Last updated
02 April 2020
Press Releases for
April, May & June 2009
30/06/09
Montell Douglas bounced back from the knee injury which
kept her out of last weeks European Cup to set a personal best for 200 metres at
the Resisprint International at La Chaux De fonds, Switzerland. The Blackheath &
Bromley athlete timed 23.34 to shave four hundredths off her best. She also ran
a seasons best for the 100 metres of 11.41 which shows she is shaping up for the
World Championships Trials in two weeks time.
In Belgium Ed Harrison ran 52.67 for the 400 hurdles at a
meeting at Nivelles while in the Irish Under 23 championships Pamela Hughes won
the high jump with a clearance of 1.70.
Shaunagh Brown and Lorraine Ugen have booked their places
for the European Junior Championships in Serbia at the end of the month with
wins at the Trials at Bedford last weekend.
Going into the under 20s long jump contest Lorraine had a
best which was just centimetres off the qualifying mark of 6.10. She was soon
way beyond this with a leap of 6.28 and then improved to 6.29 to win the contest
and gain automatic selection.
Shauangh took both the discus and shot titles with throws
of 47.79 and 13.73. She already had the qualifying mark in the discus and as she
won this National title she is now automatically selected.
Kola Adedoyin set a new best of 15.23 to win silver in the
triple jump and he has just a couple of weeks to reach the qualifying standard
of 15.50. Serita Solomon continues to impress on her comeback from two years of
injury. She set a personal best of 13.93 in the heats of the 100 hurdles and
although she was slightly slower in the final with14.00, this was into a strong
headwind. This gave her the bronze medal and a new Club Record.
Alex Bruce Littlewood also set a new Club record when he
finished fourth in the 3000 steeplechase with 9.23.49 and there was a 4th place
also for Andrew Jordon in the hammer. In the accompanying under 23 championships
Rachel Arnehim set a new personal best of 3.75 to take silver in the pole vault
and James Alaka was also second in the 200 with 21.23. Femi Owolade was 4th with
21.68.
The Senior Women finished in third place in their latest
Southern League match at Portsmouth. Athlete of the match went to Jane Bradshaw
who set seasons bests in both the 1500 and 3000 metres in blistering heat and
also ran a leg of the 4x400. However, she was pushed for this by Katie Murray
who won the 400 hurdles and high jump and was second in the 100 hurdles and shot
putt. Amy Godsell was the other A string winner taking the 200 in 24.9.
A number of athletes had very busy days and Carolyna Jones
Baldock and Jackie Montgomery did more than their fair share of events as did
youngsters Claire Wickham and Amy DeMatos. Chelseas Crouser had a good win in
the 400 hurdles B string despite finding the starters stand still in her lane as
she came down the home straight. Sarah McLellan also had problems when two high
jump officials walked into her lane while she was running the 400.
The big event this weekend is the first ever British
Athletics League match at Norman Park track. The senior men will be looking to
get back on track for promotion after finishing 4th in the first match at
Cardiff last month.
The full list of competing clubs is Blackheath & Bromley
Harriers AC, Cardiff AC, Harrow AC, Herne Hill Harriers, Kingston AC &
Polytechnic Harriers, Leeds City, Swansea Harriers, Thames Valley Harriers. Many
former British League Athletes from Blackheath & Bromley will be in attendance
including 1998 Commonwealth Games 200 metre champion Julian Golding and a number
who competed in that first Division One match 40 years ago.
First field events are 12.30 and first track events in the
match will be at 2.30, although there will be supporting races before this.
Admission is £1 by commemorative programme which can be purchased on the day or
in advance from the track or Clubhouse. All proceeds will be used to help
support the Clubs Junior Womens team who, as National Champions, will represent
the UK in the European Champions Club Cup for Juniors in Bosnia this September.
23/06/09
A small piece of Athletics History will be made on
Saturday the 4th of July when Blackheath & Bromley will host the first ever
British Athletics League match at Norman Park Athletics track. The League
celebrates its 40th birthday this year and as one of the founder members of the
League the Club is delighted to be hosting this match. In fact the fixture at
Norman Park will feature four of the six teams who competed in the very first
BAL Division One match in 1969. The full list of competing clubs is Blackheath &
Bromley Harriers AC, Cardiff AC, Harrow AC, Herne Hill Harriers, Kingston AC &
Polytechnic Harriers, Leeds City, Swansea Harriers, Thames Valley Harriers.
With the World Championship Trials taking place the
following weekend athletes will be using this meeting to add the finishing
touches to their preparations. Athletes who could be in action subject to injury
and availability include Christian Malcolm, Andy Baddeley, Tim Benjamin, Matt
Elias, David Greene, James Thie, Dwayne Grant, Mike Skinner and Scott Overall.
Many former British League Athletes from Blackheath & Bromley will be in
attendance including 1998 Commonwealth Games 200 metre champion Julian Golding
and a number who competed in that first Division One match 40 years ago.
First field events are 12.30 and first track events in the
match will be at 2.30, although there will be supporting races before this.
Admission is £1 by commemorative programme which can be purchased on the day or
in advance from the track or Clubhouse. All proceeds will be used to help
support the Clubs Junior Womens team who, as National Champions, will represent
the UK in the European Champions Club Cup for Juniors in Bosnia this September.
Dwayne Grant opened his season at the V111 Reunion
International at Villa de Bilbao in Spain with a win in the 100 metres. His time
of 10.40 was , however, fractionally over the legal limit of +2.0. He did run a
legal 10.44 in his heat. At the Scottish Championships at DunfermlineDerek
Paisley continued his outstanding season. Now 35 he ran 53.91 to win the bronze
medal.
There was plenty of success for athletes from the Club at
the South Of England Senior and Under 20 Championships at Watford six athletes
winning gold medals.
In the Senior age groups the golds came from two athletes
in their very first years in the age group. In the mens 200 James Alaka scorched
to victory in 21.19 nearly half a second clear of the runner up. He was also 4th
in the 100 in 10.56. Rachel Arnheim's victory in the womens pole vault was a
little tighter as she won on countback with a clearance of 3.60, the same height
as Club captain Liz Hughes who was second. The remaining golds came in the under
20 age group where Shaunagh Brown won both the womens shot and discus contests
and her distance in the latter was further than the GB representative at the
Spar European Team Championships. Andrew Jordon set a new best of 63.41 to win
the hammer and Kola Adedoyin captured the triple jump title with a leap of
14.84.
Shaunagh also won two medals in the Senior age group
picking up silver in the discus with 49.24 and third in the shot with 13.98.
There was also a bronze for Lewis Ely in the Senior Mens high jump.
Serita Solomon missed out on gold in the under 20s 100
hurdles by the narrowest of margins, her time of 14.08 being just one hundredth
of a second behind the winner. It was silver too for Funmi Sobodu in the 100 in
10.69; for Jermain Olasan with a pb of 6.94 in the long jump and for Christina
Moore in the pole vault with a clearance of 3 metres. Dan Putnam picked up
bronze in the 400.
The Clubs youngsters enjoyed an emphatic victory in the
latest round of the National Young Athletes League which took place at Norman
Park. They won the match by 100 points and move up to second in the table with
one match remaining. The top three teams will qualify for the National Final in
September where the Club have won three times and finished second twice in the
last five years. Highlight of the match in Bromley was a new Club record in the
Under 17 mens pole vault where Mark Longhurst won the competition with a
clearance of 4.31, one centimetre better than Scott Huggins previous record.
Other grade one efforts in this age group came from Ben
Hopkins who won the 400 hurdles and Ben Parkin who won the B string and who also
won the 400. Sabine Efiannayi won the womens shot.
The under 15 girls were in impressive form again with
Rachel Dickens and Dina Asher Smith achieving grade ones in the 100 and 200
while Anton Daly matched them in the boys age group.
There was also some sparkling sprinting in the under 13s
age group where Shannon Hylton gained grade ones in both the 75 and 150 as did
Leah McDonald in the B 75.
There were plenty of other A string winners on the day. In
the under 17s these came from Ellis Zorro (100), Ronnie Pocklington (200), Ben
Hopkins (100 hurdles), Amara Lalemi-Jacobs (100), Krystal Galley (300), Emily
Nolan (1500), Clare Parkin (3000), Sian Duffy (80 hurdles and 300 hurdles),
Lauren Stevens (long jump), Sian Hurlock (triple jump), Christine Lyston (high
jump) and Anna Huggins (pole vault).
New girl Monique Walcott won the under 15 girls shot while
there was a win in the mens event for Daniel Hollett and victory also for Josh
Oyedele (400), James Allen (long jump) and Anthony Moore (high jump)
Kieran Gowan Wade took the under 13 boys 75 metre hurdles
while for the girls wins came from Janae Galley in the 800 and Shannon Clarke in
the high jump.
There was some impressive relay performances with the
highlight coming in the under 15 girls race where the quartet of Georgina
Middleton, Dina Asher Smith, Rachel Dickens and Charlotte Colegate were just one
tenth of a second off the Club Record.
Andrew Rayner returned from injury to win the Orpington
10km. He set a new course record on the multi terrain course of 33.11 beating
previous course record holder Peter Tucker by 12 seconds. With Martin Airey 14th
the Club won the team race.
British Masters Weights Pentathlon Milton Keynes
Four athletes from the Club took part in the
British Masters Weights Pentathlon at Milton Keynes and all four came away with
medals Pride of place went to Gordon Hickey who won the over 75s age group. In
the over 70s Colin Brand had to settle for silver having won the previous three
years and there were silvers also for Barbara Terry in the over 60s and Beatrice
Simpson in the over 50s age groups.
16/06/09
Athletes from Blackheath & Bromley have been in action all
over Europe in the last few days but perhaps the most significant events have
happened closest to home with a World age best for Bob Minting; a British Record
for Gordon Hickey and an MBE for Myrtle Augee.
Bob Minting ran a World best for a 59 year old for 800
metres at the Kent Masters League at Norman Park although he was beaten into
second place by Cambridge Harriers Ray Daniel. Bob's efforts in this helped the
mens team to victory and they now head the table and are on course to qualify
for the Southern Area Final. (See below for further details of this match)
At the Southern Counties Championships at Kingston Gordon
Hickey broke the British record for the over 75s shot with a putt of 10.79. He
was pleased with his effort but is hoping to throw further at the British Throws
Pentathlon this weekend at Milton Keynes.
Myrtle Augee represented England at five Commonwealth
Games in the shot winning gold in 1990, silver in 1994 and 1998 and bronze in
1986. However she has not received her MBE for her Athletics career. Her award
is for her work in the prison service. She is a Senior Officer at HM Prison
Pentonville.
International
At the IAAF Golden League meeting in Berlin,
Montell Douglas was part of the Great Britain team who won the 4x100 metres in
43.18.
Also in Germany at Mannheim, Funmi Sobodu was part of the
GB Junior mens 4x100 that took victory in 40.23. Shaunagh Brown was 7th in the
discus with a throw of 46.12 and 5th in the shot with a putt of 14.02.
Meanwhile in Turkey at the Cezmi or Memorial Meeting at
Istanbul, Kola Adedoyin leapt a useful 14.86 to finish 10th in the triple jump.
Anike Shand Whittingham was 6th in the 100 in 12.08 and 4th in the 200 in 24.56.
National Junior Athletics League, Eton
Blackheath & Bromley's Under 20s team enjoyed a 20
point victory in the second of the National Junior Athletics League Premier
Division matches at Eton. They defeated hosts Windsor, who had won the first
match of the season and this leaves the two Clubs locked together at the head of
the table on 15 points with B & B top, courtesy of their superior match points.
There were many good performances and the win would not
have been achieved without athletes filling in because of injuries and
unavailability. On the mens side there were A string wins for Dan Putnam in the
400, Sam Brown (pole vault), and the 4x400 team of Alex Blair, Ronnie
Pocklington, Ben Parkin and Lemar Charles while for the women there were
victories for Serita Solomon (100 hurdles), Samantha Milner (Discus), Lorraine
Ugen (long jump) and Christina Moore (pole vault).
Further fine efforts on the mens side came with Tremayne
Gilling second in the A 100 and B string 200 with Dan Putnam also runner up in
the A string. Lemar Charles was under 50 seconds in the 400 B race; Matthew
Walcott and Ben Parkin grabbed bronzes in the short and long hurdles and Alex
Bruce Littlewood was runner up in the chase.
In the field Andrew Jordon was just outside his best in
coming second in the hammer with 61.45 with Richard AlAmeen first in the B
string. Jermaine Olasan was third in the long jump; Mark Longhurst won the B
pole vault; and Ross Norton followed his new best in the high jump with a second
place in the javelin.
The women were particular successful in the B string
events with victories for Serita Solomon (200), Sarah McLellan (400), Krystal
Galley (800), Danielle Critchley (3000), Sandra Seaton (100 hurdles), Anna
Huggins (pole vault) and Samantha Milner (shot).
Of course it wasn't all about the winners, everyone
contributed to a fine result. For example James Powell ran his first ever 400
hurdles and finished third in the B string with 62.34 and Mel Kane moved into
the 1500 steeplechase to finish 2nd in the B string after original selection
Chelsea Crouser hurt herself in the 400 hurdles.
The next fixture is at Norman Park on the 26th July where
the squad will be looking to move a step closer to qualifying for the National
Final and from there looking to retain the National title they won last year.
Kent Young Athletes League, Canterbury
Highlight of the latest Kent Young Athletes League
match at Canterbury was a sparkling new Club Record from Dina Asher Smith. Dina
who has a page feature in the Rising Stars section of the current edition of
Athletics Weekly won the under 15 girls 300 metres in 40.8 to take over a second
off the previous record. She also won the 100 metres in 12.6 and was part of the
winning 4x100 team along with Jessica Moore, Rhiannon Jones and Frances Read.
The other A string winner in this age group was Ellie
Dumper in the discus while there were wins in B strings for Frances Read (100),
Jessica Moore (1200 walk), Victoria Munt (shot) and Irenee McIntosh (discus).
Best performer for the boys was James Allen who was second
in the long jump with a leap of 5.57 and also second in the 200 and third in the
100. There were also B string wins for Louis Hopgood (pole vault), Adam Willis
(long jump), Niyaz Chowdhury (shot) and Daniel Hollett (discus).
There was more success and many promising performances in
the under 13s age group with wins for the girls from Leah MacDonald (150),
Shannon Clarke (high jump) and Aine Hurlock (javelin).
James Selway won the boys 1200 walk and the 4x100 quartet
of Joshua Shonibare, Sam Willis, Jonathan Holmes and Joshua Dalsan also enjoyed
victory as did Jon Pairman in the B string shot.
Kent Masters League, Norman Park
That the men's team won the match was really just
the icing on the cake writes Tom Phillips. This was a demonstration of how good
our Masters squad can be, and a memorable evening of top quality athletics.
Bob Minting comes up from Exeter at least once each season
to bolster our results, and was a man with a mission this time. He was chasing
the UK record for 800m by a 59 year old, and gained this convincingly, in an
exciting battle against Ray Daniel of Cambridge. At 200m, we thought Bob would
win, but Ray was a worthy opponent, albeit seven years younger, and was pushed
to his best time for many years, while holding Bob off.
Within half an hour, Bob was in action again, joining Clem
Leon, Rob Brown and Tom Phillips to form a non-scoring M50 4x200m relay team,
which ran 1:47.1 in the Division 2 race. The reason for this was that we had
enough strength and depth to field a "proper" team in the Division 1 match race.
There, Ricky Fox, Nigel Keogh, Paul Byfield and Matt Richards won by a street in
1:42.0. This was just a second shy of the Club's Masters record for the event.
When the overall results were analysed, we discovered that, had they not raced,
and had we used the M50 squad in the match, we'd still have won, such was our
quality and strength. Rob Brown stood in for an injured Dennis Wallington at a
few hours' notice, too!
Earlier on in the warm, still evening, our Masters
sprinters almost had a clean sweep of 100m victories. Matt Richards looked a
class apart in winning the M35-49 A race in 11.6, a time not seen in the Kent
Masters League for a good few years. We were also on for double wins in the
M35-49 800m until Keith Ewing's hamstring failed him after 300m. The brave lad
carried on, clearly in pain, for the remaining 500m, to ensure us a point. We'd
not forgotten that we lost the last Kent Masters League fixture by a mere half
point. Up ahead, Rob Hall was busy storming to a fine win.
A big welcome to Paul Byfield and Simon Tolson to the
Masters squad. Along with 2008 M35 GB 60m champion Matt Richards, this was the
sort of influx of new blood Team Management had been dreaming about. Our win
re-establishes us at the top of the League, with a useful cushion of match
points over the ever stronger Dartford team. The League moves on to the Ashford
round on 29 June. It's a fixture that again plays to many of our strengths - if
we can get the athletes there!
9/06/09
UK Womens League and British Athletics League Cardiff.
Blackheath & Bromley's Senior men and women opened
their National League campaigns in atrocious conditions in Cardiff, where
torrential rain and an electrical storm threatened the cancellation of some
events. In the UK Womens League the Club finished in 3rd place, one point ahead
of the hosts, while in the British Mens League the Club were 4th just two points
off third place. Both teams can be stronger and so there is still every chance
that both teams could win one of the two promotion places.
In the womens match Anike Shand Whittingham had an
outstanding afternoon with wins in both the 100 and 200 metres for which she was
awarded the Club's Athlete Of The Match. Other individual wins came from
Shaunagh Brown in the discus and from Pamela Hughes on her League debut in the
high jump with a clearance of 1.70.
Vickie Cole gained a second and first in the B sprints
while Rebecca Syrocki was a fine second in the 400. It was second also for
Serita Solomon and Megan Southwart in both strings of the sprint hurdles. This
is the first year that the steeplechase has been on the programme and Rebecca
Smith scored a fine second place.
Athlete of the Match in the mens fixture went to Lewis Ely
who just missed out on winning the high jump on count back.
Other good A string results came from Sam Bobb who was
second in the triple jump and Ed Harrison who was 3rd in the 400 hurdles. Also
picking up third places in A string events were Funmi Sobodu in the 100 metres
and 55 year old Allan Williams who was just 2 centimetres off his UK age group
best as he cleared 3.80 in the pole vault. Allan wasn’t the oldest in the team,
however, as 73 year old Colin Brand made a return to British League action in
the javelin.
Derek Paisley drew the half flooded inside lane in the 400
hurdles but still won the B race before running an excellent 4x400 relay leg as
he, Ed Harrison, Bomene Barikor and Lemar Charles finished third.
Dan Putnam, Josh Cayenne, Jermaina Olasan and Frank Kilama
all made good debuts for the team.
The next round of matches is the the first weekend of July
when the Club host its first ever British Athletics League match at Norman Park,
Bromley on the 4th of July and the women travel to Lee Valley on the Sunday.
Southern Mens League, Norman Park
The Club were also in action in Division Three
South of the Southern Mens League last Saturday and this resulted in a good
victory which leaves the Club top of the table, albeit on match points.
Athlete of the match went to Dan McKeown who had a very
busy afternoon in the sprints and jumps, as well as getting himself wet in the
steeplechase and remarkably putting the shot further than he threw the javelin.
On the track A string wins came from under 17 Sufyan
Sultan (100), Neil Francis (200), Alloy Wilson (400), Jon Thorpe (5000), Dale
Willis (110 hurdles) and Josh Clarke (400 hurdles) and with this firepower it
was no surprise the Club won both relays.
Mark Longhurst set a new best in winning the long jump
with a leap of 6.20 and also won the triple jump with 13.02.
Kent Masters League, Norman Park
As can be seen from the above matches the Club has
Masters who can still gain selection for the Club’s Senior teams. They are that
good. This coming Friday evening, the 12th of June, there is an opportunity to
see many of them in action on home ground at Norman Park. These are athletes who
have tasted success at World, European, National, Area and County level.
The mens teams could be one of the best the Club has ever
fielded with 2008 Great Britain M35 60 metre indoor champion Matt Richards set
to compete in the 100; Head Of Athletics Paul Byfield returning to action after
a five year lay off; and former Irish 400 hurdles champion Nigel Keogh having
his first race of the year.
Add to this athletes of the calibre of Bob Minting, Tom
Phillips, Gordon Hickey, Clem Leon and Mike Martineau and it promises to be an
exciting evening of Athletics climaxing with the 4x200 where Club records may
fall. The action gets under way at 6.45 pm.
2/06/09
Edinburgh Marathon, IAAF Grand Prix, Bedford
International Games and BMC
A number of Blackheath & Bromley’s athletes have
been in action at various meetings abroad and in the UK in recent days.
Peter Tucker ran one of the quickest times in the country
this year as he was just outside his best ever time in finishing in 5th place in
the Edinburgh Marathon. In the hot conditions he timed 2.23.51 just half a
minute off his best.
UK record holder for the womens 100 metres Montell Douglas
travelled to the IAAF Grand Prix Meeting at Hengelo in Holland. She didn’t have
things all her own way as she came 7th in the 100 metres in 11.62.
At the Bedford International Games the windy conditions
were not always helpful for good performances. In the sprints, GB Junior
International Funmi Sobodu ran a seasons best of 10.65 and was part of the Great
Britain under 20s team who won the 4x100 relay in 40.90. James Alaka timed 10.84
and Tremayne Gilling 11.00 in their 100s.
For the women Anike Shand Whittingham won her 100 race in
11.99 and like Funmi was part of the winning 4x100 team. Vicky Cole was 7th in
the 100 with 12.39 and then returned in the 200 to place 5th in 24.95.
Under 17 Tom Bensted ran a very good 49.43 for the 400. In
the womens 100 hurdles Serita Solomon ran a seasons best of 14.29 for 5th with
Sandra Seaton 7th in 14.73 while in the under 20s 110 hurdles Matthew Walcott
ran 15.19.
Best performance in the field came from Shaunagh Brown.
The GB Junior International was back over fifty metres in the discus with a
throw of 50.54, her furthest distance for a couple of years. She also threw
13.92 for the shot. Fellow International Lorraine Ugen just missed out on
another 6 metre jump as she leapt 5.99 for 5th in the long jump. Kola Adedoyin
was 7th in the triple jump with a leap of 14.82 and it was 7th also in the
javelin for Christine Lawrence with a throw of 44.72. Pamela Hughes leapt 1.68
in the high jump.
Rebecca Syrocki set another personal best as she ran
2.16.39 for 800 at the British Milers Club Meeting in Manchester. Bryony Proctor
was just shy of her best with 4.35.39 in the 1500 while in the mens 1500 races
James Poole and Dan Ryan timed 4.00.50 and 4.08.05.
National Young Athletes League
The Club’s youngsters enjoyed victory in their
latest match in the National Young Athletes League at Tonbridge. It was
potentially a difficult fixture as the hosts reached last years National Final
but the B&B youngsters led all the way to win by 60 points.
Ben Parkin enjoyed an outstanding afternoon in the under
17s age group. He started by smashing his personal best for the 400 hurdles as
he won the B race in 56.8, a time which puts him in the top six in the National
rankings. This was needless to say a National Grade One performance as was the
50.9 he timed to win the 400 metres. The UK number two in the 400 hurdles Ben
Hopkins won the A string in 58.1, a little slower than normal as he was trying
to protect a niggling hamstring. He did, however, return to win the 100 hurdles
in 13.8.
Ronnie Pocklington chalked up two grade ones as he won a
tight 200 metre race in 22.5 and then followed with an 11.2 for the 100 which
gave him second place.
Top performer in the field was Mark Longhurst who also
gained two grade one performances with personal bests and event winning efforts
of 4.11 in the pole vault and 13.06 in the triple jump. Mehmet Takpak also
enjoyed two wins in the shot and discus as did Ellie Duffy-Penny in the womens
events. Further A string field wins came from Georgina Cousins (Hammer) Sian
Hurlock (triple jump), Christine Lyston (high jump) and Anna Huggins in the pole
vault where Jessica Nicol Smith won the B string. Back on the track Emily Nolan
and Rachel Robinson scored maximum points in the 800 metres.
There were some impressive performances in the under 15
girls age group with Dina Asher Smith and Georgina Middleton scoring maximum
points in the sprints. Dina’s times of 12.7 and 25.7 in the 100 and 200 were
both grade ones. Jessica Jones (800) and Rhiannon Jones (75 hurdles) both also
had good wins on the track and Dina and Georgina along with Victoria Munt and
Ayoni Williams were part of the victorious 4x100 metre team who won by a
staggering 4.5 seconds. In the field there were A and B string wins for Frances
Read and Jessica Moore in the long jump and Frances again and Holly Fletcher in
the high jump. Eleanor Dumper won the discus.
There was a double win in the boys long jump from Reon
Gowan Wade and James Allen and they both joined Joshua Oyedele and Anton Daly as
part of the victorious 4x100 team.
The under 13 girls dropped just four points the whole
afternoon. Three athletes achieved grade one performances. Janae Galley ran an
excellent 2.30.4 to win the 800 metres; Aine Hurlock won the 75 hurdles by
nearly a second in 12.2; and Ellie Lawrence won the shot with 8.18, her nearest
challenger being Yemisi Sofolarin who took the B string with 7.74. Leah McDonald
and Oshuwa Obbeta won both strings of the 75 and 150 metre races as did Aine and
Shannon Cordell in the long jump. Shannon Clarke cleared a fine 1.33 to win the
high jump and Grace McGrand joined Aine, Leah and Oshuwa as the Club won the
4x100 by over two seconds.
For the boys Kieran Gowan Wade won the 75 hurdles in 13.10
and the long jump with a leap of 4.26, with Sam Willis making it maximum points
in the B string. Michael Essam enjoyed victory in the A string shot
Southern Womens League
The Club just missed out on winning their latest
Southern Womens League match of the season at Norman Park. The hosts finished
just half a point behind Luton.
Best event in the field for the Club was the pole vault
where Rachel Arnheim and Liz Hughes enjoyed a double victory with clearances of
3.50 and 3.30. Neither athletes were finished though as Liz was also second in
the shot with a putt of 10.41 and was third in the B string hammer and discus.
Rachel scored valuable points in the high jump and triple jump. Ellie Duffy
Penny won the B string shot in 9.10. This, like her discus throw of 29.08, was
just outside her best ever.
On the track the afternoon got off to a fine start
courtesy of a double win in the 400 hurdles from Megan Southwart and Chelsea
Crouser. Megan, the athlete of the match, in the first fixture was also second
in the 100 hurdles and third in the long jump.
This time the Athlete Of The Match award went to Amy
Godsell. She won the 200 in 25.1, was second in the 100, soared over 1.20 in the
high jump, before running legs in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
After their close battle in the London 10km last week
under 20 Jen Hamer and veteran Jane Bradshaw renewed their friendly rivalry and
again it was the youngster who came out on top. She was second in the A 3000 in
10.48.1 with Jane winning the B race in 10.53.5.
26/05/09
It has been an extremely busy few days for the athletes of
Blackheath & Bromley with competitions all over the country and abroad.
Scott Overall had his first race since he returned from a
training trip to the United States. He finished 7th in the London 10km road race
in 29.36. He would no doubt have gone quicker but he has been struggling with a
calf injury recently.
Under 20 Jen Hamer and over 35 Jane Bradshaw were also in
action. The two B&B harriers took the 20 year age gap literally in their stride
and paced each other for the first 6k. Jen then took the lead but the
recently-returned from injury veteran followed doggedly, finally being out
kicked during the last kilometre. Result – Jen 38.44 (19th woman) Jane 38.56
(20th woman).
Further afield Montell Douglas was in action in the
Mohammed V1 Invitational Meeting at Rabat in Morocco. She was 7th in the 200
metres in 24.38.
Inter Counties Championships, Bedford
Lorraine Ugen made a big breakthrough at the Inter
Counties Championships at Bedford. The Junior International leapt over 6 metres
for the first time as she finished second in the long jump with a distance of
6.07, just six centimetres off winning the event. Her jump is the furthest in
the country this year by an under 20 woman.
James Alaka continued his promising start to the season as
finished second in the 200 metres in 21.42 a very good time as it was into a
–1.7 metre per second headwind. He also finished in 5th place in the 100 metres
in 10.66.
It was 5th place also for Shaunagh Brown in the shot with
a putt of 14.27. She had just returned from an International throws meeting at
Halle in Germany where she was 4th in the under 20s discus with a throw of
45.16.
Another 5th came from Christine Lawrence in the javelin.
She threw 44.49 in a close competition. Bryony Proctor was 7th in the 1500
metres and Liz Hughes 8th in the pole vault.
Anike Shand Whittingham was second in the Elite womens 200
metres in 24.64 while Vickie Cole ran 24.75 in the Inter Counties race to add to
her 12.42 in the 100.
Sandra Seaton just missed out on a place in the sprint
hurdles final as she ran 14.76 in the heats and one of the best performances
from a Club athlete came from Derek Paisley who at the age of 35 ran 54.34 in
the heats of the 400 hurdles his fastest since 2005. Matt Threadgold ran 55.75.
National Junior Athletics League, Hendon
Blackheath & Bromley's Under 20s men and women
began their National Junior Athletic League campaign with a second place in
their opening Southern Premier League match of the season at Hendon. The
reigning National champions finished just four points behind Windsor, Slough
Eton & Hounslow and are in one of the qualifying places for the National Final
in September.
Junior International Serita Solomon made a most welcome
return to competition after two seasons of injury misery. She won the 100 metre
hurdles quite comfortably in 14.43. Megan Southwart made it a hurdles double as
she won the 400 hurdles in a new best of 63.92 an improvement of over a second
and a half. She was also second in the B string 100 hurdles. It was a very good
day for hurdlers as Ben Parkin and Josh Clarke both broke 60 seconds for the
first time in the mens 400 hurdles while Matthew Walcott was just one hundredth
outside his best in the 100 hurdles. Great Britain International sprinter Funmi
Sobodu opened his season with a useful win in the 100 metres in 10.82 and there
were other A string victories for Christina Moore in the pole vault with a
clearance of 3.05 and from Sabine Efiannayi in the shot with a putt of 11.74.
There was some fine relay running at the end of the
afternoon with victories for both of the mens quartets. Funmi, Matthew, Tremayne
Gilling and Dan Putnam won the 4x100 by over a second. Dan, who had earlier
finished third in the 200 and been runner up in the B hundred, then contributed
a fine 48.3 anchor leg in the 4x400 to give the team victory. He had been set up
for this with good runs from Lemar Charles, Ben Parkin and Alex Blair.
South Of England Under 17 and Under 15 Championships,
Ashford
Ben Hopkins was the Club’s star performer at the
South Of England Championships for under 17s and Under 15s at Ashford. The Young
Athletes Boys captain ran the fastest time in the country this year for the 400
hurdles with 55.55 to win the Championship title. (This was subsequently
bettered the next day by Poole’s Alex Lee with 55.4 at a race in Exeter.)
Also in the under 17s Tom Bensted had a fine run in the
400 metres to finish second in 49.28 and in the field Anna Huggins picked up
bronze in the pole vault with a new personal best of 3.10. In the under 15s Dina
Asher Smith won silver in the 100 metres with a time of 12.54 and also won
bronze in the 200 metres in 25.10. Rachel Dickens was 6th in both these races
and Georgina Middleton also made the 100 final where she was 7th.
Frances Read was second in last years triple jump
championships and she had to settle for the runner up spot again despite
improving by nearly a metre. She leapt 10.59 and she was also 7th in the long
jump, one place behind Jessica Moore who was 5th in the triple jump.
Rhiannon Jones just missed out on a medal as finished in
4th place in the 75 metre hurdles
Kent Masters League, Canterbury
The lastest round of Kent Masters League proved a tight affair on the mens side
with the Club pipped for first place by half a point by Dartford. The two Clubs
are level at the top on League points after two matches but B & B remain top of
the table thanks to a superior match points score. The women finished in third
place again and stay in that position in the League table.
The 2000 metre walk proved a useful source of points on
the night with Rob Brown winning the over 35s race and Peter Hannell the over
50s. Both were competing below their correct age groups as were Ricky Fox and
Tom Phillips, over 50 and over 55, who scored useful points in the over 35s 400
metres; and Colin Brand, an over 70, who was third in the over 50s hammer.
Tim Soutar was a comfortable winner of the over 50s 3000
metres in 10.06.2 and Keith Ewing and Rob Hall placed well in the over 35s
event. Clem Leon had a busy evening scoring vital points in the triple jump,
pole vault and 400.
Best performance from the women came from Helen Godsell
who dominated the over 50s 400 metres winning in 71.9 over 11 seconds clear of
the field. She also ran the 3000 metres. With only six athletes competing and
all those over 45 it was always going to be difficult to win. Team manager Anne
Cilia soared over 1.60 to win the pole vault and was also in action in the the
400, 3000 and triple jump. Barbara Terry was third in the over 35s hammer
despite being an over 60; and Jackie Montgomery and Nanette Cross both scored
useful points in their respective 400s and triple jump contests.
Kent Young Athletes League, Sutcliffe Park
The Club enjoyed a mixed set of results at the
first Kent Young Athletes League match of the season at Sutcliffe Park. Both the
under 15 and under 13 girls teams won but the boys teams did not fare so well
finishing 5th and 4th.
Best performance in the under 15s age group came from Dina
Asher Smith. She won the 300 metres in an impressive grade one time of 42.1.
Holly Fletcher won the B race and there was another double win in the 200 metres
courtesy of Jessica Moore and Charlotte Colgate.
Ellie Dumper won the discus with a throw of 25.55 and
Charlotte, Georgina Middleton, Ayoni Williams and Irenee McIntosh won the 4x100
by half a second.
The boys had a tough time of it but there were some bright
spots. James Allen had a good afternoon with a second place in the A long jump
and a first in the B 200 and second in the B 100.Alex Lister made a welcome
return in the 1500 metres with a useful 5.02.3 clocking and athletes such as
Adam Willis, Reuben Fakoya, Jake Allen Wade, Tom Greenhill and Anthony Moore
showed they were prepared to try their hands at most events to score points for
the team. In the under 13s age group there were a number of good wins.
On the track Leah McDonald enjoyed a very good win in the
75 metres in a grade one time of 10.4. Amber Johnson won the B race and there
were other double victories from Oshuwa Ogbeta and Isabelle Jones (70 metre
hurdles); from Shannon Cordell and Oshuwa again in the discus; and on the boys
side from James Selway and Thomas Desborough in the 1200 walk. Shannon Clarke
won the girls high jump with a clearance of 1.25.
Other
Bob Minting was in action in the BMC Regional
races in Exeter. Bob is an over 55 and ran 4.48.92. Steven Hough was 47th in the
Canterbury Half Marathon
19/05/09
Loughborough International and other.
While Usain Bolt took all the attention in the
specially arranged 150 metre street race in Manchester, the event also saw
Montell Douglas have her first outdoor race in this country this year. The
British record holder for the 100 metres was third in the womens B final in
17.78.
Many athletes from Blackheath & Bromley were in action at
the Loughborough International match competing for the various representative
teams and as guests. Best result came from Christine Lawrence who was
representing England in the womens javelin. She finished in second place with a
new best of 48.13 which breaks her existing Club Record.
Still an under 20, Shaunagh Brown was third in the womens
discus and her distance of 14.32 in the shot, where she was 6th, was the
furthest outdoors by a junior woman this year. Also in the field, another under
20, Kola Adedoyin was 4th in the triple jump with a leap of 15.08, third
furthest by a Junior man this season.
On the track James Alaka ran an excellent 10.5 for the 100
with second claimer Tremayne Gilling timing 10.8 and Duayne Bovell 11.0. James
followed this with third place in the 200 in 21.52. Ed Harrison won his heat of
the 400 hurdles with 52.92 while another second claim athlete Jack Green ran
51.72. Sandra Seaton and Matthew Walcott both ran identical times of 14.46 in
their 100 hurdles and 110 hurdles races.
Southern Mens League
The Senior Mens team just missed out on winning their second Southern League
match of the season at Battersea Park. They led for most of the afternoon only
to be pipped at the end of the meeting by Herne Hill Harriers. With just a
couple more athletes the Club would have won.
There were many good performances on the day and the
highlight was a new Over 55s British record in the pole vault from Allan
Williams. The 1980 Olympian added a centimetre to his existing record with a
clearance of 3.82 to win the competition. He receives the Club's athlete of the
match for this performance but there were a number of other contenders for the
award.
Alex Pope won the award in the last match and he enjoyed
victories in the A string javelin, discus and long jump competitions. He also
won the B Hammer with Karim Chester winning the A string with a mighty 60 metre
throw. Karim also won the B string shot and there were B string wins also for
Mike van den
Dobbelsteen in the javelin and Clem Leon in the long jump. Lewis
Ely won the high jump with a clearance of 1.80 and then moved the bar up to 1.90
which he was unable to clear.
On the track Lemar Charles and Neil Francis enjoyed a
double win in the 400 metres and Femi Owolade made a welcome return to Club
action winning the 200 metres. Young Josh Clarke had a busy but successful
afternoon. The first year under 20 won the 400 hurdles in a new best of 61.1. He
also ran in both B string sprints.
Rob Hall came in at very short notice and ran in the 5000,
3000 chase and 110 hurdles
National Young Athletes League
The Club’s youngsters had a tough match in the
second round of the National Young Athletes League at Reading. They, the hosts,
and reigning National champions Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow had all won
their opening fixtures. The latter emerged as winners and B & B just pipped
Reading to second place by two and a half points.
With a number of athletes unavailable and injuries on the
day, many had to do more than their normal number of events. So, while the grade
one performances of Tom Bensted, Mark Longhurst and Dina Asher Smith were very
important, equally the efforts of unsung heroes such as Sam Jackson, the under
17 middle distance runner who competed in three events, were just as crucial in
securing the points which may make the difference in deciding if the Club earns
a place in the National Final in September.
Likewise Ben Hopkins had already left for home when he
received a call from manager Heather Williamson to advise the team were short in
the relays. He returned to the track to help the Under 17s 4x100 team secure
victory.
Other wins in the under 17s included victories in the A
string long and triple jumps from Mark Longhurst, the latter in a best of 13.07
which gave him the Club’s male athlete of the match award. He also won the B
string 100 hurdles. Sian Duffy was another double A string winner with victories
in the 80 hurdles and 300 hurdles.
Emily Nolan and Danielle Critchley enjoyed wins in the
1500 and 3000 metre races while in the field there were wins for Mehmet Takpak
(shot), Ellie Duffy Penny (discus) and Jessica Nicol Smith (pole vault).
Dina Asher Smith’s 25.7 in the under 15 girls 200 metres
gave her the girls athlete of the match award and she also won the 100 in 12.8.
Frances Read also enjoyed a double win with victories in the high and long jumps
and Reon Gowan Wade secured first in the boys long jump event. Jessica Jones had
a good win in the 800 metres and not to be outdone the throwers picked up wins
in the discus and javelin courtesy of Eleanor Dumper and Elouise Edwards.
In the under 13s age group Leah McDonald impressed with
first in the 75 metres and Janae Galley won the 800 metres by over five seconds.
With match so close victories in the under 17 mens 4x100
and 4x400 and the under 15 girls in the 4x 100 helped secure second place. Team
management were grateful for the efforts of all the youngsters and full results
appear on the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
British Masters Road Relays
The Club’s older middle distance runners travelled
to Sutton Coldfield for the British Masters Road Relays and featured prominently
in the over 35 womens and mens over 50s races. The womens team of Jane Bradshaw,
Carolyna Jones Baldock, Sarah Dowling and Jennie Butler finished in 7th place.
Jennie moved the Club up 18 places on the final leg with
an excellent time of 17.44 which was quicker than two of the mens’ over 50s team
who went one better by finishing in 6th place. Fastest here was Past President
Tim Soutar who clocked 16.35 to move the team up 11 places on the third stage.
Mark Watling, Ken Daniel, Alan Camp, Cliff Keen and Con Griffin were the rest of
the team.
The over womens over 45s team of Annie McDonough, Jackie
Montgomery and Anne Cilia were 12th.
Daniel Haque
Daniel Haque has received the Jack Petchey
Foundation Achievement Award for April. Daniel has started the season in good
form in the sprints but his efforts for the Club don’t end there. He is also
coaching in the Clubs Bees Academy for school years 4 to 7 supporting the next
generation of the Clubs athletes.
12/05/09
County Championship weekend proved to be another highly
successful one for the athletes of Blackheath & Bromley. Championships Bests,
Club records, National Grade One performances and a list of medallists longer
than an MPs expense form made it a couple of days to remember. At the Kent
Championships at Ashford, the athletes responded to the sunny conditions and won
34 individual gold medals across the full range of events and age groups. While
Shaunagh Brown may not necessarily have been happy with the distances she threw,
the talented junior achieved a remarkable double winning both the Senior and
under 20s shot and discus titles. The John Hillier coached athlete will be in
International action this weekend at Loughborough and she will be joined there
by Club mate Christine Lawrence who enjoyed an emphatic victory in the Senior
Womens javelin.
The good news in the Senior throws did not end there as in
the Mens Hammer Karim Chester returned from a long absence from the sport to win
the contest. Not only this, his distance of 63.46 was a new Club record and he
would no doubt have thrown further had he not been suffering from jet lag,
having just returned from a week long coaching conference in the States.
The Club also provided the two Senior pole vault
champions. First year senior Scott Huggins won the mens event on the Saturday.
He cleared 4.70 but the blustery conditions prevented him going higher. On the
Sunday it was the turn of Liz Hughes to take centre stage as she won the womens
event with 3.40 the same height as another first year senior, Rachel Arnheim who
finished second.
Outstanding senior track performance came from yet another
first year senior. James Alaka took full advantage of a favourable wind to post
a new Championship Best Performance of 21.01 to win the 200 metres. This took
three hundredths of a second off Lash Lashore’s record which had stood since
1998.
James also enjoyed victory in the 100 metres and Vickie
Cole also took 100 and 200 metre gold in the womens events despite having to
have her ankle strapped to run.
Ed Harrison continued his good start to the season with a
dominant victory in the 400 hurdles winning the race by over three seconds.
Rebecca Syrocki made her debut over 800 metres and came
away with a County title. She timed 2.18.6 but will no doubt go quicker as she
adapts to the event. Bryony Proctor made it a middle distance winning the blue
riband 1500 metres.
Shaunagh was not the only athlete to win two golds in the
under 20s age group. Fellow International Lorraine Ugen was a comfortable winner
of the 100 metres and long jump, the latter in an outdoor best of 5.84.
Katrina Cosby could soon be joining them on the
International stage if she continues her recent improvements. Having set a new
personal best to win the 400 metres on the Saturday she returned the next day to
break the 18 year old Championship record in the 400 hurdles winning in a time
of 62.57. For this she was awarded the George Stratford Trophy for the best
hurdles performance at the Championships.
Dan Putnam came home with three medals winning the 100 and
400 metres and gaining silver in the 200 behind second claimer Jack Green.
Andrew Jordon opened his season by winning the hammer with
a distance of 62.01 the second best in the country this year. Sarah McGuire set
a new best of 37.62 to win the javelin and Christina Moore equalled her best to
take the pole vault title. Back on the track Megan Southwart won the 100 hurdles
by over three and a half seconds to add to her silver in the 400 hurdles. In the
under 17s age group Ben Hopkins enjoyed an outstanding weekend. He won golds in
both the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles and his times of 13.81 and 56.16 were both
personal bests. The latter is also the fastest time in this age group in the
country this year.
Although training partner Ben Parkin did not win, his time
of 50.7 was, nevertheless, a National grade one performance.
In the field Anna Huggins maintained the family tradition
in the pole vault by winning with a new best of 3.01 and there was more success
in the throws with Sabine Efiannayi winning the shot with a grade one putt of
11.66 and Ellie Duffy-Penny the discus with 27.15.
The Club’s under 15 girls made a clean sweep of the medals
in the sprints in the under 15s age group led by Dina Asher Smith. She won both
100 and 200 titles and her time of 12.27 in the former was a new Championship
Best. It was also a Club Record and earned her the Leonard Armstrong Trophy for
the best under 15 girls performance at the Championships.
Rachel Dickens took the runner up spot in both races and
her 100 time of 12.73 was a grade one performance. The clean sweep was completed
by Georgina Middleton who picked up bronze in both events.
Frances Read achieved two grade one performances over the
weekend. She won the high jump with a clearance of 1.55 but had to settle for
silver in the long jump with a leap of 5.08. Eleanor Dumper won gold in the shot
with a putt of 8.93.
With 34 golds, 17 silvers and 13 bronze medals this was
undoubtedly a successful championships for the Club. However, these numbers
could have been greater had some other athletes chosen to enter or had not been
prevented from competing by illness and injury.
The Surrey Championships at Kingston saw further success
for the Club’s athletes. Derek Paisley won the Senior Mens 400 hurdles with a
seasons best of 54.98 a fine time for a 35 year old. Second Claimer Matt
Threadgold won the under 20s event and there were further wins for Tremayne
Gilling in the 100 and 200, from Jermaine Olasan in the long jump and from
Matthew Walcott with a Championship Best Performance in the 110 hurdles.
Further afield at Kings Lynn Lewis Ely won the Norfolk
senior mens high jump title. Results from some of the other County Championships
are not yet available.
On the roads Peter Tucker continued his preparations for
the Edinburgh Marathon with a win in the Richmond Half Marathon in a time of
69.24.`
5/05/09
The Summer season is now well under way and with it also
being a Bank Holiday it has been a particularly busy few days for the athletes
of Blackheath & Bromley on the road, track and field.
Michael Skinner was the first Briton to finish at the BUPA
Great Edinburgh 10km Run. His time was 30.32.
Peter Tucker will be racing the Edinburgh Marathon at the
end of the month and he warmed up for this by winning the Watford 10km in 32.56.
The Club hosted the annual Ted Pepper Memorial 10km road
race on Bank Holiday Monday. Twenty one year old Elaine Murty led from start to
finish in the womens race to win with a time of 39.25 and finished 17th overall.
Justine Eastbury and Tracey Ashenden were the next two women from the Club to
finish in 81st and 91st positions. First male Club member to finish was Richard
Daniel in 4th with Past President Tim Soutar 6th and Len Crowder 8th. Tim was
the first over 50 to finish and Graham Coates the first over 55.
Many were in action at the British Universities
Championships at Bedford. Best performance came from Scott Huggins who finished
second in the pole vault with 4.80. Fellow Brunel student Pamela Hughes was 6th
equal in the high jump and there was a 6th place also for Lauren Blackie in the
triple jump. Alex Bruce Littlewood set a personal best of 9.30.26 in finishing
9th in the 3000 steeplechase and Rebecca Syrocki was 8th in the 400 metres
final.
The Senior Men began their Southern League season with an
emphatic win in the opening Division Three South match at Norman Park winning
the four team contest by 42.5 points. There were many good individual
performances including personal bests for Alex Pope (12.86 in the shot putt),
Mike van den
Doppelsteen (48.83 in the javelin), Kieron Daly (23.5 in the non
scoring 200), Mark Longhurst (6.01 long jump), Oliver Robinson (2.04.4 non
scoring 800), and Jonathan Halls (2.08.2 non scoring 800). Allan Williams just
missed out on a British over 55s record in the pole vault while Derek Paisley
had his first competition as an over 35 and timed a very useful 55.6 in the 400
hurdles.
The Club’s athlete of the match award went to Alex Pope
who won four of the six events in which he competed.
Match Result. 1. Blackheath & Bromley 119.5. 2. East
Grinstead 77. 3. Horsham Blue Star 61.5. 4. Eastbourne Rovers 57.
The young athletes started their National League campaign
with a potentially tricky match at Harrow but still enjoyed a 58 point victory.
Early season matches are always difficult, particularly with the clash with the
end of the football and rugby seasons and, on this occasion, the added problem
of the match taking place on a Bank Holiday weekend.
However, the youngsters, both established Club members and
new blood alike, all contributed to a good team performance.
Athlete of the Match awards went to Ben Hopkins for his
grade one performance of 56.6 in the under 17s 400 hurdles; and to Shannon
Hylton for her grade one 10.2 in winning the under 13 girls 75 metres. She also
ran a grade one in the 150 of 20.3. Although Ben ran so well, he had to settle
for second place with the same time as Harrow’s Alex Lee and these are the two
quickest in the country this year.
Other grade one performances came from Tom Bensted in the
under 17mens 400 and from Dina Asher Smith in the under 15 girls 200.
In the under 17 age group Ellis Zorro, who is new to the
team and primarily recognized as a sprinter, agreed to compete in the shot and
won the contest with a putt of 12.25. Mark Longhurst made his debut at the 400
hurdles and won the B race with 62.6. The girls won 11 of the 16 track races
while in the field Ellie Duffy Penny enjoyed a hat trick of wins with victories
in the shot, discus and javelin with new girl Georgina Cousins winning the B
string shot and discus. The under 15 girls hardly dropped a point on the track
scoring 41 out of a possible 44, and included National grade two performances
for Dina Asher Smith and Georgina Middleton (100), Rachel Dickens (200), Jessica
Jones (800) and Rhiannon Jones (75 hurdles). Frances Read’s 1.50 winning leap in
the high jump was also a grade two and she added a further victory in the long
jump.
Best event for the boys was the long jump with a double
victory for Reon Gowan Wade and James Allen.
As always there were lots of new faces and plenty of
enthusiasm in the under 13s age group with a lot of promise shown from the
youngsters. Like the under 15s, the girls hardly dropped a point on the track,
but, they hardly dropped any in the field as well scoring 62 out of 68 points.
Cheriece Hylton’s 10.5 to win the B string 75 metres was a National grade two
performance.
Best events for the boys were the high and long jumps
where Kieran Gowan Wade won both A strings with Jon Pairman and Sam Willis
winning the respective B strings.
Match result 1. Blackheath & Bromley 457. 2. Shaftesbury
Barnet 399. 3. Harrow 354. 4. Team Dorset 263.
The first match of the 2009 Kent Masters League series
took place on a cold and damp evening at Sutcliffe Park writes Tom Phillips. The
Blackheath & Bromley men's Team convincingly won their Division 1 fixture, and
the women's team achieved third place in their match, unfortunately hampered by
a lack of any athletes to compete in the evening's over 60's events.
Race of the evening was definitely the man on man tussle
between Blackheath & Bromley Past President Tim Soutar and European Championship
medallist Ray Daniel of Cambridge Harriers in the M50 1500 metres. The two
matched each other stride for stride for more than three laps, as Tim tried
again and again to put distance between the two. However, he had no answer to
Ray's sharp sprint for home over the last 100 metres, but Tim's time of 4:43.0
bodes well for the summer. Keith Ewing held third place in the M35-49 race, with
multi-talented Rob Hall taking first in the M35-49 B race. In the women's race,
Jennie Butler ran exceptionally well to take second place, just eight seconds
adrift of multi UK and European Masters medallist Clare Elms of Cambridge, with
Bridget Davey second in the B race.
This was a great match for the field eventers. New boy
Mike van den Dobbelsteen lost a nail-biting javelin competition by just 6
centimetres, both he and his Dartford rival throwing over 45 metres, and landing
high in the early season national Masters rankings. Colin Brand won the M50
javelin. Colin is over 70, and thus was (once again) throwing against athletes
twenty years his junior! However, Gordon Hickey's third place in the M50 shot
put was against even greater odds. Gordon is the UK indoor record holder for the
shot in his M75 age group.
Clem Leon high jumped well again, for an M50 win, ably
backed up by Richard Horne, who took second in the M35-49 event, in slippery
conditions.
Beatrice Simpson was also back in action, after 18 months
out following severe damage to her foot at the 2007 World Masters Championships.
Now well on the mend at last, this irrepressible force won the W50 javelin by
more than 6 metres, took second in the shot, and then third in the high jump.
It was also nearly a clean sweep for the Club's top
Masters sprinters. New world record holder for the 60 metres, Helen Godsell was
comfortably two seconds ahead of the opposition in the 200 metres. Tom Phillips
had to drop down to the 200 metres in the M35-49 age group at the last moment,
to cover a missing athlete, but still claimed second place and a useful 26.0,
given the poor conditions. Helen and Tom then contributed decisive legs for the
Club's winning sprint relay teams, to end the evening.
Men 1. Blackheath & Bromley 77. 2. Dartford 67. 3.
Cambridge Harriers 55.5. 4. Bexley 54. 5. Bromley Veterans 32.5. 6. Medway &
Maidstone 24. Women. 1. Dartford 64. 2. Cambridge Harriers 62. 3. Blackheath &
Bromley 52. 4. Bexley 43. 5. Medway & Maidstone 37. 6. Bromley Veterans 13.
As reported last week the senior women began their
Southern League season with a third place in their match at Battersea Park. For
team manager Michael Champion the athlete of the match award was difficult to
decide, due mainly to everyone performing well. A number of people set personal
bests, many won events and others did events for a point. Only one person did
all three and so the award went to Megan Southwart who won the 100 hurdles in a
new best of 15.5: the B string 400 hurdles, and also came third in the long jump
with a leap of 4.96.
Under 17 Sabina Efiannayi set a new best of 12.13 to win
the shot and this performance is the fourth best in the country this year in her
age group. She also made her debuts in the javelin and hammer B strings winning
the former. Christine Lawrence won the A javelin with a throw of 45.82 the
fourth furthest in the country so far this year.
Other A string victories came from Vicky Cole (100),
Vanessa Namwanga (400), Katrina Cosby (400 hurdles) and the 4x100 team of Megan,
Katrina, Vanessa and Grace Sheppard.
28/04/09
The London Marathon remains one of the highlights of the
Athletics Calender and members of Blackheath & Bromley were prominent in the
event with runners in the main race and the mini marathon, helpers at the
baggage buses and supporters along the route.
Alex Gibbins was the first Blackheath & Bromley athlete to
finish in the London Marathon. He finished in 124th place overall in a new
personal best of 2.36.54. Next home for the Club was former British Record
Holder for the iron man triathlon, Nick Kinsey who finished in 2.44.38 in 283rd
at the age of 49. Paul Sharpe was next in 2.49.35 with David Beadle the only
other Club member under 3 hours in 2.56.52. Richard Hall and Gary Cook were just
outside the three hour barrier.
First woman home for the Club was Carolyna Jones Baldock
in 3.39.52 closely followed by Fran Green and Clare Lodwig who timed 3.41.40 and
3.41.53.
Many of the runners were raising money for Charity which
included Immediate Past President Tim Soutar’s nominated Charity C-R-Y (Cardiac
Arrest In The Young
http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/index.htm ).
Further back down the field Mike Peel continued his record
of having run in every London Marathon since the first one took place in 1981.
Only 21 people have done this. You can read more of their exploits at
http://www.everpresent.org.uk
Club member Mark Steinle still remains the fastest Briton
this century with the 2.09.17 he ran in 2002, the 8th fastest of all time. With
the current state of male endurance running it looks like this could continue
for some time to come.
Many of those who took part in the London will be at the
Clubhouse this Wednesday for the Marathon Supper where many will give their
personal reminiscences of the day.
There were some notable performances in the accompanying
Mini Marathon with pride of place going to Georgina Kennedy who won the 11 to 12
year old girls race and in doing so led the Bromley team to victory in the
London Boroughs race. First home for the 11-12 year old boys was William Fuller
who was 22nd with the Bromley team finishing 8th.
Amber Reed had a fine run in the 13-14 year olds race as
she finished 5th overall, her time of 18.37 being over two minutes quicker than
last year. This helped the team to 5th place. First boy home was Will Mercer who
was 26th for the winning Croydon team.
The Club provided all of the Bromley 15-17 year girls team
and they finished second in the team race led home by Krystal Galley in 28th
place. Hector Kurtyanek was first boy to finish in 33rd helping the Bromley team
to 7th place overall.
Full results of Club members and pictures can be found at
road 2009.html#26/04
The Club finished 3rd in the first Southern Womens League
match of the season at Battersea. Full details to follow but the Club’s athlete
of the match went to Megan Southwart. At the BMC Races at Hendon Alex Bruce
Littlewood and David McKinlay began their track campaigns. Alex ran 1.59.26 for
800 and David 4.11.94 for 1500.
Pole vaulter Steve Gascoigne has yet to start his Summer
season but he was 92nd in the Bansted Woods 5km park run in 25.37.
21/04/09
International events
Some of Blackheath & Bromleys’ leading athletes
have been in action in America with some promising results. Scott Overall was
slightly disappointed with this time of 13.34.29 for 5000 metres at the Mount
Sac Relays at Walnut, California. He didn't feel he got off as well as he might
and didn't get involved in the race. However, he was only seconds off his own
Club Record for the distance with the second fastest by a Briton this year and
will have the chance to improve in two weeks time.
After two races over 400, Montell Douglas moved down in
distance to 200 metres The UK Record Holder for the 100 metres timed 24.34 to
place 6th.
James Alaka and Anike Shand Whittingham were both in
action at the Byron Clay Classic and also the Long Beach Classic. At the former,
James clocked 10.72 for the 100 and 21.71 for the 200 while Anike ran 11.95 for
the 100. At Long Beach, James timed 10.74 for the 100 and 21.64 for the 200.
Anike improved in the 100 to 11.85.
National 12 stage
The National 12 stage road relay at Sutton
Coldfield proved something of a disappointment as the Senior Men could not
complete a full team and in addition the Senior Women did not take part in the
accompanying six stage event. The performances of those who did run were pretty
good with solid long legs from Alex Bruce Littlewood, Andrew Rayner, who
returned to action after a long injury lay off, Andrew Conway and Peter Tucker.
Best performance of the day, however, came from Michael
Skinner who took over on leg two in 35th position and swept through the field to
13th place by the end of his 5km leg. His time of 14.04 was the second fastest
of the day. Dave McKinlay, Daniel Ryan, and Frank Kilama showed they are in
shape for the forthcoming track season with some promising times on the other
short legs.
Alpha Beta Meeting
The Club won the Beta Trophy in the annual Alpha
Beta meeting which is hosted each year by Enfield & Haringey. Two trophies are
awarded with the top two in the Beta contest being promoted to the Alpha contest
for the following year. Last year the Club were relegated from the Alpha contest
but with the help of some fine performances in the under 15s age group promotion
back was achieved.
Best performance in the Senior age group came from Sabine
Efiannayi in the shot. Despite still being an under 17 she won with a putt of
11.95 just one centimetre off her best and the third furthest by an under 17 in
the country so far this year. She also made rare appearances in the discus and
javelin to score points for the team.
New girl Megan Southwart scored important points in both
hurdles and the sprints and it was good to see Layla Hawkins in action in the
jumps. Claire Wickham, Grace Sheppard, Isobel Ivy and Claire Wickham also scored
a lot of points by covering a number of events and this meant the Senior team
finished 4th.
However, the under 15s won their contest which meant the
Club enjoyed overall victory. There were double victories in the 200 (Dina Asher
Smith and Georgina Middleton); the 75 hurdles (Rhiannon Jones and Rachel
Giannini); high jump ( Rhiannon Jones and Jessica Moore) and long jump (Jessica
Moore and Dina Asher Smith). There was also a win for the 4x100 metre team.
It wasn’t just about winning individual events as the
points of Charlotte Colgate, Amber Reed, Issy Jackson, Ayoni Williams, Victoria
Munt, and Elouise Edwards were also crucial in ensuring victory and ultimately
promotion.
Sward & Kinnaird
Best performances at the Kinniard and Sward
meeting at Kingston came from Daniel Haque. He won both the 100 and 200 metre
races. He timed 10.97 in the 100 but unfortunately in the 200 the electronic
timing failed and he had to be satisfied with a manual clocking of 21.5, a very
good early season performance.
The afternoon could not have got off better on the track
as under 17 Ben Hopkins made his debut over the Senior 400 hurdles and won the A
race in 57.76. Richard Holt ran a very useful 58.91 to win the B race and Josh
Clarke was just outside his best as a non scorer.
Ronnie Polkington and Jermaine Alexander both had useful
outings in the sprints while Lemar Charles returned to action after injury and
ran 51.01 in the 400. Bomene Barikor had another crack at an 800 and was just
outside with two minutes with 2.00.50.
The Club didn’t have many field eventers but what they
lacked in quantity they made up for in quality with under 17 Mark Longhurst
finishing equal first in the pole vault with a new best of 3.80 and Sam Bobb
winning the triple jump with a leap of 13.45. Over 50s star Alan Hardy was third
in the B string vault.
All these results meant the Club finished third in the
Kinnaird event for track events and 6th in the Sward Trophy for field events.
Hercules Wimbledon Open Meeting
Many of the Club’s youngsters took part in the
Hercules Wimbledon Open Meeting at Crystal Palace. The best performances here
came from Dina Asher Smith and Rachel Dickens. Both won their respective heats
of the 100 and 200 in grade one performances. Dina timed 12.60 and Rachel 12.74
in the 100 but there was nothing between them in the 200 as they both ran 25.86.
There were plenty of other good performances and details can be found on the
Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
Road racing
This weekend is, of course, the London Marathon
and many of the Club will be involved as runners, helpers and spectators. At the
sharp end Alex Gibbins will be looking to dip under 2 hours 30 minutes while
further back Mike Peel will be looking to maintain his record of having run in
every London Marathon. Fran Green could be the Club’s first woman home and she
warmed up for the event with a win in the Mid Kent 5 mile road race at
Staplehurst. Her time was 31.15. Many of the Club will be running for Charity
and for Past President Tim Soutar’s nominated charity of C-R-Y (Cardiac Arrest
In The Young
http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/index.htm )
Numerous youngsters from the Club will be representing
Bromley and other boroughs in the accompanying Mini Marathon which is run over
the last 5km of the marathon course while other Club members will be working on
the baggage lorries.
14/04/09
UK Record holder for the 100 metres Montell Douglas had
her second 400 metre race in a week when she competed in the UCLA International
meeting in California. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete improved to 55.89 having
clocked 56.52 last week.
Two of the Club's runners warmed up for this weekends
National 12 Stage Road Relays by taking part in two of the long established
Easter running festivals. Alex Bruce Littlewood travelled to the Isle Of Man and
finished 7th in the 10km road race in 32.24 and then placed 14th in the fell
race. He completed the weekend in the road relays where he ran the 23rd fastest
time.
Andrew Conway headed to Guernsey where he finished 4th in
the Half Marathon in 72.04. On the first day he was 7th in the 10km road race in
33.02. He was also 4th in the cross country race and was in the winning team in
the 4x2 mile relay. This left him in third place overall for the weekend.
At the Club's young athletes meeting at Norman Park the
best performance came from Dina Asher Smith. She won the under 15 girls 300
metres in 42.1 a grade one performance. The meeting featured a celebrity relay
in which many coaches, team managers and other notables took part to raise money
towards the costs of the Young Athletes season.
Dina was in action again at the Tonbridge open meeting on
Bank Holiday along with a number of other Club members. She timed 19.33 for the
150 metres. Quicker still were Daniel Haque and Dan Putnam who clocked 16.27 and
16.53 in their respective heats.
Other results. 1500 Jen Hamer 5.10.4, Danielle Critchley
5.25.5, Frank Kilama 4.20.75. 150. Jessica Moore 20.32, Rachel Robinson 21.46.
600. Chelsea Crouser 1.46.13, Rachel Robinson 1.51.92. 100 Hurdles Megan
Southwart 15.63, Ben Hopkins 14.40. 3000 Greg Proctor 10.08.6. 3000 walk
Victoria Munt 20.05.5. 300. Katrina Cosby 40.36, Megan Southwart 42.59, Neil
Francis 36.86, Ben Hopkins 38.48. Hammer. Jake Haylock 47.28. Long jump Jessica
Moore 4.65. Pole Vault Alan Hardy 2.80. Javelin James Nichols 20.00.
7/04/09
12 Stage Road Relays
The Senior Men of Blackheath & Bromley have
qualified for the National 12 Stage Road Relays following their performance at
the Southern Championships at Milton Keynes. Although they had a number of
athletes missing through illness and injury they still finished in 19th place to
earn one of the automatic qualifying places.
The team was a mixture of youth and experience with Past
President Tim Soutar receiving a late call up to the squad for a short leg and
former Great Britain International Dave Taylor running a useful long stage.
Fastest long stage runner from the Club was Loughborough
University student James Poole who timed 25.23 on the 5th leg to move the team
up from 22nd to 16th. Andrew Conway ran a good opening leg of 26.16 as did under
20 Alex Bruce Littlewood on leg three with 26.56. Another junior Frank Kilama
was the quickest short leg runner timing 17.56 on the sixth leg moving the team
up four places in the process.
Unfortunately the women did not complete a team.
Track and field
A number of the Club’s athletes have been in
action in early season track and field meetings. Montell Douglas started her
outdoor campaign with an outing over 400 metres at the Pomona Pitzer
International meeting at Claremont, California. The UK 100 metre record holder
timed 56.52 to finish in 4th place.
Closer to home at the Lee Valley Open Meeting another
Senior athlete competed in an event in which they are not normally associated.
Bomene Barikor who is best known as a high jumper, but is increasingly moving
towards multi events, won his heat of the 800 metres in a very useful 2.01.00.
Under 20 Megan Southwart set a personal best in the 400
hurdles as she won the event in 65.69 and she also timed 16.00 in the 100
hurdles.
In the under 17 age group Sian Duffy made her debut over
300 hurdles and opened with a promising 50.85. Like Megan she also competed over
the shorter hurdles timing 12.9 over 80 metres just a tenth slower than the best
in the Club last year.
The Club hosted an Open Meeting for Young Athletes in
school years 4 to 7 at Norman Park. There was a good entry and plenty of promise
shown by the youngsters. Full results of this can be viewed
here...
There were some more good track results at the Crawley
open meeting the previous weekend. In the under 17s age group new member Emily
Nolan broke five minutes in the 1500 as she timed 4.58.1. Training partner Amber
Reed ran 5.09.8 in the under 15s age group while in the 800 Jessica Jones and
Holly Fletcher timed 2.30.8 and 2.33.3 respectively.
In the under 13s age group Sonia Woolhouse opened with a
personal best of 4.22.1 in the 1200 while Louise Davison and Bekki Keyte both
ran 2.45 in the 800 with Louise two tenths the quicker on .1 with Bekki .3.
Other Road racing
Back out on the roads the Club was represented in
a number of open road races. Richard Hall was first Club member to finish in the
Paddock Wood Half Marathon in 59th place followed by Keith Ewing in 83rd and Len
Crowder 100th. New member Carolyna Eastbury was the first woman to finish in
583rd.
Dick Griffin was first home for the Club at the Worthing
20 with Dave King in 77th and Matthew Newins 85th. First woman was Justine
Eastbury in 210th. Ray Bennett was 122nd in the Taunton Marathon.
