Cross moved down an age group to win the
over 50s javelin.
Peter Hamilton’s exploits did not finish here as he
travelled to Exeter for the South West Vets track and field championships. Here
he won the over 60’s 5000 metres title in 18.16.0 a new Club Record. He now
holds six over 60s Club Records. Fifth and first over 65 was Chris Woodcock in
20.57.7. In the 800 Bob Minting finished 3rd overall and was the first over 55.
Three of the Clubs throwers were in action at the British
Masters Throws Pentathlon at Milton Keynes with pride of place going to Colin
Brand who won the over 70s category. He scored 3900 points nearly 300 more than
his nearest rival. Second in the womens’ over 60s contest was Barbara Terry who
scored 3190 while Gordon Hickey was 5th in the over 70s age group with 2828.
In complete contrast to these event four Club members
travelled to South Africa to take part in one of the toughest races in the
world. The Comrades Marathon is far more than the traditional distance run at
London. It is in fact over twice the distance totalling 87 kilometres on a
course which stretches from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and includes five major
hills. Darryl Hilliar, returning to his former homeland, was the first to finish
in 8 hours and 21 minutes followed by Pete Rogers (10 hrs 48 mins), John Turner
(11hrs 10 mins) and Dave Leal (11hrs 14 mins). Compared to this the Bluewater
10km was a sprint distance and judging by the speed at which some of the runners
went it was just that. First home for the Club was Peter Tucker in 32.06 while
the first youngster to finish was Andrew Yorke in 36.29. Jane Bradshaw was the
first woman from the Club to finish in 38.41.
10/06/08
Montell Douglas has been selected for the Great Britain
womens’ squad for the Spar European Cup at Annecy, France. The Blackheath &
Bromley athlete, who last year represented Britain at both the World
Championships and the European Under 23 Championships, has been selected for the
4x100 metres squad.
The Club's Senior Women started their UK Womens League
season with a fine win in the opening Division Three match of the season at
Stevenage. They led virtually throughout the fixture and enjoyed a 34 point
victory with 204 points with just 1.5 points separating 2nd to 4th places. This
was an excellent result which means the Club are in pole position to gain
promotion to Division Two.
There were many good individual performances particularly
in the field events. Shaunagh Brown won both the A string discus and shot events
with distances of 44.25 and 13.73 while Christine Lawrence took the javelin with
43.02. There were maximum points in the pole vault with wins in both strings
from Rachel Arnheim and Emily Godley and a further B string win for Anne Sophie
Gnadou who threw a new best of 33.26 in the javelin.
On the track Bryony Proctor returned from injury to win
the 3000 metres and then placed second in the 1500 metres. Winner of the B
string 1500 was Jennie Butler whose time of 4.56.0 in winning the B race was a
new Club Over 35s record, and Siobhan Budd flew in from France to secure maximum
points in the 3000 by winning the B race.
The other B string victory came from Katrina Cosby in the
400 hurdles with Sarah McLellan just outside her best in coming second in the A
race with 64.6.
The wind made for some fast times in the sprints and Anike
Shand Whittingham posted an 11.7 in the 100 while there was a second place also
in the 400 for Savannah Echel Thompson.
With so many good performances it was a difficult decision
chosing an athlete of the match but this eventually went to Anne Sophie Gnadou
for her pb in the javelin after coming in at short notice and also for efforts
in the shot, discus, and 4x400.
Sadly, for a National team competition and the meeting
being part of the UK Challenge, there was no electronic timing which meant that
any track times would not have counted as International Championship qualifying
performances.
The Senior Men could not replicate the womens' result in
the first of the British League Division Two matches of the season at Abingdon.
On the track they were outstanding and were the strongest of the eight teams but
they suffered in the field events where a number of key athletes were not
available for various reasons. As a result they finished in third place which
still means they are in with a good chance of gaining the promotion they seek.
Best event on the track was the 110 hurdles where the Club
enjoyed a double victory from Alex AlAmeen and Taiwo Sodeyi. James Alaka looked
impressive in the 200 metres winning in 21.6 to add to his win in the B string
100 and team captain Michael Skinner led by example winning the 1500 to add to
his third place in the 800. Funmi Sobodu forgot his sprint spikes and so his
second place in the 100 in 10.8 in Andrew Rayner's middle distance shoes was a
notable effort.
There was runners up spot too for Ed Harrison who set a
seasons best of 52.8 in the 400 hurdles and a personal best for Peter Tucker in
the 5000 metres with 15.01.5. In the field Scott Huggins was an easy winner of
the pole vault clearing 5 metres, despite a sub standard facility, and he came
close to breaking his own Scottish Junior Record. Stuart Harvey was an equally
emphatic winner of the javelin with 63.42 but sore shins hampered him on the
day.
Elsewhere Lewis Ely came 4th in the high jump but the
other strings were covered by athletes who took part to gain a point. In almost
every instance they scored more than a point and this helped secure the Club
third place.
As with the womens’ fixture choosing an Athlete Of The
Match was a difficult decision as everybody played an important part in the
contest. It went to Jams Alaka not only for his efforts in the individual
sprints but also for his contribution to both relay teams.
Sadly, for a National team competition and the meeting
being part of the UK Challenge, there was no electronic timing which meant that
any track times would not have counted as International Championship qualifying
performances. It has been confirmed, however, that the next match at Kingston
will have electronic timing.
Missing from the squad at Abingdon was Scott Overall who
is currently training and racing in the States. He is in good form at the moment
and set a new best last weekend of 3.41.90 for 1500 metres.
In the Southern Mens League the Club finished third in
their match at Battersea Park just four points off second place. Their score of
93 would have given then second place in any of the other matches.
Best individual performance of the day came from Daniel
Haque who showed he is back in form after injury by winning the 200 metres in
21.7.
Jon Thorpe broke 16 minutes for the first time as he won
the 5000 in 15.58.2 but the biggest improvement of the day came from Alistair
Cliff who ran half a minute quicker than ever before timing 16.30.9 to secure
the B&B athlete of the match award.
Ashley Healy and Richard Holt secured maximum points in
the 400 hurdles and Stephen Cavey moved down in distance to take the 400 metres
in 52.4. In the field Alan Hardy soared over 2.80 to win the pole vault.
There were a host of good performances from the Club’s
youngsters at the latest round of the Kent Young Athletes League at Canterbury.
The under 15 and under 13 girls teams both won their matches while the under 13
boys were second and the under 15 boys were fifth. Dina Asher Smith enjoyed an
outstanding afternoon setting two new Club Records. First she won the 75 metres
in 9.9 seconds and then the 150 metres in 19.6, two of the fastest times in the
country this year.
In the under 15 girls age group there was another win from
Kelly Davey in the discus with 26.73 a grade one performance. She also took the
shot contest with a putt of 9.44. Frances Read enjoyed victory in the long jump
with a leap of 4.61 as did Anna Huggins in the pole vault with 2.60. There were
B string wins for Lauren Stevens (100), Amara Lalemi Jacobs, with an impressive
42.6 in the 300, Nancy Carney (800) and Kayleigh Leonard (2000 walk).
They finished the afternoon on a high with the 4x100 team of Eliza Sargeant,
Lauren Stevens, Georgina Middleton and Rachel Dickens winning in a useful time
of 52.3. The under 15 boys team was far from full strength with the only win of
the day coming from Jonathan Pettet in the 200 metres.
The outstanding sprinting in the under 13s age group did
not stop with Dina Asher Smith. Shannon Hylton made a big improvement in the 150
metres winning in a new best and grade one time of 20.2. Her sister Cheriece won
the 100 in 10.7 and the trio were joined by Aine Hurlock for a resounding
victory in the 4x100 of 54.4.
Holly Fletcher and Janae Galley won both strings of the
800 metres as did Shannon Cordell and Sonia Woolhouse in the 2000 walk. Georgina
Kennedy enjoyed a gun to tape victory in the 1200 metres and Amber Bryan-Issacs
won the 70 hurdles in 12.7.
In the field there were B string wins for Aine Hurlock in
the javelin and for Olivia Alexander in the shot.
Best individual performance for the boys came from Liam
Cater who won the javelin with a throw of 33.28, another grade one performance.
Joel Shonibare won the discus and Jon Pairman won both the javelin and discus B
strings.
Find of the day was Reon Gowan Wade who won the high jump
in 1.40, then took the B string shot with 6.36 and joined Jack Colgate, Max
Hodson and Ben Akande for victory in the 4x100. He also ran the non scoring 200
timing 28.1 quicker than all the scoring races. Ben also had a very good day as
he won both the 100 and 200 metres races.
3/06/08
Olympic hopeful Montell Douglas returned to racing
following a hamstring injury sustained at the British Universities Championships
at the start of May. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete timed 11.44 for the 100
metres at a meeting in Geneva. She was pleased with her time considering the
time she has missed training and now continues her build up for the Olympic
Trials next month. Michael Skinner did not have such a good weekend. He ran his
first 5000 metres race of the year at the British Milers Club meeting in
Manchester. He ran 14.08.39 when he would have been hoping to run well under 14
minutes. Alex Bruce Littlewood and Dan Ryan posted useful times in the 1500
metres of 4.04.44 and 4.06.26.
A number of the Clubs' athletes took part in the Bedford
International Games with some good results. On the track Funmi Sobodu bounced
back from a recent hamstring niggle to run the fastest time of the day with
10.62. Given this was into a -1.0 headwind it was a very promising performance.
James Alaka ran 10.92 in the same race while Jonathan Barbour ran 10.83 and
Duayne Bovell 11.09.
Alaka was disappointed with his time but he redeemed
himself in the 200 wehre he set a personal best of 21.35 while Danny Doyley
clocked 22.04. Alaka and Sobodu were also part of the Great Britain Junior team
that won the 4x100 metres in 40.3.
Jamie Harding was 7th in the Ambulant Disability 100
metres in 13.36 Alex AlAmeen ran the second fastest time in the country this
year in the under 20 mens' 110 hurdles. He timed 14.08, again into a headwind,
while second claimer Simon Merrill was 4th in 14.28 as the top 6 recorded the
fastest half dozen times of the year in Britain. Ed Harrison ran a useful 53.49
for the 400 hurdles.
In the womens' sprints Anike Shand Whittingham showed she
is running into good from as she ran 11.92 for the 100 and 24.38 for the 200.
Like her male counterparts she was also part of the winning GB Junior 4x100
team.
In the field events Scott Huggins had to settle for second
in the pole vault missing out on countback as he and the winner both cleared
5.05. Shaunagh Brown had two third places. Her throw of 49.34 in the discus
means she tops the National rankings by nearly seven metres and her putt of
14.27 in the shot means she is number two in the under 20 age group this year.
Christine Lawrence was 5th in the womens' javelin with 45.86 while in the mens'
competition Stuart Harvey placed 7th with 66.95. James Groocock was 11th in the
long jump with 6.71.
There was disappointment for Alex Pope at the England
Athletics Combined Events Championships at Stoke. After a first day which saw
him set personal bests in the 100, long jump, high jump and 400, he fell in the
110 hurdles and sustained injuries to his knee and heel. He attempted to
continue but his injuries contributed to three no throws in the discus. At this
point he retired from a competition where at one point he had looked like he was
going to score over 7000 points.
The Club's youngsters made it three wins out of three in
the National Young Athletes League this season as they won their latest match at
Havering. Although they won by over 70 points in the end it was a close match
for much of the afternoon, which is of some concern as, on paper this was one of
the weaker matches. The Club will need to be at full strength for its next match
where the competition will be much tougher. A good result then will almost
certainly mean they qualify for the National Final in September.
Many athletes achieved national grade one performances led
by Katherine Jones with throws of 31.82 in the under 17 womens' discus and 10.30
in the shot. Others in this age group came from Sabine Efiannayi (10.97 shot),
Jake Haylock (57.48 hammer) mens captain Dan Putnam (49.8 400) and a mighty putt
of 15.07 from Eddie Ekanem in the shot.
Highlight of the under 15s age group was Jonathan Pettet's
time of 53.2 in the 400 metres which although not good enough to win is still
the 10th quickest in the country this year. He also ran 24.1 for the 200. Oliver
Taylor set a new best of 4.25.7 in the 1500 while Kelly Davey enjoyed wins in
the shot and discus.
Dina Asher Smith was in unbeatable form in the under 13
girls age group taking the 75 and 150 metres races and also winning the long
jump. Shannon Hylton made a big breakthrough as ran 10.4 in the B 75 metres.
Grade ones were hard to come by for the boys but there
were nevertheless some promising efforts with Benjamin Akonde winning the 100
metres in 13.5 and Joel Shonibare the shot with 8.33.
This was of course a team effort with all youngsters
contributing to the overall win. Full results will appear on the Club website at
www.bandbhac.org.uk
Full results from the Southern Womens League match are not
yet to hand but the Club enjoyed a comprehensive victory with 107 points over 30
clear of the runners up.
27/05/08
On a hectic weekend of competition, athletes and teams
from Blackheath & Bromley enjoyed success at National and Regional level.
Scott Huggins coped admirably with the wet and windy
conditions at the CAU Inter Counties Championships at Bedford. Still a Junior he
retained the pole vault title he won last year with a leap of 4.70. Coach Allan
Williams was delighted with his performance “Scott was magnificent. The only one
to master the foul conditions.”
Anike Shand Whittingham won the 100 metres last year when
she was still a Junior but she had to settle for silver this year, the strong
winds preventing any quick times.
Stuart Harvey picked up a well deserved bronze in the
javelin as he set a new best of 69.78. There was bronze also for Victoria Thomas
in hammer with a throw of 54.05 and for Chelsea O Rawe Hobbs in the 3000 walk in
a time of 15.40.39.
James Alaka just missed a medal in the 200 finishing in
4th place while Taiwo Sodeyi was 5th in the 110 hurdles.
Scott's win at Bedford capped a marvellous weekend for the
family as at the South Of England Championships at Ashford his sister Anna won
the under 15s pole vault with a clearance of 2.50. There was a fine win also in
the under 17 mens hammer where Andrew Jordon was just outside his seasons best
with a throw of 64.32. Jake Haylock picked up bronze with a throw of 55.12.
Dan Putnam had a busy weekend and was rewarded with two
medals. The strong winds helped him to a 10.6 clocking in the 100 metres where
he placed second and he won bronze in the 200 metres in a time of 22.03.
Also in the under 17s Jessica Mathews won silver in the
long jump with a leap of 5.41. Frances Read also won silver in the under 15
girls triple jump with 9.78 and there was a bronze medal in the shot for Kelly
Davey with a putt of 10.37.
The Club enjoyed its second win of the season in National
Junior League at the Southern Premier Division match at Uxbridge. They finished
just 11 match points clear of Enfield & Haringey an excellent result considering
the numbers unavailable due to fixture clashes and exams. Alex AlAmeen continued
his good season with a win in the 110 hurdles in 14.3 and then joined Neil
Francis, Femi Owolade and Antoni Davis Phillips for victory in the 4x100. For
the women individual wins came from Savannah Echel-Thompson (400), Rachel
Arnheim (pole vault) and Lauren Blackie (long jump) before Daniella Annon, Mary
Ihere, Katrina Cosby and Lorraine Ugen won the 4x100 and Mary Ihere again, Jess
Saville, Isobel Ivy and Savannah Echel Thompson combined to take the 4x400. In
addition a number of athletes achieved grade one performances including Femi
Owolade (100 and 200), Lemar Charles (400), Mary Ihere (200), and Anne Sophie
Gnasou and Sabine Effoannayi (both shot). B & B now have a two point lead at the
top of the table after two of the four Regional matches so are in a good
position to claim one of the two automatic places for the National Final in
September and so be in with the chance of retaining the National crown.
On the roads the women finished an excellent 5th place in
the over 35s age group at the British Masters Road Relays at Sutton Park.
Quickest in her first race in this age group was Jennie Butler on the opening
stage with 18.04. She was followed by Jane Bradshaw (18.22), Bridget Davey
(19.31) and Carolyne Jones Baldcock (21.02).
The mens' over 50s team had some injury problems and had
to settle for 6th with Club President Tim Soutar the fastest of the team with
16.28. Ken Daniel, Cliff Keen, Con Griffin, Paul Ross Davies and Andy Lawes
completed the team.
The over 45 womens’ team of Annie McDonough, Anne Cilia
and Heather Symmons finished in 8th and the over 60 mens’ team of Terry
Brightwell, Ian Wilson and Mike Gasson were 26th.
Back on the track the Club enjoyed victory in both the
mens and womens divisions of the Kent Masters League at Norman Park. The men won
by an impressive 16 points, their third win in a row. The womens' victory leaves
them just one League point behind the leaders with everything to play for.
For the men, fresh from winning the Club 10000 metres
championship the previous week, Jon Thorpe moved down in distance to win a tight
over 35s 800 metre race. Other A string wins came from the 4x200 team of Nigel
Keogh, Ricky Fox, Bob Minting and Tom Phillips; and a clean sweep of the over
50s events with victories for Tom Phillips (100), Bob Minting (800), Clem Leon
(long jump) and Colin Brand (discus). Peter Hamilton set a new Club Record in
the M60’S 800 of 2.31.6.
Helen Godsell’s leap of 3.82 in the over 50s long jump was
a new Club Record to add to her victory in the 100 metres. Further wins came
from Barbara Terry in the discus and the 4x200 team of Godsell, Mel Healy,
Maureen Miller and Caroline Nyamusi.
Highlight of the recent BMC races at Watford was a
sparkling 3.55.33 in the 1500 metres from Stephen Cavey. This was the fastest
time in the country this year by an under 17 athlete. Mike Skinner started his
track season with an 8.01.89 clocking in the 3000 while David McKinlay timed
1.55.02 in the 800 metres and Alex Bruce Littlewood ran 6.08.13 in the 2000
steeplechase. The following Wednesday Alex set another personal best in the 3000
metres at the same venue timing 8.52.43.
20/05/08
Scott Huggins continued his systematic revision of the
Scottish and Club Junior pole vault records at the Loughborough International.
Representing Scotland, the Blackheath & Bromley athlete improved his personal
best by 5 centimetres to clear 5 metres 10 centimetres.
Scott was one of a number of Club athletes in action with
five representing the Great Britain Junior team. In the field Shaunagh Brown was
4th in the discus with a throw of 46.95; Jade Dodd placed 5th in the javelin
with 45.02; and James Groocock was 6th in the long jump with a leap of 6.99.
On the track James Alaka and Anike Shand Whittingham ran
in the Invitational 100 metre races and clocked times of 11.10 and 12.18 and
then raced for the GB junior teams. Unfortunately the mens’ team was
disqualified while the women came 4th. Funmi Sobodu had been selected for the
relay but had to withdraw with a hamstring niggle.
Ed Harrison represented the England Senior team in the 400
hurdles and timed 55.47.
Others in action included Rebecca Syrocki who timed 57.28
in the 400; Clare Cooper who ran 62.88 for the 400 hurdles and Sandra Seaton who
clocked 14.73 in the 100 hurdles. Alex AlAmeen was 2nd in the Invitational under
20s 110 hurdles in 14.44 with Simon Merril 5th in 14.60.
The Clubs’ youngsters were comfortable winners of their
latest UKA National Young Athletes League match at Norman Park, Bromley. The
reigning National Champions eventually proved too strong for visiting clubs from
Norwich, Bedford and Southampton. The points were close early on but B & B
eventually prevailed by over 100 points finishing the afternoon off in the best
possible way with Dan Putnam anchoring the 4x400 team to victory with a 48.3
split that saw him close a deficit of at least 50 metres.
This was the team captain's third winning performance of
the day having also anchored the 4x100 quartet to victory and won both the Under
17s 200. He was also 2nd in the 400 metres races in a grade one performances.
Girls team captain Katherine Jones also had a productive afternoon with wins in
the A string discus with a grade one 33.26 and wins in the B string shot and
hammer.
Elsewhere in the under 17s there was a big breakthrough
performance for Jake Haylock as he improved his best in the hammer by four
metres with a throw of 58.24 the second furthest in the country this year. His
throw, however, only gave him a win in the B string as current British number
one Andrew Jordon won the A string with 60.98. Ben Hopkins ran another excellent
400 hurdles, his 57.1 was just outside his best despite the blustery conditions.
He had to settle for second place here but won the 100 hurdles in 14.2.
Other A string wins for the men came from Ben Greenhalgh
in the 1500 steeplechase and Eddie Ekanem in the shot.
Sabine Efiannayi continued to impress in the womens’ shot.
She improved her seasons best to 11.19 as the Club's under 17 women chalked up a
staggering 24 victories. Three of these came from Jessica Matthews in the high
jump, long jump and triple jump and there were other A string wins for Grace
Sheppard (100), Daniella Annon (200), Danielle Critchley (1500), Jen Hamer
(3000), Amy DeMatos (300 hurdes), Jessica Nicol Smith (pole vault), and the
relay teams of Kirsty Robinson, Daniella Annon, Rebecca Cook and Grace Sheppard
(4x100) and Amy DeMatos, Jessica Saville, Sophie Gordon and Sian Hurlock
(4x300).
Jonathan Pettet made an impressive debut at 400 metres in
the under 15s age group. He won in 55.3 just outside a grade one performance.
His 23.9 in the 200 was a grade one however.
Anton Daly returned to the sprints after injury to win the
100 metres to add to his victory in the pole vault. Kelly Davey won the discus
by over 10 metres with a throw of 27.27 and she also took the shot title.
Further wins came from Amara Lalemi Jacobs (100) and Jessica Moore (long jump)
In the under 13s age group Dina Asher Smith dominated the sprints with wins in
the 75 and 150 metres races in times of 10.1 and 19.9 and she joined Irenee
McIntosh, Aine Hurlock and Jemima Meshe for a win in the 4x100 metres.
For the boys Joel Shonibare enjoyed a comfortable win in
the shot with a putt of 8.53 while on the track Louis Hopgood won the 75 metre
hurdles.
A lot of athletes set personal bests and the overall
standard of performances was up on the opening match of the season. However the
Club are always interested in attracting new members.
13/05/08
Six Blackheath & Bromley athletes have been selected for
the Great Britain Junior team for the Loughborough International this weekend.
Shaunagh Brown goes in the discus while second claimers James Groocock and Jade
Dodd are chosen for the long jump and javelin. James Alaka, Funmi Sobodu and
Anike Shand Whittingham have been picked for the sprint relays.
Numerous athletes from the Club were in action at the
various County Championships with the majority being at the Kents at Ashford.
Among many highs were a new best in the Senior Mens' javelin from Stuart Harvey.
Having spent much of the last couple of years struggling with injury he set a
new personal best in the javelin in his first competition of the season
launching the spear out to 68.36 metres.
Scott Huggins won both the Senior and Junior pole vault
titles with a clearance of 5 metres with training partner Liz Hughes taking the
womens' title. Shaunagh Brown did a double double winning the shot and discus in
both the Senior and Junior age groups. James Alaka was another junior who won
two Senior titles claiming gold in both the 100 and 200 metres.
Other senior wins came Sam Singer in the 200 with new best
of 25.22 Christine Lawrence (javelin) and Victoria Thomas (Hammer).
Not surprisingly as the Club are National Junior and Young
Athletes champs many athletes won golds in the younger age groups. In addition
to those already mentioned, Alex AlAmeen won the Under 20s 110 hurdles in a
Championship best of 14.22 while his brother Richard won the hammer. Femi
Owolade won both the 100 and 200with impressive runs.
For the women Lorraine Ugen secured both the 100 metres
and long jump titles and there were wins also for Emily Godley (pole vault),
Sarah McGuire (javelin) and Banke Jemiyo was victorious in the hammer with a new
best of 45.20. This meant that B & B junior women won six out of eight of the
field event titles.
There was a similar dominance on the track by the under 17
men not least because of the exploits of Dan Putnam who achieved a hat trick of
victories in the 100, 200 and 400. Steve Cavey claimed two titles with well run
races in the 800 and 1500 and Ben Hopkins stormed to gold in the 100 hurdles to
add to the silver he won in the 400 hurdles in a very impressive 56.9. Class act
in the field was Andrew Jordon who set a new Championship best of 64.79 in the
hammer with Jake Haylock second in 54.36.
For the women Jessica Matthews soared over 1.70 to take
the high jump title and there were other field event victories for Katherine
Jones (discus), Sabine Efiannayi (shot).
Jonathan Pettet smashed through the 24 second barrier to
win the under 15 boys 200 in 23.82. For the girls Kelly Davey had wins in both
the shot and discus; Frances Read grabbed victory in the long jump with a new
best of 4.76; and Anna Huggins showed that pole vaulting is in the family genes
with a winning leap of 2.40.
There was more success a the Surrey Championships at
Kingston with Neil Francis winning the under 20 mens 400 in 50.01 and victories
also in this age group for second claimers Jade Dodd (javelin and shot), Matt
Threadgold (400 hurdles) and Sandra Seaton in a Championship Best of 14.42 in
the 100 hurdles.
At the Essex Champs Taiwo Sodeyi won the 110 hurdles in
14.60 while the Hampshire champs James Groocock set a new championship best to
win the under 20s long jump in 7.10. Further results are still to come in.
6/05/08
Montell Douglas opened her Summer season in fine form at
the British Universities Championships at Bedford returning with three gold
medals. Representing Brunel University the Blackheath & Bromley athlete won the
200 metres by over a second and her time of 23.90 would have been quicker had
she not been running into a –2.3 metre per second headwind.
Her time in her semi final of 23.60 was a new personal
best and she rounded off an outstanding weekend by anchoring the 4x100 team to
victory and clocking an impressive 53.8 split on her leg of the 4x400. She has
won 11 British Universities medal during her time as an undergraduate at Brunel,
a Brunel record.
The other Club member to win a medal at these
championships was Taiwo Sodeyi. He took bronze in the 110 hurdles in 14.72 again
a strong headwind militating against fast times. Many more Club members were in
action over the weekend and it was particularly pleasing to see the return to
action of Loughborough University students Rebecca Syrocki and Clare Cooper,
both of whom set personal bests. Rebecca timed 56.40 in the semi finals of the
400 metres and was only marginally slower in the final. Clare ran 61.61 in the
final of the 400 hurdles.
Also on the comeback trail was Frances Athawes who threw
30.25 in the javelin while new member Elaine Murty timed 2.15.02 in the 800 and
Higher Competition athlete Emily Martin was 6th in the long jump with 5.51.
A couple of the men just missed out on medals as Scott
Huggins (4.90 Pole vault) and James Groocock (7.20 long jump) had to settle for
fourth places. Alex Pope set a new best of 54.88 in the javelin and there were
new pbs also in the 5000 from James Poole (15.05.49) and Andrew Conway
(15.44.84). Lewis Ely equalled his best in the high jump with a leap of 1.95.
The main Kent Championships take place at Ashford this
coming weekend but on Tuesday the County 5000 metre championships were
incorporated in the Tonbridge Open Meeting. The Club was well represented here
with Peter Tucker 2nd, Jamie Atkinson 3rd and Alex Bruce Littlewood 5th.
Perhaps the biggest breakthrough performance of the night,
however, came from under 13 Tommy Crawley who lowered his best in the 1500 by 14
seconds to break the 5 minute barrier with a time of 4.58.7.
As National Champions the Club’s Young Athletes team went
into their first UKA Southern Premier League match of the season at Basildon as
favourites. However, with the team not at full strength, and strong opposition
from teams from Harrow and Tonbridge, the match was a close affair with the B &
B squad eventually coming out on top.
The League are not presenting athlete of the match awards
this year but had they done so it is calculated that all four would have gone to
B & B athletes. Boys team captain Dan Putnam was just outside his best for 400
metres as he timed 49.2 to win the Under 17 mens 400 metres while Andrew Jordon
was the top field eventer with his 63.97 throw to win the Hammer.
For the girls, Dina Asher Smith swept to victory in the
under 13 girls 150 metres in 20.0 and new girl Sabine Efiannayi was the top
female field eventer with her 10.73 putt in the under 17 womens' shot. Andrew’s
throw in the Under 17s hammer was further than the distance of all the
opposition Clubs’ throwers put together! B string Jake Haylock almost matched
them all as well, his throw of 53.76 also being a National Grade One
performance.
Other grade ones came from Dan Putnam again in the 200
with 22.4 and Tom Bensted in the 200 and 400 with times of 22.8 and 50.3.
Ben Hopkins enjoyed wins in both hurdles races while
Stephen Cavey ran well for victory in the 1500. Charlee Debolla and Mark
Longhurst both set new bests to score maximum points in the pole vault.
The under 17 women dominated the field events with team
captain Katherine Jones claiming wins in the A discus and hammer and the B shot.
Jessica Matthews and Leah Forbes Morris took maximum points in the long and
triple jumps and Leah and middle distance runner Jessica Saville produced one of
the surprises of the afternoon with a double win in the javelin.
Lauren Stevens won both the 75 hurdles and long jump for
the under 15 girls and there were other A string victories for Amara Lalemi
Jacobs (100) and Kelly Davey (shot). Amara and Lauren then joined Christine
Lyston and Charlote Colgate to win the 4x100.
For the boys, fast improving Jonathan Pettet won the 200
and anchored the 4x100 team of himself, Anton Daly, Raphael Maloney and Joseph
Ewing to victory. Joseph had earlier run a very mature race to win the 800.
There were many good performances in the under 13s age
group from enthusiastic youngsters in the very early stages of their Athletics
careers. For the girls there were A string wins for Aleyah Babb Benjamin in the
shot and Amber Bryan Isaacs in the 70 metre hurdles. The afore mentioned Dian
Asher Smith also won the 75 metres and joined Aine Hurlock and Cheriece and
Shannon Hylton for victory in the 4x100.
Joel Shonibare was the star performer for the boys with a
mighty putt of 8.54 to win the shot while on the track Luke Hopgood ran a very
useful 14.9 to win the 75 metre hurdles.
At Crawley the day before, the Senior Men won their their
opening Southern League Division Three match with a handful of eye catching
performances. Team manager Richard Hall nominated Lemar Charles as the Club's
Athlete Of The Match for his new personal best in the 400 metres. He broke 50
seconds for the first time recording a sparkling 49.0 to win with ease. He
followed this by posting a relay split of 48.0 as he anchored the 4x400 quartet
to victory.
Neil Francis also broke 50 seconds for the first time as
he timed 49.9 to win the B race while training partner Femi Owolade was an easy
winner of the 100 and 200 and also brought the 4x100 team home to win. Overall
the Club dominated on the track but struggled somewhat in the field.
On Friday the men enjoyed a narrow victory in the second
Kent Masters League match of the season at Deangate. The team were not at full
strength but there were two new over 60s Club records for Peter Hamilton who
timed 10.54.3 for the 3000 metres and 67.3 for the 400.
Shaun Lightman and Peter Hannell dominated the walks and
Rob Hall and Clem Leon both scored more than their fair share of points for the
team over a variety of events.
So after two matches the men remain unbeaten but the women
did not do so well. After enjoying victory in the opening match they were
seriously under strength and have now lost their overall lead to Cambridge
Harriers. Helen Godsell (400 and triple jump) and Barbara Terry (Hammer) were
the only winners.
First home for the Club at the Ted Pepper Road race was
Roy Smith in 8th place with 35.50 followed by Tim Soutar and Cliff Keen. Roy was
first in the over 45s race. Jennie Butler was the third woman overall and first
from the Club in 37th in 39.57. She was closely followed by Jane Bradshaw in
40.01 and Justine Eastbury in 45.34.
Up North Danny Brewer recently ran 76.29 in the Sheffield
Half Marathon
29/04/08
Blackheath & Bromley's Under 20 men and womens team
started their National Junior League season with a fine victory in the opening
Southern Premier League match at Copthall. A good start was essential as only
two teams from this division, which contains the top eight clubs from the South
Of England, will qualify for the National Final in September.
They won by a healthy 40.5 points and in doing so provided
both the male and female athlete of the match award winners. Scott Huggins
smashed the League Record for the pole vault with a clearance of 5 metres and 5
centimetres an improvement of 15 centimetres on the previous record which had
stood since 1998. It was also a new Scottish Junior and Club Record. Shaunagh
Brown won the female award for her 13.85 putt to win the shot.
Shaunagh also won the discus helping the Club win 7 out of
8 womens' A string field events, the other victors being Banke Jemiyo (Hammer),
Sarah McGuire (Javelin) Jessica Matthews (High Jump) and Lauren Blackie (long
and triple jump).
There was also victory for the 4x400 team of Sarah
McLellan, Katrina Cosby, Isobel Ivy, and Savannah Echel-Thompson and B string
wins for Lorraine Ugen (200 and long jump), Amy DeMatos (400 hurdles), Katherine
Jones (Discus), Anne Sophie Gnadou (shot) and Leah Forbes-Morris (triple jump).
For the men Andrew Jordon won the Hammer with 59.90, his
first competition using this weight, and the 4x400 team of Lemar Charles, Neil
Francis, Steve Cavey and Tom Bensted were also victorious. B string winners were
Tom Bensted (400) Ben McCallum (2000 steeplechase), Richard AlAmeen (Hammer) and
Charlee Debolla (pole vault).
A number of athletes set personal bests on an afternoon
where conditions were not conducive to peak performances making this a very
satisfactory start for the team.
The day before at Norman Park the Club hosted the first
Southern Womens League match of the year and after a close battle all afternoon
the team finished third, one point behind Kingston & Polytechnic and eight
behind leaders Marshall Milton Keynes.
The squad was a little depleted, particularly in the field
events and had they had a couple more athletes they may have actually won the
match. Victoria Thomas won the Hammer which was not a surprise as she is one of
the top throwers in the country, but, what did raise a few eyebrows was a double
victory in the high jump from Rachel Arnheim and Rebecca Haywood.
Rachel was taking the day off from pole vaulting and in
her absence Rebecca entered the event to score a point and ended up winning the
competition. She also won the B string 100 hurdles despite a fall.
Sam Singer had a busy and successful day on the track
winning the 800, 400 and 200 metres races. In the B string 800 and 400 Maureen
Miller celebrated her 45th birthday a few days late by winning both events with
her 61.7 for 400 being quicker than she ran the whole of last year.
Jane Bradshaw was also a double B string winner in the
1500 and 3000, the latter in a sparkling new best of 10.51.9. Jennie Butler
scored useful points in the A races and Katy Benneworth made the most of her
weekend back from Suffolk with a busy afternoon competing in the 100, 100
hurdles, long jump and triple jump.
Both the mens’ and womens’ teams enjoyed victories in the
opening Kent Masters League match of the season at Sutcliffe Park.
Inspired by Club President Tim Soutar’s win in the 1500
there were a number of notable performance. Tom Phillips 25.4 for the 200 is the
fastest in the country by an over 50 athlete this year.
Steve Langdon won the javelin by a huge margin with a
throw of 46.87 and there was another throws victory for Colin Brand in the over
60s shot, despite being over 70. The men rounded off the evening with Clem Leon,
Ian Holder, Denis Wallington and Tom Phillips combining to win the over 35s
4x100.
The womens’ competition saw the welcome return of Mel
Healy in the 200 A race with Caroline Nyamusi taking the B race.
Jane Bradshaw and Bridget Davey scored good points in the
1500 and like the men they finished with a win in the 4x100 with Helen Godsell
anchoring them home.
22/04/08
Scott Overall produced the Blackheath & Bromley
performance of the weekend when he smashed his own Club Record for the 5000
metres at the Mt Sac Relays meeting in the United States.
His time of 13.28.33 is just outside the 13.28 UKA B
standard for the Olympic Games in Beijing. It took almost 10 seconds off his
previous best which was set two years ago. He is easily the fastest Briton so
far this year and will be making another attempt at the qualifying standard at
Stanford in a couple of weeks time.
Scott's was not the only Club Record of the weekend as
Dina Asher Smith equalled the existing under 13s record for 150 metres at the
opening Kent Young Athletes Meeting of the season at Sutcliffe Park. Like
Scott's performance her time of 19.7 is the fastest in the country this year.
With both the Senior men and women in action at trophy meetings it made for a
busy weekend for the Club with a very mixed bag of team results.
At the Sward and Kinnaird Meeting at Kingston the Senior
Men won the Kinnaird Trophy for being the best track team but didn't feature in
the Sward results as they did not have any field eventers. Ed Harrison ran an
impressive 53.04 in cold wet and windy conditions to win the A 400 Hurdles and
Derek Paisley made it maximum points in the B event with 56.89. Also showing
good form were Taiwo Sodeyi, who ran 14.65 for the 110 hurdles despite hitting
hurdle 8 very hard, and Daniel Haque who won the 100 in 10.84. Other A string
wins came from Andrew Rayner in the 1500 and Alex Bruce-Littlewood in the 2000
steeplechase plus the 4x400 team of Harrison, Paisley, David McKinlay and Femi
Owolade.
The Senior women and under 15 girls were in action at the
Alpha Beta meeting. Full results are not yet available but the Senior Women were
6th with the under 15s 8th due to the clash with the Kent League the following
day.
There were mixed results in the team events at the Kent
Young Athletes League meeting at Sutcliffe Park.
A depleted under 15 boys squad were 4th with the girls
second while in the under 13s age group the girls enjoyed an emphatic victory
with the boys second. This meant that overall the girls were first and the boys
second.
Best performances for the under 15 boys came from Jonathan
Pettet and Oliver Taylor who both achieved National Grade Two performances in
winning the 200 and 1500. Amara Lalaemi Jacobs ran a grade two in the 100 but
had to settle for the runners up spot while Eleanor Dumper won the discus.
Dina Asher Smith's 150 performance was the highlight for
the under 13 girls where there was an impressive set of performances from a
large enthusiastic squad who are new to the Sport. There were A string wins for
Holly Fletcher (600), Amber Bryan-Issacs (70 hurdles), Shannon Cordell (2000
walk) and the 4x100 team of Dina, Shannon and Cheriece Hyltona and Aine Hurlock.
Best performance for the boys came from Liam Cater who won the javelin with a
promising throw of 30.84.
Further details of these events will appear on the Club
website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
15/04/08
Peter Tucker had an outstanding run at the Flora London
Marathon. The Blackheath & Bromley runner finished in 25th position overall in a
time of two hours, twenty three minutes and twelve seconds.
Starting steadily he seemed to just get stronger and
stronger as the race went on. This performance makes him the 9th fastest Club
member of all time with most of those above him on the list having gained
International honours.
Second home for the Club was the evergreen Nick Kinsey who
at the age of 48 finished 293rd in 2.44.35 with Kevin May third in 2.56.29.
Second claimer Jay Galley timed 2.56.16 . Also breaking the three hour barrier
were Andy Tucker 2.57.50 and Gary Cook 2.59.05
First woman to finish was Annie McDonough in 3.39.13 with
Justine Eastbury second in 3.40.20 and Kate Jones third in 3.41.27.
Past President Mike Peel maintained his record of having
running in every London Marathon, one of only 22 people who have done so.
Many of the Club's youngsters were in action in the
accompanying Mini Marathon with the majority representing the London Borough Of
Bromley teams. Alex Bruce Littlewood was third in the 15-17 year olds race in a
very useful 15.15 with Phil Sesemann 4th, Stephen Cavey 17th, Ben Greenhalgh
21st, Cameron Ward 53rd and Robert Donohue 73rd they finished 3rd in the team
race.
It was third too for the girls team led home by Danielle
Critchley in 6th place with Catherine Chambers 32nd, Amy Dematos 46th, Georgina
Naessens 47th, Melody Kane 56th and Harriet Field 58th. Competing for Croydon
Amy Mitchell was 30th with Clare Parkin 111th.
The 13-14 year old girls went one better picking up silver
medals. First here was Michelle Fewster in 8th with Krystal Galley 19th, Jessica
Jones 28th, Sophia Maslin 32nd, Amber Reed 34th and Lauren Heria 40th. Rachel
Robinson running for Croydon was 72nd.
The boys were 7th with Hector Kurtyanek having an
excellent run to finish in third place. He was supported by Sam Jackson 29th,
Greg Proctor 48th, Robert Yates 75th, James Clack 88th and Luke Jackson 162nd.
Will Mercer was 32nd running for Croydon.
Highest placed team of the day were the 11-12 year old
girls. First athlete home here was Georgina Kennedy who was second overall an
outstanding performance. Louise Davison 18th, Sonia Woolhouse 24th, Issy Jackson
31st, Hannah Cook 43rd and Holly Fletcher 45th provided excellent support and as
a result they won the team race.
The boys finished in 16th place with Luke Saywell first
home in 68th followed by James Murphy 92nd, Tom Scott 104th, Louis Parkinson
109th, William Owen 110th and Thomas Hamilton-Cox 130th.
For details and pictures can be found on the Club website
at
http://www.bandbhac.org.uk/road%202008.html
The Club hosted its second open meeting of the season at
Norman Park the day before and, although the numbers were not as good as had
been hoped, the event, nevertheless, gave those who took part the opportunity to
blow away some Winter cobwebs and post some useful performances. In the under 17
age group Dominic Coelho opened his season with a solid 12.2 for the 100 metres.
In the under 15s age group Amara Lalemi Jacobs timed a
very promising 13.2 in her heat of the 100 metres while in the other Rachel
Dickens (13.6), Rebekah Walker (13.7), Ayoni Williams (13.9) and Charlotte
Colgate (13.9) produced an exciting contest. Amara returned to win the 200 in
27.3 and also putt the shot 6.77 behind Eleanor Dumper who opened her season
with a useful 8.18 to add to her 20.30 in the discus.
Aaron Lloyd had his first outing over the under 15 hurdles
opening with 13.0 and Joseph Ewing won the 800 comfortably in 2.18.1 while Chris
Jolley and James Montgomery timed 60.9 and 61.5 in the 400. Jonathan Pettet ran
a useful 12.5 for the boys as well as leaping 4.46 in the long jump. He also
threw 27.37 in the javelin.
Also in the field there were good wins in the high jump
for Lara Lalemi and in the long jump for Jessica Moore.
Best performer in the under 13s was Dina Asher Smith whose
wins in the 75 metres (10.5) and 150 metres (20.6) were both National Grade Two
performances. Promisingly a number of other sprinters achieved National
standards with Shannon Hylton, Cheriece Hylton, Irenee McIntosh and Holly
Fletcher achieving grade threes and Victoria Pusey, Amber Bryan Isaacs and Ellie
Lawrence grade fours. Amber also achieved grade four in the 70 hurdles and Holly
Fletcher grade three in the 800. Irenee threw an impressive 21.11 with the
hammer.
Liam Cater continued his good start to the season with a
throw of 27.92 in the javelin and the promising Joel Shonibare won both the shot
and discus.
Many of these athletes are members of the Bees Academy
which is a Blackheath & Bromley coaching scheme designed specifically for
children in school years 4, 5, 6 and 7 to encourage their participation in sport
and to develop their athletic potential to the best of their ability.
Coaching sessions are held each Monday and Wednesday from
6.00pm to 7.00pm and also Saturday mornings from 9.00am to 10.00am at Norman
Park Athletics Track, during school term times. For further details visit the
website at
http://www.blackheathandbromley.com/bees/
8/04/08
Scott Overall began his campaign for selection for the
Beijing Olympics when he posted a time of 13.41 for 5000 metres while racing in
the United States at Stanford. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete's time is just
three seconds outside his own Club Record for the distance and 13 outside the UK
Athletics Olympic B standard. It gave him fourth place in a race that was won in
13.40. He will be racing again over the distance at the Mount Sacramento meeting
in a couple of weeks time.
Scott's training partner when he is in the UK is Michael
Skinner who was the second Briton home at the World Cross Country Championships
last weekend in Edinburgh. This weekend Michael went back to his roots and was
at Norman Park, Bromley to encourage the next generation of athletes at an open
meeting for school years 4 to 7.
For many it was their first Athletic competition but to
inspire the youngsters, the Club were fortunate to be able to display an Olympic
torch used at the 1948 Olympics. Not only that but also in attendance, and
presenting medals, was one of the athletes from the 1948 Games, Jack Braughton.
Jack competed in the 5000 metres and travelled to the stadium by bus having had
to take a half day off work to compete.
There were many good performances from the youngsters
which promises much for the future. The Club will be hosting another meeting at
Norman Park this Saturday for youngsters in school years 6 to 11. Entries close
this Wednesday, the 9th of April and a form can be found on the Club website at
www.bandbhac.org.uk
Peter Tucker has been busy racing for the Police recently.
He was part of the Police Sport UK team that finished third in the European
Police Sports Cross Country Championships at Vichy in France. This was the first
time they have won medals at this event and Pete finished 43rd in 35.08. Prior
to this he was 5th in the Police National Cross Country Championships at
Pontypool Park in Gwent. He was first counter for the Met Police team and led
them to victory.
Big disappointment of last weekend was the Club’s failure
to appear at the South of England 12 and 6 stage road relays at Aldershot due to
the heavy snow.
Similarly a number of athletes missed out on competition
when the Hercules Wimbledon Young Athletes meeting at Crystal Palace was
cancelled.
1/04/08
Michael Skinner was the second Briton to finish at the
World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh. The 28 year old Blackheath &
Bromley athlete finished in 66th place in the strongest middle distance race in
the world.
Last year in Mombasa Skinner was also the second Briton
home that time in 62nd but this year the field was stronger as there was no
accompanying short course race.
Closer to home Jamie Atkinson won the Paddock Wood in a
useful 70.27 just six seconds clear of runner up Julian Rendall of Tonbridge. He
now looks forward to the London Marathon in two weeks time. With Jay Galley 23rd
(1.18.25) Kev May 29th (1.19.22) and Rob Hall 53rd (1.18.25) the Club were third
in the team race. Other finishers were 113. Tony Crowder 1.26.16 147. Richard
Hall 1.28.16 278. Mark Skelly 1.34.40 431. Trevor DelaHoy 1.39.37 445. Andy
Riches 1.39.56 451. Dave King 1.40.05 452. Justine Eastbury 1.40.07 643. Keith
Duffy-Penny 1.45.29 1048. Ramon Saiz 1.57.16.
The end of the cross country season was marked by the
Closing 5 Mile Yacht Handicap race at West Wickham. With the slowest runner
starting first and the quickest last, the ideal for the handicapper is that all
runners finish at the same time.
However, this never happens in reality even when the
handicapper is a Professor of Mathematics, as is Past President Chris Haines.
Elle Harker had obviously slipped under his radar as the 25 year old school
teacher came home in a net time of 21.47 well clear of the "flying bricklayer"
73 year old Ron Chambers who finished second in 23.10 with 18 year old schoolboy
Darren Ko in third.
Fastest individual of the day was another 18 year old Alex
Bruce Littlewood. The Kent Junior Champion showed he is fast getting back to
full fitness after injury with a time of 30.24 for an over distance course. Alex
Gibbins was second in 31.13 followed by 14 year old Philip Sesemann who ran 32
minutes exactly.
Quickest woman was another school teacher Jennie Butler in
35.32 with veteran Jane Bradshaw next fastest with 38.30 despite a fall early
on. Jessica Jones who is only 13 was third in 41.27. The race was the 9th and
final one of the Bennett Cup series, a keenly contested set of handicap races
which take place over the Winter months. Going into the last race a number of
Club members could have won the overall title but John Fenwick extended his lead
to win the trophy with 354 points with Gary Cook (322) second one point ahead of
Gary Williams.
The race marked the end of an era as under new Cross
Country Commission rules at all club fixtures next Winter all runners will be
required to wear the electronic chips which have become increasingly used in
road races.
These chips are expensive which will mean an increase in
the cost of entry but there are benefits in terms of Health and Safety. The Chip
System has been refined so all runners can be tracked while out on the courses
using a satellite navigation system.
This will also aid marshals who will be able to tell when
the last runner has passed. It will also be able to identify when runners have
stopped for a walk, opening up the opportunity of fining the guilty parties and
raise money for Club funds.
Prior to the race was the Club photo which is only taken
every Olympic year and in the evening the Annual General Meeting took place at
which the new Club President Tim Soutar was introduced. Full biographical
details of Tim together with all the latest Club news and photos are on the
website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
