Press Releases for
January, February & March 2013
26/03/13
Michael Skinner helped the Great Britain team finish
in 11th place at the World Cross Country Championships at Bydgoszcz in
Poland. Last year the team finished in 15th place.
The Blackheath & Bromley athlete finished in 51st
place and covered the 12 kilometre course in 34.49. This is his highest ever
position in the event. He has competed in five previous Championships, one
over the no longer contested 4km short course event ,and four times over the
longer 12km course. His previous best position was 64th, also at Bydgoszcz
in 2010.
At the Home Countries Schools cross country
International at Dinefwr Estate, Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Jessica Keene
finished in a fine 6th place in a time of 11.14. This was her first
International race and her efforts helped the England Junior Womens team to
victory.
Elaine Murty was in action at the same venue
representing the South Of England in a Home Countries and Inter Area match.
She finished in 12th place in the Senior Womens race.
At the European Masters Indoor Championships at San
Sebastian, Spain, Roger Michell finished in third place in the over 65s 3000
metre walk in a time of 16.41.19. He was also 5th in the 5km road walk in
28.41 leading the Great Britain squad to team gold. Steve Langdon was 4th in
the over 55s javelin with a throw of 48.57 and Peter Hamilton was 7th in the
over 65s 3000 metres in 11.20.77. Peter was ill for the cross country race
but still managed 10th place and was part of the GB team who won silver
medals behind Spain.
In the States, James Alaka had his first outdoor race
of the year at the Trojan International in Los Angeles. Competing in the 400
metres he timed 48.28.
The Senior Mens team have qualified to compete in the
National 12 Stage Road Relays at Sutton Park on the 13th of April. They
achieved this because the SEAA 12 stage road relay at Milton Keynes was
cancelled due to the weather and the English Road Running Association have
decided that all teams that have finished in the top 25 in the Southern
contest in the last three years can compete in the National.
Sadly this is the fourth SEAA event to be cancelled or
postponed in the last nine months. There are no qualifying standards for the
women to compete in the National 6 stage event.
The Closing 5 Mile Yacht Handicap race took place at
Hayes with a wide range of ages taking part. The slowest runner starts first
and the quickest last and if the handicap is perfect they would all cross
the line together. Despite the best efforts of handicapper Professor Chris
Haines this did not happen.
Winner was the youngest runner in the field, 11 year
old Angus Harrington. He was followed by Jamie White and Amber Reed.
Fastest round the course was Richard Webb who timed 32.25 with Fintan
Parkinson running 33.35 and Roy Smith 34.30. Quickest female was the
aforementioned Amber Reed with 37.02. Jane Bradshaw was second in 37.45 and
Sally Haffenden third in 43.02.
This was, of course, the final race in the Bennett Cup handicap series which
has been running throughout the Winter months. It was very close going into
the final race and there was inevitably some shuffling of the leading
places. This saw young Tom Desborough burst through to win on 411 points
with Mark Ellison second on 409, the same as third placed Nigel Bulmer, Mark
getting the silver courtesy of having the faster actual time in Saturdays
race.
The excitement continued on into the evening as the
Club Annual General Meeting took place at Hayes with much speculation as to
who the new President would be. Outgoing President Stephen Hollingdale
introduced Bob Cliff as his successor.
Bob first joined in 1967 encouraged by his maths
teacher Chris Haines and competed regularly for the Club until at Cambridge
University he had some knee problems and spent time rowing. He returned to
the Club in 1973 after his future wife commented unflatteringly on his
skinny legs and he determined to get fit and develop legs to be proud of. He
has represented the Club on cross country, road and track including running
the steeplechase in the National League. He has been Chief Trail layer and
also Head of Winter Athletics. He is thought to be the first Club President
who speaks Urdu.
Back outdoors Kevin May finished in 15th place in the
Hastings Half Marathon in a time of 76.14. Lisa May was the second over 40
woman to finish. She was 153rd overall in 90.43. John Fenwick won the mens
over 65s race and was 527th overall in 1.40.18.
David Beadle was the Club’s first finisher in the
latest Bromley 5km park run at Norman Park. He was 8th in a time of 20.27
with Andy Tucker 12th and Andrew Riches 16th. First female finisher from the
Club was young Yasmin Austridge who placed 38th with Chloe Kibblewhite 59th.
Elsewhere Niamh Bridson Hubbard was the winner of the womens race at
Greenwich. She was 9th overall in 22.42. Steve Cooper was 2nd at Ipswich;
Brendan McShane was 5th at Lloyd Park; and Karen Desborough 30th at
Orpington.
19/03/13
Two Blackheath & Bromley athletes will be on
International duty this weekend. Michael Skinner runs for Great Britain at
the World Cross Country Championships at Bydgoszcz in Poland on Sunday. This
follows his 5th place in the Trials Race in Birmingham two weekends ago.
Jessica Keene has been selected to represent England
at the Home Countries Schools Cross Country International at Dinefwr Estate,
Llanelli in Carmarthenshire this Saturday. She secured her place by
finishing in 8th place in the Junior Girls race at last weekends English
Schools Championships at Catton Park in Derbyshire.
It was a double celebration as she was part of the
Kent team which won gold medals and it also included Georgina Taylor in 25th
place and Yasmin Austridge in 37th. Naomi Kingston was 18th and Mary Guy
247th for London.
Amber Reed and Bethany Frost were part of the Kent
team who were 6th in the Senior Girls race. They finished 96th and 167th
respectively while Will Ruiz was 142nd in the Senior Boys race.
Richard Webb continued his recent good run of form by
finishing in 34th place in the Intermediate Boys race. Both he and Will
Fuller, in a fine 47th, place picked up silver medals as Kent took the
runner up spot in the team race. In the Girls race Niamh Bridson Hubbard
finished in 80th place with Anna Myers 150th helping Kent to 10th.
Joss Barber was 121st in the boys race, but was
outside the scoring 6 for Kent as they again won gold.
In the United States, Lorraine Ugen timed 11.57 for
the 100 metres at the TCU Invitational meeting at Fortworth, Texas. She did,
however, have the aid of a +4.3 following wind.
There was plenty of success for the Clubs athletes at
the Kent Indoor Championships which were held at Lee Valley with 16 gold
medals won and three Championship Best Performances.
Luke Smallwood set a CBP in the Senior Mens 200
metres, crossing the line in 22.05. Grace Sheppard won the womens 60 metre
title while in the field Rachel Arnheim won the pole vault title with a
clearance of 3.55 with Christina Moore picking up silver. Katrina Cosby was
the only other senior to win a medal as she finished 3rd in the 60 metres.
Fittingly for a squad that has been the top junior
womens team in the country for the last eight years, the under 20 women
picked up five golds. On the track, wins came from Samantha Brown in the 400
metres and from Rhiannon Jones in the 60 metre hurdles. In the field,
victories came from Lauren Stevens (long jump), Evie Syron Russell (triple
jump) and Gemma Brown (shot). Samantha also won silver in the 200 metres as
did Charlotte Colegate in the 400 and Holly Fletcher in the 800. Bronze
medals came courtesy of Amara Lalemi Jacobs in the 200 metres and Reuben
Fakoya in the 60 metres.
The success continued in the under 17s age group where
Leah Everson was a double gold medallist winning both the 400 and 800 metre
events. Vivien Olatunji claimed the 60 metres title, Niamh Bridson Hubbard
the 1500 in a Championship Best of 5.08.11; Alex Wheelwright the high jump
and Max Hodson the pole vault. Alex Skipp won silver in the mens 60 metres
while Sonia Woolhouse was pole vault bronze medallist.
A third Championship Best of the weekend came in the
under 15 girls 800 metres where Shannon Riskey’s winning time of 2.25.31 was
a full 6 seconds quicker than the runner up. Isabella Hilditch won the long
jump and also took silver in the 60 metre hurdles. It was silver also for
Nicole Farmer in the 60 metres and bronze medals for Harry Taylor (300);
Elizabeth Ibidunni (200); Toyin Orelaja (high jump); and Jamilya
Robinson-Pascal (long jump).
On the roads Andy Rayner finished in 22nd place in the
Reading Half Marathon in a very useful time of 69.12. Peter Tucker won the
Les Witton Dartford 10 in 56.00 and was so delighted with his performance
that he ran the course again to make it 20 miles as he prepares for the
London Marathon. Fintan Parkinson was 6th; Len Crowder 16th; David Beadle
24th; and Graham Coates was 46th and first over 60 to finish. The Club won
the team race.
David Hoben was 15th in the Enfield League Half
Marathon walk at Hillingdon in 2.39.21.
Andy Tucker was the Club’s first finisher in the
latest Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He came 4th in 19.16 with Chris
Gentle 5th and Robert Perry 19th. Chloe Kibblewhite was first woman for the
Club in 62nd with Chloe Haffenden 94th. Mark Ellison was 4th at Orpington
with Harry Keen 9th. Anne Cilia was the first woman to finish in 19th and
Karen Desborough was 29th. Lewis Stickings was 12th at Greenwich with mum
Charlotte 16th and the first woman home. Glenn Turner won at Gladstone;
Chris Pike was 8th at Bexley and Dave Beadle was 12th at Crystal Palace.
This Saturday the Club cross country season comes to
an end with the Closing 5 Yacht Handicap at Hayes. This is also the last
race in the Bennett Cup handicap series of races and a number of athletes
are in contention to win the contest. It promises to be an exciting
afternoon. The Annual General Meeting takes place at the Clubhouse in the
evening at which the new President will be revealed.
12/03/13
Michael Skinner must wait to find out if he will
represent Great Britain at the World Cross Country Championships in
Bydgoszcz, Poland in two weeks time. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete
finished in a fine 5th place in the Trials race which was incorporated into
the Inter Counties Championships at Cofton Park, Birmingham. However, to
gain automatic selection he needed to come in the top four.
He raced there as an individual and not as part of the
Kent team. Had he scored for the County they would have finished in 4th
place but instead had to settle for 14th. Alex Gibbins was 141st.
Elaine Murty continued her excellent finish to the
Winter season as she was 26th place in the Senior Womens race. She was the
first Kent athlete to finish and in so doing helped the team to 9th place.
Amber Reed was 50th in the under 20 womens race. Kent
won the team race here but such was the quality of the squad she was not one
of the scoring team.
Kate Curran was 29th in the under 17 womens race and
was part of the Kent team that finished in 5th place. Anna Myers was 113th
and Bethany Frost 136th. For the men Will Fuller was 67th and was the 4th Kent
scorer as the team were 8th.
Georgina Taylor was 17th in the under 15 girls race
and Jessica Keene 23rd, Niamh Bridson Hubbard 101st and Shannon Riskey 174th
as the Kent team placed 5th.
Naomi Kingston had an outstanding run in the under 13
girls race finishing in 6th place and helping Kent to silver team medals.
This was her third race in a week as the previous Sunday she had won the
Westminster Mini Marathon trials and midweek had finished 2nd in the London
Schools year 8 cross country championships at Avery Hill.
In the boys race Jake Potter was part of the winning
Kent team as he finished in an excellent 11th place.
This weekend many of the Club’s youngsters who ran in
Birmingham will be competing in the English Schools Championships at Catton
Hall, Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, and after the success of Kent at the
Inter Counties, it promises to be an exciting afternoon.
Amber Reed and Bethany Frost go in the Senior Girls
race over 4,200 metres while Will Ruiz races for the boys over 6,900 metres.
In the Intermediate Boys Richard Webb and Will Fuller
race the 5,700 metre distance with Niamh Bridson Hubbard and Anna Myers in
the Girls event (3,700).
Five girls go in the Junior race (3,200) with Jessica
Keene, Georgina Taylor and Yasmin Austridge representing Kent and Naomi
Kingston and Mary Guy competing for London. Joss Barber races in the boys
event (4,200).
Stateside Lorraine Ugen was 5th in the long jump at
Fayetteville in Arizona. The athlete, who last Summer missed out on an
automatic Olympic qualifying place by one centimetre, leapt 6.35. More long
jump success came as two athletes from the Club were selected to represent
England at the Welsh Athletics Indoor International in Cardiff. Oliver
Newport won the under 20 mens contest with a leap of 7.16 while Jahisha
Thomas was second in the womens event with 5.78.
There was plenty of success for those athletes from
the Club who competed in the British Masters Indoors and Outdoor throws
Championships at Lee Valley. Most successful was Peter Hamilton who won the
800, 1500 and 3000 metres in the over 65s age group.
More gold medals came in the over 55s age group where
Allan Williams dominated the pole vault winning with a clearance of 3.70 and
Clem Leon won the high jump with a leap of 1.48. Clem was one of the busiest
athletes of the weekend as he was also third in the triple jump with a
distance of 10.25; 4th in both the long jump and 60 metres; and 5th in the
200 metres.
Outside Barbara Terry won the over 65s hammer with a
throw of 25.36 and the heavy weight with 10.99 as well as gaining second in
the shot. Steve Langdon won the over 55s javelin with a distance of 44.95.
Gordon Hickey was 3rd in the over 75s shot and 4th in
the heavy weight contest. Paul Stack timed 8.16 in the over 45s 60 metres.
The National 10 Mile Race walking championships took
place at Victoria Park, Hackney with Shaun Lightman, an over 65, finishing
in 15th place in 1 hour 45 minutes and 27 seconds despite having a slight
injury. Peter Hannell, an over 70, was 18th in 1.47.29. Unfortunately David
Hoben was a couple of minutes outside the two hour time limit.
At the Sidcup 10 mile road race Tony Crowder was 18th
in 64.36 with Graham Hollingdale 22nd and Len Crowder 27th. Claire Austridge
was the Club’s first female to finish in 130th in a time of 90.33. It was
good to see the former Cornwall AC and Bromley Ladies AC athlete back on the
roads after some low key work outs in the Parkruns.
The latest Park run at Lloyd Park featured a mob match
between the Club and Striders of Croydon. It was defeat for B&B as they were
outnumbered by the hosts. First for the Club was Andy Tucker in 7th place
with Chris Gentle 8th and Mark Watling 9th. Sarah Belaon was first woman
from the Club in 48th with Justine Eastbury 55th and Anne Cilia 80th.
There was a one - two at Orpington with Ben Cockburn
winning and Joshua Davidson second. Nick Perry was 8th at Norman Park with
Joanna Clowes first female from B&B in 43rd. Andrew Riches was 13th at Hilly
Fields; Chris Pike 17th at Bexley; Glen Turner 4th at Milton Keynes; and
Steve Haley 8th at Riddlesdown.
5/03/13
Scott Overall continued his build up for the London
Marathon as he won the Silverstone Half Marathon in 65.41. The Blackheath &
Bromley athlete literally won by a mile as astonishingly he finished almost
seven minutes clear of the runner up. (Seven minutes would actually be more
than a mile.)
Colin Norris was another to enjoy a road race victory.
He won the Frank Harmer Memorial 10km at Brockwell Park in 33.43. Greg
Proctor was 129th in the Bath Half Marathon in 78.37.
The Club suffered a narrow defeat in the annual Mob
Match against South London Harriers at Coulsdon. Scoring 27 a side they
recorded 779 points to the hosts 712. First home for the Club was youngster
Richard Webb in third place, a remarkable effort considering he ran the
Bromley mini marathon trials in the morning along with Will Ruiz (11th) and
Tom Desborough (16th).
Fintan Parkinson in 4th, Gareth Evans 6th and Roy
Smith 8th also made the top 10. Jane Bradshaw was the first woman to finish
in 24th place overall with Andrea Pickup 28th and Justine Eastbury 49th.
The race incorporated the 8th of the Bennett Handicap
series of races which take place over the Winter months. Winner on this
occasion was Nigel Haffenden with Justine Eastbury 2nd and David Carton 3rd.
Only one race remains in the series, the Closing 5 on
the 23rd of March and it promises to be a thrilling finale as the places at
the top are so close. Nigel Bulmer still leads on 364 points but he is just
six ahead of Mark Ellison with Tom Desborough on 356, Mark Watling on 353
and Justine Eastbury on 352. With 60 points available in the last race the
positions could change dramatically.
Samantha Milner won the discus at the British
Athletics Hammer Circle Winter Throws Trials at Loughborough with a distance
of 43.03. Closer to home Jamilya Robinson Pascal won the under 15s long jump
at the Windsor Indoor Open Meeting with a distance of 4.95.
Shaun Lightman finished in 9th place in the final race
of the Cambridge Harriers League 5km walk series at Bexley. The 1968
Olympian timed 27.39 for the distance, his best in the race for three years
and his second best for nearly a decade. Peter Hannell was 12th in 30.28.
Ross Braden won the latest Bromley 5km Parkrun at
Norman Park. He timed 17.33 with Andy Tucker 28th and Mick Keene 30th with
Charlotte Stickings the first woman home from the Club in 31st.
Glen Turner won the race at Gladstone; Sarah Belaon
was 22nd at Lloyd Park and Peter Hamilton 27th at Dulwich.
26/02/13
There was disappointment for Blackheath & Bromley’s
Montell Douglas as she was not selected for the Great Britain team for the
European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. This was despite her
seasons best of 7.25 being inside the GB Selectors qualifying standard of
7.30.
The British 100 metre record holder was not the only
athlete with a qualifying performance to miss out. Three 1500 metres metres
have run inside the UKA standard but none were selected, yet one female 3000
metre runner who had not reached the standard did gain a discretionary
place. The reason for these decisions was that UKA had a policy of only
selecting athletes who they considered had the potential to finish in the
top 6 in their event.
Scott Overall continued his build up to this years
London Marathon as he finished in 7th place in the New Orleans Half Marathon
in 64.32.
Elsewhere in the States James Alaka finished 2nd in
his heat of the 60 metres at the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seattle with a
time of 6.84. At Ames in the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Lorraine Ugen was
third in long jump with a leap of 6.37.
At the Southland Indoor Championships at Norman, Alex
Bruce Littlewood was 2nd in the mile in a time of 4.12.07. He also ran
8.45.32 in the 300 metres.
Also on the International scene, Mariette Terisse
Hilborne finished in 3rd place in the pole vault at the Finale Perche Elite
Tour at Nevers, France. She cleared 3.95, an indoor personal best.
Michael Skinner finished in 6th place in the Senior
Mens race at the National Cross Country Championships in Sunderland. His was
one of a number of high class performances by Blackheath & Bromley members
across the age groups and it helped the Club to 11th place in the Senior
team contest. Andy Rayner was 73rd, Peter Tucker 101st, Alex Gibbins 142nd,
Ian Frith 188th and Danny Brewer 227th.
The Club were unable to complete a team in the Senior
Womens race but what they lacked in quantity they more than made up for in
quality as Elaine Murty had one of her best ever races on the country.
Building on her fine performance at the Southerns where she was 15th, she
closed in 21st position. Charlotte Stickings was 180th.
In the under 20 age group Clare Parkin was 51st and
Amber Reed 55th in the womens race while Phil Sesemann was 61st in the mens.
Richard Webb was an excellent 26th in the under 17
mens race with Will Ruiz 72nd and Tom Desborough 162nd. The women were 11th
in the team race thanks to the efforts of Bethony Frost 72nd, Lucy Sidey
89th, Samantha Leighton 105th and Chloe Haffenden 146th.
Highest placed team of the weekend were the under 15
girls who were 9th. They were led home by Georgina Taylor in a fine 23rd
place with Niamh Bridson Hubbard 56th, Mary Guy 93rd, Shannon Riskey 102nd,
Leah Everson 139th and Molly Dent 142nd.
The boys were 16th with Bailey Stickings first home in
78th. Charlie Davis was 91st, Marco Arcuri 153rd, and, in their first ever
cross country races, Matthew Witchalls 159th and Luca Taylor 183rd.
There were some impressive runs in the under 13 girls
race as Naomi Kingston finished in 14th and Yasmin Austridge had the run of
her life to finish 18th. Georgina Piper was 118th and Darcy Kirwin 176th to
help the team to 12th place.
Oscar Hussey was first for the boy in 71st place with
Joe Smith 107th, George Pope 108th and Lewis Stickings 137th.
There were some outstanding performances at the
England Athletics Under 20, 17 and 15 Indoor Championships at Birmingham
with the Club’s athletes bringing home eight gold medals.
Dina Asher Smith dominated the under 20 womens sprints
winning both the 60 and 200 metre titles. Her fastest time in the 60 was
actually in the heats where she ran 7.34 to win easily. This was a new
Championship Best Performance and 4th fastest of all time. It was a similar
story in her semi as she crossed the line in 7.42. She took the title
clocking 7.36 in the final.
In the 200 she comfortably won her heat in 24.09
before setting a new best of 23.44 to win the Final, well inside the
Championship Best Performance.
Shannon Hylton replicated Dina’s title winning
exploits in the under 17 womens age group. She also remained unbeaten the
whole weekend winning her heat of the 60 metres in 7.59 and then her semi
final in 7.60. She returned for the final to set a new best of 7.50 and this
was a new Championship Best Performance. On to the 200 and she won her heat
in 24.82, her semi final in 24.28 and then set a new best of 24.08 in the
final.
Not to be outdone her twin sister Cheriece won the 300
metres title in 38.69, the fastest time in the country this year.
More gold medals came in the field as Jahisha Thomas
won the under 20 womens long jump with a leap of 5.87. Stefan Amokwandoh
annexed the triple jump crown with a leap of 14.34. Kerri Davidson won the
under 17 womens triple jump title with a leap of 11.80.
There were plenty of other fine efforts with Rachel
Dickens setting new best of 55.76 to win silver in the under 20 womens 400
metres. Isabella Hilditch won a hard earned bronze medal in the under 15
girls long jump with a leap of 5.20. She was also 4th in the final of the 60
metre hurdles.
Another to just miss out on a medal was Maya Bruney
who finished in 4th place in the under 17 womens 60 metres in a time of
7.75.
Javari Cameron was 8th in the under 20 mens long jump
final with a leap of 6.22 and he also ran 7.27 in the heats of the 60
metres. Jahisha Thomas ran 8.75 in the heats of the 60 metre hurdles but was
unfortunately disqualified in the final. Kertis Beswick ran 8.39 in his heat
of the under 20 mens 60 metre hurdles.
Tremayne Gilling is the British Universities Indoor 60
metre champion. He won the title in 6.76, having won his semi final in
exactly the same time and his heat in 6.82.
It was gold too for second claim member Lauren
Bouchard as she won the 400 title in 54.41. Carolyn Plateau just missed out
on making it a hat trick of golds as she was second in the 800 metres in
2.10.67, only four hundredths of a second behind the winner.
There was silver too in the 400 metres for Dan Putnam
in a time of 47.88.
Samantha Milner was 4th in the shot with 11.78 while
Megan Southwart was 5th in the 60 metre hurdles final and Grace Sheppard was
7th in the 60 metres.
A remarkable set of performances at the South of
England/VAC Championships at Lee Valley saw all the Club athletes finish in
medal winning positions. Peter Hamilton returned with two gold medals as he
won both the 800 metres and the 1500 metres in the over 65s age group in
times of 2.39.49 and 5.34.98.
Allan Williams showed that he is fast getting back to
his best following injury as he won the over 55s pole vault in 3.50. Many
younger athletes would be delighted to produce such a performance.
Gordon Hickey won silver in the over 75s shot with a
distance of 9.46 and more throws success came in the over 65s as Barbara
Terry was also second in her shot contest in 8.13.
Jackie Montgomery was 3rd in the over 45s pole vault
with a clearance of 1.90
Nick Perry was the Clubs first finisher at the latest
Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He finished in 6th place in a time of
19.02 with Jamie Gosnell 19th and Joshua Davidson 21st. Joanne Clowes was
the first female from the Club to finish in 63rd place with Elizabeth
Ibidunni 69th and Holly Fletcher 82nd. A total of 23 Club members finished.
Further North at the Braunstone event James Poole won
in a very swift 14.42. Eamonn Prenderghast was 2nd at Lloyd Park with Andy
Tucker 5th and Sarah Belaon the first woman to finish in 16th overall. Ross
Braden was 2nd at Whitstable; David Beadle 8th at Crystal Palace; Chris Pike
21st at Bexley; Andrew Riches 14th at Hilly Fields; Ian Young 77th at Poole;
and Karen Desborough 42nd at Orpington.
19/02/13
Blackheath & Bromley’s Montell Douglas was delighted
to set a new personal best of 7.25 for the 60 metres at the Newham Indoor
meeting last week. This is inside the 7.30 British qualifying time for the
European Indoor Championships which take place in Gothenburg, Sweden next
month. The British 100 metre record holder will now have her fingers crossed
in the hope the selectors will add her name to the GB squad this week.
She followed her performance at Newham with a 7.33
clocking at the British Athletics Grand Prix at Birmingham, but such was the
quality of the International opposition, she did not gain a place in the
final.
Lauren Bouchard ran 55.40 in the 400 metres.
The Midland Counties Open Meeting took place the
following day at the same venue and Serita Solomon set a new personal best
of 8.16 for the 60 metre hurdles. This is the third fastest time in the
country this year and leaves her looking forward to the outdoor season.
Elaine Murty finished in an excellent 15th place in
the Senior Womens race at the South Of England Cross Country Championships
on a wet and muddy Parliament Hill Fields. The Meeting had originally been
scheduled to take place at the end of January but was postponed because of
some snow.
With the National Championships this Saturday in
Sunderland, athletes and coaches had to weigh up the pros and cons of racing
major events on back to back weekends.
Charlotte Stickings was the only other Club member to
finish in the womens race as she came home in 106th.
Alex Gibbins was first home in the Senior Mens race
finishing in 46th place with Peter Tucker 53rd and Danny Brewer 79th. With
Fintan Parkinson in 165th, Jon Vintner 173rd and Andy Lawes 398th amongst
the 541 finishers, they were 10th in the team race.
Amber Reed closed in 29th in the Under 20 womens race,
while Richard Webb showed just how much he has improved over the Winter
months by finishing in 17th place in the Under 17 mens race.
The under 17 women were 6th in the team race led home
by Bethany Frost in 59th with Samantha Leighton 62nd, Lucy Sidey 91st and
Chloe Haffenden 100th.
Best supported age group were the under 15 girls where
the Club had nine finishers. First of these was Georgina Taylor in a fine
16th place. Nianh Bridson Hubbard was 44th, Mary Guy 65th and Shannon Riskey
92nd to secure 5th place in the team race. In addition Chloe Kibblewhite was
109th, Leah Everson 124th, Molly Dent 132nd, Joanna Clowes 159th and
Jennifer Sheasby 162nd.
For the boys Bailey Stickings was 59th, Jonathan Court
132nd, Joshua Davidson 147th and Arthur Carey 168th giving them 19th in the
team race.
The highest placed individuals of the day came in the
under 13s age group with Naomi Kingston in 7th place for the girls and Jake
Potter in 9th for the boys. These were excellent results and promise much
for the future. Yasmin Austridge was a fine 22nd and Georgina Piper 107th
but unfortunately they needed another finisher to score in the team race.
Jake was backed up by Oscar Hussey in 73rd, George
Pope 123rd, Lewis Stickings 127th, Peter Guy 145th and Harry Keene 197th and
this enabled them to finish 13th team.
Naomi Kingston recently finished 2nd in the Junior
Girls race at the London Schools Championships, again at Parliament Hill
Fields. Mary Guy was 10th.
More success came at the Surrey Indoor Championships
at Carshalton. Emily Martin won the Senior Womens long jump with a leap of
5.74 which was one centimetre further than Jahisha Thomas who took the under
20 womens title. Javari Cameron leapt 6.41 for gold in the under 20 mens
contest and set a pb in the 60 metres.
Jahisha also won the 60 metre hurdles in 8.81 with
Kertis Beswick storming to victory in the men race in a new best of 8.08. He
was also 3rd in the 60 metres flat in 7.02 having run a new best of 6.97 in
the semi final.
In the under 17s age group Kerri Davidson had a busy
weekend winning the triple jump with a seasons best of 11.62; the long jump
with a personal best of 5.21; and running a pb of 8.23 in the heats of the
60 metres. Emphatic winner of the 60 final was Maya Bruney whose time of
7.71 was just two hundredths of a second outside her best.
More success came in the under 15s age group where
Kate Purser set personal bests in both the long jump and the 60 metres.
At the Southern Counties Veterans AC Championships at
Lee Valley, Peter Hamilton enjoyed a hat trick of victories in the over 65s
middle distance. He won the 800 (2.42.6), the 1500 (5.37.7) and the 3000
metres (11.47.8), the latter two being Championship Best Performances. Peter
Hannell took the over 70s 3000 metre title and Gordon Hickey won the over
75s shot.
Barbara Terry was runner up in the womens over 65 shot
as was Jackie Montgomery in the over 45s pole vault with a new best of 2.20.
Murray Hilborne was 4th in the over 45s pole vault with a clearance of 2.60.
The Club suffered a home defeat in the Annual Mob
Match against Ranelagh Harriers with the visitors closing nine of the first
eleven finishers. When the scores were totalled up they had scored 761 to
the hosts 845.
First runner home for B&B was Gareth Evans in 5th
place with Nick Kinsey 6th and young Tom Desborough 12th. Nick won the Harry
Sheer Trophy which is awarded to the first over 50 to finish. First woman to
finish was Fran Green in 13th with Jane Bradshaw 21st and Jennie Butler
23rd.
The race incorporated the 7th of the 9 Bennett
Handicap races, a series which takes place over the Winter months. Winner on
this occasion was Martin Blunden with Jennie Butler in 2nd and Kate Pratten
3rd. Current leader is Nigel Bulmer on 332 points with Mark Watling on 318,
Tom Desborough 316, Mark Ellison 309 and Andy Tucker 308 all over the 300
point barrier. A lot of points are available in the remaining two matches so
there is still everything to run for.
Charlie Davis was the Clubs first finisher at the
latest Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He finished in 8th place in 18.54
with Andy Tucker 16th. Elizabeth Ibidunni was the first female from the Club
to finish in 125th place overall.
Sarah Belaon won the womens race at Lloyd Park in
23.42 while Karen Desborough was 37th at Orpington; Andrew Riches was 15th
at Hilly Fields; Richard Davies 15th at Leeds; and James Morris 53rd at
Dulwich.
12/02/13
Shaunagh Brown won the silver medal in the shot at the
British Athletics European Trials and UK Championships at Sheffield. The
Blackheath & Bromley athlete threw a new indoor best of 16.07 but missed out
on winning the contest by just 12 centimetres.
Dina Asher Smith made an excellent debut in a Senior
Championship as she finished 5th in the final of the 60 metres in 7.37, the
same time as the bronze medallist. Earlier she had set a personal best in
winning her heat in 7.35. Montell Douglas was 6th in the final in 7.40
having timed 7.33 in finishing second in a semi final in which Dina was
third in 7.39. Grace Sheppard timed 7.81 in the heats.
Dina also ran 23.91 in finishing second in her heat of
the 200 metres but withdrew from the final as a precaution, four races for a
first year junior against Senior athletes being enough for one weekend.
Serita Solomon finished in 4th place in the 60 metre
hurdles in 8.28, having set a personal best of 8.23 in winning her heat. As
the first placer in the final was an Irish athlete she receives a bronze
medal in the UK Championships.
Another to set a personal best was Carolyn Plateau in
the 800 metres. She was 5th in the final in 2.06.19.
Lauren Bouchard was 4th in her 400 metre semi final in
55.16, while Rachel Dickens ran 57.05 in her heat. For the men Dan Putnam
ran 48.27 in his heat. James Poole was 7th in his heat of the 1500 in a time
of 3.54.99.
In the field Oliver Newport was 9th in the long jump
with a leap of 6.98 with Joe Lawrence 10th in 5.69.
There was a welcome return to competition for James
Alaka who has not been in action since he got injured at the Olympic Trials
last June. Competing at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington, he ran
6.83 in his heat of the 60 metres before edging his time down to 6.81 in the
final where he finished third.
Also racing there was Alex Bruce Littlewood who set a
McNeese University record in the 3000 metres. His time of 8.11.0 improved
the previous best by over two seconds and was the 22nd fastest of the 86 who
raced.
A number of the Club’s athletes were in action at the
Inter Universities fixture at the Birmingham Indoor Arena. In the 400 metres
Megan Southwart was third in the A string 400 in 57.03 with Krystal Galley
4th in 58.53. Megan was also 4th in the 60 metre hurdles in 9.10.
New member Mark Cryer had a busy time finishing 4th in
the B 60 hurdles in 8.80, leaping 1.75 in the high jump and 6.37 in the long
jump. Samantha Milner was 2nd in the shot with 11.89.
Nine athletes from the Club have received grants from
the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund, a trust set up in memory of the late BBC
commentator, coach and teacher. The fund is open to young athletes between
the age of 15 and 23 who are in education and may need financial help
towards training or the provision of equipment. They should be medallists
from the National Schools, AAA Under 17, Under 20 or Under 23 Championships
or in the top six of the appropriate UK ranking lists.
Dina Asher Smith (60 to 400 metres) represented Great
Britain in the World Junior Championships at Barcelona where she reached the
final of the 200 metres. She was National Under 17 100 and 200 metre
champion in 2012.
Kertis Beswick (sprint hurdles), who recently joined
the Club, was the fastest in the country in 2012 over the 100 hurdles in the
under 17 age group. He won both the English Schools Intermediate Boys and
England Under 17championships and represented England in the Home Countries
International.
Maya Bruney (100-200) is the current English Junior
Girls and England under 15 girls 100 metre champion.
Rachel Dickens (400) was runner up in the English
Schools Senior Girls 400 metres in 2012.
Tremayne Gilling (60 to 100 metres) is the current
England Under 23 100 champion and was runner up in the England Senior
Championships.
Cheriece Hylton (300 metres) is the 2012 English
Schools Intermediate Girls 300 metre champion, and represented England in
the Schools Home Countries International.
Shannon Hylton (100 and 200 metres), like her sister,
is a 2012 English Schools Intermediate Girls champion. She won the 200
metres and, like Cheriece, represented England in the Schools Home Countries
International.
Oliver Newport (long jump) is still a Junior but is
the reigning England Senior long jump champion.
Pippa Woolven (steeplechase) represented Great Britain
at the World Junior Championships. She reached the final of the 3000 metres
steeplechase.
Michael Skinner was a runaway winner of the final Kent
Cross Country League race of the Winter at Swanley. He finished nearly a
minute clear of the field in a time of 30.21. With Alex Gibbins in 10th, Jon
Vintner 37th and Fintan Parkinson 41st the Club were third in the team
contest. Ross Braden, running for the University of Kent finished in 34th.
Fran Green celebrated her birthday 24 hours early by
finishing in third place in the womens race and leading the team to victory
with Amber Reed in 10th and team manager Jane Bradshaw 12th. Charlotte
Stickings was 21st, Sarah Belaon 23rd and Katrina Cosby 47th, in a rare
excursion on the mud, and this ensured that the Club was third in the 6 to
score.
As this was the last race of the season, the overall
placings were also decided at this fixture and it was welcome news for the
Women who won the 3 to score team competition. They were also 2nd in the 6
to score.
The men were third in the 6 to score and second in the
12 to score contests.
More success came in the individual awards with Alex
Gibbins and Amber Reed both finishing in third place overall. Charlotte
Stickings was 5th and also 3rd veteran.
Meanwhile Andy Rayner finished in 6th place in the
Surrey Cross Country League race at Coulsdon. In doing so he helped his
second claim club Kent AC to victory in the team competition for the season.
Peter Tucker had an easy run at the Kent League,
coming home in 44th place. This was because he was saving himself for the
following days Wokingham Half Marathon. He finished in 11th place in 69.57.
Also on the roads, Peter Hannell finished in 18th
place in the London 10km Road Race Championships at Victoria Park, Hackney.
In cold weather, and on a flat but somewhat uneven course, his time was 1
hour, 6 minutes and 16 seconds, a little down on his best as he is just
returning from injury. David Hoben was 22nd in 1.15.07.
The Club’s youngsters dominated the latest Bromley 5km
Parkrun at Norman Park with Charlie Davis first home in 3rd place. Andy
Tucker, not a youngster, was 4th but the other high placings all came from
the Club’s youth. Jessica Keene was the first female to finish in 7th
overall with Jamie Gosnell 8th, Niamh Bridson Hubbbard 13th, and Joshua
Davidson 16th. Yasmin Austridge made it a hat trick of the leading female
placings when she closed in 21st.
At the Orpington event another youngster Jake Potter
won the race outright with Karen Desborough 29th.
5/02/13
Shaunagh Brown opened her indoor season with an
International contest at Linz in Austria. Competing there as part of an
England squad she finished in 4th place in 15.48.
In the United States Alex Bruce Littlewood won his
mile race at the Jeff Davis International in Lake Charles. He timed 4.08.10.
Back in the UK at the Birmingham Games, Dan Putnam ran
a solid 48.17 for the 400 metres, while Lauren Bouchard ran an excellent new
best of 54.40, a huge improvement on her previous mark of 55.25. Megan
Southwart’s 56.11 was also a new best as was her 8.85 in the 60 metre
hurdles. James Poole timed a seasons best of 3.54.97 in the 1500 metres.
Closer to home the London Indoor Games for the under
17 and under 15 age groups took place at Lee Valley with some more
impressive results. In the Under 17 age group Shannon Hylton clocked a new
best of 7.55 in the 60 metres and Maya Bruney also ran faster then ever
before as ran 7.69 in her first year in the age group.
More success for the Hylton household came as
Shannon’s sister Cheriece set a seasons best of 39.73 to win her 300 metre
race. This is the fastest time in the country this year for an under 17.
Other sprint bests came from Alex Skipp and Vivien
Olatunji (60 metres); and Luka Taylor and Matthew Witchalls (60 and 200
metres).
Highlight in the field events came from Stefan
Amokwandoh who leapt 14.02 to win the triple jump and Kerri Davidson won the
womens event with a distance of 11.34. Helena Coleman soared over 3.15 to
set a personal best in the pole vault, and Max Hodson also produced a best
of 2.95 in the mens event.
In the under 15s Isabella Hilditch won the long jump
with a leap of 4.83 and she also timed 9.77 in the 60 metre hurdles. Nicole
Farmer ran 8.52 for the 60 metres while Olivia Richer timed a new best of
8.59. She also set a new best in the 200.
At the Keith Ward Memorial Meeting at Kings Lynn,
Lewis Ely cleared 1.90 in the high jump.
Outdoors a number of the Club’s athletes ran for their
respective Universities at the BUCS cross country championships at Leeds.
Phil Sesemann was 71st in the Mens A race with George Vacharopoulos 112th
and Ross Braden 142nd. In the womens race Clare Parkin was 134th, Rebecca
Taylor 142nd and Melody Kane 267th.
At the Kent Schools cross country championships at
Bexley, Kate Curran was 3rd in the Senior Girls race with Amber Reed 4th and
Bethany Frost 8th. In the Boys race Will Ruiz was 5th.
Richard Webb had a fine run in the Intermediate Boys
race to finish 2nd with Will Fuller 3rd. Niamh Bridson Hubbard was 5th in
the girls race with Anna Myers 6th.
Good packing from Jessica Keene in 3rd, Georgina
Taylor 4th and Yasmin Austridge 5th helped Bromley to first place in the
team race in the Junior Girls race. Josh Barber was 6th in the boys race
with Jake Potter 10th.
Peter Tucker finished in 5th place at the Watford Half
Marathon in a time of 72.03. Gareth Evans was 76th.
Naomi Kingston was the first female to finish in the
Crystal Palace Parkrun. The youngster was 13th overall. There was a win also
in the Lloyd Park event for Sarah Belaon. She was 17th overall. Continuing
the female success, Fran Green was 11th at Dulwich.
Barry Wetherilt was first male from the Club at Norman
Park in 29th with Tammy Flashaw first female in 48th. Chris Pike was 15th at
Greenwich; Karen Desborough 50th at Orpington; and Steve Haley 14th at
Riddlesdown.
29/01/13
Serita Solomon was delighted to be awarded her first
Great Britain International vest as she was selected to compete in the
British Athletics International Match at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. The
Blackheath & Bromley athlete responded by setting a new personal best of
8.26 as she finished in third place in the 60 metre hurdles, improving her
previous best by over a tenth of a second.
Also on the International scene, Carolyn Plateau
finished in 3rd place in the 800 metres at the Elan Indoor Meeting at
Bratislava. She timed 2.06.94.
This Wednesday Montell Douglas and Shaunagh Brown are
selected to be part of an England squad that competes at the International
meeting at Linz.
Still abroad Alex Bruce Littlewood had his first
indoor race of the Winter at the Howie Ryan invitational in Houston, Texas.
Competing in the fastest of the 800 metre fields, which included four sub
1.50 runners, he finished in 7th place in 1.55.15. He was actually the 3rd
fastest of the 40 college athletes who ran in the four 800 metre races and
his time was rounded down by the NCAA to a net time of 1.53.4 to take
account of the flat track (no banking) and the tight bends.
Also in the United States, Lorraine Ugen leapt 6.20
for the long jump in at the Auburn Invitational at Birmingham Alabama. She
also timed 7.69 for the 60 metres.
Tremayne Gilling bounced back from an injury jinxed
Summer season to time an impressive 6.68 for the 60 metres at the London
Indoor Games at Lee Valley. This equalled his best for the event. More
impressive performances came in the womens race as Montell Douglas’ time of
7.34 is the second fastest by a Briton so far this Winter. Third fastest is
first year Under 20 Dina Asher Smith who set a new best of 7.36 winning her
race by .24 of a second. Grace Sheppard celebrated her recent 21st birthday
with a new best of 7.74.
More good news came in the 400 metre races where Dan
Putnam set a new indoor best of 47.93; Craig Morten timed 50.74; Lauren
Bouchard 55.25 and Rachel Dickens 56.48. Like Dan’s time, Rachel’s was a new
indoor best and is the second fastest by an under 20 in the country this
year.
Rhiannon Jones also set a new best as she ran 9.23 in
the 60 metre hurdles and Jess Jones set a seasons best of 2.24.36 in the
800.
In the field Mark Longhurst and Scott Huggins both
cleared 4.75 in the pole vault with Rachel Arnheim reaching 3.30 and
Christina Moore 3.00. Joe Lawrence leapt 7.24 and Javari Cameron 6.25 in the
long jump while Lauren Blackie recorded 11.49 in the triple jump.
With the South Of England Cross Country Championships
cancelled the Club’s runners were scraping around to find competition. Many
fell back on the various Parkruns which take place across the country. Ian
Frith won the 5km event at Norman Park in a time of 18.23 with James Perry
5th, Steve Pairman 9th, Andy Lawes 15th and Graham Coates 20th. Young Yasmin
Austridge was the first female from the Club to finish in 43rd place with
Chloe Haffenden 122nd and Chloe Kibblewhite 139th.
Sam Barnes won the event at Brockwell Park in a very
useful 16.24. Leah Everson won the womens race at Orpington with Jessica
Keene 13th, Joanna Clowes 20th and Karen Desborough 44th while Charlotte
Stickings was first woman to finish at Greenwich in 13th place overall.
Missing from last weeks report was Brendan McShane’s
6th place in the event at Lloyd Park. The UK Womens League team manager, who
recently bought a book of 5000 one liners in the Sales, believes this race
is far tougher than the Norman Park event. He put his good performance down
to running in the slipstream of cars until he is exhausted. Club members
will have the opportunity to decide on the severity of the Lloyd Park course
when they take part in an unofficial mob match which will be incorporated
into the event on the 9th of March.
22/01/13
Blackheath & Bromley athlete and coach Allan Williams
was the driving force behind the hugely successful Vault London 2013 at
Sutton Arena. The event saw 86 vaulters in action across the age groups and
between them they produced 64 lifetime best clearances. These were
appreciated by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of coaches and
supporters all helping to create a unique atmosphere for competition.
From a Club perspective it was most pleasing to see
Scott Huggins competing and clearing 4.84 to win the Senior Mens event.
Scott has been much missed over the last couple of years as work and family
commitments took up all his time, but now back in full training he is
looking to get back to his best and better.
Mark Longhurst soared over 4.74 to win the under 23
mens contest and Rachel Arnheim made it a hat trick of Club winners as she
took the Senior womens title on countback from team mate Christina Moore,
both of them clearing 3.34.
Pleasingly under 17s Helena Coleman and Max Hodson
both set personal bests. Helena improved her best by 2 centimetres as she
cleared 3.14. Max made a massive 34 centimetre improvement to clear 2.74.
The weather caused major disruption to the weekends
fixtures with the South Of England Indoor Championships at Lee Valley and
the Kent Schools Cross Country Championships both cancelled. It promises to
be another thin programme this weekend with the South Of England Cross
Country Championships at Parliament Hill already a victim of the weather.
Still there is the Park Run and in the latest race at
Bromley 5km at Norman Park young Will Ruiz was the Club’s first finisher in
second place in 18.52. Andy Tucker in 8th, James Perry 9th, and Steve
Pairman 15th all made the top 20.
15/01/13
Highlight for Blackheath & Bromley on the first of
three days of the South of England indoor Championships at Lee Valley was a
clean sweep of the first four places in the under 20 womens 200 metres.
Dina Asher Smith swept to victory in 24.15 with
Shannon Hylton 2nd (25.19), Rachel Dickens 3rd (25.33) and Vivien Olatunji
4th (26.63). It was also a proud moment for John Blackie who coaches all
four athletes.
He also coaches Cheriece Hylton, Shannon’s sister, who
won the 300 metres in 40.14.
It had looked like the Club was going to have a Senior
gold medallist. However, after winning his heat and semi final of the 400,
the latter in 48.51, Luke Smallwood pulled up injured in the Final. He was
philosophical about his misfortune, commenting that at least he got a free
ice pack.
Craig Morten had a busy day timing 50.68 in the 400
final having clocked 51.02 in his semi; and he also found time to run in the
200 metres.
There was a good turn out for the Club 10km open cross
country race which incorporated both a Mob Match against Beckenham Road
Runners plus the Club masters championships. The race itself was dominated
by the Club’s youngsters with Will Fuller winning in 39.27 from Will Ruiz in
40.04 and Richard Webb 4th . Splitting them in third place was Fintan
Parkinson.
The Club’s leading three veterans were also in the top
10 with Nick Kinsey 5th, Roy Smith 7th and Neil Ayrton 10th. All these
athletes are over 50s as was 11th placed Mark Watling and 14th placed Steve
Pairman.
First over 40 to finish was Roy Priestley in 17th with
David Beadle 18th and Andy Tucker 21st. First over 60 was Paul Ross Davies
with Graham Coates second and John Fenwick third.
First woman to finish in the race was Fran Green in
13th with Amber Reed 23rd and Jane Bradshaw 24th. Jane was the first veteran
woman to finish with Kate Pratten 2nd and Justine Eastbury 3rd.
Anne Cilia was first in the over 45s and Maz Turner
first in the over 55s.
These strong performances ensured that the Club
enjoyed a comfortable victory in the Mob Match against Beckenham Road
Runners with B&B scoring 848 to the visitors 1565.
The race also incorporated the latest in the Bennett
Handicap series of races which run throughout the Winter months. Winner on
this occasion was Amber Reed with Nick Barber second and Will Fuller third.
After 6 events in the series Richard Webb still leads but the gap at the top
has closed and with three fixtures still to run the title race is still wide
open. Richard has 282 but Nigel Bulmer has surged through to 2nd with 276
while Mark Watling holds third with 273. However, with Nick Barber on 268,
Roy Smith and Mark Ellison (both 264), Justine East bury (262), Tom
Desborough (261) and Andy Tucker (260) the contest could not be much closer.
The next race in the series is incorporated in the mob match against
Ranelagh Harriers on the 16th of February.
Meanwhile Andy Rayner was in action for his second
claim club Kent AC at the Surrey League at Ham Lands. He finished in 4th
place in 27.59.
Shaun Lightman was 7th in the Steyning AC 15km road
walk. He timed 1 hour 29 minutes and 17 seconds.
In the Surrey Walking Club Open 10km incorporating the
Southern RWA Championship at Selsdon, David Hoben finished in 24th place in
1 hour 12 minutes and 33 seconds.
Andy Tucker was the Club’s first finisher in the
latest Bromley Parkrun at Norman Park. He finished in 6th place in 20.08.
Second Club member to finish was young Naomi Kingston who was 23rd overall
and the second female athlete.
Peter Hamilton was 16th at the event at Dulwich Park
and his time of 20.01 means he is the fastest over 65 in the country at 5km
this year. Although there are still another 50 weeks to go he is confident
that he has “more in the tank”.
Lewis Stickings was 11th at Greenwich with Chris Pike
12th and Charlotte Stickings 14th.
8/01/13
Blackheath & Bromley enjoyed a successful day at the
Kent Cross Country Championships at a misty Detling Showground as they won
team medals in 8 out of the 10 age group races. Highlight was victory for
Elaine Murty in the Senior womens race and a set of gold medals in the team
contest, while there was also a set of golds for the under 15s girls team
and another six athletes won individual medals.
Elaine finished nearly half a minute clear of the
Senior field covering the 7,880 metre course in 29.53. Fran Green finished
in 7th place and a cold ridden Jane Bradshaw closed in 26th just two places
ahead of Charlotte Stickings. This gave them a narrow three point victory
over Dulwich Runners in the team race.
Elaine’s fiance Andy Rayner was second in the Senior
Mens race as he timed 41.10 for the 12330 metre course. With Alex Gibbins
11th, Danny Brewer 29th Jamie Darling 47th Jonathan Vintner 56th and super
vet Mark Watling 82nd they finished in 4th place in the team contest.
Unfortunately they do not have enough finishers to compete in the 12 to
score.
Another individual silver came in the under 20 womens
race courtesy of Amber Reed. Clare Parkin was 5th and Danielle Critchley 7th
to secure silver also in the team contest. For the men, Phil Sesemann was
third but there were no other runners from the Club.
Kate Curran was the first home for the Club in the
Under 17 womens race. She was 4th and behind her Anna Myers had one of her
best ever runs to finish in 6th and Lucy Sidey was 10th. This gave them
silver medals in the team contest and there was fine back up with Samantha
Leighton 11th, Bethany Frost 12th, Holly Fletcher 15th and Chloe Haffenden
23rd.
William Fuller was first for the boys in 8th place
with Will Ruiz 11th, Tom Desborough 23rd, and Jamie Gosnell 30th, and this
gave them bronze medals in the team race.
The under 15 girls produced another fine team result
as they won the Championships by 20 points. Georgina Taylor led the team in
2nd place, 10 seconds ahead of 3rd placed Jessica Keene. Niamh Bridson
Hubbard completed the scoring in 6th place and there was great packing
behind with Shannon Riskey 8th, Mary Guy 14th, Leah Everson 18th, Chloe
Kibblewhite 21st, Joanna Clowes 22nd, Francesca Pickup 27th, and Jennifer
Sheasby 30th.
The boys won silver in the team race with Bailey
Stickings 11th, Joss Barber 12th , Joshua Davidson 23rd Jonathan Court 26th,
Arthur Carey 30th and Scott Bulmer 34th.
More team medals came in the under 13s age group with
the girls second and the boys third. Naomi Kingston was 4th in the girls
race with Yasmin Austridge 10th, Georgina Piper 15th Tamsin Falshaw 16th ,
and Darcy Kirwin 43rd.
Jake Potter was third in the boys race with Dillon
Robertson 9th, Oscar Hussey 16th, George Pipe 19th , Lewis Stickings 20th,
Peter Guy 25th, Harrison Parker 32nd, and Harry Keene 38th.
Meanwhile at the Surrey Championships at Croydon, Dave
Taylor finished in 16th place while competing for his second claim club
Herne Hill Harriers, helping them to third place in the team contest.
The Indoor season is getting into full swing and a
number of the Club’s athletes were in action at the MetaSwitch Games at Lee
Valley. Highlight was the womens 60 metres where first year under 20 Dina
Asher Smith won the first round in a new best of 7.39. In doing so she just
pipped team mate Montell Douglas who finished with the same time. Montell
was pleased with her day as in her second race she ran 7.36 her fastest ever
start to a season. Grace Sheppard showed remarkable consistency by twice
timing 7.75.
Samantha Brown ran a useful 59.61 for the 400 as did
under 20 Craig Morten who clocked 51.17 as well as 8.69 for the 60 metre
hurdles.
In the field, Mariette Terisse Hilborne soared over
3.93 to win the womens pole vault contest with Christina Moore picking up
third place with a clearance of 3.33.
3/01/13
Blackheath & Bromley have enjoyed plenty of success in
2012 and this is reflected in the National rankings with athletes from the
Club featuring prominently in all age groups.
The Club had two athletes compete in the Olympic Games
in London during the Summer in the shortest and longest running events.
Scott Overall suffered in the capital’s heat but the 2.14.15 he ran at the
Fukuoka Marathon in December ranked him third fastest in the country this
year. Not only this, he was also the fastest Briton over 10km on the roads
with 28.57 and number two in the half marathon with 61.25.
The biggest breakthrough from a Club member this year,
and arguably by a Briton as well, came from Adam Gemili. He just missed out
on a place in the Olympic 100 metres final. His time of 10.05 was the 2nd
fastest of the year by a Briton. With an Olympic place in the shorter
sprint, Adam did not race so frequently over the 200 metres. However, the
20.38 he ran for the event at the end of the season was not only the fastest
this year by a Briton, it was the fastest time for five years.
James Alaka had high hopes of gaining an Olympic
place. He achieved the A standard for the 200 metres but then injury
prevented him gaining an automatic selection at the Trials and he missed
out. Nevertheless, his time of 20.45 ranks him second behind Adam, He was
also the 6th quickest over the 100 metres in 10.22.
Michael Skinner was the other athlete to make the top
10 in the Senior rankings. On his way back from injury, he was 10th in
10,000 metres when he was first Briton home in the Olympic Trials in
29.40.78.
There were another 18 placings in the Senior Mens top
50 list of the various track and field events.
Most prominent in the Senior Womens rankings was
Shaunagh Brown. She was 2nd in the shot with a distance of 16.31 and also
6th in the discus with 50.09. She also set a Club Record for the Hammer and
her throw of 61.13 was the 8th furthest in the country this year.
Lorraine Ugen narrowly missed out on a place in the
long jump at the Olympics as her leap of 6.74 for second place in the Trials
was just one centimetre off the A qualifying standard. The distance was the
third furthest in the country this year.
Second claim member Izzy Jeffs finished her first year
in the Senior age group as 2nd best javelin thrower in the country with a
distance of 55.79.
Serita Solomon was the fifth fastest of the 100 metre
hurdles with a time of 13.28 while Montell Douglas was 7th in the 100 metres
in a time of 11.47.
Given his success at Senior level and that he is World
Junior 100 metre champion, it was inevitable that Adam Gemili would top the
Under 20 mens 100 and 200 metre lists. Jonathan Ilori was top in the triple
jump with a leap of 15.22 and second claimer Oliver Newport headed the long
jump rankings with his leap of 7.70.
Under 17 athlete Dina Asher Smith features prominently
in the Under 20 lists. After a fine season which saw her qualify for the
final of the 200 metres at the World Championships, she is third in both the
100 and 200 metres in times of 11.54 and 23.49. She is also 5th in the 400
metres in 55.08. Remarkably her time for the 200 is a Club under 17, under
20 and Senior record.
Second claim member Pippa Woolven also attended the
World Junior Championships and she is second in the 1500 metres steeplechase
with 4.56.87.
First year under 17 Shannon Hylton also features in
both sprints. As well as being 14th in the 100, she is 6th quickest over 200
with 23.95. Rachel Dickens is 6th in the 400 metres with 55.15.
Second Claimer Robyn Pettit is 6th equal in the high
jump with a clearance of 1.74 and Samantha Brown is 9th in the 400 metre
hurdles with a time of 61.94.
Dina tops both the 100 and 200 metres in the Under 17
age group while Shannon is second in the 200 as well as being 5th in the
100. Shannon’s twin sister Cheriece is the second quickest over 300 metres
with 38.59.
In the field events Robyn Pettit is third in the high
jump with her 1.74 while in the discus Gemma Brown is 7th with 40.08 and
Yemisi Sofolarin’s 39.24 sees her ranked 9th .
For the men Louis Mascerenhas is second in the discus
with an impressive throw of 49.93.
The Club’s success at sprints continues in the under
15s age group courtesy of Maya Bruney. She is third in the 100 metres with
12.07 and then 5th in the 200 metres with 24.65.
Highest placed in the under 13s age group is Edward
Adams who is 6th in the pentathlon with 1574 points. Daniel Ndukee is 10th
in the 200 metres with 25.70. For the girls Naomi Kingston is 9th in the
1500 metres with 4.58.03.
The Crystal Palace Indoor 60 metres sprints meeting
saw some of the Clubs athletes in action. Maya Bruney, who is now moving up
to the under 17 age group set a new best of 7.80. In the Senior age group,
Toby Olubi ran 6.95 and Jermaine Alexander 7.23 while for the women Yehine
Gayle timed 7.83.
In the under 17s age group Josh Reid ran 7.63 and Osei
Agyeman 8.06.
Hogmanay Hammer Hurl was something of a misnomer as
Sam Milner competed in the discus. She won with a throw of 44.10.
Shaun Lightman finished in second place at the Preston
Park 5.5 mile race walk. The 1968 Olympian timed 48.45 which was his fastest
clocking for a considerable period of time.
Neil Ayrton competed in the Cambridge Harriers 7.5
mile cross country championships and finished in 15th place.
Katie Murray won the womens race at the latest Bromley
Park run at Norman Park. She timed 18.59 and she also beat all the male
runners form the Club as well. James Perry finished in 6th with Dave Beadle
8th and Andy Tucker 10th. Andrew Lawes in 13th and Graham Coates 15th also
made the top 20. Second female home for the Club was Jessica Keene in 21st
with Justine Eastbury 36th.
Elsewhere Peter Tucker was 2nd at Bexley; Dave Beadle
was also 9th at Crystal Palace; Mick and Jessica Jones were 5th and 12th at
the Forest Of Dean; Niamh Bridson Hubbard was 8th at Greenwich; Dave
McKinlay was 1st at Havant; Glen Turner 2nd at Milton Keynes and James
Perry, Tom Webb and Tom Desborough were 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively at
Orpington with Karen Desborough the first B&B finisher in 35th. Not
satisfied with her placing at Norman Park, Jessica Keene was also 13th at
Sunderland.
