Last updated 30
September 2003
Press Releases for
July, August & September 2003
30 September 2003
Nike South Of England Road Relay
Championships, Aldershot
The Senior men of Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC comfortably
qualified for the National 6 stage road relay championships when they finished
in 7th place in the Nike Southern Championships at Aldershot out of 70 finishing
teams. In doing so they exorcised the ghost of last years disastrous 29th place
and can look forward to fielding a stronger team at Sutton Coldfield at the end
of next month.
The South Of England area covers 16 different counties so
it was no surprise to see a bumper start list. Russell Bentley has been
concentrating on the 800 this Summer so the 6km leg was a little longer than he
has been used to of late. He had a solid run on the ultra competitive opening
stage closing in 29th with a time of 19.22, comfortably in the top half of the
field.
A year ago 38 year old Dave Heath was lying on a bed in a
cardiac unit with a doctor explaining to him that he was having a heart attack.
A year on he was racing for the Club in a major Championship. A brush with death
concentrates the mind and the former Great Britain World Cross Country
representative has set himself a series of objectives for the next couple of
years.
In his search to return to maximum fitness he has been on
a course on hypnotism which in part may explain the way he mesmerised the
opposition on the second leg (He also claims to have learnt some good bar tricks
too!). He was a picture of concentration as he moved steadily through the field
taking the team up to 10th place in a time of 18.14, the 14th fastest of the
day.
Promising 21 year old Andrew Rayner slipped a place on the
3rd stage timing 19.06 but he had done his job keeping the team in contention
and lining up a string of athletes for Michael Skinner to pick off on the next
stage.
Skinner promises much for the Winter season and he
recorded the 3rd fastest time of the day as he propelled the team up to 4th
place with a 17.49 clocking.
A slightly below par Peter Tucker slipped back to 6th on
leg 5 and Rory Byrne dropped another place on a highly competitive final stage.
Jamie Atkinson, on his way back from injury, ran a useful leg for the B team to
stake a claim for a place in the National team in October but with Spencer
Newport also available places will be at a premium.
On Sunday the women and young athletes were in action at
the same venue with some useful results. The Senior Women were a little under
strength but still came 24th. Hannah Leach travelled over from France for the
event was a lot quicker than last year as she ran 14.38 on the opening stage to
finish 30th. A fit again Gemma Viney (14.50) edged up to 27th on leg two before
Kate Pratten (16.42) slipped to 33rd. Siobham Budd, who is carrying an achilles
injury, then moved the team up to 24th on the final stage with a time of
(14.28).
The Club fielded half a B team with Carolyna Jones Baldock
running with 17.07 and Clare Lodwig 16.24. The Under 17 men's team of Doran
Morgan (14.41), Tom Beech (13.52), Dale Willis (15.37) and James Poole (13.13)
closed in 22nd place and Jonathan Vintner (10.50), Robert D'Angelo (11.54), Tom
Doig (11.05), and Danny Brewer (11.09) were 23rd for the the Under 15's boys.
The girls did even better in the same age group with the highlight coming from
Katie Murray whose 11.29 clocking was the 17th fastest of the day. Sarah Coombs
(12.32) had taken the team to 41st on the opening stage before Rebecca Taylor
(11.48) pulled the squad up to 19th on leg two. Murray's run lifted them to 14th
position.
Highest placers of the day were the under 13 boys where
promising first year in the age group Stephen Cavey (11.42), Robert Evans
(12.02), Edward Martin (11.32) and Michael Thorpe (11.28) came an excellent 12th
while the girls trio of Hannah Ware (9.19), Rebecca Smith (9.35) and Hannah
Garcia (8.58) moved steadily through the field to finish 17th. Garcia's time was
just outside the top 20 fastest times of the day.
English Schools Walks and Multi
Events Championships, Sheffield
English Schools International Robert Bain took the Silver Medal at the
English Schools Walks Championships at Sheffield. Competing in the Intermediate
Boys 5,000 he timed 25.56.7 although he had been hoping to get under 25 minutes.
However, it left him over a minute and 40 seconds clear of 3rd place and puts
him in line for a Great Britain International vest in the future.
Holly Williams finished 8th in the Junior Girls 3km event
in 20.29.8. The English Schools Combined events were held at the same venue and
Alex Pope finished in 16th position overall in his first year in the age group.
His best event was the pole vault where he equalled his best of 3.80 despite
having to wait over three hours before coming into the competition. He injured
his back in the next event, the javelin, otherwise his total points score of
4876 would have been higher. His 10 individual performances were as follows.100
(12.4) Long Jump (5.70) Shot (10.47) High Jump (1.53) 400 (56.77)
110Hurdles(18.78), Discus (32.33) pole vault (3.80), Javelin (32.91) 1500
(5.10.1)
2004 World Triathlon Trials, Bala,
North Wales
Club member Richard Daniels, who is currently working in Germany has
qualified to represent Great Britain in the World Triathlon championships which
take place in New Zealand this December. At Bala in North Wales he staked his
claim for a place in the 2004 team as he finished 6th in the 30 to 34 years age
group. He did this by timing 23.37 for a 1500 metre swim, 1.03.26 for 40km on
the bike and then finishing with 37.21 for a 10.25km run.
On the roads
A couple of Club members were in action at the Windsor
Half Marathon. Nick Mayers finished in 19th place in 1.19.22 while Chris Haines
who ran 2.24.00 for the full marathon 31 years ago finished in 3070th in
2.12.27.
Forthcoming events
Saturday Oct 4th The Opening Run, Hayes. A
recreational run from the Clubhouse at 56 Bourne Way, Hayes. Meet 2.pm.
Sunday Oct 5th Parkwood League, Canterbury -THIS LEAGUE HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Saturday Oct 11th Club 5 Mile Cross Country Championships
Saturday Oct 18th Kent Men's, Women's and Young Athletes League, Capstone Park
23 September 2003
Great North Run
Mark Steinle showed that he is fast getting back to his best as he
finished 7th out of 47001 athletes at the Great North Run. His time of 62.55 was
just outside his personal best and a big confidence boost as he prepares for the
Chicago Marathon next month.
The 28 year old Blackheath & Bromley athlete, who is
the 8th fastest Briton ever over the Marathon distance, had to withdraw from the
Great Britain team for the World Championships in Paris as he had not been able
to train properly for the event because of injury. Since then, however, he has
been piling in the miles running 180 one week (roughly a marathon a day) and
also covering 300 miles in a two week period.
It all paid off on Tyneside as, looking strong throughout,
he finished as first Briton by nearly two minutes. The race was won by Heindrick
Ramaala an athlete Steinle has beaten before. Clubmate Rory Byrne also ran under
70 minutes.
Kent Multi Events Championships,
Erith
Under 15 Alex AlAmeen was in superlative form at the Kent Multi Events
Championships at Erith. Competing in the Pentathlon he won by over 500 points.
He was over a second faster than all the other athletes in the 80 metre hurdles
timing 11.7 and his performances in the shot putt (11.55), long jump (5.45) and
high jump (1.74) were also better than all the other competitors. It was only in
the 800 where he was actually beaten by anyone. It puts him at 22nd on the UK
all time list.
The Club's under 13 girls were in outstanding form with a
clean sweep of the medals in the Minithon, a contest where each athlete competes
in one track race, one jumps and one throws competition. Chloe Shaw emerged the
winner with 10.6 for the 75 metres, 1.37 for the high jump and 7.76 for the
shot. The battle for 2nd saw Katrina Cosby just beat Lily Rose by a point.
Katrina ran 10.7 for the 75 metres, long jumped 4.64 and putt the shot 6.30.
Lily was the fastest 75 metre runner of the day with 10.5 and she also long
jumped 4.08 and putt the shot 6.83. In a big field Georgia Crosbie finished in
8th with 54 points, Estelle Patten was 12th with 48 and Rebecca Cook and Lucy
Price were joint 15th with 40.
For the boys Stephen Cavey was just outside the medals
finishing in 4th place while Stewart Worley was 8th.
In the under 15 girls pentathlon Rachel Arnheim took 5th
place with Lauren Blackie 7th and Leanne Critchley and Rachel King were 5th and
7th in the under 17 girls heptathlon.
Kent Veterans Championships, Erith.
The Club enjoyed a highly successful couple of days at the Kent Masters
Championships at Erith with athletes gaining 17 golds including five
Championship Best Performances.
Leading the way was Jim Day in the over 70's age group. He
won a magnificent 8 golds, a remarkable achievement from one whose career was
threatened by illness at the start of the year. Best of his performances was his
2.63 clearance in the pole vault which was not only a Championship Best
Performance but also a Southern Counties Veterans Record. He also set CBPs in
the 100 metres winning in 16.5, the shot with a putt of 8.93 and in the javelin
with a throw of 23.44. He was just 18 centimetres off another CBP in the long
jump and also struck golds in the high jump, 80 hurdles and triple jump.
Next best medallist was Beatrice Simpson with wins in the
over 40's shot, discus, hammer and sprint hurdles and she was also 4th in the
high jump. Colin Brand achieved two CBPs in the over 60's age group with 39.21
in the javelin and 38.06 in the discus. He was also 2nd in the Hammer and 4th in
the shot both of which were won by training partner Gordon Hickey just a couple
of weeks before his 70th birthday. Hickey also took runner up spot in both the
javelin and discus.
The turn out of the over 40s from the Club was not great
but Mark Watling more than made up for this in quality as he won both the 800
and 1500. Ken Daniel suffered a rare defeat in the 800 in the over 50's age
group while Mike Martineau was runner up in the 400 hurdles and triple jump.
Blackheath & Bromley Cross
Country Relays, Sparrows Den, West Wickham
Both Senior Men's and Women's teams finished in the medals, or more
correctly wine, at the Club's annual cross country relays at Sparrows Den, West
Wickham. The men were 3rd and the women 2nd which should give some encouragement
as they prepare for next weekends Southern Road Relays at Aldershot.
Jennie Butler took the women into the lead on the opening
stage, her 16.11 being the 2nd fastest of the day. Third fastest was Siobhan
Budd with 16.27. Clare Lodwig ran a very useful 18.32 but Kate Pratten was just
overtaken by the winning Harborough team on the last leg.
The men started more cautiously and only moved into a
medal position on the last of the 6 stages. Fastest of the day was Eamonn
Prendergast with 14.01 with Ciaran Osbourne 2nd in 14.19 and John Morland 3rd in
14.29. However, perhaps the most notable performance came from former 2.20 high
jumper Trevor Lewellyn who waltzed round the testing 2.5 mile course on a
sweltering afternoon in 15.22.
The race also incorporated the first of the Bennett
Handicap Races of the Winter Season and this was won by Chris Fulford Brown with
Dick Griffin 2nd and Brian Smith 3rd.
Kent Relays, Deangate.
The Club had a successful day at the Kent Relays at Deangate with 7 golds,
8 silvers and 5 bronze with the Under 15 boys 4x100 team setting a championship
best performance. The team of James Alaka, Alex AlAmeen, Scott Blackwell and
James Dennett timed 45.6 which is faster than any team in the country ran last
year.
The other golds were spread over all the age groups.
Juniors Ian Allerton and Jack Wilkie teamed up with Michael Champion and Scott
Jarred to win the Senior Men's 4x100. In fact on the men's side it was only in
the under 20 that the Club didn't win the sprint relay as Daniel Haque, Daniel
McKeown, Jason Gabrielle and Sean Parrett teamed up to take the under 17's title
while Aston Stockdale, Daniel Hammond, Joe Hartley and Adam White were
victorious in the under 13's.Michael Thorpe, Robert Evans and Edward Martin made
it maximum golds for the under 13's as they won the 3x800 in 7.41.6. The
impressive under 13 girls squad of Georgia Crosbie, Isobel Ivy, Katrina Cosby
and Chloe Shaw won the 4x100 by nearly a second in 54.5 and the under 15 girls
3x800 team of Sarah Coombs, Katy Murray and Rebecca Taylor swept to victory by
over 13 seconds.
Bromley Autistic Trust.
The Club raised a total of £7369.25 at this years London Marathon to
support the Bromley Autistic Trust and last week this was presented to the
Trusts Chief Executive Richard Lane.
When Richard took over as CE 18 months ago there were
known to be 350 children in the Borough with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorders).
Now BAT are aware of 550. All of the parents need the support that the BAT
Family Support Service provides, giving information on how to deal with the
people in the Special Education Needs part of the Education Dept, and what are
the best schools, what benefits are available and how to obtain them. Autism is
a massive problem for society and has mushroomed. One of the biggest problems is
that those suffering look normal and society expects them therefore to act
normal. But the biggest problem of all is there is no cure.
The Club has a new website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
Saturday 27th Senior Men's and Masters South Of England
Road Relays, Aldershot
Sunday 28th Women's (all ages) Southern Road Relays and Under 13,15 and 17 boys
relays, Aldershot
Saturday Oct 4th The Opening Run, Hayes. A recreational run from the Clubhouse
at 56 Bourne Way, Hayes. Meet 2.pm.
Sunday Oct 5th Parkwood League, Canterbury
Saturday Oct 11th Club 5 Mile Cross Country Championships
16 September 2003
UK Women's League Qualifying match,
Abingdon.
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC narrowly missed out on a place in next
years UK women's League when they finished 4th in the qualifying match at
Abingdon. In a close fought contest for 2nd with Cardiff and Pitreavie they just
failed to secure a National League place.
The Club received it's invitation to the qualifier
courtesy of their excellent 4th place in the Southern League as 1st and 2nd
placers - Windsor and Radley are already in the National League.
The problem for the Club, however, lay in that eligibility
rules for the qualifier are different to the Southern League. In order to
"protect "youngsters, the UK Women's League do not allow under 17's to
take part and so in the Qualifier only 3 2nd year under 17's are allowed to take
part on the basis that they would be eligible for the League the following year.
Rules also state that Seniors can only do 3 individual events whereas in the
Southern League Seniors can do an unlimited number of events. While this is an
admirable principle, it meant that athletes who have been regulars in the
Southern League either could not compete in the Qualifier or were restricted in
what they could do. For example first year under17's Victoria Thomas and Rachel
Blackie, who defeated all the Seniors at the previous weekends match at Harrow
could not compete at Abingdon which begs the question who was being protected
the youngsters or the pride of the Seniors? They would have finished 3rd and 1st
in the A and B strings at Abingdon. Perversely the UK Young Athletes League does
not include the Hammer event for Under 17 girls.
With holidays and injuries drastically reducing the number
of Seniors available, it was a small squad that travelled to Oxfordshire, but
one which did the Club proud, and, had they been able to fill the 4 blanks on
the team sheet, they would be a National League Club next season. It didn't take
long for the unique B & B spirit to come to the fore. With Christina
Mantoura the only athlete declared for the Hammer the Club needed a B string.
Minutes before the start, the crowd parted and former double Commonwealth Games
swimming champion Diana Mantoura strode to the circle to make her Athletics
debut at an age when others might be considering early retirement or appearing
as a Calender Girl. Mother and daughter did well with Diana actually coming 5th
in the B string.
Liz Hughes' season has been disrupted with an achilles
injury but her 3.50clearance in the pole vault was still a grade one
performance. She followed with some rare throws action putting the shot 11.09 (a
national grade three) for 2nd in the A string and then grabbing 4th in the B
javelin as Christine Lawrence took 2nd in the A string with 38.28.Under 20's
Sandra Alaneme and Katy Benneworth scored near maximum points in the horizontal
jumps with Sandra runner up in the A long jump and triple jump and Katy taking
1st and 2nd in the B strings.
Sandra also took 2nd in the high jump with 1.60 and Katy
was 4th in the B100 before teaming up with Clare Hobson and Louisa Guthrie for
3rd in the 4x100.Louisa had already taken 4th and 5th in the 100 and 200 while
Clare was4th in the B 200.
Possibly star of the day was former Bromley AC President
Maureen Miller who, at the age of 40, finished 2nd in the 800, 3rd in the 400
and then, despite feeling drained in her last competition of the year
contributed a useful opening leg in the 4x400.
Similarly Jennie Butler took 3rd in the 3000 and then
filled a gap in the B 400 before placing 5th in the 1500. As ever Carolyna Jones
Baldock made a vital contribution to the team with 3rd and 4th places in the B
string3000 and 800 as well as 7th in the 400 hurdles. B string 400 hurdler was
Christina Mantoura who gained an excellent 3rd place.
It all wasn't quite enough , however, but if they get to
the Qualifier next year there is little to suggest that they can't secure one of
the coveted top two places.
1. Belgrave. 2. Cardiff. 3.Pitreavie. 4. Blackheath &
Bromley. 5.Blackpool & Fylde. 6. Cannock & Stafford. 7. Deeside. 8
Basingstoke & Mid Hants
National Junior Athletics League,
Southern Premier Qualifying Match,'Copthall
The Club's junior women took a big step forward as they won the qualifying match
to gain a place in the 8 team Southern Premier Division of the League. Unbeaten
in the Medway Division of the League this year they lead'from start to finish
although never by a huge margin.
The afternoon could not have started better with Rachel
King setting a team morale boosting personal best of 2.20 to win the pole vault,
closely followed by a double victory in the Hammer from throws stars Victoria
Thomas and Rachel Blackie.
King followed with victory in the high jump and the B
string triple jump while Thomas and Blackie scored near maximum points in the
shot and discus. To complete an outstanding afternoon in the throws Christine
Lawrence and Clare Silvester had a double win in the javelin to score maximum
points for the team.
On the track top under 17's Harriet Robinson and Clare
Cooper made a successful transition to the 100 hurdles winning both strings in
15.0 and15.5. Robinson had earlier set a new best of 10.24 in the triple jump
with Cooper 2nd in the 100 and 3rd in the long jump and they teamed up with
Vickie Cole and Keighley Douglas for a resounding victory in the 4x100.Cole and
Douglas both took 2nd in the 200 as did Jo South with an excellent run in the B
100 before making her 400 debut as part of the relay squad of Sonja Bye,
Stephanie Allerton and Ella Fisher.
Bye and Allerton had earlier scored good points in the
individual 400swhile Fisher front ran both the 800 and 1500. She was just pipped
on the line in the former but ran away from the field in the longer event.
Bryony Proctor and Sophie Williams picked up 2nds and 3rds in the B races with
more valuable points scored by Fay Waller and Nicola Moran in the 3,000.This was
an important win for the Club as promotion means that both the boys and girls
teams will be in action at the same Premier Division venues next season with the
opportunity for both teams to reach the National Final. The downside, if there
is one, is that while this will reduce the Club's coach bill for the Southern
matches there will be a greater cost if both teams qualify for the Final as this
is normally in Derby.
Other Results
There was promising news for the future of pole vaulting at the Club as two new
personal bests were set at the open event at Ashford. Lauren Blackie soared over
2 metres 30 for the first time and Rachel Arnheim cleared a very useful 2
metres.
The Club also enjoyed great success at the Kent Relays at
Deangate with further details to follow.
Forthcoming events
Saturday 20th Sparrows Den Relays, Hayes
Saturday 27th Senior Men's and Masters South Of England Road Relays, Aldershot
Sunday 28th Women's (all ages) Southern Road Relays and Under 13,15 and 17boys
relays, Aldershot
The Club has a new website address - www.bandbhac.org.ukwhere
further results are available.
9 September 2003
Michael Skinner achieved something few other British male
athletes have done this year when he defeated Paula Radcliffe at the Nike 10km
at Richmond Park. The Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC athlete actually
finished in 5th place overall defeating two of the invited Kenyan athletes and
finishing nearly half a minute clear of the worlds number one female distance
runner. His time of 30.23, on a testing course was a new personal best and will
be a boost for the Club's Senior Men's squad as they prepare for the Southern 6
Stage road relays in three weeks time.
Meanwhile Julian Golding was 3rd in the 200 metres at
Rieti in Italy again ahead of World Indoor champion Marlon Devonish.
In the Flanders Cup at Merksham, in Belgium, Jonathan
Barbour won the 100 in 10.50 with under 20 Fabian Collymore, representing Wales,
winning the B race in 10.89.
Back on the roads Terry Brightwell finished 11th in the
Thanet Coastal Marathon in 3.07.06 which made him 3rd over 50 overall. Dick
Griffin was 55th in 3.42.59 and Peter Lovell 58th in 3.44.16, 3rd over 60.
National Junior League Final
The Club's Under 20 men again qualified for the National Junior League
Final at Derby but again had to settle for eighth place as many of the squad
were unable to compete.
First choice Internationals Karim Chester, Fabian
Collymore and Jamie Atkinson were all unavailable. Chester has just started a
University course in the States, Collymore was representing Wales in Belgium and
Atkinson is injured. This meant the squad were missing 7 first choice A strings
straight away making medal placings difficult.
Things began quite well with Amir Wiliamson (49.99) and
Alistair Tawanaee (43.13) setting bests in the Hammer. This gave them silver and
bronze medals. Tom Robinson followed with a bronze in the 400 hurdles in 58.54.
After that, however, the medals dried up and despite a good effort by those
there, the team slipped down to 8th.
Southern Veterans Final
The Club's Veteran Men are champions of the South Of England yet again
after a comfortable 32.5 point victory in the SCVAC League Final at Battersea.
The team qualified after winning the Kent Division and were favourites to win
with the squad boosted by the presence of former International marathon runner
Bill Foster and one time 2.20 high jumper Trevor Llewelyn who came along to
watch but was then tempted into running a leg of the 4x400.
Foster duly won the over 40's 1500 with former
professional footballer Neil Ayrton winning the 800. Other over 40's wins came
from Tom Philips (B100), and Rob Brown (B2km walk).
For the Over 50s Bob Minting made his trip up from the
West Country worthwhile winning the 400, 800 and high jump, but an under the
weather Ken Daniel had to settle for 2nd in both the 1500 and 3000. Over 70 Jim
Day moved down two age groups to finish joint first in the pole vault and 69
year old Gordon Hickey also won in the over 50's age group with an 11.13 putt in
the shot. Chris Ellis took the discus title. Colin Brand took the over 60's
javelin with 38.40.
Southern Women's League
The Club finished their Southern Women's League season with a 2nd place
behind Radley Ladies at the Division One Match at Harrow. This meant they ended
the year 4th in the League in a Division of 25 Clubs. This is an impressive
achievement as this was their first year in the top division and as a result the
team has been invited to compete in the UK Women's League Qualifying match this
Saturday.
Best performances of the day came from Victoria Thomas and
Rachel Blackie in the opening field event, the Hammer. Both first year under
17's, Victoria added over three and a half metres to the Club Record with a
throw of 40.71 while Rachel also set a new best of 35.44. They won both A and B
string events and Victoria also won the B discus with Rachel 3rd in the A
string. There was a double win also in the triple jump where Sandra Alaneme took
the A competition in 11.23 and Katy Benneworth the B in 10.17.
In a very competitive Senior match other wins were few and
far between. Jennie Butler took the 1500 in a useful 4.59.2, Clare Silvester the
javelin with a throw of 30.71 and Ella Fisher the B 400 in 61.6.
Clare Cooper had an outstanding afternoon in the under
17's hurdles. In her first ever 300 metres she won in 44.8 one of the fastest
times in the country this year. She also took the 80 hurdles with Leanne
Critchley making it maximum points in the B event.
Double wins in the under 15's came from Rebecca Taylor and
Amy Smith (1500), and from Flo Clark and Shaunagh Brown in the discus while Anna
Smith won the A high jump with a leap of 1.48 with Lauren Blackie runner up
inthe B string to add to her B string win in the long jump.
Forthcoming events
Saturday 13th UK Women's League Qualifying match, Abingdon
Sunday 14th National Junior League, Southern Premier Division qualifying match,
Copthall
Sunday 14th Kent Relays, Deangate
Saturday 20th Sparrows Den Relays, Hayes
Saturday 27th Senior Men's and Masters South Of England Road Relays, Aldershot
Sunday 28th Women's (all ages) Southern Road Relays and Under 13,15 and 17 boys
relays, Aldershot
Further information about the Club is available at the new
website address www.bandbhac.org.uk
2 September 2003
National Young Athletes Final
After 7 hours competition involving 62 events and 3 relays, Blackheath
& Bromley Harriers AC girls, resplendent in their new Nike kit, emerged
National Champions from a titanic battle with Liverpool Harriers AC at the UK
Athletics Young Athletes Final in Birmingham.
The Northerners had won for 9 of the last 10 years and
this was the first win for a Southern club. From early on just two teams were
title contenders as the lead switched almost every points update. With the
meeting nearing climax disaster struck as the baton dropped in the Under 15's
sprint relay.
Hands went on heads in despair, but, minutes later punched
the air as, with just the under 17 girls 4x100 left, it was announced the Club
held a 15 point lead. They were unbeatable, and the quartet of Vicki Cole, Amy
Godsell, Harriet Robinson and Clare Cooper celebrated by winning in 49.09 one of
the fastest in 2003.
Managers Hilary Gibbs and Paul Patten were generous in
praise. Gibbs applauded "an outstanding achievement by all girls including
those who helped get us there and did not appear in the final".
Patten noted victory relied on Nationally ranked athletes
but also those new to the sport. Top 3 A and B strings won medals and the Club
took 37 with the majority of others setting bests.
Clare Cooper shone in the under 17 sprint hurdles. Her
time of 11.50 was a new Meeting Best Performance. Other National grade ones came
from Harriet Robinson (also 80 hurdles); Nina Akif (under 15's 75 hurdles), Jade
Castell Thomas (under 15's long jump) and Chloe Shaw (under 13's 150 m) but
given the standard of competition this was no guarantee of victory.
So A strings wins of Ella Fisher (u17 800) and Rachel
Blackie (under 17 discus) were outstanding. There were only 4 from the Club all
day. However, the number of B string golds demonstrated the Club's strength in
depth. In the under 13's Sarah Harrison won both the 75m and 150m; Jessica
Harding the high jump and Isobel Ivy the long jump. For the under 15's there was
double gold for Flo Clark in the shot and discus and for the under 17's Rachel
Blackie and Vickie Thomas won the shot and discus.
The team would never have won with the gold medal winners
alone. Every athlete battled for points for the team and this spirit was no
better demonstrated than by Gemma Regan in the under 15's 800. Seemingly fading
to 6th as she entered the home straight she rallied, and, aided by the
vociferous support of her Clubmates, sprinted past three athletes to claim 2nd
spot.
There is also no doubt that this victory wouldn't have
happened had Blackheath Harriers, Bromley and Bromley AC not merged last March.
"B and B in harmony" read the team sweatshirt sponsored by Pizza Hut,
Matchroom Sports, The Workforce Group and NCH. The squad underlined the wisdom
of merging in the best possible way.
Team Result. 1. Blackheath & Bromley 350.5, 2.
Liverpool 328.5, 3. Birchfield 311.5, 4.Windsor 305, 5. City of Glasgow 289.5,
6. Sale Harriers, Manchester 282.5, 7. Gateshead 233, 8.Leicester Coritanian
232.5. Full results can be found on the Club website.
Many of the winning team started in the Club by visiting
Norman Park track. All standards are catered for. Training for the under 11s is
on Wednesdays at either 6pm or 6.30pm.(Ask for John Blackie) Over 11s train on
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm (ask for Heather Williamson) Further information
can be obtained from the club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
World Championship
Julian Golding went through to the quarter finals of the 200 metres at
the World Championships in Paris but was unable to progress further. He timed
20.82 for 3rd place in his first round heat and then was 8th in 20.79. This was
a disappointment for the 28 year old who felt a place in the Final was
realistic. He was not part of the Great Britain quartet that won silver in the
4x100 partly because he picked up a slight injury. This meant that clubmate
Dwayne Grant received a call last Friday night requesting he fly to Paris on the
Saturday morning to act as cover should there be any more injuries.
British Athletics League, Watford
The Club finished in 4th place in the final British Men's League match of
the season at Watford. This means they were 4th overall for the season and will
have to wait another year for the chance to return to Division One.
On the track the athletes were rarely out of the top
three. Michael Skinner was impressive in winning both the 800 and 1500 and 2001
World Championships representative Jonathan Barbour was 2nd in both the 100 and
200 timing the same as the winners. Similarly Lash Lashore equalled the winners
time in finishing runner up in the B100 but the jinx was broken when Fabian
Collymore won the B200 in the same time as the runner up.
Elsewhere team captain Mensah Elliott took 2nd in the 100
hurdles despite not having trained properly in two months and this allowed
Mohammed Sillah Freckleton to win the B string. Other 2nds came from Patrick
Boundy (A javelin), and Russell Bentley (B1500) with Dave Heath and Andrew
Rayner (A and B 5,000); Neil Simpson (B400), Martin Airey, (B800) Simon Williams
(B javelin), and the 4X400 team achieving thirds.
There is no doubt the Club would have finished at least
2nd but for some late withdrawals in the jumps and the team were grateful to
team captain Elliott (long jump), Rob Chambers (triple jump), Alex Pope (high
jump) and Tom Robinson (pole vault) for coming in at short notice.
Match result. 1.Enfield & Haringey 407, 2.Thames
Valley 310, 3. Harrow 305, 4. Blackheath & Bromley 289, 5. Notts 253, 6.
Border 242, 7.City Of Sheffield 204, 8. City of Edinburgh 188
26 August 2003
Jonathan Barbour and Dwayne Grant showed some of their
best form this year at the Fribourg Grand Prix Meeting in Switzerland.
Both the Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC athletes have struggled with
injuries this year. Otherwise they should have been in Paris for the World
Championships. Grant is in fact non travelling reserve for the Great
Britain 4x100 team and should any of the current squad pull out, he could
still make the trip to France at the very last minute. Barbour was in the
sprint relay squad at the last World Champs in Canada.
In Switzerland, Barbour was 2nd in the 100 in 10.22
with a +2.8 following wind with Grant 3rd in 10.24. They timed 10.40 and
10.36 in their heats with a +1.7 wind.
Grant followed this with a 20.38 in the 200 to claim
victory, again with a wind over the legal limit at +2.9.
Britain's loss is the Club's gain as both are set to
compete in Watford this weekend at the last British League match of the
season. Among the others in action is team captain Mensah Elliott a week
after getting married.
England International Michael Skinner will also be
there and he warmed up with a 3.44.9 for 1500 at the same venue last week
Club Champs
Athletes of all ages and abilities were in action at the Club Championhips
at Norman Park. In the Seniors regular 1st teamers Michael Champion (100),
Anthony Draper (400), Andy Hodge (High jump and sprint hurdles) and Simon
Tolson (pole vault) all had comfortable wins while Richard Hall won his
first ever Club title breaking away on the last lap to take the 1500
metres.
Also in action in the pole vault was Jim Day. He turned 70
earlier this month and celebrated by clearing 2.61 to set a new Southern
Veterans record for his age group.
Promisingly Rachel King in the under 17 women's
cleared 2 metres as well as clearing 1.58 in the high jump and Lauren
Blackie was over 2.15 in the under 15's vault.
A number of the Club's top throwers were in action. While
former British record holder for the over 65's shot putt Gordon Hickey
threw a useful 11.32 and 30.04 in the shot and discus, a number of
youngsters showed good form a week before the National Young Athletes
Final. For the under 17's Rachel Blackie sent the discus out to 33.69
while Vicky Thomas won the shot and Clare Silvester the javelin. In the
Under 15's discus Southern champion Flo Clark just prevailed over training
partner Shaunagh Brown with Frances Athawes splitting the two in the shot
putt to add to her win in the javelin. Amara Taitt took both shot and
discus in the under 13's with Helen Silvester winning the javelin.
For the boys Alistair Williamson was just outside his best
with 44.20 to take the under 17's discus and Leon Hall Henry set a best to
win the shot with 11.25. As expected National Champion Stuart Harvey on
the under 17's javelin and he also won the under 20's as well.
On the track Dominic Parsons just got the better of Daniel
Haque in the under 17's 100 before taking the 400 with some ease from Alex
Worley. The girls 100 was another tight race with Amy Godsell winning from
Vicky Cole and Clare Cooper. Third at last weekend's National
Championships, Cooper had no problems in winning her specialist event the
80 hurdles. Godsell also won the 300 metres.
Serita Solomon won the sprint and hurdles in the under
15's and Rebecca Taylor ran the fastest 1500 of the day.
There were some close races in the under 13 girls events
with Sarah Harrison winning the 75 metres in the same time as runner up
Chloe Shaw and Amy Smith just prevailing in the 1500. For the boys under
13 Aston Stockdale won both the 100 and shot putt. Full results are on the
website.
National Young Athletes League Final
This weekend the Club's girls team travel to Birmingham for the National
Final of the Young Athletes League. The team have been unbeaten in the
Southern Premier Division of the League this season and qualified for the
Final as the champions of the South. They face Windsor, Sale, Birchfield,
Leicester, Liverpool, Gateshead and a team from Scotland to determine who
will be National champions.
Having merged in March this will be the first time that
either the old Blackheath Harriers, Bromley or Bromley AC have competed in
the Final although Bromley AC won the Auxilliary Final last year and
Blackheath have won the boys final on nine occasions.
It will also be the first time that the team will compete
in the new design Nike vests and track suits. The team have also received
support from Pizza Hut, Matchroom Sports, The Workforce Group, and a
sponsor who has donated all publicity to NCH. No doubt viewers
of the World Championships will have been inspired to take up Athletics.
The Club caters for all ages and abilities across
the full range of disciplines from track and field, walking, road and
cross country. All this is supported by an Active Social Programme. Those
over 11 interested in track and field should visit Norman Park on a
Tuesday or Thursday evening from 6.30 and ask for Heather Williamson.
Under 11s should attend on a Wednesday. Road and cross country enthusiasts
should visit the Clubhouse at 56 Bourne Way, Hayes again from 6.30.
Further details are available on the Club's regularly updated website
at www.bandbhac.org.uk
19 August 2003
AAA's Under 17 and Under 15
Championships, Sheffield
Stuart Harvey is National Champion. He struck gold at the AAA's Under 17
Championships at Sheffield as he launched the javelin out to 60.93. Facing the
cream of Britain, the Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC athlete won the
competition by over 4 metres. Coached by Brian Benn, he is in his first year in
the age group and so will able to defend his title in 2004.
Another athlete in her first year in the age group, Clare
Cooper put what has been a frustrating Summer of injuries behind her to take
bronze in the women's 80 metre hurdles, one place ahead of training partner
Harriet Robinson.
International walker Robert Bain was just 9 seconds off
the silver medal in the Under 17's 5km walk timing 25.56.42 and it was bronze
also for Scott Blackwell who impressed in the 400 timing 52.60.
Alex AlAmeen twice finished 4th in the under 15's age
group. He was 0.15 of a second off bronze in the 80 hurdles and 6 centimetres
down on a medal in the high jump. Also 4th was Flo Clark in the under 15 girls
discus with 31.94 with Shaunagh Brown 6th in 31.28. The two were also 15th and
17th in the shot.
Elsewhere in the under 17's, Dominic Parsons timed 51.12
in the heats of the 400 to make the semi final but did not qualify for the
final. He was also 6th in the first round of the 200s. Max Richardson timed
52.80 in his heat of the 400. Ella Fisher qualified for the 800 semi finals.
In the field Amir Williamson was disappointed to finish
5th in the Hammer but some consolation was a pb of 45.42 in the discus. Rachel
Blackie was 9th in the Hammer and Vicky Thomas 11th in the shot.
For the Under 15's James Alaka qualified for the final of
the 400 but had to withdraw with injury; Serita Solomon was 5th in her heat of
the 75 hurdles; and Jade Castell Thomas 16th in the long jump.
Leagues
The Junior Men of Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC have qualified for
the National Junior League Final in Derby next month after finishing 5th in the
final match of the Southern Premier Division at Eton. Going into the match the
team looked a fairly good bet to fill one of the four qualifying places and so
the absence of a number of the best athletes was not the great concern it might
have been. Welsh International Fabian Collymore had a very successful afternoon
winning the 100 in 10.9, and, after clocking 21.9 for 2nd in the 200, he ran a
blistering anchor leg in the sprint relay to snatch victory on the line.
Three athletes returned from injury to score vital points
for the team. Duayne Bovell won the B 100 as well as being part of the winning
relay team and Stuart Wendon was first in the B 400 in 50.2, just quicker than A
string Ian Allerton. Both ran sub 50 relay splits to help the 4x400 to second
place. Jamie Atkinson gained 2nd in the 3000 in 9.01.1.
Terry Hawkey won the B 3000 as well as finishing 4th in
the 800 and there was a double celebration in the 1500 as Chris Daniel set a new
best of 4.22.6 and Lee Haze won the B race. Sean Mulligan took 3rd in the 400
hurdles with Andrew Johnson 2nd in the B race.
Most of the first choice field eventers were unavailable
so the Club were lucky to have the services of Trevenan Walther Symons in all
four throws with under 17 Leigh Hall Henry in three.
The women's team secured the Medway Division title with
maximum League points. Katy Benneworth celebrated her Junior League debut by
being named as Athlete Of The Match for her 10.25 winning leap in the triple
jump, one centimetre ahead of Rachel King who won the award at the last match.
Benneworth also won her specialist event, the long jump, took thirds in the 100
and 100 hurdles and was a member of the winning sprint relay team. King also won
the high jump and B hurdles while Layla Hawkins was also a triple victor in the
A 400 and the B high and long jumps.
Other wins came from Bryony Proctor in the A 800, Joanna
South in the B 200 and Jenny Agyekum in the B discus.
This was again, however, a great team effort with Leanne
Critchley, Keighley Douglas, Clare Silvester and Sarah Olney all making vital
contributions to the team victory.
This means the squad will take part in the qualifying
match in September for one of the two places available in the Southern Premier
Division next season.
Aston Stockdale gave the best individual performance at
the last of the Thameside League matches at Battersea Park. He helped the under
13 boys team to third place and 3rd for the season. The Under 15's boys were
also 3rd for the season while the Girls were 2nd in equivalent age groups.
The under 13 girls just failed to close the gap on winners
Herne Hill despite wins from Katrina Cosby, Ruby Samuels, Julie Stacey, Hannah
Ware, Rebecca Smith and Hannah Garcia.
Wins for the under 15's came from Holly Williams,
Catherine Thomas, Flo Clark and Frances Athawes.
Veterans
Many of the Club's more senior members were in action at the Veterans
Inter Counties Meeting at Kingston. The majority were part of the Kent team that
just prevailed over Surrey in the combined men's and women's match.
In the over 40's former professional footballer Neil
Ayrton was a class apart winning the 400 metres by over 4 seconds in 54.8. Con
Griffin, a last minute call up, romped away with the 3000 metres wining by over
10 seconds with Steve Smyth first in the B race, and Mark Watling took the
runner up spot in both 800 and 1500. It was silver too for Steve Hollingdale in
the 3000 walk.
For the over 50's Bob Minting made the long journey up
from Exeter worthwhile. Having set an UK age 53 best last week in the 800 metres
he controlled the two lap event and then followed with a win in the B 400 before
forming part of the victorious 4x400 team.
Ken Daniel was also a double winner taking the B 800 and
winning the 1500 at a canter. Denis Wallington came down from Suffolk to win the
long jump for Surrey and then won the B triple jump as well. Busiest athlete in
the age group, however, was Mike Martineau. He won the B 200 hurdles, took
runner up spot in the B 3km walk and triple jump, and was also 3rd in the A long
jump.
Jim Day was competing in the over 60's age group just two
days before his 70 birthday. Earlier this season he competed in his 50th
consecutive Kent Senior Championships and he waved farewell to this age group by
winning the pole vault in 2.60 40 centimetres clear of the runner up. He was
also 2nd in the high jump. Former British record holder Gordon Hickey who
himself turns 70 in October was 2nd in the shot but most successful was Colin
Brand who won both the discus and javelin.
For the women Bob Minting's sister Helen Godsell moved
down in age groups to win the B 200 before returning to the over 45's age group
to win the 100 in 13.4.
With Myrtle Augee's sister Esther dominating the throws
Beatrice Simpson competed as a non-scorer in throws achieving 35.83 in the
hammer and 25.53 in the discus.
12 August 2003
Leagues
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC emerged winners of the Southern
Women's League Division One match at Reading after a close fought battle in the
heat against two of their closest rivals.
Fourth in the 25 strong division before the match, they
faced Stevenage & North Herts, and Herne Hill 5th and 6th in the table, but
it was hosts Reading who finished 2nd to help ease their relegation fears.
With temperatures into the 90's Siobhan Budd and Jennie
Butler defied the heat to score a double 3000 metres win in 10.42.9 and 11.01.8,
and Butler also took 2nd in the 1500. Eve Bugler also doubled winning the B 800
and finishing third in the B1500, and with Sam Singer timing 2.17.6 for 2nd in
the A800 the team scored 26 out of 30 points in the middle distance.
Busiest athlete was Katy Benneworth. The English schools
long jump silver medallist was 2nd in her specialist event but was also A string
in the 100, 100 hurdles, and triple jump as well as being part of the 4x100
team.
Fifteen year old Rachel Blackie threw 31.09 to win the
discus against senior athletes and her 33.08 in the hammer was a Senior Grade 3
standard. An enthusiastic trio of Catherine Townsend, Christina Mantoura (back
from holiday that morning) and Sonja Bye also scored more good points in the
throws.
Veteran Maureen Miller timed 59.0 for 2nd in the 400 and
another under 17 Ella Fisher won the B race in 60.7
As expected Harriet Robinson won the 80 hurdles and Leanne
Critchley emphasised her value to the squad by taking the B race, after placing
4th in the 300 hurdles.
The under 15s had 5 double victories. Amy Gibbs and Sarah
Elson (100 and 200);Nina Akif and Serita Solomon (75 hurdles); Emily Godley and
Lauren Blackie (long jump) and Flo Clark and Frances Athawes (discus) all
achieved maximum points.
Particularly noteworthy was Flo Clark's 32.39 in the
discus, a Club record. Under 13 Chloe Shaw jumped a useful 1.35 in the high jump
and Emily Godley was also in middle distance action. She reprised her cross
country days with a run in the 800.
With one match left the Club are 4th in the table. Result.
1. Blackheath & Bromley 188.5, 2. Reading 184. 3. Stevenage & North
Herts 180.5, 4.Herne Hill 159, 5. Exeter 83.
Individuals
Julian Golding continued his preparations for the World Championships by
racing in the 200 metres at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix at Crystal
Palace. He again faced Christian Malcolm, the 2nd fastest Briton of all time who
he beat at the Trials two weeks ago.
This time it was Malcolm who prevailed winning in 20.25
with Golding 2nd in 20.46 and World Indoor champion Marlon Devonish 3rd in
20.50. The Club had two winners at the UK Athletics Domestic Series Final at
Cardiff. Michael Skinner won the 1500 in 3.58.91 and Mohammed Sillah Freckleton
won the 110 hurdles with ease in 14.04 despite a strong headwind.
Also down in the West Country Bob Minting ran 2.05.1 for
800 metres to set a new UK age 53 best. This would be the equivalent of 1.46.3
for a Senior. Meanwhile out in Hungary Dwayne Grant showed that he has recovered
well from the injuries that have dogged his season. Running in Budapest he timed
10.38 in his heat of the 100 before running 10.45 in the final. Moving on to
Szombathely two days later he was 3rd in the 100 in 10.53 and then 2nd in the
200 in 20.58.
Russell Bentley was close to his best ever time when he
placed 6th in the D race at the Nike BMC Grand Prix. He timed 1.53.74 while
Steve Cooper won the J race in 1.59.45.
Dave Heath was 10th in the 1500 B race with Bill Foster
clocking 4.06.57 in the E race just three days before his 45th birthday. Best
performance at the South of England Under 17's InterCounties match at Hemel
Hempstead came from Stuart Harvey. He broke the Club Record with a throw of
61.50 for victory.
Harriet Robinson and Clare Cooper won both strings of the
80 hurdles in 11.7 and 11.9 with other wins coming in the men's B string 400
hurdles and hammer from Alex Worley and Alistair Tawanaee.
A string in the hammer was Amir Williamson who took 2nd
with 54.03. It was a double 2nd for Victoria Thomas in the women's hammer and B
shot. Others in action included Daniel Haque (100), Max Richardson (400), Vicky
Cole (200), Layla Hawkins (400) and Ella Fisher (800). For further details on
the Club visit the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
5 August 2003
British Athletics League
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC's senior men produced their best
performance of the season when they finished 3rd in their British Athletics
League Division Two match at Sheffield. Seventh at Edinburgh and fourth at
Watford, the position Saturday means that with, one match to go, although they
will not be promoted they will also not go down.
The team were boosted by the presence of AAA's 200 metre
champion Julian Golding, who after the stresses of last weekends World
Championship Trials in Birmingham, turned down a trip to Thessalonika to enjoy a
relaxing day competing and meeting up with old friends.
He won the 100 metres in a wind assisted 10.4 but then
managed to drop the baton at the last changeover of the 4x100. This did not
affect the match result.
First legger of the relay and, points wise, the star of
the day was Bomene Barikor. He cleared a seasons best of 1.90 in the high jump,
took 3rd in the B long jump and then won the B triple jump in 13.39 in his first
ever competition. He also ran the 200.
Other personal bests came from Neil Simpson who won the B
400 in 49.1; Sam Bobb who was 5th in the long jump with 6.67; and Russell
Bentley who won the B string 1500 in 3.524.
Winner of the A string 1500 was Michael Skinner who kicked
away on the last lap to win by over 2 seconds. Patrick Boundy was the other A
string winner just taking the javelin by 50 centimetres with 61.82. Steve
Harrison's 59.86 secured a win in the B event to mark his return to British
League competition and Martin Airey impressed with a win in the B 800. Elsewhere
Giles Clifford set a season's best in the 3,000 steeplechase a day before his
40th birthday.
Other Leagues
There were mixed results in the Southern League where the Division One
team finished last and the Division 4 East team won and secured the Championship
title. Only seven athletes made the B team match at Bournemouth and but for the
efforts of Steve Cooper, David Moulton, Joe Mills, Alex Pope, Alan Fairbairn,
Simon White and Simon Willliams plus the management skills of Diana Mantoura,
the Club could have been automatically relegated for not filling 50% of the
events.
However, despite finishing last in the match the Richard
Holt and Mark Purser managed team have almost certainly finished in their
highest ever position in the League and are probably the highest placed National
League Club's B team in the Southern League.
The C team will be up against National Champions
Belgrave's B team in Division 3 next year after another big win in their final
match at Ware. Team manager Brendan McShane was delighted with the Championship
winning squads efforts which saw them score 96 out of 100 points on the track
and the overall points win could have been greater had the pole vault not been
cancelled.
The Club's Under 15 and Under 13 boys have secured the
team titles for the season in the final Kent Boys and Colts League match at
Canterbury. This naturally secured the overall title and Scott Blackwell
(sprints) and Alex Al Ameen (high jump) were presented with the awards for the
best track and best field event performances of the season.
A number of athletes gained medals for the best
performances in their event over the season. For the Under 15's these went to
Tom Doig (80Hurdles), Danny Brewer (3000), Robert D'Angelo (400B), James
Summersby (High jump B) with James Sellick and Robert Edwards (A and B javelin),
Oliver Robinson (400B), Jonathan Stern (200B) and Michael Thorpe (1500)
receiving the under 13's medals.
At the other end of the age range the Club's men's team
have retained their Kent League title in the last veterans league match again at
Canterbury. This means they will compete in the Southern Veterans Final at the
end of August.
The women's team have been promoted from Division Two of
the League despite a second place in their last match.
Individual and representative
Dwayne Grant followed his 6th place in the 200 at the World Trials with a
trip to, Bangor, Northern Ireland for Fridays North Down International Games.
Running in his specialist event he finished 3rd in 21.49 despite the handicap of
a -1.0 per second wind.
He was back on the plane the next day to fly back to run
for the Great Britain Under 23 4x100 metre team in the match against France in
Ashford. They finished 2nd in 41.08.
Mohammed Sillah Freckleton set a new best and Club record
for the 110 hurdles at the Loughborough International Games. He timed 13.79 in
his heat and then 13.80 in the final with the aid of a +1.3 wind. Robert Bain
continued his recent run of good form with a win in the 3km walk at the South Of
England Championships at Watford. He timed 15.09.59 for the distance.
A number of the Club's older members won medals at the
same venue in the South Of England Veteran Championships. Ken Daniel took the
over 50's 1500 title with some ease. For the over 60's Colin Brand reigned
supreme in the shot and discus and Jim Day was 2nd in the pole vault just three
weeks before his 70th birthday.
Beatrice Simpson was a triple winner in the throws in the
over 45s age group taking the shot, discus and hammer titles.
Some of the Under 13 girls were in action in the Southern
Inter Counties match at Kingston. Best performance came from Katrina Cosby who
leapt 4.60 in the long jump. She also helped out the Kent team by running the
800 B string with Hannah Ware 6th in the A race. Chloe Shaw and Sarah Harrison
both ran well in the 100 with times of 13.8 and 13.9.
Four Club members recently took part in the Ironman
Triathlon in Frankfurt. Former British record holder Nick Kinsey was 24th in 9
hours 18 minutes and finished as first veteran. He was followed by John
McConville 402nd in 10.54 and Clayton Aves 967th in 12.32. Les Smith didn't
finish.
The Club is committed to catering for athletes of all ages
and abilities and is always keen to welcome new members. For further details
contact John Blackie on 020 8650 4262 or visit Norman Park track at the
following times. Under 11s Wednesdays at 6 or 6.30.(ask for John Blackie) Over
11's Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm (ask for Heather Williamson). Further
information is also available on the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
29 July 2003
Julian Golding completed his return to the top of British
sprinting as he won the 200 metres in the Norwich Union World Trials and AAA's
Championships at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.
The competition for the 28 year old Blackheath And Bromley
athlete could not have been much tougher as the race featured four of the top
six fastest Britons of all time.
World Indoor Champion, Marlon Devonish, Olympic 200 metre
silver medallist Darren Campbell, European Under 23 champion Chris Lambert, and
2nd fastest Briton ever Christian Malcolm all stood between him and a place at
the World Championships in Paris at the end of August providing the stand out
competition at the Trials.
Clubmate Dwayne Grant ran an excellent bend having missed
much of the season so far through injury but into the home straight Golding and
Malcolm took centre stage with the 1998 Commonwealth champion dipping to win in
20.37 to the Welshman's 20.39.
Grant who was part of the winning Great Britain 4X100 team
at the European Under 23 championships finished 6th in a seasons best of 20.94.
Golding was naturally delighted at his performance after three years in the
Athletics wilderness with illness and injury and the icing on the cake was for
his run to be judged one of the best performances of the weekend. His reward was
a cheque for £5000 from sponsors Norwich Union.
The previous day Mohammed Sillah Freckleton provided the
Club's other medal from these championships. With Colin Jackson now retired the
110 hurdles was a wide open affair and the 22 year old took the bronze medal
despite hitting most of the hurdles. He has never received International
recognition at Junior and Under 23 level but a Great Britain vest cannot be far
away. His time of 13.88 in the heats was into a headwind of -1.7 and with his
basic speed greatly improved he will be running a lot quicker soon.
Liz Hughes was a brave 5th in the women's pole vault, her
season having been severely disrupted by an achilles injury. She cleared 3.80
but would have been frustrated to see the contest won in 4.15 a centimetre below
her best from last year.
Michael Skinner was 9th in a very competitive 1500 metres
and first year junior Sandra Alaneme leapt 12.25 for 11th place in the triple
jump. It was disappointment, however,for Mark Awanah who did not record a mark
in the long jump.
Leagues
Former Junior captain Julian Golding would no doubt be delighted that the
Club's Junior Men's team have virtually assured themselves of a place in the
National Junior Athletics League Final after a third place in the latest
Southern Premier Division match at Harrow.
With four to qualify for the final the team are third in
the table with one match remaining and are six League points ahead of fifth
placed Medway And Maidstone.
The throws again proved to be the Club's strength with
Karim Chester winning the hammer, shot and discus in his last competition before
he begins a four year University course in the States. Stuart Harvey and Alex
Pope gained useful 3rd places in the javelin and Pope also scored valuable
points with a win in the B string pole vault and a 5.71 leap in the long jump.
Likewise Tom Robinson who was the A string in the vault
and long jump as well as winning the B string 400 hurdles in a useful 60.0.
In the A string hurdles Alex Worley again improved his
best as he finished 3rd in 59.1. Elsewhere on the track the 400 metre pairing of
Ian Allerton and a fit again Stuart Wendon scored near maximum points; and with
Terry Hawkey gaining a 3rd and 2nd in the 800 and 1500, Max Richardson and James
Poole took useful 2nd and 3rd places in the B strings.
The women had another runaway victory in their Medway
Division match at Sutcliffe Park. Amongst a host of individual victories Rachel
King's debut in the triple jump took pride of place. She took the Athlete Of The
Match award with a winning leap of 10.18. She also won the pole vault in her
first attempt at the event as well as the B high jump.
Layla Hawkins was also a triple winner in the long jump,
javelin and high jump A string events. She then combined with double B string
sprints winner Vicki Cole, Clare Cooper and Amy Godsell for a resounding win in
the relay. Michelle Maloney, Laura McKeown, Bryony Proctor, Fay Waller, Ella
Fisher and Nicola Moran only dropped one point in the middle distance events
while in the throws Vicky Thomas and Sarah Olney stacked up the points.
Fisher and Proctor combined with 400 metre winners
Katherine McKinlay and Leanne Critchley for a resounding win in the longer
relay.
With just one match remaining the team have virtually
assured themselves of a place in the qualifying match for a place in the Premier
Division in September.
The Veteran Men are almost certain to qualify for the
Southern Final after a win in the latest match at Norman Park. After 5 matches
thy hold a 6.5 point lead over Dartford with one match remaining. Notable wins
came from walkers Shaun Lightman and Peter Hannell who has recovered well from a
serious car accident earlier this year. Ken Daniel won the over 50's 3000 with
ease and Dennis Wallington made the trip from Suffolk worthwhile as he won the
triple jump. The women's team look set to join the men in Division One next year
as they head the table by 3.5 points. Best performance here came from Beatrice
Simpson who won the hammer with 32.09.
On the roads
Andrew Rayner made won the Dartford half marathon by a minute in his
first race over the distance. His time of 74.40 was a respectable effort since
he had run his first 3000 steeplechase the day before and the Dartford course is
quite severe. He joins a long list of famous names on the winners trophy
including Steve Ovett and his coach Scott McDonald.
Close by Peter Tucker was 13th in the Bluewater 10km. He
timed 34.53 in a high quality field which included a number of Kenyans and
Tanzanians attracted by the £1000 first prize.
Youngster Robert Bain was the winner of the Club Johnson
Bowl Walk last Wednesday. The Trophy was first competed for in 1902 and he took
the title ahead of Peter Hannell and Shaun Lightman.
The Club is committed to catering for athletes of all ages
and abilities and is always keen to welcome new members. For further details
contact John Blackie on 020 8650 4262 or visit Norman Park track at the
following times. Under 11s Wednesdays at 6 or 6.30.(ask for John Blackie) Over
11's Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm (ask for Heather Williamson). Further
information is also available on the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
22 July 2003
Internationals
Dwayne Grant is a European Champion. He was part of the Great Britain
team that struck gold in the 4x100 at the European Under 23 Championships in
Bydgoszcz in Poland. The team timed 39.31 and the medal was some compensation
for Grant who missed out on running the individual 200 because of injury.
Amir Williamson made a big impression on his International
debut at the Home Countries match at Cardiff. After gaining silver at the
English Schools last week he went one better winning the hammer with a throw of
57.80. Robert Bain continues to excel on the International stage. He set his
second personal best in a week as he finished in 4th place in the 3km walk in
14.01.84.
Two other Club members were in action at the same venue
three days previously in the Caravan Club Cardiff International Games. Mohammed
Sillah Freckleton clocked 14.16 for third in the 110 hurdles despite running
into a head wind and Jonathan Barbour was 3rd in the 100 in 10.87.
UK Athletics Young Athletes League
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC's girls have qualified for the
National Final of the UK Athletics Young Athletes League maintaining their 100%
record in the final match of the Southern Premier Division at Norwich. The
result was a resounding endorsement of the merger which took place in March
between Blackheath Harriers, Bromley and Bromley AC. While Bromley AC won the
Auxiliary Final last year neither Club's girl's teams had made the girls Main
Final before. Now athletes from both former Clubs will be able to compete at the
highest possible level of team competition for youngsters. Unfortunately the
boys just missed out on qualifying for the Auxiliary Final. Had places in the
Finals been determined by joint scoring then both boys and girls would have been
in the National Final. Joint scoring the Club finished 2nd in the Southern
Premier Division after winning the match at Norwich by 63 points from
Shaftesbury Barnet.
It was a real team effort with athletes of all standards
contributing to an outstanding overall score. A number of athletes achieved
National Grade One performances such as Stuart Harvey in the Under 17 men's
javelin with a throw of 57.88.
This is only his first year in the age group and there was
further optimism for next year with a string of grade ones in the under 15's age
group. For the girls Jade Castell Thomas leapt 5.11 in the long jump and
Shaunagh Brown sent the discus out to 31.91. James Stockton's 40.10 in the
hammer was a new best; James Alaka timed 52.6 for the 400; and Alex AlAmeen won
the 80 hurdles in 11.9 and the high jump in 1.70.
Amongst many wins for the girls in the under 17's age
group there were three each from Layla Hawkins and Clare Cooper both of whom
have had injuries this season. Hawkins won the 300, javelin and B High jump with
Cooper first in the 80 hurdles, long jump and B 100.
Triple winner for the under 15's was Scott Blackwell in
both sprints and the shot putt while AlAmeen added another win in the B200. Amy
Gibbs was also a double winner in the sprints.
It was a similar story in the under 13's age group with
Chloe Shaw and Sarah Harrison scoring near maximum points in the sprints and
Ruby Samuels, Hannah Garcia, Amy Smith and Hannah Ware doing likewise in the
middle distance. In the field Amarah Taitt achieved yet another best in the shot
and promises to go even further than the 8.53 in Norwich.
The Girls team now travel to Birmingham at the end of
August for the Final. Full results are available on the Club website at
www.bandbhac.org.uk
Golden Jubilee Cup Semi Final, Eton
The combined Senior Men's and Women's squad missed out on a place in the
Golden Jubilee Cup Final finishing 2nd in their match at Eton. Qualification was
always going to be tough with only one of eight to go through and being pitched
against Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow who have teams in Divisions One of
the both the men's and women's
National leagues
While Blackheath and Bromley's Men are in National League Division Two,
the women are in Southern League Division One, that is four divisions below the
host Club. The women did however score better than National Leaguers Cardiff and
with a third last year the team gets closer to qualifying for its first joint
scoring final.
There were eight wins for the Club on the day, but perhaps
the most pleasing performance came from Sam Bobb who leapt 14.70 for 2nd in the
triple jump. In his comeback year this is just shy of the best which gave him a
Great Britain Under 23 vest.
Fabian Collymore and Michael Champion took maximum points
in the sprints with other track wins from Dave Heath (5000), Mohammed Sillah
Freckleton (110hurdles) and the 4x400 team of Champion, Martin Airey, Neil
Simpson and Bomene Barikor whose split was 48.9.
In the field Patrick Boundy and Christine Lawrence won
both javelin events and Commonwealth Games representative Mark Awanah took the
long jump and helped cover gaps in the shot and hammer. His commitment was
matched by Sandra Alaneme who scored heavily in the women's high, long, and
triple jumps as well as the shot.
League Action
The Club won it's first silverware of the season securing the Kent
Women's League title and topping Division Two as well. They led both Divisions
before the last fixture at Erith and won both matches.
Highlight for the Seniors in Division One was the return
of 1986 Commonwealth Games Long Jump champion Joyce Hepher. She won the triple
jump with a leap of 11.23 while Juniors Danielle Fidge and Christine Lawrence
won the high jump and javelin.
Rachel Blackie was a triple winner in the under 17's age
group in the discus, hammer and shot while on the track the best of many wins
came from 80 metre hurdler Clare Cooper.
Fresh from her medal winning performance at the English
Schools, Flo Clark won the discus and shot for the under 15's with other wins
coming from Lauren Blackie in the pole vault and Holly Williams in the 2km walk.
There was more walk success for under 13 Jessica Bain who won the 1km event.
Outstanding performance in this age group came from Amarah Taitt who further
improved her shot best with a putt of 8.45. Helen Silvester had another victory
in the javelin and there were other notable performances from Georgia Crosbie in
the 75 metres, Simona Boulding in the sprint hurdles and Sarah Harrison in the
Long jump.
Maureen Miller, Michelle Delahoy, Carolyna Jones Baldock
and Jenny Agyekum didn't drop a point in their events in the Senior age group in
Division Two. Most notable performance from the other age groups came from Lily
Rose who scored victories in the 75 and 150 metres races in times of 10.6 and
21.2. There is the prospect of further adding to the Club's trophy haul next
month as after three of the four Kent Boys and Colts League matches the Club
lead overall by 39 points from Tonbridge. The Under 15's head their age group
while the under13's are 2nd.
Best performances for the under 15's came on the track
from sprinter James Dennett and Robert D'Angelo timing 2.11.4 in the 800.
Michael Thorpe again impressed for the under 13's in
winning the 800 while Elliott Cox showed promising form winning the100 and
placing 2nd in the 200. Both Senior Men's teams had victories in their Southern
League matches at Norman Park. In Divison One the B team were narrow winners
over Harrow with Michael Skinner outstanding in winning the 800 and 1500. This
puts them 3rd in the 25 team division.
The C team dominated the Division Four East match and head
the table with one match remaining.
15 July 2003
English Schools
Eight medals, six club records and numerous personal bests made for a
highly successful couple of days for the athletes of Blackheath & Bromley
Harriers AC at the English Schools Championships at Sheffield.
Karim Chester was in dominant form in the Senior Boys
Hammer winning by 7 metres with a throw of 62.95. This was also a new Club Under
20's record and made up for losing his Under 17's record to training partner
Amir Williamson the previous day.
Williamson added five metres to his previous best for
silver in the Intermediate Boys event. His throw of 60.58 improved Chester's
record by 6 centimetres and earned selection for England's team for this
weekends Home Countries International in Cardiff.
Missing selection by a place were Stuart Harvey who took
bronze in the javelin with 57.97 and Harriet Robinson in the 80 metre hurdles,
just a hundredth of a second behind the runner up.
The other silver came from Katy Benneworth who excelled
with a leap of 5.73 in the Senior Girls long jump. In the same age group Sandra
Alaneme was 3rd in the triple jump with 12.55. Not only was this a Club Under 20
record but it was also a UK age 17 best.
Two more bronze medals and Club Records came in the Junior
age group. Alex Al Ameen clocked 11.61 in the 80 metre hurdles and Flo Clark
showed her ability to save her best for the big occasion as she took discus
bronze with 32.31 with training partner Shaunagh Brown just behind in 5th with
30.20. Christine Lawrence set the other Club Record as she threw 40.22 in the
Senior Girls javelin. It could have been seven Club Records but although Vicky
Thomas improved her best by two metres, her 37.10 in the Intermediate Girls
Hammer was just one centimetre off the existing record.
Montell Douglas could not have come any closer to a medal
was 4th in the Senior Girls 100 in 12.18 the same time as 3rd.
With over a million youngsters eligible, just to qualify
for the Championships was an achievement and others from the Club who performed
included Scott Blackwell, Richard AlAmeen, Ian Allerton, Shavaun Henry, Alistair
Tawanaee, Max Richardson, Ella Fisher, Rob Wallace, Amy Gibbs, Jade Castell
Thomas, Dominic Parsons, Rebecca Taylor, Katie Murray, Layla Hawkins, Clare
Cooper and Nina Akif.
o2/Talk2me Sponsorship And Club
Championships
Mobile communications network O2 and local business partner Talk2Me
Corporate joined together in sponsoring Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC's
annual championship, which was held on July 7th.
The purpose of the sponsorship is to further encourage
sport in the local community. Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC have for
years worked together with local schools to continue the training and
development of children in the area. Talk2Me as a local business are obviously
extremely proud to be able to support this program alongside O2.
O2 recognise the excellent work of Blackheath &
Bromley Harriers AC past and present and are very keen be part of the future
The Chief Executive of Talk2Me Corporate, Rod Richardson
stressed his company's eagerness to support the program by saying, "As a
local businessman with a personal interest in Blackheath and Bromley Harriers
AC, I personally feel that it is vital that those in a position to donate their
services to their local communities do so. I am confident that with the
partnership of O2 in this project we can raise awareness of the club and attract
the athletes of tomorrow".
Karl Knight, the Sales Director at Talk2Me Corporate,
echoed Rod's comments by saying, "As a father of three young children,
programmes like this not only bring attention to the club, but show our children
how and why they should become a part of it".
With an innovative programme, including standing triple
jump and hammer for youngsters, the Championships were a success in terms of
numbers, athletic performance and in gathering all ages at one venue. It also
gave athletes a useful last outing prior to the English Schools in Sheffield.
A big under 13 girls entry saw heats in the 150 metres and
12 800 runners. Chloe Shaw held off Sarah Harrison in the 150 and Hannah Garcia
was just off a grade one standard winning the 800 in 2.32.7.
Highlights in the Boys events were grade one efforts of
Aston Stockdale and Michael Thorpe. Stockdale took the 200 in 27.0 and Thorpe
the 800 by 16 seconds in 2.19.7 one of the UK's fastest this year.
The under 15's contests saw notable 800 results with
Robert D'Angelo finishing strongly in the boys race to win in 2.10.5 and Gemma
Regan timing 2.30.4 for the girls to close 2nd to winner Katie Murray.
Alex Worley ran another grade one time to win the 400
hurdles in the under 17's and Ella Fisher and Max Richardson ran under distance
to win the 200 metre titles. Daniel Haque won the triple jump in 12.35 and
brothers Amir Williamson and Alistair Tawanaee both launched the hammer over 50
metres, a best for Alistair of 51.39 and gold for Amir in 53.93.
Best race was the Senior Men's 200 where Michael Champion
and BJ Holtzhausen dived for the line, both timing 21.9 with Holtzhausen getting
the judges verdict. Training partner Pieter Koekemoer comfortably won the 400
hurdles in 53.4 despite smacking one of the later hurdles.
Stressing the importance of the Championship as a
development ground for talent the last race of the day the Senior 3000 metres
was won by an athlete who has progressed through the age group teams. Andrew
Rayner, now 21, joined as a 12 year old and regularly competes for the British
League team. The Club look forward to the next Championship on the 23rd of
August. Full results and pictures are on the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
International Scene
Allan Williams is a World Champion. The 50 year old won the over 50's
pole vault title at the World Championships in Puerto Rico. He won the European
Over 45's title last Summer and after injury earlier this year bounced back to
clear 4.25 to take World Gold.
It was gold too for Helen Godsell. She was part of the
Great Britain over 40 Women's team who won the 4x100 metres setting a new
National Record of 50.94. She was also 6th in the over 45's 200 metres timing
27.92.
Most anticipated race of the day at the Norwich Union
Super League match at Gateshead was the 200 metres where 1998 Commonwealth Games
Julian Golding lined up against Dwain Chambers, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish
and Christian Malcolm. After the lead changed a number of times Golding
eventually closed in 5th in 20.92 into a strong headwind.
Also on International duty was Robert Bain. He travelled
to Dublin to compete for England in a walks International against Ireland. He
rose to the occasion in the 3km hitting the front early on, before slipping to
third and then coming through to take 2nd place. His reward was a new best of
14.07. The talented 16 year old will be back on International duty again this
weekend as he joins Amir Williamson in the England Schools team that takes part
in the Home Countries International in Cardiff.
League Action
The Club also enjoyed a successful weekend of League action. At Erith the
women scured the Kent Women's League title and won Division Two as well. At
Norman Park the day before there was victory for the men's team in Southern
League Division One and Division Four East and the Club's youngsters were also
in action at the Thameside League at Battersea and the Kent Boys And Colts
League at Erith. Full results will appear on the Club website asap. Some are
already there.
8 June 2003
A solid team performance saw Blackheath And Bromley
Harriers AC finish 4th in the British Athletics League Men's Division Two match
at Watford. The result moves the Club up from 7th to 5th in the table easing
worries of relegation from the 8 team division but leaving them with a lot to do
to gain one of the two promotion places.
Patrick Boundy's 62.78 winning throw in the javelin was
just 10 centimetres off his best which was some achievement as it was his 7th
out of 8 throwing competitions in a two day period. The previous day he had
competed in all four throws at the Army Championships and with some late
withdrawals from the squad he did the same at Watford.
Other A string wins came from Pieter Koekemoer in the 400
hurdles, Spencer Newport in the 5,000 metres and Sam Bobb who produced a winning
leap in the last round of the triple jump.
His 13.96 effort surpassed that of Mark Awanah who was
relegated to winning the B string with 13.94. Dave Heath continued his comeback
from a heart attack to win the B 5,000.
Elsewhere Russell Bentley achieved a new best of 1.52.37
to finish 2nd in the 800; as did Fabian Collymore as he placed 2nd in the B 100
in 10.90; Tom Robinson who soared over 4 metres in the pole vault; and Bomene
Barikor who leapt 6.76 for 3rd in the long jump. Fifteen year old Stuart Harvey
made a successful BAL debut as he placed 2nd in the B javelin.
Missing on International duty was Karim Chester who was
representing the Great Britain Junior team in Italy. He threw 60.92 for 3rd
place behind the world leader for the event. Also competing abroad was Julian
Golding who finished 4th in the 200 metres at the IAAF Grand Prix Meeting in
Zagreb. He timed 20.58 into a minus headwind. Mark Watling won the over 45s 1500
metre title at the Welsh Veterans Championships but had to settle for silver in
the 800.
The Women edged up to 4th place in the 25 team Southern
League Division One with a convincing victory in their match at Guildford. Liz
Hughes won the Senior Women's pole vault in 3.40 while Katy Benneworth and
Sandra Alaneme warmed up for this weekends English Schools Championships with
wins in the A string long and triple jump competitions. Alaneme also won the B
long jump and Benneworth the B 200.
Louisa Guthrie won both the 100 and 200 and with Clare
Hobson 1st in the B 100 the Club scored maximum points in the sprints.
Perhaps the best performace came from Victoria Thomas who
produced an under 17 grade one performance and personal best of 35.11 in the
hammer with Rachel Blackie winning the B string in 30.09. Both also scored vital
points in the shot and discus while Christina Mantoura, Sam Singer and Carolyna
Jones Baldock stacked up points in a range of events some of which they are not
specialist in.
Clare Cooper returned from injury to win the 80 metre
hurdles in 12.1 and there was a promising debut from Bridget Davey who timed
11.28.3 in the 3,000 metres.
The Under 15's were outstanding scoring 95 out of 105
points. The field events team of Katie Murray, Anna Smith, Emily Godley, Jade
Castell Thomas, Shaunagh Brown, Flo Clark and Frances Athawes dropped just 2
points out of 50.
It was a similar story on the track where Amy Gibbs, Sarah
Elson,, Lauren Smith, Sarah Coombs, Hannah Garcia,, Amy Smith, Sophie Robinson
and Katie Murray again reigned supreme.
Many of these girls were in action the previous weekend at
the UK Athletics Young Athletes League Meeting at Croydon where the Club lost
its unbeaten record missing out overall to Enfield And Haringey. They did,
however remain unbeaten in the girls competition and are on course for a place
in the National Final in September. The Boys were 3rd in their match.
A number of athletes achieved grade one performances most
notably Chloe Shaw and Sarah Harrrison who did so in the same event. They timed
20.3 and 20.4 in the under 13 girls 150 metres.
Alex Worley made a huge breakthrough in the under 17 men's
400 hurdles taking a couple of seconds off his best to win in 56.8, an English
Schools qualifying performance but sadly achieved after the closing date. Stuart
Harvey was again victorious in the javelin with a 57.65 winning throw. There was
more success in the throws in the under 15's age group where Shaunagh Brown's
30.78 throw in the discus was a grade one as was Richard Al Ameen's 41.64 throw
in the hammer.
His brother Alex cleared an excellent 1.75 in the high
jump while James Alaka was outstanding in the sprints with grade ones of 11.9
and 23.8 in the 100 and 200 metres.
There were numerous wins for the under 17 women with
athletes such as Clare Silvester, Rachel Blackie, Ella Fisher and Amy Godsell
picking up their customary maximum points but what was also encouraging were the
performances of athletes who won, or did well in events in which they would not
always be first choice.
Sarah Olney (javelin), Jo Wood (80 hurdles) Katie Welch
(300 hurdles) and Keighly Douglas (200) all achieved B string victories while
the pairing of Sophie Williams and Jenny McCaffrey scored gun to tape victories
in both strings of the 3,000.
The men's victories came in the throws with wins for Amir
Williamson, Alistair Tawanaee and Alex Middleton while Adai Monerville took the
B100. For the under 15 boys there was another promising performance from Joseph
Stockton who won the B hammer in 38.83 another improvement in his first year in
the event.
The girls field events squad of Katie Murray, Lauren
Blackie, Jade Castell Thomas, Shaunagh Brown, Francs Athawes, and Rosanna Carter
won every event and it wasn't much different on the track with wins for Lauren
Underwood, Rebecca Taylor, Sarah Coombs, Nina Akif and Sophie Robinson. Amarah
Taitt made a huge improvement in the under 13 girl's shot with a putt of 8.37
and there good double victories in the long jump from Isobel Ivy and Sarah
Harrison and from Hannah Garcia and Jessica Findlay in the 1500 metres.
The Club will have around 30 athletes competing at this
weekends English Schools at Sheffield with a number of potential medallists.
Closer to home both men's Southern League teams will be in action at Norman Park
on Saturday, while the Under 13's and under 15's will be at the Thameside League
at Battersea.
On Sunday they will be in action again at the Kent Boys
And Colts League at Bexley which is being combined with the last round of the
Kent Women's League.
The Club is committed to catering for athletes of all ages
and abilities and is always keen to welcome new members. For further details
contact John Blackie on 020 8650 4262 or visit Norman Park track at the
following times. Under 11s Wednesdays at 6 or 6.30.(ask for John Blackie) Over
11's Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm (ask for Heather Williamson). Further
information is also available on the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
1 July 2003
Karim Chester dominated the Hammer competition at the
National Under 23 and Under 20 championships at Bedford. The Blackheath &
Bromley Harriers AC athlete won with a throw of 62.13, over 8 metres clear of
runner up. After struggling with a knee injury, Mark Awanah soared out to 7.49
in the under 23's long jump to snatch the silver medal in the last round of the
competition, and South African Pieter Koekemoer struck bronze in the 400 hurdles
in 51.86.
Sandra Alaneme set a new best of 12.25 in the Junior
Women's triple jump, a leap which gave her 4th place in a close fought
competition. It was also pleasing to see Montell Douglas in action after a long
injury lay off. She timed 11.98 in the 100 metre heats to qualify for the final.
Meanwhile at the Inter Area Match at Birmingham, Liz
Hughes won the pole vault in 3.90 while in the 110 hurdles Mohammed Sillah
Freckleton won in a new best of 13.88 with 2002 Commonwealth Games
representative Mensah Elliott 2nd in 14.01.
It was 2nd also for Patrick Boundy in the javelin as he
threw 61.94 while former under 23 International Sam Bobb continued his return to
competition with a 3rd place in the triple jump with a leap of 14.38.
The Senior Men had an outstanding weekend in the Southern
League winning both their Division One and Division Four East matches in style.
Highlight of the afternoon at Division One match at Eton was the return to
competition of Dave Heath after suffering a heart attack last October. In his
first track race for three years to 38 year old sub 4 minute miler took off with
7 and a half laps to go of the 5000 metres and eventually ran out winner by 17
seconds in 15.05.4.
Amongst a wealth of individual victories Trevenan
Walther-Symons' 41.54 throw in the B string javelin was particularly noteworthy
along with David Moulton's winning return in the B 800 and Robert Chambers
consistent performances in the jumps.
The third team, in their Division Four East match at Ware,
made the most of three teams not turning up, with team managers Brendan McShane
and Mark Ellison masterminding an astonishing 173.5 points score out of a
possible 180 to retain their position at the top of the table.
The strength of the squad was demonstrated when the 4x400
team beat all the Division Two teams who were competing at the same venue.
There were a number of notable performances at the latest
round of the Thameside League at Battersea Park. The under 15 boys enjoyed great
success in the middle distance where Tytus Murphy set a new best of 2.12.2 in
the 800 with Jonathan Vintner making it maximum points in the B string. Murphy
also won the 400 while Alex Pillow won the 1500 and Murphy, Nathan Roddy, Sam
Stevens and Ben Lawrence combined to win the sprint relay.
Amarah Taitt set a new best of 7.38 to win the under 13
girls shot putt while on the track Jessica Bain and Kati Buck excelled with a
double victory in the 1200 walk.
The walking success continued in the under 15's age group
with Holly Williams winning the 1600 metres to add to her victory in the B
string 75 hurdles.
Jade Castell Thomas leapt 5.07 to win the long jump with
Nicola Molnar making it maximum points in the B comptition.
After 2 matches the under 13 girls are 2nd with the under
13 boys and under 15 boys and girls in 3rd.
At the Mickey Brown walking races at Steyning, Robert Bain
set a new best of 25.34 when finishing 2nd in the under 17's 5km race. Julia
Stacey was 4th in the under 13 girls 2km race in 12.40 with Jessica Bain 5th in
13.28.
The Club is committed to catering for athletes of all ages
and abilities and is always keen to welcome new members. For further details
contact John Blackie on 020 8650 4262 or visit Norman Park track at the
following times. Under 11s Wednesdays at 6 or 6.30.(ask for John Blackie) Over
11's Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm (ask for Heather Williamson). Further
information is also available on the website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
