Last updated 28 March 2006
Press Releases for
January, February & March 2006
28/03/06
Five members of Blackheath & Bromley have just returned
from the World Masters Indoor Championships in Linz, Austria and, despite the
massive entry of over 3000 athletes, including many former Olympians, all won
medals.
Helen Godsell took bronze medals in both the over 50’s 60
and 200 metres events and capped a successful few days with a silver in the
Great Britain 4x200 metre relay team.
Both pole vaulters won silver medals. Former Olympian
Allan Williams was second in the over 50s with a clearance of 4.10 and the
evergreen Jim Day was equal second in the over 70’s leaping 2.40. Jim also
grabbed silver as part of the GB 4x200 team and clocked 12.63 in the heats of
the 60 metre hurdles.
Peter Hamilton also gained team silver as part of the over
55’s cross country team. He finished in 11th place overall and he also placed
9th in the 3000 metres in 10.29.42.
This was Tom Phillips’ first big International
championship and he didn’t disappoint as he equalled or broke personal bests in
qualifying for the over 50s 60 and 200 metre semi finals with times of 7.78 and
25.60. He then contributed a 25.2 split on his leg as the GB 4x200 metre team
won silver.
Amy DeMatos and Rebecca Smith were members of the Kent
team that picked up silver medals at the English Schools Cross Country
Championships at Mansfield. Competing in the Junior Girls race they placed 28th
and 57th respectively.
Bryony Proctor was part of the Kent squad that won gold in
the Senior Girls race but despite a very good run in 60th was outside the
scoring 6.
James Poole finished a very good 33rd in the Senior Boys
race with Danny Brewer, representing London 117th. James’ position was
replicated by Amy Smith in the Intermediate Girls contest with Rebecca Taylor
188th and Catherine Chambers 286th. Stephen Cavey finished a useful 37th in the
Junior Boys race.
Alex Bruce Littlewood placed 169th in the Intermediate
Boys race but was disappointed with his run and Sam Simpson finished in 300th.
The Blackheath & Bromley Cross Country season finished
with the Closing 5 Yacht Handicap at Hayes, a five mile race which sees the
slowest runner starting off first and the quickest off last.
First to cross the line was Nick Barber with John Leeson
second and David Churchus third.
Fastest runner on the day was 16 year old Alistair Cliff
who timed 32.31 with Dave Ellison second in 33.11 and Neal Humphries third
(33.23).
The race was the last of the Bennett Cup Handicap series
which has been running this Winter, a contest that has been keenly competed for
by the Membership over nine races.
Overall winner was Wilf Orton who ran himself into such a
state of exhaustion that he collapsed across the line and had to be driven back
to the Clubhouse. However, a hot shower and a cup of tea soon revived the
jubilant winner and clutching the trophy he was able to give a victory speech
briefly summarising his career which has seen him progress from someone who just
joined the Club to run marathons to becoming a valued member of the cross
country squads. His victory was the highlight of his running career and he spent
time at the evening’s AGM drinking from his winning trophy before departing
still clutching his “precious”.
Runner up was Angela Cook with Andy Tucker in third.
On the roads there was more success for the Club's young
walkers. At the latest Cambridge Harriers Winter League race Chelsea O Rawe
Hobbs finished in 2nd and Holly Williams third, good efforts as they are both in
the under 17s age group.
The Club's Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday
evening with President Anne Cilia handing over the chains of office to her
successor Ken Daniel. Ken has been a member of the Club since 1979 and has
competed regularly over the years in track, road and cross country events. His
greatest achievements have been in the Veterans or Masters category as it is
called now. He was a member of the 4x400 Club team that broke the British over
40's record in 1993 and in 2001 was part of the over 50's team that again broke
the British Record. He still competes, although not as seriously as in the past,
allowing him to devote more time to his role as President.
Outgoing President Anne took the opportunity to elect five
new Vice Presidents and the additions of Paul Patten, Steve Hollingdale, Michael
Skinner, Kate Pratten and Brian Hartley were greeted with acclaim.
Past President Anne Cilia was back in action again the
next day in the Nike South Of England Road Relays at Milton Keynes. The Women
finished in 18th place overall a good effort by the team. Shavaun Henry came in
8th on the opening leg and Siobhan Budd moved up to a heady 4th on the second
stage. It was not expected that they would be able to maintain this position but
there were, nevertheless, useful runs from Anne, Abi Brown, Gemma Viney and Lisa
Page to fly the flag for the Club in this prestigious event.
In the 12 stage event the men failed to start.
More news, results and pictures are available on the Club
website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
The Summer track and field season is fast approaching. The
Club is always looking for new blood to join what is one of the oldest and most
successful Athletics Clubs in the world.
Athleticism forms the basis of all Sports and former B & B
members who have gone on to excel in other Sports include England International
and Manchester United footballer Kieran Richardson, Southend striker Wayne Gray
and England and Sale rugby International Andrew Sheridan.
There may be athletes from other disciplines who would
like to maintain their fitness over the Summer months by taking part in
Athletics.
The Club will be holding an open meeting for youngsters
from School Years 6 to 11 on Good Friday, April the 14th at Norman Park track.
Entry is only a £1 in advance of £2 on the day. Entry forms can be obtained by
downloading from the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk or by sending an SAE to
Mike Davies at 21 Tudor Way, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent. BR5 1LH
21/03/06
Michael Skinner narrowly missed out on a place in the
Great Britain team for the World Cross Country Championships. Running in the
Trials race in Nottingham, the Blackheath & Bromley athlete placed 7th in the
4km short course race in 12.36, just 13 seconds off third place which would have
secured him a place in the team.
The Trials races were incorporated into the Inter Counties
Championships with a number of the Club's athletes representing Kent in many of
the age groups. After Michael, the best placed athlete of the day was Amy Smith
who placed an excellent 9th in the under 15 girls race. She and Amy Dematos
(26th) helped the Kent team to win the silver medals with Rebecca Smith in 84th.
In the Senior Men's race Jamie Atkinson finished in 109th
place with training partner James Poole 60th in the under 20 men's race. There
was another good run from Bryony Proctor in the Junior Women's race as she
finished in 37th with Brunel University student Ella Fisher 89th.
Alex Bruce Littlewood finished a useful 134th in the under
17 men's race while Jonathan Vintner continued his return from a foot injury by
placing 173rd. AAA's Indoor 800 metre Silver medallist Stephen Cavey returned
from indoor racing to place 157th in the Under 15 boys race.
In the Under 13's Danielle Critchely finished in 82nd for
the girls while for the boys Hector Kurtyanek was 101st, Phillip Sesemann 158th
and Robert Yates 232nd.
Two of the Clubs top walkers were also representing their
Counties at the meeting at Warwick University. In the Senior Women's race
Chelsea O'Rawe Hobbs finished 3rd overall despite only being an under 17, and in
so doing helped Essex to pick up bronze medals in the team contest. Holly
Williams, another under 17 finished in 10th place overall.
Scott Huggins continued his successful Winter Indoor
season at the Sale Open meeting at Sport City, Manchester. He set a new best of
4.50 and is now just 20 centimetres off the Club Under 20 Record. It was a
double celebration in the Huggins household as his sister also set a new best as
she cleared 1.60 in the under 15’s age group.
The Winter season draws to a close this weekend with the
Closing 5 mile yacht handicap race at Hayes. The race is the last of the 9 race
Bennett Cup series which has run throughout the Winter. This is followed by the
Club’s Annual General Meeting where President Anne Cilia finishes her year in
office and will introduce her successor.
The start of the Commonwealth Games will no doubt act as a
reminder that the Summer track and field season is fast approaching. The Club is
always looking for new blood to join what is one of the oldest and most
successful Athletics Clubs in the world.
Athleticism forms the basis of all Sports and former B & B
members who have gone on to excel in other Sports include England International
and Manchester United footballer Kieran Richardson, Southend striker Wayne Gray
and England and Sale rugby International Andrew Sheridan.
There may be athletes from other disciplines who would
like to maintain their fitness over the Summer months by taking part in
Athletics.
The Club will be holding an open meeting for youngsters
from School Years 6 to 11 on Good Friday, April the 14th at Norman Park track.
Entry is only a £1 in advance of £2 on the day. Entry forms can be obtained by
downloading from the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk or by sending an SAE to
Mike Davies at 21 Tudor Way, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent. BR5 1LH
14/03/06
Two years after the death of Blackheath & Bromley athlete
William Bolton at the age of 21, the Fund set up in his memory received a
significant injection of monies from a Fundraising Dinner.
Will coached many of the Club's under 11s each Wednesday
at Norman Park track, a number of whom have advanced to be members of the B & B
teams that won the UKA Young Athletes League title for the last two years and
become National Junior League women's champions in 2005.
The Fund aims to support developing athletes, assisting
with training, coaching, physiotherapy, kit etc and in so doing help them
achieve their goals, such as Olympic selection.
Fittingly the Dinner was attended by four former
Olympians. Jack Braughton ran in the 5000 metres at the last London Games in
1948 (when he had to take the day off work and catch the bus to the stadium to
compete); Judy Oakes and her coach Mike Winch both competed in the shot; and
Diana Mantoura (nee Harris) represented GB at swimming.
With an eye to the future also in attendance was Serita
Solomon who is the fastest Youth athlete in the world this year over the 60
metre hurdles.
As well as dinner, live music was provided by tribute band
Hussy, and thanks to some very generous donations there was a highly successful
auction, raffle and tombola. The 25 auction items included a Paula Radcliffe
Nike signed t-shirt, a Haile Gebreselaisse signed t-shirt and a Robbie Fowler
signed Liverpool shirt.
The evening proved a resounding success and raised over
£8,000 but this would never have been achieved without the hard work of the
organizing committee of Nick Gasson, Kate Pratten, Paul Patten, Mike Peel, Mike
Martineau and President Anne Cilia.
To emphasise the current strength of the Club, Blackheath
& Bromley have been named as the top Junior Club of the Year in the London
region in the recently announced UKA Regional Club Awards. It was also Runner Up
in the Club Innovation category.
John Blackie was runner up in the Development Coach of the
Year.
Many gold medals and three Championship Best Performances
made it a successful couple of days for Blackheath & Bromley’s athletes in the
Kent Indoor Championships at Sutton Arena.
Allan Williams 4.20 clearance in the pole vault to win the
Senior Men’s title equals the British Masters Over 50’s record which he set at
the South Of England Indoors Championships in January. Both performances are
still subject to ratification by the Governing Body and until that time the 4.11
he cleared at the British Masters Championships last week remains the record.
There was a new Championship Best Performance in the
triple jump for Sam Bobb. The 30 year old Guy Spencer coached athlete won with a
leap of 14.84.
It was a CBP also for Scott Huggins in the Under 20 men’s
pole vault although he was disappointed to only clear 4.20.
Jessica Matthews was in superlative form in the under 15
girls high jump as she soared over 1.65 for another CBP. She also struck gold in
the long jump with 5.01 and picked up silver in the 60 metre hurdles.
Katy Benneworth had an excellent Championships as she
broke the old Championship best in the Senior Women’s 60 metres. Her time of
7.72 was a huge improvement on her previous best but this was only good enough
for silver as the winner also dipped inside the previous CBP. She was just 2
centimetres off the CBP in the long jump with a leap of 5.58. Vicki Cole took
bronze in the 60.
In the under 17 age group there was a new personal best
for Emily Godley in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.10 in her first
competition of the Winter. Jade Castell Thomas took the triple jump title with a
new indoor best of 11.29. Marcus Morrison had to settle for silver in the men’s
event, but his leap of 12.99 was a new best indoors and out.
AAA’s indoor 400 metre champion Dan Putnam moved down in
distance and won the under 15s 60 metres by the narrowest of margins. Both he
and the runner up timed 7.51 with Dan taking the title by the thickness of his
Nike club vest.
In the men’s race Grace Sheppard sped to victory in the
girls race in 8.18 just one hundredth outside the new best that she set in the
heat.
Emma Armstrong had a good weekend. She won the girls shot
with a putt of 7.72 and cleared a new best of 1.50 to take the runner up spot in
the high jump.
In the Surrey Championships at the same venue there was a
silver for Anna Smith in the under 20 women’s high jump with a leap of 1.55.
The start of the Commonwealth Games will no doubt act as a
reminder that the Summer track and field season is fast approaching. The Club is
always looking for new blood to join what is one of the oldest and most
successful Athletics Clubs in the world.
Athleticism forms the basis of all Sports and former B & B
members who have gone on to excel in other Sports include England International
and Manchester United footballer Kieran Richardson, Southend striker Wayne Gray
and England and Sale rugby International Andrew Sheridan.
There may be athletes from other disciplines who would
like to maintain their fitness over the Summer months by taking part in
Athletics.
The Club will be holding an open meeting for youngsters
from School Years 6 to 11 on Good Friday, April the 14th at Norman Park track.
Entry is only a £1 in advance of £2 on the day. Entry forms can be obtained by
downloading from the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk or by sending an SAE to
Mike Davies at 21 Tudor Way, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent. BR5 1LH
7/03/06
Serita Solomon set a UK age 16 best and Dan Putnam moved
to 5th on the UK all time list as athletes from Blackheath & Bromley picked up
medals of all colours at the AAA's Under 20, 17 and 15 Championships at
Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.
Serita won the silver medal in the under 20 women's 60
metre hurdles despite the fact that she is still an under 17. Her time of 8.45
broke her own Great BritainYouth record and Under 17 record and was the fastest
ever by a 16 year old. It was a fitting birthday present for the Coopers
schoolgirl who turned 16 last Wednesday. Coached by Judy Vernon and her mother
Michell Bovell her time was also the 13th fastest ever by an under 20 athlete
and she still has another three years in this age group.
Dan Putnam made a major breakthough as he won the under
15's 400 in 52.42 the 5th fastest ever by a Briton indoors in this age group.
The day before he took the silver medal in the 200 metres in 23.99 having set an
excellent new best of 23.64 in the heats.
There were two medals also for Jessica Matthews, who like
Dan is coached by John Blackie. She won bronze in the long jump with a leap of
5.07 and she was also third equal in the high jump with a clearance of 1.61.
A third Blackie coached athlete to win a medal was Amy
Godsell. She took silver in the 60 metres in 7.73 just three hundredths off the
winner.
There were silvers too for Chelsea O'Rawe Hobbs in the
Under 20 women's 3000 walk in 15.49.55 and for Stephen Cavey who burst through
to grab second in the Under 15 boys 800 metres.
The Under 20 men's 200 metres was a race of the highest
quality with Daniel Haque and Danny Doyley both making the Final. In an exciting
finish Danny just pipped Daniel for the bronze medal in 22.06.
Among the many other good performances by Club members
Scott Huggins equalled his best of 4.40 to place 5th in the under 20 men's pole
vault.
Down in Cardiff some of the Club's more Senior athletes
were also winning Championship Medals at the National Masters Indoor
Championships. In fact every Club member who competed won a medal of some
colour, quite an achievement in the meeting where there were 482 entries.
Highlight was Allan Williams clearance of 4.11 to win the
over 50's pole vault, a magnificent achievement by the former Olympian.
While her daughter was winning medals in Birmingham Helen
Godsell was doing the same down in Cardiff. She won gold and retained her titles
in the over 50's 60 and 200 metres in 8.52 and 28.50 and also claimed bronze in
the 400 metres. Her brother Bob Minting also picked up two golds winning the
over 55's 400 and 1500 in 57.88 and 4.39.34.
Evergreen Jim Day picked up medals of all colours. He
soared over 2.40 to win the over 70's pole vault and cleared 1.18 for silver in
the high jump. In a desperately tight finish in the 60 metre hurdles he claimed
bronze, just two hundredths of a second off silver.
Mike Martineau took silver in the over 60s hurdles in
14.84 and also got bronze in the long jump with a leap of 3.94. There was an
excellent 7.78 clocking for Tom Phillips as he took third in the over 50's 60
metres and bronze too for Peter Hamilton in the over 55's 3000 metres in a very
useful 10.15.5.
Chris Woodcock travelled to Bournemouth for the British
Masters Cross Country Championships and finished 92nd overall. This gave him
18th in the over 60's race.
The last race of the Kent Women's and Young Athletes
League at Tunbridge Wells saw the Club win five of the overall team races for
the year and finish 2nd in two and 3rd in the other. The women were overall
winners for the year and the men were slightly surprisingly the most improved.
Individually the Club provided three of the individual winners.
Carolyna Jones Baldock led the Senior Women home in 13th
place which gave her 5th overall for the year. Annie McDonough was the Club's
only other finisher in 14th, a position which made her the leading veteran
athlete for the Winter. Their efforts were enough to ensure the team finished
2nd overall for the Winter.
Bryony Proctor was a convincing winner of the under 20
women's race and the secured joint first for the season while Richard Daniel was
2nd on the day and 2nd overall for the year and led the Under 20 men to overall
victory for the Winter.
Alex Bruce Littlewood finished in his highest ever
position in the League when he placed 3rd in the under 17's race with Jonathan
Vintner 5th. Both have been confirmed as Kent selections for this weekends Inter
County Championships in Nottingham. The team were overall winners for the season
as were the under 17 women.
Amy Smith was the individual winner in the under 15 girls
race with Rebecca Smith in 3rd and Jenny Linker had another good run in 9th
place to secure victory for the team. This gave the team victory for the season.
The boys finished in 3rd place for the season.
There was a tight finish in the under 13 girls team race.
With Michelle Fewster first, Danielle Critchley 2nd and Sophie Gordon 9th the
Club won by 7 match points from Invicta East Kent. This put both teams of 24
league points for the season with B & B securing the title by 9 match points.
Michelle and Danielle were also first and second placed individuals for the
season.
The under 13 boys were led home by Hector Kurtyanek in 5th
with Robert Yates 7th, and Philip Sesemann 12th. They finished second on the day
and second for the season.
A number of runners missed the Kent League as it clashed
with the Club 10 mile cross country championships at Hayes. First home was Nick
Gasson in 64.03 with Neal Humphreys second and Roy Smith third. Kate Pratten
took the women's title by over four minutes from Clare Lodwig with Angela Cook
in third.
The race included the penultimate race in the Bennett Cup
series and it was current President Anne Cilia who finished first with
journalist Andy Edwards in second and Nick Barber third.
Anne will announce her successor as President on the
evening of the 25th of March the day of the last Handicap race. Current leader
is Wilf Orton on 311 points followed by Andy Tucker on 300 and Gary Cook with
299. Just 19 points covers the next 7 places.
28/02/06
Montell Douglas swept to victory in the 60 metres at the
British Universities Indoor Championships at Sheffield. The Blackheath & Bromley
athlete, who is in her first year at Brunel, took the title with a new best of
7.42, the 6th fastest by a Briton this Winter. She followed with bronze in the
200 metres.
There was a bronze too for Katy Benneworth in the long
jump. She leapt 5.59, which was further than she jumped in 2005, to take a well
earned place on the podium.
Duayne Bovell just missed out on a medal in the 60 metres
by just two hundredths of a second. Nevertheless he was delighted to time a new
best of 6.99, particularly after there were six false starts.
Joe Godsell ran an excellent 49.90 in the heat of his 400
before timing 50.54 in his semi. He followed with a leg of 21.65 in the 4x200 to
help the Loughborough team to the silver medals.
Ella Fisher timed 2.19.22 in the heats of the 1500 metres.
A number of other athletes were also in action including Ian Allerton, Layla
Hawkins, and Katie Welch but the results are not yet to hand.
Ian had warmed up for the Championships by racing at
Manchester in midweek over the 60, 200 and 400 with times of 7.26, a new best,
23.12 and 50.26.
Meanwhile out in the States Scott Overall continued his
hugely successful indoor season winning the 1000 metres in the Horizon League
Championship at Youngstown State. He timed 2.24.79.
Despite some good individual and team results, overall the
Club's performance at the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament
Hill Fields was a little disappointing. Although the Club had athletes competing
in all ten races, they only finished teams in five of them and the Senior Men
finished in a lowly 53rd position.
One of the best individual performances of the day came
from Siobhan Budd in the Senior Women's race. Flying in from France, she showed
she is quickly returning to her best form by placing 40th. She led the team of
herself, Fran Green (111th), Kate Pratten (189th) and Clare Lodwig (226th) to
21st place, the first Kent Club to finish.
First home for the men was Alex Gibbins who took 136th
place with first year Senior Chris Daniel next in 455th.
James Poole was 70th in the under 20 men's race with
Bryony Proctor the Club's sole representative in the women's race in a useful
51st. Lauren Smith flew the flag in the Under 17 women's race in 145th but there
was a good turn out for the men. Led by Danny Brewer in 62nd they placed 12th
with Alex Bruce Littlewood 99th, in his first year in the age group, Richard
Davies 107th and Jonathan Vintner 131st.
Rebecca Smith had a very good run in the under 15 girls
race where she finished in 40th place while Stephen Cavey led the boys home in
98th.
Most promisingly for the future were the numbers and
quality of performances in the under 13's races. Michelle Fewster was the Club's
highest finisher of the day in an excellent 23rd with Danielle Critchley just 20
seconds behind in 38th. Together with Sophie Gordon (125th) and Emma Hook
(161st) the quartet finished 7th in the team race, again the Club's highest
position of the day. Interestingly Paula Radcliffe finished in 299th in her
first race in this age group.
Hector Kurtyanek had another good run finishing 60th in
the boys race with Robert Yates 89th, Will Andrew 101st and George Gregory
139th. This put them in 13th place in the team race just one point off 11th.
A number of the Club’s athletes were in action at the
Birmingham Indoor Games with some good results. Neil Simpson ran 50.16 and 49.75
in the heats and semi finals of the 400 before moving down to clock 22.41 in the
200. In the field Allan Williams was again over 4 metres in the pole vault.
In the Junior age group, Scott Blackwell, the 2005
Southern Under 17’s 400 metre champion, timed 22.62 for the 200 metres while
Doug Palmer ran a useful 23.70. Second claim member Simon Hemmings leapt 1.90 in
the high jump.
In the under 15’s age group there was a win in the high
jump for Jessica Matthews with a clearance of 1.60 and she also leapt 4.74 in
the long jump. Back on the track Dan Putnam had a busy time setting a new best
of 7.60 in the 60 metres, winning the 400 in 55.92 and setting another best in
the 200 in 24.03.
Grace Sheppard set a new best of 8.20 in the 60 and
followed with 27.18 in the 200. Katie Vistuer timed 8.53 and 27.84.
21/02/06
A staggering number of athletes from Blackheath & Bromley
have been awarded grants from the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund. A total of
£67,100 was allocated in grants to 316 athletes from 136 Clubs with Blackheath &
Bromley easily providing the highest number of recipients.
Twenty one of the Club's athletes received monies while
the next highest number from a single Club was 10. In addition two second claim
members received funding. The grants are awarded to athletes who are still at
school or in Further Education.
Among the recipients are Montell Douglas. The Brunel
University student was the fastest Junior in the country over the 100 metres in
2005. Others include Stuart Harvey who was unbeaten last season in the under
20's javelin, Serita Solomon who was never headed in the under 17 80 metre
hurdles; and Katie Murray who was the fastest under 17 over the 400 hurdles.
The Full list is as follows James Alaka, age 16, event
100/200m; Alex Al-Ameen, 16, 110m Hurdles; Richard Al-Ameen, 15, Hammer; Sandra
Alaneme, 19, Triple Jump; Jermaine Alexader, 15, 100/200m; Rachel Arnheim, 15,
Pole Vault; Rachel Blackie, 17, Hammer; Shaunagh Brown, 15, Discus/Shot; Montell
Douglas, 19, 100/200m; Danny Doyley, 16, 100/200m; Amy Godsell, 17, 100/200m;
Daniel Haque, 17, 100/200/60m; Edward Harrison, 18, 400m Hurdles; Stuart Harvey,
18, Javelin; Scott Huggins, 16, Pole Vault; Marcus Morrison, 14, Triple Jump;
Katie Murray, 16, 400m.H/H.Jump/Hept; Serita Solomon, 15,
100/200/80m.H/100m.Hurdles; Joe Stockton, 16, Hammer; Alistair Williamson, 17,
Hammer; Amir Williamson, 18, Hammer;
This number reflects the huge success the Club has
achieved recently and the 21 award winners are just some of the talented
athletes at the Club at the moment. The boys and girls Young Athletes are
National Champions as are the Under 20 women's team who will represent the
United Kingdom in the European Junior Champion Clubs Cup in Moscow this
September.
The Club is hopeful that some of these will progress to be
some of the country’s Olympians of the future. With this in mind the Will Bolton
Memorial Fund has been established to raise monies to help offset some of the
costs for the Club’s emerging stars.
Will himself was a promising youngster who helped the Club
win National titles on the track, road and country, but he was tragically killed
in a car accident two years ago.
The latest venture to is a Fundraising Dinner to be held
at The Warren, Hayes on the 10th of March. Full details can be found at the Club
website at
http://www.bandbhac.org.uk/fund%20raising%2006.html
Michael Skinner and Montell Douglas were both in action at
the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham. Montell was just outside her best in
the 60 metres as she finished 7th in the 60 metres in 7.48. She followed this
with 4th place in the 200 metres in 24.45.
Michael had been hoping to achieve the qualifying time for
the World Indoor Championships in the 3000 metres. Racing in the 2 mile race
against Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, he missed his target passing 3000 metres in
8.17.2 and finishing in 8.55.70.
Meanwhile at Bloomington in the United States Andy Rayner
clocked 4.07.19 for the mile, a new best both indoors and out.
Up in Scotland Paul Sutherland scored a fine victory at
the Scottish Masters Championships in Glasgow. Running in the 800 metres he won
in 2.09.71, the only runner to dip inside 2.10.
A number of Club members were in action at the Birmingham
Indoor Meeting. Ed Harrison showed that his Winter training has been going well
as he timed 49.58 for the 400 metres. Ian Allerton also dipped under the 50
second barrier clocking 49.64 while Neil Simpson timed 50.30.
Both these had earlier run in the 200 with Neil timing a
very useful 22.21 with Ian just outside 23 seconds with 23.01. All this is good
news for the Club at 400 metres this Summer as Loughborough student Joe Godsell
has recently timed 49.68 for the distance.
Martin Airey timed a useful 1.56.86 in the 800 while Katie
Welch ran 28.28 for the 200 metres.
Out in the field super vet Allan Williams cleared 3.80 in
the pole vault.
Closer to home there was a big turn out for the Annual Mob
Match at West Wickham. However, despite the numbers the Club were just beaten by
39 points. First home for the Club was Alex Gibbins in 2nd with veteran Nick
Kinsey 5th and James Poole 6th.
First woman for the Club was Bridget Davey in 53rd with
Fran Green 55th and Kate Pratten 67th.
The race incorporated the latest in the Bennett Cup
Handicap series of races. Winner here was 16 year old Alistair Cliff with 66
year old Ray Bennett second and Dave Ellison third. Current leader of the series
is Gary Cook with 264 points just 6 clear of Kate Pratten with Richard Hall and
Wilf Orton joint third on 255.
14/02/06
There were no medals for Blackheath & Bromley athletes at
the AAA's Indoor and World Championships Trials at Sheffield but some near
misses and a number of personal bests.
Montell Douglas was 4th in the Senior Women's 200 metres
with 24.40 and she also set a new best of 7.44 in the qualifying rounds of the
60 metres before finishing 5th in the final in 7.50. There was a new best also
in the heats of the 60 metres for Amy Godsell as she timed 7.68 in the first
round and followed with 7.72 in the semi final.
In the men's sprints first year junior Danny Doyley and
former European Under 23 champion Jonathan Barbour both timed 6.89 in the heats
of the 60 metres and Neil Simpson clocked 22.63 in the 200 metres.
Michael Skinner took 5th in a very competitive 1500 metres
in 3.45.80 and a cold ridden Sam Bobb was 10th in the triple jump with a leap of
14.64.
Despite having been National and Area champions in recent
years the Club had never won the Kent Men's Cross Country League, although it
has been running for over 40 years. This all changed after the last of this
years races in Swanley as the Club finished second on the day to take the
overall title.
Jamie Atkinson led to team home in 2nd place and he was
2nd overall for the season. Junior James Poole finished in a fine 9th place, one
ahead of top marathon runner Mark Steinle who turned out for the Club despite
being below par. Eamonn Prendergast completed the scoring in 20th place to
secure the Historic Victory for team manager Nick Gasson, who led by example
placing 24th.
The Club also finished 2nd in the 12 to score contest.
On the roads Robert Bain took 4th place in the Loughton AC
London Open Walks meeting at Victoria Park. He timed 47.33 over the 10km course
and was the first junior to finish.
Fifteen year old Chelsea O’Rawe Hobbs finished in a fine
5th place in the Women’s 5km race.
The trials for the Bromley team to take part in this years
London mini marathon took place at Norman Park last Sunday. The cold and rain
did not deter the youngsters from turning out and there was some good racing.
Positive front running from Hector Kurtyanek and Michelle
Fewster was rewarded with victories for both in the 11 and 12 year olds race.
The 13 and 14 year old boys and girls ran together and
this saw Amy DeMatos not only win the girls title but finish 4th overall.
Stephen Cavey controlled the boys race and won with some ease.
Richard Daniel took the 15 to 17 year olds race despite
having run for the Senior Men in the Kent League the day before and it was good
to see Laura Gibbs winning the women’s race.
As an innovation the Club added an extra race for an under
11s and although there was not a huge entry the talent on display was obvious.
Thomas Cox ran away from the field in the boys race for victory with Thomas
Desborough second and Chris Smith third. In the girls race there was a good win
for Elizabeth Kelleher with Sonia Woodhouse second.
7/02/06
Scott Overall celebrated his 23rd birthday five days early
as he set the first Senior Blackheath & Bromley track record of the year at the
Notre Dame Indoor meeting in the United States. Racing in the 3000 metres he
timed 7.56.58 to break Jerry Barton's record that has stood since 1988. It is
the second fastest by a Briton this Winter. There was a new best too for fellow
Butler University student Andrew Rayner as he timed 14.19.67 for 5000 metres,
although he had been hoping to have been closer to 14.10.
Up in Scotland Scott Huggins won the under 20 men's pole
vault title at the Scottish Indoor Championships at Kelvin Hall in his first
year in the age group. His clearance of 4.40 was a new personal best and he no
doubt has the Club Record of 4.70 in his sights.
Dwayne Grant continued his return to racing by clocking a
season's best of 6.81 for the 60 metres at Fana in Norway. In the women's races
Montell Douglas was just outside her best as she timed 7.51.
Over
in Germany Shavaun Henry represented the South Of England in an International
cross country race. Over a testing 5.1km course, which included having to jump
over hay bales, she finished in 24th place out of 89 runners helping her team to
fourth overall.
Down in Cardiff Serita Solomon was just pipped for first
place in the 60 metre hurdles in the Jeff White Motors Indoor International.
Despite suffering with a cold she timed a very useful 8.68. Second claim member
Jeremy Odametey won the triple jump with a leap of 14.87.
At Eton Danny Doyley set a new best of 6.87 for the 60
metres while fellow Junior Daniel Haque timed 7.03. Southern silver medallists
Rachel Arnheim and Jessica Matthews were also in action. Rachel cleared 3.10
again in the pole vault while Jessica cleared 1.55 in the high jump before going
out at 1.60.
Twelve year old Jessica Nicole-Smith was taking part in
her first ever Athletics competition and she showed great promise as she cleared
2.10 in the pole vault. This in a National Grade Two standard.
At Loughborough Alloy Wilson opened his Indoor Campaign by
timing 7.05 in the 60 metres.
A number of the Club's youngsters were in action
representing Kent at the Southern Counties Schools Inter Counties cross country
match at Southampton. Best performance of the day came from Stephen Cavey who
grabbed victory in the Junior Boys race by a single second.
There some fine packing by the Club's athletes in the
Junior Girls race with Amy DeMatos 3rd, Michelle Fewster 6th, Rebecca Smith 7th
and Danielle Critchley 16th helped the Kent team to bronze medals. It was third
too for the Intermediate Girls who were led home by Amy Smith in 5th with
Catherine Chambers in 39th. For the boys Alex Bruce-Littlewood was 24th with Sam
Simpson 54th.
Bryony Proctor continued her successful Winter by placing
9th in the Senior Girls race.
A small group of the Club's older members enjoyed great
success at the Southern Counties Veterans Indoor Championships at Sutton Arena.
Each of the five athletes won at least one medal and brought home eight in
total.
There was no surprise in the over 50's pole vault as
National Indoor Record holder Allan Williams cleared 4.02 for victory. It was
pole vault gold too for Jim Day in the over 70's competition. He cleared 2.50 to
equal the Championship best performance, but this was only the start. He also
won the high jump with a leap of 1.20 and the 60 hurdles in 12.9 as well as
taking silver in the shot. Ahead of Jim was Gordon Hickey who won with a putt of
11.58.
Tom Phillips ran one of the fastest times in Europe in the
over 50's 60 metres. He clocked 7.7 which equalled the previous Championship
best, but this was only good enough for silver as the winner ran 7.6 the fastest
in Europe this year.
Finally there was a silver for Mike Martineau in the over
60's long jump with a leap of 3.80, a distance he recorded twice. He was also
5th in the 60 metres.
Three Club members travelled to Germany recently to take
part in one of the more unusual races. The Elbe Tunnel Marathon takes place
beneath the streets of Hamburg and takes 49 laps to complete. The Elbe was
frozen on the day and the temperature in the tunnel was only 4 degrees
centigrade. First home from the Club was Dave King in 3 hours 37 minutes
followed by Brian Smith in 3.55 and Colin Poole in 4.00 hours. This was 68 year
old Colin's 168th marathon, his 15th in the last year.
In addition to the mini marathon trials that take place
for 11 to 17 year olds at Norman Park this Sunday the 12th the Club will also be
holding a race for under 11's of approximately 1km. Entry is on the day for a
fee of £1. The race starts at 10.50.
31/01/06
Athletes from Blackheath & Bromley have been in action
across the globe in the last week producing a string of personal bests and
Championship medals. Out in the States, Scott Overall broke the Butler
University Indoor Mile record at the Notre Dame Invitational. He ran an
outstanding 4.00.53 and it must only be a matter of time before he breaks the 4
minute barrier. Meanwhile, at Bloomington, fellow Butler student Andy Rayner was
2nd over 3000 in a new best of 8.15.70.
Michael Skinner, a training partner of Scott's, opened his
Indoor campaign at the Norwich Union International at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow.
Representing the Commonwealth Select he finished in 3rd place in the 1500 in
3.44.94 a new personal best. In the under 17's 60 metres James Alaka timed a
useful 7.06 for third place just one hundredth slower than the winner.
Out in Bratislava young sprinter Danny Doyley gained some
valuable International experience as he joined a touring England representative
team. He clocked 6.91 and 6.98 for the 60 metres.
Closer to home in Manchester Senior International Dwayne
Grant continued his return from illness and injury to win the 60 metres at the
Inter City Indoor Cup. Representing London South he timed 6.89 while in the
field Sam Bobb finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 14.65.
In Cardiff Fabian Collymore took silver in the 400 metres
at the Welsh Indoor Championships in 50.77. He was also 4th in the 60 metres in
7.07 having timed 7.06 in the heat.
Many Club members were in action at the Indoor Meeting at
Sutton with best performance coming from Jonathan Barbour who started his season
with an excellent 6.81 for the 60 metres. Southern Champion Alex AlAmeen showed
good form in the under 20 sprint hurdles with times of 8.38 and 8.49 while in
the field there was a good win in the under 15's long jump for Matthew Fletcher
with a leap of 5.35.
For the women Southern silver medallist Rachel Arnheim
again cleared 3.10 in the under 17 women's pole vault.
The Club enjoyed a successful South Of England
Championships in biting cold weather at Bicton College in Exeter. It's teams
picked up three sets of medals in the ten Championship races contested by Clubs
from the 19 counties that make up the Area.
A good performance came from the under 15 girls
where Kent Champion Amy Smith led the scoring quartet to bronze medals. She
timed 16.00 for the 4km course to claim 10th place. Amy Dematos and Rebecca
Smith, both first years in this age group, worked their way through to 13th and
19th places before Catherine Chambers tore up the last hill to overtake 10
runners to finish 51st and clinch the third place medals.
Prospects look good for the under 15s next year too
judging by the performance of the under 13 girls. Some positive running from
Michelle Fewster saw her rewarded with a fine 10th place and with Danielle
Critchley hanging on well for 25th and excellent runs from Sophie Gordon (32nd)
and Emma Hook (53rd) the team won the silver medals.
There were bronze medals too for the Junior men. James
Poole led them home in 25th place with Andrew Conway 45th, and Richard Daniel
51st before Dale Willis closed in 77th to secure the medals for the Club.
There was so nearly a fourth set of medals as the under 13
boys just missed out by five points on third place. They actually placed 5th
with the four scorers, Joe Harding (31st), Hector Kurtyanek (36th), Robert Yates
(43rd) and James Clack (44th) all finishing within ten seconds of each other
while Will David and Philip Seseman were just beind in 59th and 61st places.
Biggest turn out from the Club on the day came from the
Senior Women. They fielded ten runners who were led home by Fran Green who has
been racing for the Club since she was an under 13. She placed 59th and with
Bella Clayton 90th, Kate Pratten 99th and fast improving Kirsty Philp in 112th.
The team were 14th and the first Kent Club to finish.
The Senior men won this race seven times in eight years in
the 90s and were 4th last year but with a number of absentees had to settle for
14th. There was nevertheless a titanic battle between Alex Gibbins and Jamie
Atkinson for the honour of leading the Club home. It was Alex who prevailed in
44th with Jamie 46th, their highest ever positions in this race.
Bryony Proctor had a good run in her first year in the
under 20 women's age group. She finished in 20th place but was the Club's sole
finisher as was Lauren Smith who finished in 72nd place in the under 17 women's
race. Alex Bruce-Littlewood had a good run to place 42nd in the under 17 men's
race just clear of Jonathan Vintner who was 49th. The Under 15 boys finished in
16th place led home by Stephen Cavey in 28th.
In addition to the mini marathon trials that take place at
Norman Park on Sunday the Club will also be holding a race for under 11's of
approximately 1km. Entry is on the day for a fee of £1. The race starts at
10.50.
Trials for the Bromley team for this years London Mini
Marathon take place at Norman Park Track on Sunday 12th February with the first
race at 10.15. Races are open to any boys and girls aged between 11 and 17 on
the 23rd of April and they must either live or receive full time education
within the London Borough Of Bromley.
Eight athletes will be selected for each of the six age
group teams and a minimum of four of those will be runners who take part in the
Trials, including a "wild card" in each age group. This means that everyone who
takes part in the Trials has the opportunity to gain selection for the Bromley
team and be part of the Marathon day on the 17th of April. The Trials are
supported by Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC in partnership with the London
Borough Of Bromley and the Bromley Mytime trust. For an entry form please send a
stamped addressed envelope to Dave Liston 70 Serman Drive, Swanley, Kent. BR8
7HT. Entries close on Friday 3rd February.
24/01/06
In a magical minute of a marathon nine and a half hour
long day at the South Of England Indoor Championships at Brunel University two
athletes from Blackheath & Bromley set British best ever performances.
At one end of the new indoor complex Cooper's schoolgirl
Serita Solomon, an under 17, won the under 20's 60 metre hurdles against
athletes up to three years older in a new Championship best of 8.49, over a
tenth of a second inside the previous record that had stood for 14 years. This
is the fastest ever time over the 2' 9" hurdles by a 15 or 16 year old, a UK
under 17 and GBR youth record. Her time equals the existing U17 record over the
2' 6" hurdles and is the 16th best ever by an under 20, an age group in which
she will be competing until 2009. The previous best had been set by Olympian
Natasha Danvers.
Attention immediately switched to the opposite end of the
arena to focus on another former Olympian, pole vaulter Allan Williams. The 52
year old, who is helping coach some of the next generation of vaulters to the
2012 Olympics, did not disappoint and soared over 4 metres 20 to set a new
British Indoor Over 50s record. Not only this, his performance gave him the
bronze medal in a championship that covers an area that includes 19 counties.
Serita's achievements did not stop here. Moving back to
her own age group, she twice ran inside the Championship record for the 60
metres. In the Semi finals she ran 7.62 and though not as quick in the final
(7.67) this was enough to ensure victory in her 5th race of the day.
There was gold also for Alex AlAmeen in the under 20 men's
60 metres hurdles in a new best of 8.33. He was pleased with his win in his
first year in the age group and knows he will go faster still.
In the Senior age group a lightning start from Montell
Douglas ensured she set a new best of 7.48 for the 60 metres and gave her third
place. There was bronze too for men's vice captain Sam Bobb who missed out on
silver on countback after leaping 14.81 and it was good to see Michael
Whitehouse in action. He cleared 1.95 in the high jump after an illness ravaged
2005.
In the under 20's there was bronze in the women's 60 for
Amy Godsell in 7.77 and Danny Doyley did the same in men's race with a new best
of 6.90. In the field there was a third place too for Anna Smith who leapt 1.55.
Rachel Arnheim cleared 3.10 in the under 17's pole vault
but had to settle for second place, having won gold last year in her first year
in the age group in 2005.
Jessica Matthews grabbed silver in the under 15 girls long
jump in the last round of the competition with a leap of 4.90.
As part of the SPAR Sprints Initiative Under 17 sprinter
James Alaka is one of 20 boys and girls who have been chosen to compete
alongside their Olympic heroes at some of the World's best athletics meetings
this year. The first of these is the Norwich Union International at Glasgow this
Saturday. There will be points awarded at the meetings that take place through
the year and SPAR will award bursaries to the winning athletes.
There was more good news as Shavaun Henry has been
selected to represent the South Of England Under 23 team in an International
cross country race in Germany on the 4th of February.
Despite turning out 63 runners the Club were defeated in
the annual Mob Match against Ranelagh at Petersham. Some consolation was that
Alex Gibbins won the 7.5 mile race in 42.44. Jon Thorpe was 4th with Ciaran
Osborne 6th. First woman for the Club was Bridget Davey with Fran Green second
and Kate Pratten third.
A number of the Club's youngsters were in action at the
Kent Schools Cross Country Championships.
In the Seniors James Poole and Bryony Proctor both
finished in 6th place. Best placed runner on the day was Amy Smith who won the
Intermediate Girls race. Alex Bruce-Littlewood was 5th in the boys race.
Rebecca Smith took 4th place in the Junior Girls race as
did Stephen Cavey for the boys and it was 4th again in the year 7 boys race for
Oliver Taylor.
The 26th London Marathon takes place on Sunday the 23rd of
April and on the same day the 20th mini marathon will be run over the last 5km
of the course finishing in the Mall.
Trials for the Bromley team for this years London Mini
Marathon take place at Norman Park Track on Sunday 12th February with the first
race at 10.15. Races are open to any boys and girls aged between 11 and 17 on
the 23rd of April and they must either live or receive full time education
within the London Borough Of Bromley.
Eight athletes will be selected for each of the six age
group teams and a minimum of four of those will be runners who take part in the
Trials, including a "wild card" in each age group. This means that everyone who
takes part in the Trials has the opportunity to gain selection for the Bromley
team and be part of the Marathon day on the 17th of April. The Trials are
supported by Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC in partnership with the London
Borough Of Bromley and the Bromley Mytime trust. For an entry form please send a
stamped addressed envelope to Dave Liston, 70 Serman Drive, Swanley, Kent. BR8
7HT. Entries close on Friday 3rd February.
17/01/06
Michael Skinner has started 2006 in fine form with good
performances in Britain and on the Continent. At the Great Edinburgh
International meeting at Holyrood Park he finished in second place in the Men's
short course race over 4.3km and was first of a trio of Blackheath & Bromley
athletes.
Skinner, Scott Overall and Andrew Rayner all had steady
starts and kept themselves in the pack while Morpeth's Nick McCormick led from
front. As the race developed the trio edged through the field. Overall then
moved into second place and he, Skinner and European Junior Champion Bene of
Hungary moved onto the shoulder of McCormick. As the leader again tried to
stretch the field Skinner and the Hungarian battled to stay on his shoulder.
Coming into the home straight it was anybody's race but McCormick just hung on
to win with Skinner and the Hungarian just one second behind in 12.17. Overall
placed 5th in 12.29 and Rayner, only just back from a chest infection, closed in
12th in 12.51.
Skinner was happy with his run but reflecting afterwards
wondered if he could actually have won it. The previous weekend he raced in the
Amorebieta Cross Country race in Spain where in a high quality field he finished
in 11th place over 10.7 km. He now switches his attention to Indoor racing while
Overall and Skinner fly back to America where they are studying at Butler
University.
Much closer to home there was a good turn out for the
Club's Open 10km cross country race at Hayes. Alex Gibbins was a runaway winner
of the Men's race timing 36.50 for the testing course. Ciaran Osborne took
second in 38.40 with physio Steve Holmes, who is in training for the London
Marathon, in third.
There were some unexpected runners featuring in the
women's race with first an second places going to 13 year olds. Amy DeMatos and
Rebecca Smith entered the race as a training run and the duo defeated all the
Seniors with Amy two seconds clear in 47.16. Senior Women's captain Kate Pratten
took third in 47.41.
The race incorporated the Club's veteran Championships and
for the men there were wins for Roy Smith (over 40's), Con Griffin (50s), Mike
Cronin (60s) and David Churchus (70s). Annie McDonough took the women's title
while Nanette Cross won the over 65s.
The race also incorporated the 5th of the 9 Bennett Cup
handicap races that take place over the Winter months. Winner on this occasion
was Steve Holmes with Martyn Longstaff second and Mike Cronin third. Cronin
leads the handicap now with 183 points just two points clear of both Mick Jones
and David Beadle.
The 26th London Marathon takes place on Sunday the 23rd of
April and on the same day the 20th mini marathon will be run over the last 5km
of the course finishing in the Mall.
Trials for the Bromley team for this years London Mini
Marathon take place at Norman Park Track on Sunday 12th February with the first
race at 10.15. Races are open to any boys and girls aged between 11 and 17 on
the 23rd of April and they must either live or receive full time education
within the London Borough Of Bromley.
Eight athletes will be selected for each of the six age
group teams and a minimum of four of those will be runners who take part in the
Trials, including a "wild card" in each age group. This means that everyone who
takes part in the Trials has the opportunity to gain selection for the Bromley
team and be part of the Marathon day on the 17th of April. The Trials are
supported by Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC in partnership with the London
Borough Of Bromley and the Bromley Mytime trust. For an entry form please send a
stamped addressed envelope to Dave Liston, 70 Serman Drive, Swanley, Kent. BR8
7HT. Entries close on Friday 3rd February.
The Indoor track and field season is well underway and
with the South Of England Championships taking place next week a number of
athletes have been in recent action as they fine tune their preparations.
Up at Loughborough Dwayne Grant had his first race for
months as he timed 6.89 for the 60 metres.
At the Open Meeting at Brunel University Montell Douglas
showed that she has wintered well timing 7.52 which is the 6th fastest in the
country this year. Behind her Amy Godsell continued her recent improvement as
she ran a new best of 7.71. There were also useful times for Clare Cooper (7.88)
and Serita Solomon (7.90). For the men Fabian Collymore and Daniel Haque both
timed 7.03.
In the under 15 girls there was a new best for Grace
Sheppard of 8.22 in the 60 metres and for the boys Matthew Fletcher made his
indoor debut and achieved a AAA's qualifying time of 7.92. There were also
indoor debuts for Sheridan Pritchard Lewis (8.25) and Sian Hurlock (8.68)
In the field Allan Williams opened his Winter campaign
with a clearance of 3.95 in the pole vault.
More Club members were in action at Cardiff with some more
promising performances. First year Junior Danny Doyley clocked 7.10 for the 60
metres. In the 200 Neil Simpson ran 22.87 and Bath University student Ian
Allerton ran a good 50.60 in the 400.
10/01/06
Blackheath & Bromley enjoyed another successful day at the
Kent Cross Country Championships at the Wildernesse School, Sevenoaks picking up
eight sets of team medals from the ten age group races. This equalled the number
in 2005 but the quality was better. Last year they claimed three gold, two
silver and three bronze whereas this year the haul was four gold, three silver
and one bronze.
Individual highlight of the day was the confident front
running of Amy Smith in the under 15 girls race. The Newstead Woods Schoolgirl
retained the title she won last year and in so doing achieved a double double as
along with team mates Amy DeMatos (3rd) and Rebecca Smith (6th) they retained
the team gold for the Club.
James Poole led the under 20 men to a team win. He took
the individual bronze medal and just missed out on silver in a sprint finish.
Andrew Conway in 5th and Richard Daniel 6th completed the scoring.
Both under 17 teams won gold. Despite still recovering
from a virus Katie Murray started steadily before moving through to take third
place and with Rebecca Taylor 5th and Lauren Smith 15th they recorded a narrow 2
point win over Medway and Maidstone. Jonathan Vintner was first home for the
Club in the men's race in 5th place and with Danny Brewer 8th, Richard Davies
9th and Alex Bruce-Littlewood 15th they enjoyed a six point win over Tonbridge.
Shauvan Henry was the first Senior Woman home in 7th place
in her first year in the age group. Siobhan Budd flew in from France to place
10th and with Fran Green 19th they picked up silver medals in the 3 to score
contest. Bella Clayton in 21st, Kate Pratten 24th and Annie McDonough 34th
helped the Club to second again in the 6 to score race.
The Senior Men had to settle for fourth for the second
year running led by Jamie Atkinson in 8th place. Peter Tucker showed a good
return to form by placing 14th and the scoring was completed by Alex Gibbins
20th, veteran Alan Camp 34th, David McKinlay 41st and another veteran Roy Smith
45th. They were also 3rd in the 12 to score.
Bryony Proctor flew the flag in the Junior Women's race
finishing in a good 5th place but injury and illness prevented the Club from
completing a team.
The Under 15 boys team picked up silver medals through
Stephen Cavey 6th, Cameron Ward 26th, Oliver Robinson 36th and Calum Fraser 37th
and there was much promise for the future from the performance of the under 13
squads. Michelle Fewster finished a fine second in the girls race. Danielle
Critchley in 8th and Sophie Gordon 12th gave the team third place just five
points off gold.
Hector Kurtyanek had his best ever run in the boys race
finishing in 5th place and with Philip Sesemann 7th, Robert Yates 10th and
Oliver Taylor 17th they were rewarded with silver medals in the team contest.
Jessica Matthews celebrated her 14th birthday in fine
style by finishing 2nd in the South Of England Under 15 girls pentathlon
championships at Sutton Arena. She set personal bests in four our of the five
events the best of which was a 1.63 leap in the high jump a 7 centimetre
improvement on her previous best. She also improved to 4.98 in the long jump.
Photos of the Championships are available at the Club
website here...
3/01/06
The Senior Men's and Women's track and field rankings for
the 2005 season have just been published and the top 50 lists feature over 30
athletes from Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC. This was despite Internationals
such as Julian Golding, Mensah Elliott, Mark Awanah and Myrtle Augee missing the
whole season through injury.
Others such as Olympian Dwayne Grant also hardly competed,
again because of injury, although his indoor time of 21.39 did place him 31st in
the 200.
Highest placed is Michael Skinner who is 4th in the 5000
metres with his time of 13.56.68. He is also 10th in the 3000, 11th in the mile
and 17th in the 1500. Other men to feature in the top 10 in events are Britain's
top marathon runner Mark Steinle (6th in the 10,000 with 29.18.79), Great
Britain Under 23 International Scott Overall (10th in the 5000 -14.03.10), and
Dave Taylor who is 10th in the marathon at the age of 41 with 2.18.47.
Highest ranked for the women is Montell Douglas who was
the 6th quickest over the 100 metres with 11.56, the fastest time by a Junior in
the country. She is also 13th in the 200 metres with 23.93. Inter Counties
Champion Liz Hughes is 7th placed in the pole vault with 3.95, niggling injuries
having prevented her from improving on her best of 4.16.
Other seniors on the lists include Fabian Collymore,
Jonathan Barbour and Tyrone Lewis in the 100 metres, Andrew Rayner (3000), Sam
Bobb (triple Jump) Allan Williams in the pole vault (despite being over 50),
Alex Pope (decathlon) and Bella Clayton (400)
A number of Juniors and under 17's feature on these Senior
lists and this promises much for the future. Stuart Harvey's achievements have
already been recognised by McQuay Services Limited, the multi national air
conditioning company (www.mcquay.com) They
are sponsoring the 18 year old in 2006 after his success in 2005 which saw him
unbeaten in the javelin in junior competition. He is 16th in the Senior lists
with 66.00.
Ed Harrison is 24th in the 400 hurdles with 52.72 despite
suffering during the Summer with illness and Michael Whitehouse is 46th equal in
the high jump although he missed virtually the whole season recovering from
meningitis. Similarly AAA's under 20 champion Amir Williamson missed two months
of the Summer with injury but still placed 40th in the Hammer. Also in 40th was
new member Ashley Harris in the long jump with a leap of 7.04.
Daniel Haque was unlucky not to feature more prominently.
An injury disrupted his season and when he did race he had trouble in getting
races where they was electric timing that worked. However his 21.6 hand timed
200 and 21.62 wind assisted efforts have been recognised as significant.
The Olson sisters Natalie and Hannah are placed 13th and
16th in the pole vault and the Club is also well represented by Juniors in the
throws. Christine Lawrence finished her last year in the age group by placing
15th in the Senior javelin list with her throw of 44.24 and was also placed 12th
in the merit rankings while second claim member Jade Dodd was just behind in
20th place despite being an under 17.
Rachel Blackie and Vickie Thomas placed 17th and 21st
respectively in the hammer with throws of 51.37 and 48.98 and under 17s Shaunagh
Brown and Flo Clark are 27th and 43rd in the discus with distances of 42.43 and
40.20.
Three more under 17's feature in the track with Chelsea
O'Rawe Hobbs 17th in the 3000 walk, Serita Solomon 35th in the 100 hurdles with
14.41 and Katie Murray 30th in the 400 hurdles with 62.21. She also makes the
high jump list in 45th place with a leap of 1.69.
It has been a quite Christmas for the Club's athletes, the
most notable performance being Shavaum Henry's third place in the Serpentine 5km
at Hyde Park. She timed 19.12 for the course.
Bookings are now being taken for the Club's Bees Academy
for youngsters in School years 4,5 and 6. Visit the website at
www.blackheathandbromley.com/bees for details.
