Last updated 24
September 2002
Press Releases for
August & September 2002
24 September 2002
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley started the Winter season
with a win and a second place in its annual cross country relays at Sparrows
Den, West Wickham. With Herne Hill disqualified for running athletes more than
once in the same team, the Men had a comfortable victory.
Fastest leg for the Club came from Roy Smith who timed
13.21 on the 4th stage with Anthony Draper just five seconds slower on the first
leg. Junior Terry Hawkey, President Pat Calnan, veteran Neil Ayrton, and Nick
Gasson, Director of Sponsors "So Clean" were the other members of the
winning team.
After winning last year the women had to settle for second
behind a useful team from Harborough. For the second year in a row Jennie Butler
ran the fastest leg of the day timing 15.12, 12th fastest Blackheath athlete of
the 48 men and women members who took part. She brought the Club in first on the
opening stage. Anne Cilia slipped a place on the second leg before Kate Pratten
swept the team back into the lead on leg three. Despite a valiant effort by
Carolina Jones Baldock on the anchor leg, it was not enough to prevent
Harborough surging by for victory.
Amongst the other Blackheath runners there were promising
cross country debuts for Jack Sundae and Max Richardson. First in the Bennett
Cup handicap competition, that was included in the race, was 16 year old Harry
Cliff with 17 year old Peter Moreton second and 71 years young David Churchus in
third.
On the roads, Siobhan Budd finished an excellent 6th place
in the Nike London 10km in Richmond Park a race that attracted 20,000 runners.
This was her first attempt at the distance and she finished as 4th Briton in a
time of 38.29. Meanwhile, at the Kent Masters Championships at Erith, Allan
Williams won the fourth gold medal he had been looking for. Already the
Southern, National and European champion at the over 45's pole vault, he took
the title with a new championship best of 4.15.
It was a busy weekend for Ken Daniel. The old war horse
roared into life on the Saturday with a win in the over 50's 800 and then on
Sunday smashed the ten year old 1500 metre Championship record timing 4.33.9
which astonishingly was faster than all the over 40's as well. He then travelled
to Sparrows Den to run in the cross country relay.
Jim Day was also a double winner taking the over 60's pole
vault and long jump titles while in the same age group Gordon Hickey won the
shot and Colin Brand the discus. Mark Watling took the over 40's 800 title and
Mike Martineau the over 50's long jump, to add to his silver in the 400 hurdles
and bronze in the 200 and 400. It was bronze also for Hickey in the discus,
Brand in the shot and Day in the 100.
Also at Erith were the Kent multi events championships and
Alex Al Ameen won the under 15's pentathlon with 2366 points. Further afield in
Derby, Alex Pope was also in multi events action as he took part in the English
Schools Combined Events Championships. He finished 25th overall in the
Intermediate Boys Octathlon with 4186 points. The previous weekend at the
British Masters throws Pentathlon at Ashford Past President Colin Brand set a
new British record of 3939 points in the over 65's age group throwing the shot,
discus, javelin, hammer and heavy weight. Clubmate Gordon Hickey had been
leading after two events but he had to settle for 2nd with 3309 points.
It was a double celebration for Brand who is editor of the
Club's Gazette. The magazine was voted 2nd in the Running Fitness magazine's
Club Newsletter of the Year competition and the Club has benefited with a prize
of £150. The Club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities. For further
details contact Development Officer Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or visit the
website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
where there are action shots from the cross country relays.
17 September 2002
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley had a memorable afternoon at
the Kent Relays at Tonbridge as the Club's teams delivered one medal winning
performance after another over the course of the 6 hour programme.
Not only did the Club win a magnificent 7 sets of winners
medals but three new Club Records were set as the squads ran some of the fastest
times in the country this year.
First to strike gold were the Under 13 girls 3x800 metre
team where after strong legs from Claire McNamara and Bianca Gibbons, the Club
still found itself over a 100 metres down on the Medway And Maidstone team.
However a masterfully paced run by Rebecca Taylor saw her close down the
opposition and go on to win in 7.53.2 lopping 20 seconds off the Club Record.
In the same age group, not only did the 4x100 team break
the Club Record but the quartet of Serita Solomon, Emily Godley, Sophie Robinson
and Hannah Shomade's time of 53.7 was faster than any other Club in the country
last year.
Club Record number three came from the Senior Women's
4x400 team of Katy Porter, Karyn O Mahoney, Louisa Guthrie and Sam Singer who
finished 2nd in the race in 4.02. Guthrie, Singer and Porter did however pick up
two sets of gold medals as they teamed up with Katy Benneworth for comprehensive
victories in both the 4x100 and 4x200.
Not to be outdone the Senior Men weighed in with a victory
as the Ian Dibbens coached quartet of Michael Champion, Ian Allerton, Jack
Wilkie and Dewayne Lougheed won the 4x100 in 43.5. The same four were also
second in the medley relay.
It was first again for the under 17's team of Chris
Perrin, Sanjo Bamgboye, Edwin Telfer and Dwayne Bovell as they clocked 45.5. The
Under 15's girls team of Clare Cooper, Keighley Douglas, Joanna South and Nina
Akif ran a sparkling 51.1 for victory just half a second shy of the Club Record
and again one of the fastest times in the country this year.
There were some impressive splits in the 4x400 races with
Anthony Draper timing 48.0 in the Senior Race as he helped the team to silver
and one of the finds of the season Max Richardson posted a 51.5 split in the
Under 17's race again helping the team to second place. Bronze medals were won
by the Under 20's 4x100 and 4x400 teams and by the under 13 boys 4x100 teams.
Further away at the Moreton-In-Marsh the Club picked up a
surprise set of bronze medals in the National 10km road race Championships.
Spencer Newport was first Club man home in 20th place in 30.43 and it was then
left to three veterans to make up the remaining four team places. John Morland
was 53rd in 34.46, Neil Ayrton 69th in 36.30 and Brendan McShane 70th in 36.39.
This will have been a big boost to the Winter squad as the Cross Country season
starts in earnest. The Club will be hosting its annual cross country relays at
Sparrows Den this Sunday starting at 2.30. For further details about the Club
visit the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
10 September 2002
The women of Blackheath Harriers, Bromley are celebrating
having secured promotion to the Division One of the Southern League with a
decisive victory in their final match at Sutcliffe Park. They won by 56 points
and are now just a step away from a place in the national UK Women's League.
To add to the celebrations two new Club Records were set.
Katy Benneworth has been peppering the 5.50 metre mark in the long jump all
summer but this time soared out to 5.70 to win and set a new Junior Record of
5.70 just 19 centimetres shy of the Senior Record as well. Clare Silvester
improved her own under 17's javelin record to 30.53 to finish third in the
Senior event.
Other A string wins in the Senior age group came from
Siobhan Budd in 3000 metres, Emily Oliver in the hammer and the 4x100 team of
Benneworth, Louisa Guthrie, Sandra Alaneme and Harriet Robinson. B string wins
came from Hannah Leach (3000), Nadia Gharbaoui (Triple jump), Carolina Jones
Baldock (400 hurdles) and Robinson again in the long jump.
There were even more wins in the under 15's age group.
National 75 metre hurdle champion Clare Cooper won her main event in 11.7 and
also took the 100 metres. Rebecca Taylor ran away from the field in the 1500 and
Victoria Thomas took the discus with 26.28. In the B string events there were
wins for Joanna South (100), Sophie Williams (800), Bryony Proctor (1500), Nina
Akif (75 hurdles and long jump) and Florence Clark (shot and discus).
The afternoon finished on a high with the 4x100 team of
Cooper, Akif, South and Keighley Douglas storming to victory in 52.5.
The Club's Junior men also celebrated as they concluded a
successful season with an appearance in the National Junior Athletics League
Final in Derby. This is the first time in three years that the Club has reached
the Final in manager Fran Robinson's first year in the job, and, with almost all
of the team having another year in the age group the prospects are even better
next season.
The Final contains the top 8 teams in the country which
meant some tough competition and it was not a surprise that the squad were 8th.
However, the policy of giving competition to as many athletes who had
contributed to the team during the season worked well with a dozen athletes
achieving personal bests.
In the A string events Terry Hawkey picked up bronze in
the 1500 despite swallowing a large leaf as he sprinted round the last lap.
Likewise Tom Robinson cleared 3.60 to take third in the pole vault and it was
third also for the 4x100 team of Neil Simpson, Dwayne Bovell, Sanjo Bamgboye and
Fabian Collymore who clocked an excellent 42.66.
More medals came in the B string events with a win for
Dwayne Bovell in the 100 and the promising Will Edet picking up bronze in both
the 110 hurdles and the high jump. Alongside the team event was the Grand Prix
Final for individuals and there was more success here as Karim Chester finished
as 6th best in the country for the season for his performances in the shot,
discus and javelin.
3 September 2002
A spirited team performance saw Blackheath Harriers,
Bromley finish 2nd in the final British Athletics League Division Two match of
the season at Watford. Going into the match the Club were one of five who could
have joined already relegated Bedford in Division Three next season but it was
soon clear that the Harriers were not going to be in any trouble.
Fielding 12 internationals the Club started scoring
steadily from the start with Commonwealth Games representatives Mensah Elliott,
Mark Awanah and Daniel Plummer weighing in with big points tallies.
Elliott celebrated his recent engagement with a rare
excursion over the 400 hurdles finishing in 3rd place before making it maximum
points in the 110 hurdles for the season with his 4th consecutive win. He was
also close to his best in the shot putt.
Plummer took the B 100 and A 200 with ease as well as
anchoring the sprint relay team home in 4th. Awanah, returning to competition
after a back injury, secured 3rd in the long jump before going on to claim 2nd
in the triple jump.
European Under 23 champion Jonathan Barbour eased to
victory in the A 100 and there were other wins on the track for Michael Skinner
(A 1500); Anthony Draper (B 800); Andrew Rayner (B 1500) and Mohammed
Sillah-Freckleton (B 110 Hurdles).
Fresh from his victory in the European Veterans
Championships Allan Williams achieved his highest placing of the season in
finishing 3rd in the pole vault with 4.20 with youngster Tom Robinson 3rd equal
in the B string with 3.60.
Another Master (as veterans are now to be known) Bill
Foster was close to his season's best with 15.05.2 in the 5,000 with Peter
Tucker, who had earlier fallen twice in the steeplechase, timing 15.48.1 in the
B race. First home for the Club in the 'chase was Giles Clifford who
consequently picked up the President's Steeplechase Challenge goblet for having
run the fastest time of the season.
With a number of first choice throwers unavailable three
enthusiastic youngsters Alex Pope, Karim Chester and Amir Williamson picked up
important points in the shot, discus, javelin and Hammer. The afternoon finished
with an exciting 4x400 race which saw four athletes battling down the finishing
straight. Alloy Wilson clocked his fastest split of the year with 47.2 and
crossed the line in second. However, three teams were disqualified which raised
Blackheath to first.
Twenty one of Saturdays team have progressed to Senior
level via the Club's Young Athletes and Junior teams and this theme of
continuity was maintained on Sunday at the Southern Veterans Final at Battersea
where many of the squad had in the past competed for the British League team.
Returning to competition after a gap of some years Malcolm
Cannon flew down from Scotland to score a hatful of points for the team. He won
the high jump with a leap of 1.70 as well as coming 2nd in the javelin and 3rd
in the long jump.
Likewise Tim Soutar flew in from Dubai, where he is
currently working, to take 3rd in the 3000. Other wins in the over 40's came
from Alan Hardy in the pole vault and Rob Brown in the B 2km walk.
More wins came in the over 50's from Dennis Wallington
(100 and long jump); Bob Minting (400, 800 and high jump); Ken Daniel (1500);
Shaun Lightman (2km walk); and Jim Day (pole vault). Gordon Hickey won the over
60's shot and javelin. However, it was an all round team performance with a
whole group of athletes scoring important points for the Club.
For example, Neil Ayrton moved down in distance to run the
100, 200 and 400 and team captain John Turner covered events as diverse as the
hammer and the 200. All proved worthwhile as by the end of the afternoon the
team triumphed and Jim Day, who is the President of the Southern Veterans
Association, was able to present Turner with the winners trophy.
Meanwhile Nina Cooper was one of 25,000 women who took
part in the Flora Lite 5km Challenge race in Hyde Park. She easily ran faster
than ever before timing 24.43 to finish in the top 1000.
Three Heathens have been selected to represent Great
Britain in Barcelona this weekend in an international match against Catalonia,
Cuba and Yugoslavia. Daniel Plummer goes in the 100 and Mark Awanah in the long
jump. However, Dwayne Grant will not be able to take up his place in the relay
because of injury.
27 August 2002
Sprinters from Blackheath Harriers, Bromley were out in
force on Friday evening at the Norwich Union Grand Prix at Crystal Palace taking
on the top athletes in the world.
Sixteen runners lined up in the two heats of the 100
metres and, in his first race back from injury, European Under 23 champion
Jonathan Barbour found himself pitted against world record holder Maurice
Greene. Barbour gave a good account of himself running a seasons best of 10.46
and is now looking to get in more races before the end of the season.
In the second heat Daniel Plummer clocked 10.64 and had
the satisfaction of defeating Jason Gardener with his finishing dip. Dwayne
Grant nearly took a famous scalp in the 200 as he finished in 5th place in 20.79
just two hundredths of a second behind Christian Malcolm.
There was more international success at the European
Veterans Championships in Stuttgart as Allan Williams set a new British Over
45's record in the pole vault striking gold with a clearance of 4.50.
It was gold also for Bob Minting who was part of the Great
Britain over 50's 4x400 team who won in 3.38.78. He was also 5th in the 800 in
2.06.52. Jim Day was the Club's other medallist gaining silver in the over 65's
pole vault with a leap of 2.80. He also qualified for a place in the final of
the 100 hurdles in 19.91 his best time for two years. However, he didn't take up
his place in the final as he had a more pressing engagement. This was the
Blackheath Club Championships which took place at Norman Park on Saturday where
he finished 2nd overall in the pole vault with 2.60.
In the Senior age group Michael Champion won the 100 in
10.7 while Anthony Draper won the 1500 in a new best of 3.51.6. Andrew Rayner
also improved to 3.54.2 in second place with Jennie Butler slashing 12 seconds
off her previous best to take the women's title in 4.42.9.
In the under 17's age group Dwayne Bovell set a new best
of 10.9 in the 100 and Max Richardson continues to improve timing 52.9 in the
400. Harriet Robinson took the 80 metre hurdles in 11.8 while training partner
Clare Cooper was equally dominant in the under 15's 75 hurdles winning in 11.2.
Elsewhere in the under 15's Dominic Parsons ran an
impressive 52.5 to win the 400 to add to his 11.6 win in the 100. In the under
13's Serita Solomon again equalled the Club Record in the 75 metres winning in
10.4 and Rebecca Taylor improved her 1500 best to 5.02.9.
A number of these athletes were in action the following
day at the Under 20's and Under 15's Inter Counties match at Copthall. Wins here
came from Clare Cooper in the under 15's 75 hurdles in 11.28 and from Alistair
Tawanaee in the boys hammer with 45.38. Katy Benneworth was 3rd in the under
20's long jump with 5.50, as was Victoria Thomas in the under 15's shot. Other
good performances came from Tom Robinson who was 4th in the under 20's pole
vault with a clearance of 3.80 and Karim Chester who was 5th in the discus with
40.33.
Meanwhile up at Grangemouth, Malcolm Cannon won the
Scottish Veterans Decathlon Championships with 4051 points, a performance which
placed him 3rd in the senior event.
Jonathan Barbour, Daniel Plummer and Dwayne Grant will all
be in action this weekend for the Club at Watford in the last British Athletics
League Division Two match of the season. Positions are very close with five
clubs battling to avoid joining the already relegated Bedford in Division Three
next season. Equally four of these team still have an outside chance of
promotion! On Sunday the Clubs Veterans will be in action at the Southern Final
at Battersea Park. Full results from the Club Championships plus further
information about the Club are available on the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
20 August 2002
Two members of Blackheath Harriers, Bromley were part of
the Great Britain 4x100 metre relay team who beat the United States and Russia
at the Norwich Union Challenge at Scotstoun, Glasgow.
Daniel Plummer and Dwayne Grant teamed up with European
Championship 100 metre gold medallist Dwain Chambers and 200 metre bronze
medallist Marlon Devonish to time 39.48 for victory. Plummer ran the lead off
leg with Grant taking the team into the lead on leg three. Earlier in the day
both had taken part in an invitation 100 metre race but the atrocious rainy
conditions militated against fast times. Grant clocked 10.71 and Plummer 10.81.
Both will be in action again this Friday at the Norwich
Union Grand Prix where they will face some of the top athletes in the world.
They line up in a 100 metre field which includes Chambers, World Record holder
Maurice Greene, Commonwealth champion Kim Collins, Mark Lewis Francis and Tim
Montgomery. There are two heats and a final. Grant aged 20 has been a Club
member for 10 years and still holds the Club Under 13 long jump record. Living
in Penge it will be a short journey to the Palace to compete on his home track.
Also on international duty last weekend was Julian
Golding. He travelled to Poznam in Poland to take part in the Mityng Zywiec SA
Cup competition where he finished 7th in a high class 200 metre race in 21.09.
All three sprinters have progressed to Senior level via
the Club's Junior team, with both Grant and Golding being former captains. They
will, therefore, have been to delighted that the Class of 2002 have qualified
for the National Final on the 8th of September after finishing 4th in the
Southern Premier Division of the League.
The team secured their Final spot with a 4th place in the
last match of the season at Walthamstow. Solid performances throughout the team
have been the key to the squad success this year and so it proved again last
Sunday. Karim Chester, the teams top points scorer this season, took third in
the hammer as well as scoring good points in the shot and discus. It was third
also for Terry Hawkey in the 800 and the 1500 and he also ran a split of 53.5 in
the 4x400.
Other impressive performances came from Sanjo Bamgboye,
who was just outside 60 seconds on his debut at the 400 hurdles; Dwayne Bovell
with a win in the B string 100; Will Edet with second in the 110 hurdles B
string; Robin Shelley, a personal best of 2.50 in the vault; and the 4x100 team
of Bovell, Bamgboye, Neil Simpson, and Fabian Collymore who won in 43.2.
Virtually all the squad are in their first year in the age group which leaves
team manager Fran Robinson optimistic that the team will do even better next
year.
The Club's veterans are also celebrating gaining a place
in a major final. They have won five of their six matches this season in the
Kent Veterans League and have qualified for the Southern final at Battersea Park
on the 1st of September. Their latest victory came in the final match at
Ladywell. Colin Brand won the over 50s javelin with 37.55 despite the fact that
he was competing well out of his correct age group. He is in fact 66. British
record holder for the over 65s shot Gordon Hickey was a comfortable winner in
his number one event with a putt of 11.49.
A number of Heathens were in action at the Southern Inter
Counties match at Ashford. Andrew Rayner set a new best of 14.57 in the 5,000
while Jennie Butler equalled her best of 10.14 in finishing 5th in the 3000. Sam
Singer clocked 58.0 in the 400; Louisa Guthrie 26.3 in the 200; Mohammed
Sillah-Freckleton 14.19 in the 110 hurdles and Steve Cooper 51.8 in the 400.
At the British Milers Club races at Watford Michael
Skinner improved his best for 1500 to 3.42.43 in finishing 6th in the A race
while Dave Taylor was third in the C race in 3.49.10. In the 800 David Moulton
and Steve Cooper timed 1.51.63 and 1.54.49 respectively. The Club welcomes new
members of all ages and abilities. Contact Development Officer Dave Liston on
01322 663504.
13 August 2002
Clare Cooper leapt to the top of the National rankings as
she won the gold medal in the under 15's 75 metre hurdles at the AAA's Under
17's Championships in Birmingham.
The Blackheath Harriers, Bromley athlete had shown her
potential as far back as April when she timed 11.4 to break the Club Record.
However, a foot injury threatened to ruin her season and it is only in the last
month that she has returned to competition. Her semi final time of 11.31 was a
new best and she excelled in the Final to win in 11.17 the fastest time in the
country this year.
Training partner Harriet Robinson did not fare so well
despite also breaking the Club Record for the Under 17's 80 metre hurdles. She
dipped under the record in her heat with 11.56 despite running into a headwind.
This is one of the fastest times in the country this year and it looked as if
she might take the National title in the Final as she led until clipping the
last hurdle and slipping out of the medal positions.
Alistair Tawanaee again improved his best in the under
15's hammer as he threw 47.97 and his hard training over the winter with coach
Mike Davies was rewarded with a bronze medal. It was bronze also for Dominic
Parsons who capped a fine season with third in the under 15's 400 in 53.40. He
also came 4th in the 200 metres in 23.42.
Elsewhere Dwayne Bovell set a new best of 11.06 on his way
to gaining a place in the final of the Under 17's 100 metres as well as timing
23.07 in the 200; Stuart Harvey was 5th in the under 15's javelin; and Amir
Williamson was 17th in the Under 17's hammer with 41.97, ranking him second
among those in their first year in the age group.
There was more record breaking feats at the South Of
England Veterans Championships at Copthall. Allan Williams broke the British
Record for the over 45's pole vault for the second time in a month as he soared
over 4.45 for victory. He was close to clearing 4.55 which will boost his
confidence for the European Veterans' Championships which start in Potsdam,
Germany later this week. Also heading for Germany is Jim Day who struck gold in
the over 60's vault with a clearance of 2.70 to add to the silver he claimed in
the 100 hurdles. Ken Daniel won the over 50's 1500 metres while Peter Hannell
excelled in the Senior 10km walk. Despite being an over 55 he actually finished
second overall in 57.31.6.
Meanwhile, three Harriers were in action in the Inter Area
Under 23 match at Derby. Alloy Wilson set of seasons best of 48.0 as he finished
2nd in the 400 metres and was then part of the 4x400 team which set a Meeting
Best Performance of 3.11.94. Dwayne Grant was part of the 4x100 team that set a
Meeting Best Performance of 41.22 but was disappointed that he was unable to
take part in the individual event because his train arrived too late. In the
accompanying Derby Challenge competition David Moulton was 3rd in 1.55.4 in a
close fought 800 metres.
Last week three members of the club took part in one of
the most unusual Marathon races. Terry Brightwell, Colin Poole and Dave King all
finished the Greenwich Foot Tunnel Centenary Marathon. The race started at 2 am
on Sunday 4th of August and consisted of 58 laps of the Greenwich Foot Tunnel
which is no wider than 10 foot! Brightwell finished 3rd overall in 3.18.10 and
was the first over 50 while King and Poole were both within 4 hours. The course
was quite testing as not only did the 93 runners have to cope mentally with
running underground and the 58 laps, but it was estimated that about 10 miles
were uphill as there are inclines at both ends of the foot tunnel.
Many people will have been inspired by British Athletes at
the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. Blackheath Harriers, Bromley
cater for all age groups and abilities, male and female, from under 11's through
to veterans. The Club is supported by Nike, So Clean, Sportsmatch and over 800
enthusiastic members. Anyone interested in getting involved in the sport should
contact Club Development Officer Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
6 August 2002
Athletes from Blackheath Harriers, Bromley enjoyed the
experience of the Commonwealth Games if not the actual competition. Mensah
Elliott fell ill in the week before the Games with a heavy cold and was unable
to progress beyond the semi final of the 110 hurdles. He felt so weak that he
struggled to get over the hurdles finishing in 14.27 his slowest time of the
year.
Mark Awanah managed to recover from a back injury to
compete in the long jump but then had three no jumps in the qualifying rounds,
while Daniel Plummer was in the 4x100 squad but did not get to run, although he
did do all the practice sessions.
Representing Zimbabwe, Tawanda Chiwira just missed out on
a place in the 200 metre semi finals as he finished 5th in his 2nd round heat
but then after running an excellent leg for the 4x400 team found that the squad
had been disqualified.
Despite not being fully recovered from his illness Elliott
was back in action for the Club at the 3rd British League match of the season at
Derby. He won the 110 hurdles in 14.2 with Mohammed Sillah Freckleton making it
maximum points in the B race clocking 14.3. 1998 Commonwealth Games 200 metre
Champion Julian Golding comfortably won his specialist event in 21.1 and then
joined Tyrone Swaray, Dwayne Bovell and Fabian Collymore in the 4x100 for a
rousing 41.6 victory. Michael Skinner was the Club's other A string winner
leading the 1500 from gun to tape in a time of 3.49.8. Andrew Rayner set a new
best of 3.55.2 in the B race and other best ever performances came from Peter
Tucker in the 5,000 (15.26.1) and Amir Williamson in the hammer (35.22).
Elsewhere David Moulton ran a seasons best of 1.51.8 in
the 800 with Anthony Draper returning from injury to time 1.54.1 in the B race
and Nange Ursell was 2nd in the 400 hurdles in 53.2 despite hitting three
barriers. The team finished 4th on the day and are 5th equal overall which means
they have a very slight chance of getting promoted. However, they could still
get relegated with with any one of five teams set to join Bedford in Division
Three next season. All will be decided in the last match at Watford on the 31st
of August.
The Clubs 2nd team were celebrating after clinching
promotion back to Division One of the Southern League. They won their final
match of the season at Perivale to finish 2nd in the 25 strong division and take
one of the 5 promotion places. The C team were 4th in their Division 4 East
match at Ashford and finished the season in 7th place.
Two Harriers were in action abroad representing Great
Britain in the Under 23 International in Niort, France in a triangular match
against the host nation and Spain. Dwayne Grant won the 200 in 21.02 and was
part of the sprint relay team who finished second. Alloy Wilson did not get an
individual run but was part of the 4x400 team which finished 2nd in 3.11.84.
Fresh from virtually securing promotion to Division One of
the Southern Women's League the Club were able to enjoy the more relaxed
atmosphere of the Kent Women's League at Ashford where they finished second
overall in the match and runners up for the season. The Seniors won most of the
track events with Louisa Guthrie scoring a double victory in the sprints. Others
came from Hazel Barker (1500), Jennie Butler (3000), Katy Porter (100 hurdles)
and Carolina Jones Baldock (400 hurdles).
In the field Emily Oliver had problems in the hammer
circle because of the rain but still achieved 2nd place and also scored good
points in all three of the other throws. Nadia Gharbaoui took the triple jump
with 9.41 and then joined Guthrie, Barker and Karyn O'Mahoney for victory in the
4x200. There were also good second places from Katy Porter (pole vault), Abi
Jacobs (long jump) and Jones-Baldock (high jump). Caroline McQuillan was the
only under 17 in action achieving firsts in the 300 and 800 as well as 4th in
the long jump.
For the under 15's Clare Cooper picked up her customary
maximum points in the 75 hurdles and long jump as well as finishing 2nd in the
100 and joined Nina Akif, Laurella Brown and Keighley Douglas for another 2nd in
the 4x100. Douglas also came 2nd in the 200 while there was a promising debut
from Andrea Connolly in the discus.
There were more wins in the under 13's from Sophie
Robinson (70 hurdles), Bianca Gibbons (1000) and Emily Godley (long jump).
Godley also came 2nd in the 75 metres as did Serita Solomon in a rare
competition in the shot and Amarra Taiit in the 1km walk. Ellie Wolf took 3rd in
the high jump with 1.20 and Chloe Shaw 5th in the 150 with 22.1 and the
afternoon ended on a high with Shaw , Robinson, Godley and Solomon combining to
win the 4x100 in 56.7.
The Club welcomes new members of all ages, abilities and
disciplines whether they be track, field, road, cross country or social. For
further details on how to get started and the full range of the Clubs activities
contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
