Last updated 28
September 2004
Press Releases for
July, August & September 2004
28 September 2004
Road Running - Great North Mile and South
Of England Relays, Aldershot
Michael Skinner of Blackheath &Bromley opened his
Winter season up in the North East of England as one of the athletes invited to
take part in the Great North Mile which took place the day before the Great
North Run. A high class field toed the line and Skinner finished as 3rd Briton
in 4.10.3 ahead of Olympic 800 metre runner Ricky Soos and James Thie, one of
the top milers in the country.
His next race will also be up north when he takes part in
the first of the Reebok Challenge Cross Country races at Falkirk. Racing in
Newcastle meant he was missing as the Club's Senior men comfortably qualified
for the National 6 Stage relays when they finished in 11th place in the Southern
Championship at Aldershot. The Southern Area covers 19 Counties which means a
high standard of competition is virtually guaranteed, making qualification for
the National event at the end of October an achievement in itself.
Barry Stephenson brought the team in 12th on the opening
6km stage timing 18.35 which Andrew Rayner bettered by one second on leg two. He
moved the team up into 4th place.
Junior Ray Perkins clocked 20.14 on leg three but slipped
10 places before Spencer Newport edged up to 12th on leg 4. Jamie Atkinson
clocked 19.13 and moved up a place on the penultimate stage before fast
improving John Thorpe showed just what an asset he is becoming with a solid
20.16 on the final leg.
The "B" team of Richard Parrott (20.29), Chris Daniel
(20.46) Nick Gasson (20.30), Roy Smith (21.46), Neil Ayrton (22.03) and Pete
Barlow (24.42) closed in 51st place which was a useful performance as the latter
three had already run in the Masters competition earlier in the day. Ayrton ran
the opening leg for the over 40's team and his 21.20 brought him home in 19th
place. Brendan McShane slipped to 31st on leg two with 23.23 before Roy Smith
catapulted the quartet back up on leg three with 20.52. Over 50 athlete Ken
Daniel stepped down an age group to run the last leg bring the team home 16th
with 21.52.
Most successful team of the weekend were the under 13
girls trio of Danielle Critchley, Rebecca Smith and Amy DeMatos. They finished
in third place and were the only team to have all three runners break the nine
minute barrier. Danielle finished in 13th on the opening leg with 8.59 and
Rebecca swept through the field to finish third on leg 2 in 8.55. There were
fireworks on the final stage where the last leg runners of the top three teams
ran the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fastest times of the day. So despite Amy DeMatos timing
8.22 for 4th fastest of the day she was unable to move the team up any higher.
Promisingly the B team of Grace Power (9.24), Lucy Prior
(9.45) and Jessica Saville (9.07) finished in 19th place. Ten years ago Gemma
Viney was a member of the winning Blackheath under 13's team and fastest leg of
the day (8.11). Now after a long spell off she made a low key appearance for the
Senior Women's team, her 15.27 being the fastest of the B & B quartet that
finished in 30th place. Eve Bugler (15.55) , Carolyna Jones Baldock (17.05) and
Clare Lodwig (16.26) formed the rest of the team. Team manager Kate Pratten
(17.45) was the sole member of the B team.
James Poole was in impressive form for the under 17 men's
team. He finished 4th on the opening stage with 12.24 which was the 7th quickest
of the day. Good solid runs from Richard Davies, Richard Daniel and Danny Brewer
ensured 9th place overall and the Club were also able to field a second team of
Tom Doig, Robert D'Angelo, Dale Willis and Tom Beech that finished 20th and were
2nd B team.
The Women's team of Bryony Proctor, Sarah Coombs and Katie
Murray moved steadily through the field to close in 11th with Katie's 11.24 just
outside the top 20 times of the day. Also just outside the top 20 but in the
under 15's event was Rebecca Taylor. She timed 11.29 on the opening stage before
Hannah Garcia moved up to 3rd on the second stage. Amy Smith ran an excellent
11.37 on the final stage but up against athletes who ran some of the quickest
times of the day she slipped to 6th place a tantalising 15 seconds outside of a
medal position. With Catherine Chambers running a fine 11.52 for the C team
along with Laura Kastryano (12.38) and Claire McNamara (12.43) and Sarah
McLellan clocking 12.06 for the B team with support from Lauren Underwood and
Lauren Smith it promises to be a very successful Winter for this age group.
The Under 15 boys team of Cameron Ward, Tom Dillon Hearne,
Robert Evans and Robert Shearing finished in 30th place while the Club were
unable to complete an under 13 boys team due to clashes with rugby and football.
Daniel Duffin and Joe Harding ran the opening two legs before withdrawing.
Kent Masters Championships, Erith
There were medals galore for the Club's athletes at
the recent Kent Masters Championships at Erith. In the over 40's age group Paul
Featherston finished an injury plagued season with a win in the javelin. The
former British League 400 metre runner missed much of the Summer after pulling a
hamstring in the fathers race at his son's school sports day. He finished the
race in second place in some difficulty to be told "you're an embarrassment
daddy"
He went some way to redeeming himself at Erith as he
launched the spear out to 45.96 to win the competition by five and a half
metres. Also in the field Alan Fairnbairn threw a useful 35.50 to place runner
up in the discus. Perhaps the outstanding performance of the day came in the
over 50's pole vault where Allan Williams set a new championship best of 4.05.
He was quick to point out the achievements of the Club's vaulters this Summer
highlighting the fact that the Club may be the only one in the Country that has
had athletes in the Junior, Senior, Over 40's and Senior Women's age groups
clear 4 metres this season.
On the track Ken Daniel won the 1500 metres despite having
missed training recently with injury, and Tom Phillips picked up silver in the
100 metres with 13.0.
Past President Colin Brand picked up three golds in the
over 60's age group with wins it in the discus, javelin and hammer but missed
out by 6 centimetres in the shot and had to settle for silver.
It was triple gold too for Gordon Hickey in the over 70's
age group. His 12.28 in the shot was a new championship record to add to his
first places in the discus and javelin and silver in the hammer. Evergreen Jim
Day picked up first places in the pole vault (2.40) and long jump (3.60). In the
Women's championship Beatrice Simpson had a busy weekend with silver in the
Hammer and discus, bronze in the javelin and a 6th place in the high jump.
Southern Women's League, Basildon
The Club finished their Southern Women's League season
recently with a third place in the Division One match at Basildon. This means
they finished the season in 4th place in the 25 team division, a fine
achievement considering the difficulties in fielding strong teams in 6 matches.
Highlights of the day came in the under 15 age group from
Shaunagh Brown and Lauren Blackie. Shaunagh set a new Club Record in the discus
with a throw of 37.19. It is the furthest in the country this year by over a
metre and won the competition by over 11 metres. She also won the shot with
10.66 and was 2nd in the javelin.
Lauren equalled the Club long jump record with a leap of
5.26 and also set a new best of 1.56 in the high jump where she had to settle
for 2nd place. Bella Clayton was a double winner in the Senior age group winning
the 800 metres by 5 seconds in 2.16.6 and then taking the 400 metres in 58.3.
Myrtle Augee was the other A string winner with a 13.11 putt in the shot. She
also took 2nd in discus. There were near maximum points in the hammer with
Rachel Blackie 2nd in the A string and Vicki Thomas winning the B event.
21 September 2004
UK Women's League Qualifying Match,
Abingdon
Blackheath & Bromley's Senior Women will be competing in the UK Women's League
in 2005 after finishing second in the Qualifier match at Abingdon. Last year the
team narrowly missed out but this year made no mistake despite the fact that
they only had 11 athletes competing. This achievement now means the Club is one
of the very few in the country to have teams in all ages groups, men and women,
competing at National Level.
The strength of the team was in the heavy throws with
maximum points achieved in the shot, discus and hammer. The presence of former
Commonwealth Games shot champion Myrtle Augee was important here as she won her
specialist event and the discus and also was first in the B string hammer. At
the other end of the age scale 16 year old English Schools champion Rachel
Blackie won the A string Hammer and B discus as well as scoring some valuable
points in the javelin.
Her partner with the spear was Great Britain international
pole vaulter Liz Hughes who won her specialist event with a clearance of 3.70
and also won the B shot with 10.63.
Promisingly for the future another youngster, Rachel King,
made it maximum points in the vault with a clearance of 2.40 and was very close
to a new best of 2.60. She also place 5th in the high jump and 2nd in the B
triple jump with Katy Benneworth 4th in the A string with 10.26.
Katy, who has yet again been a big contributor to the team
this season travelling back from University to compete, also placed 2nd in long
jump with 5.42 and was also 3rd in the B 100 in 12.8.
Best performance on the track came from Bella Clayton who
ran strongly in the blustery conditions to win the 400 metres in 57.9 to add to
her earlier 3rd place in the 800 metres.
Busiest was Rachel Chadwick who agreed to compete in the
400 hurdles after original choice Carolyna Jones Baldock had to withdraw after
her boyfriend was involved in a car accident. Rachel actually won the B string
event in her first race at the distance before finishing 4th in the 800 B string
just 20 minutes later. It was 4th again in the B 200 before finishing her day
with a useful 64.0 split on the opening leg of the 4x400 relay.
The Club's only other middle distance runner was Jennie
Butler who was 3rd in the 1500 after a stressful journey which saw her stuck in
traffic and missing the 3000 metres as a result.
Clare Cooper who was unwell on the journey rallied well to
finish 2nd in the B long jump and then take 3rd in the 100 hurdles in 15.2. She
was also 4th in the 200 in 26.9.
Just as busy was Louisa Guthrie who started the day by
helping out in the high jump and soaring over 1.25. From there she moved to more
familiar events finishing 4th in the 100 in 12.8 and producing a time of 62.8 to
place 3rd in the 400 metres.
Reading University student Christina Mantoura was also an
important contributor scoring valuable points in both the 400 and 100 hurdles
races and running a leg in the 4x400 team that finished in 4th place.
Kent Multi Events and Relays
The Club's youngsters have been in fine form in the last couple of weeks. At the
Kent multi events at Erith Club members won both the under 13 boys and girls
minithon. Stephen Cavey was the boys winner scoring 79 points from the 3 events
that have to be a run a jump an a throw. His long jump of 4.78 was a new
personal best and he also threw 27.27 in the discus and timed 2.20.6 in the 800.
For the girls Jessica Matthews also scored 79 points which
included an impressive leap of 1.45 in the high jump, a 10.8 clocking in the 75
metres and a shot putt of 6.59. There was bronze also for Estelle Patten who
timed 11.3 for the 75 metres, long jumped 4.13 and threw the discus 20.88. There
was silver in the under 17 women's pentathlon for Leanne Critchley, who led
early on in the competition but then settled into second for the rest of the
event.
Katrina Cosby set new bests of 4.85 in the long jump and
2.31 in the 800 while competing in the under 15's age group. So impressive was
her 800 time that it swept her from 7th to 4th place in the overall competition
and with another year left in the age group there is every chance of a medal
next year.
Perhaps the most impressive performance of the day,
however, came from Alex Pope in the decathlon. Best known as a pole vaulter, he
cleared 4.10 just 10 centimetres off the best he set the previous week at the
National Junior League Final.
Such was the quality of his performances in his other
events he was leading by nearly 1000 points going into the last event the 1500.
He could have gone round backwards and still won the competition. He didn't do
this and ended up winning but around 800 points a excellent performance in his
last competition as a junior athlete.
At the Kent Relays at Canterbury the previous week there
was a clean sweep of gold medals in the under 13's age group. It was probably no
surprise that the girls 4x100 team of Katie Vistuer, Estelle Patten, Sian
Hurlock and Rebecca Cook took gold. The quartet have been unbeaten all year and
to emphasise the strength of the Club in this age group the B team of Sheridan
Lewis, Alex Duffy Penny, Lucy Price and Daniella Arron picked up the silver
medals.
Jessica Saville, Rebecca Smith and Amy DeMatos made no
mistake in the 3x800 metres and their achievements were matched by the boys team
of Oliver Robinson, Julian Ayisi and Stephen Cavey with this trio teaming up
with Izzy Ukoko for victory in the 4x100.
More success came in the under 15's age group with Sarah
McLellan, Rebecca Taylor and Ruby Samuel winning the 3x800 and Taylor , Katrina
Cosby, Emily Godley and Lauren Blackie winning the 4x100. But to prove these
championships are of some quality the 4x100 team of Godley, Cosby, Blackie and
McLellan had to settle for silver.
Will Bolton Memorial Relays
The Club's annual cross country relays have been renamed in memory of
Will Bolton, the Club's 21 year old middle distance runner who died in a car
crash in March. Last Saturday the first race under the new name took place at
Sparrows Den, West Wickham with Will's mother Jan firing the starting gun.
It was fitting that not only did the Blackheath & Bromley
Senior men win the race but that Will's great friend Andrew Rayner who joined
the Club at the same time as Will as a 10 year old ran the fastest leg of the
day. He clocked an impressive 12.32 on the 6th leg with Barry Stephenson second
quickest with 12.48. Dan Ayrton (14.21), in his first race for over two years,
Jamie Atkinson (13.19), Anthony Draper (13.22) and Richard Parrott (14.03)
completed the winning team.
Will Bolton used to coach under 11 athletes at Norman Park
on Wednesday nights and so it pleasing to see so many youngsters from the track
competing, including some who were introduced to Athletics by Will himself. The
astonishing performance here came from the training group of under 15 girls who
crossed the finish line first in the women's race. Sophie Cowper, Amy Smith,
Hannah Garcia and Rebecca Taylor were nearly two minutes clear of South London
Harriers but could not collect the team award as Sophie is a member of Reigate.
The other startling performance was that of Amy DeMatos.
She is only an under 13 but her time of 16.14 was the third quickest of the day
against senior ahtletes. Her team of Grace Power, Lucy Price and Rebecca Smith
finished 3rd overall, one place behind the Club's senior team of Clare Lodwig,
Hannah Leach, Lisa Page and Gemma Viney.
It was also pleasing to see so many of the Club attending
the Supper at the Clubhouse in the evening.
English Schools Combined Events and
Walks, Exeter
There was more success for the Club's athletes who were in action at the
English Schools Combined Events and Walks Championships in Exeter. International
Robert Bain picked up silver medal in the Senior Boys 5km walk with a time of
24.43.28.
Three more placed highly in the Junior Girls 3k with
Chelsea O'Rawe Hobbs 5th, Holly Williams 6th and Julia Stacey in 9th.
In the Multi events Layla Hawkins withdrew after 5 events
in the Senior Girls heptathlon after performances of 17.92 for the 100 hurdles,
high jump 1.57, Shot 8.53, 200 27.46 and long jump 4.87.
14 September 2004
Blackheath & Bromley's Junior Men's and Women's teams
finished their season's in fine form at the National Junior League Final at
Derby with the Women finishing 4th and the men 5th in two close matches between
the top 8 teams in the country.
To have one team from the Club qualify for a National
Final in this age group is an achievement but to have two is outstanding. Only
two other Clubs in the country, Birchfield and Shaftesbury Barnet were able to
do this.
Outstanding performance for the Men came from Michael
Whitehouse. He leapt a new personal best of 2 metres 10 centimetres and would
surely have received the Man Of The Match award had he not come up against
League Record Holder Adam Scarr of Enfield & Haringey who cleared 2.12 to win
the competition and take the award.
The Club enjoyed a double in win the pole vault courtesy
of team captain Tom Robinson and Alex Pope. Both were taking part in their last
Junior League competitions and finished on a high. Robinson equalled the
personal best he set last week at the Woking Medals Meeting as he went over 4
metres 30 to win the A string event by 30 centimetres. Pope set new bests of
4.10 and then 4.20 to take the B contest by over half a metre.
While they move up next year there is still sufficient
talent in the squad to suggest that they could get closer to regaining the
coveted National title that they won 7 times in the 90s.
Amir Williamson and his brother Alistair Tawanaee are part
of the 2005 squad and they took first in the A string and 2nd in the B string in
the Hammer with throws of 57.58 and 50.25.
Like Alistair, Stuart Harvey is still an under 17 and he
was just outside his best in the javelin as he places 2nd with 58.76.
There was also an excellent performance from the 4x100
team of Tunde Balogun, Chris Musa, Daniel Haque and Duayne Bovell who finished
runners up in a useful time of 43.15.
The women's team will also be stronger next year. Best
performance here came from the 4x100 team of Leanne Critchley, Vicki Cole, Amy
Godsell and Clare Cooper whose slick baton changing brought them gold medals
despite the fact that the quartet had not won any individual medal in the 100
and 200. Their time was 49.68.
Elsewhere on the track medals were hard to come by but the
400 pairing of Rebecca Syrocki and Katie Murray produced two. Rebecca ran a well
paced race to finish strongly down the home straight and finish 3rd in 58.32.
Fresh from her 800 and 1500 metre triumphs at the Young Athletes Final last
weekend, Katie stepped down in distance to register a new best of 59.98 and win
the B race against athletes up to four years older.
The other medal on the track came from Jo Wood in the B
100 hurdles, a just reward for an athlete who has trained hard and contributed
so much to all the teams in which she has competed this season. She finished 3rd
in 17.11 and was already on a high have taken 4 seconds off her best earlier in
the 400 hurdles.
The team scored most heavily in the throws. Just one
centimetre separated Rachel Blackie and Vicki Thomas in the Hammer with Rachel
just getting the better with 44.88. This gave her bronze in the A string and
Vicki gold in the B string. There was a bronze each for Christine Lawrence and
Rachelle Brace with distances of 37.58 and 29.67. Rachelle also picked up a
silver in the B string pole vault while A string vaulter Rachel King, who
cleared 2.45 for 4th, picked up bronze in the B string triple jump with 10.18.
Fourth was an excellent position but perhaps the most
encouraging thing to note was that all but one of the team from Sunday will
still be eligible to compete in this age group next year.
Further match details and pictures are available
here...
Other Sport!
Just to prove the value of Athletics as a foundation
for fitness of all Sport a number of the Club's athletes have enjoyed success in
weightlifting and triathlon.
Liz Hughes the National Silver medallist in the pole vault
travelled to Lilleshall and finished 3rd in the National Weightlifting
Championships in the under 69k category. She snatched 65k and then clean and
jerked 77.5k for a total of 142.5k. She will be back in track and field
competition at the UK Women's League qualifying match at Abingdon this weekend.
Anthony Draper, a 1.48 800 metre runner finished 5th in
the Sevenoaks triathlon in 1 hour 25 minutes and 6 seconds for the 400m swim
27km bike and 8km run. Eamonn Prendergast was 11th in 1.28.12 despite the chain
coming off his bike.
Amendment to the report last week. It was Izzy Ukoko who
was the fourth member of the under 13 boys 4x100 team and not Stephen Camacho.
Apologies to Izzy.
7 September 2004
Blackheath & Bromley's Young Athletes are the champions of
Great Britain. They produced a superlative team performance in a competition
that lasted seven and a half hours at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium to finish a
staggering 129 points clear of second placed Windsor, Slough Eton and Hounslow
in the UKA Young Athletes League Final.
The match was the culmination of a Competition that
started in May at Area level and progressed to see the leading 8 clubs from the
South, Midlands, North and Scotland contest this Grand Final.
It was an Historic occasion as it was the first time that
the Final was contested as a joint scoring boys and girls match and was
acknowledged as such with Olympic medallists Mark Lewis Francis and Kelly
Sotherton assisting with the medal presentations. Previously there had been
separate contests for boys and girls.
Last year the Club's Girls team won the National Title,
the first time ever by a Southern Club, but the Boys squad just missed out on
gaining a place in the Auxilliary Final. How would they fare against a team such
as the City of Liverpool, who were runners up in the girls and third placers in
the boys Final in 2003, or the Manchester Council backed Sale Harriers?
The team of 11 to 16 year olds led from start to finish,
performed as champions, behaved like champions and after a week in which
innocent children were massacred in Eastern Europe exuded an infectious positive
life affirming spirit that re-emphasised the value of Sport in society. And when
the points were broken down it showed that had the Boys and Girls been scored
separately on the day the Club would have won both contests. In a team of stars
all shone but none more brightly than James Alaka who received the Under 15 boys
"Athlete Of The Match" award for his 22.86 winning performance in the 200
metres. This was an achievement in itself but came after he had already won both
the 100 and 400 races.
There were also two new Club Records. In the under 15
girls shot Shaunagh Brown broke it twice firstly with a putt of 10.98 and then
breaking through the 11 metre barrier with 11.01.
Then the under 17 Men's team of Daniel Haque, Scott
Blackwell, David Torku and Alex AlAmeen erased the 14 year old 4x100 metre
record with a time of 43.48.
For a number of the under 17s this was their last ever
match in this age group as they move up to the Under 20's next year a fact
acknowledged by 80 metre hurdles winner Clare Cooper who punched the air as she
crossed the line in first place on the anchor leg of the 4x100.
Her team mates Leanne Critchley, Amy Godsell and Rebecca
Syrocki also move up and others to finish with A string victories in their
farewell appearances were Stuart Harvey who won the javelin by over 12 metres
and Daniel Haque who took both the 200 and triple jump titles.
However, first year under 17 Katie Murray emphasised that
the team will remain strong in this age group next year with a "Holmesesque"
demonstration of middle distance running winning both the 800 and 1500 metre
golds. Alex AlAmeen also impressed with a silky smooth display to win the 100
metre hurdles.
In the Under 15s National Champion Joe Stockton reigned
supreme with a winning throw of 54.86 in the Hammer that was over 13 metres
further than the A string runner up. His nearest challenger on the day was team
mate Richard AlAmeen whose 51.70 won the B contest by nearly 18 metres. Other A
string wins came from Shaunagh Brown in the discus with a throw of 31.23 and
from Lauren Blackie who grabbed the long jump gold by just two centimetres with
a leap of 5.07.
This Finals day has been running for many years and to
break a Meeting record is a major achievement. To have two athletes break the
meeting record in the same event was remarkable. It happened. Jessica Matthews
soared over 1.48 in the under 13 girls high jump to set a new best, just one
centimetre off the Club Record. Then in the B contest Nenisha Nelson-Roberts
bettered the previous MBP by 5 centimetres with a clearance of 1.45.
On the track the stadium was treated to an awesome display
of sprinting from Elliott Cox who won the 100 and 200 metres, the latter by
nearly two seconds with 25.35. Next fastest on the day was Stephen Cavey whose
25.52 won the B event to add to his 5 second win in the A string 800 metres
earlier in the afternoon.
The two then combined with Stephen Camacho, who had missed
out on gold in the long jump by just one centimetre, and Lawrie Barnes for a
resounding win in the 4x100 finishing an astonishing 3.32 seconds clear of the
runners up. Just minutes before the girls team of Katie Vistuer, Estelle Patten,
Sian Hurlock and Rebecca Cook had also struck gold.
There were many that did not win medals but nevertheless
produced outstanding performances. For example, Joe Harding was involved in a
titanic battle down the home straight in the Under 13 boys 1500 only to miss
bronze by four hundredths of a second. He was rewarded with a new best of
4.50.96 and as a first year in the age group his time will come.
With a squad of this quality it was inevitable that there
were other talented athletes who did not gain selection for the team for the
Final. Yet without their efforts in helping the Club become Southern Champions
and qualify for Birmingham, the Club could not have become National Champions.
The Club were delighted that so many of them were able to be in Birmingham to
support those who were competing.
Such an outstanding team performance could not taken place
without team managers Paul Patten, Peter Ward, Hilary Gibbs, Heather Williamson
and Michelle Bovell at the helm.
They co-ordinated a weekend that saw around 300 athletes,
officials and supporters travel to the Midlands, the majority staying in hotels
the night before.
Their efforts were generously supported by Tesco and
Waitrose who ensured the team were fed during the day, Pizza Hut and Whitbread
who provided a meal after the event, Matchroom Sports who paid for the teams
distinctive polo shirts and of course the Club's sponsors Nike who made the team
look exactly what they were, Champions.
1. Blackheath & Bromley 848.5, 2. Windsor Slough Eton and
Hounslow 719.5, 3. City Of Liverpool 642, 4. Sale 621, 5. Birchfield 609.5, 6.
Cannock & Staffs 571, 7. Gateshead 565, 8. Edinburgh/Giffnock 527.5.
Many of the team from Sunday started at the Club as Under
11s. This age group trains at Norman Park from 6 to 7 and 6.30 to 7.30 on
Wednesday while the over 11s train on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 pm.
31 August 2004
Vicki Thomas was Blackheath & Bromley's most successful
athlete at the Under 17's Inter Counties match at Kingston. The AAA's bronze
medallist's winning throw of 47.26 in the Women's hammer was the 7th furthest
ever in the UK in this age group. To add to her success she also won the shot
with a putt of 10.29.
Vicki's performance in the Hammer meant that English
Schools champion Rachel Blackie had to be satisfied with winning the B string
event. Her throw of 45.04 was still nevertheless one of the top throws in the
country this year. Elsewhere in the field there were B string victories for Flo
Clark with a throw of 34.46 in the discus and from Rachel King with a leap of
10.27 in the triple jump to add to her third place in the B string long jump.
Rachelle Brace was 4th in the javelin with a throw of 28.99.
On the track Leanne Critchley won the B string 300 hurdles
by over a second in 48.15 while in the sprint hurdles Clare Cooper and Nina Akif
were 3rd and 4th in their strings.
Amy Godsell for Surrey and Rebecca Syrocki for Kent
battled it out in the 300 metres with Amy prevailing to time 41.42 for 3rd place
with Rebecca 4th in 41.99. Amy was also 2nd in the B string 200 and Katie Murray
was 4th in the A string 1500 in 5.04.58.
For the men Alistair Tawanaee took second place in the
Hammer with a throw of 56.07 while Stuart Harvey was over the 60 metre mark
again in the javelin launching the spear out to 60.48 for 3rd place.
Back on the track Daniel Haque picked up useful points for
Kent in the sprints as he finished 3rd and 2nd in the 100 and 200. His times of
11.51 and 22.73 reflected the fact that he is coming back from injury and also
the strongish head wind. Alex AlAmeen just missed out on 2nd place by a
hundredth of a second in the 100 metre hurdles as he timed 13.86. The
contribution of the Club's athletes helped Kent finish first in the men's
contest and second in the women's just two points behind the Surrey team that
contained Amy Godsell.
One of the Club's oldest and most distinguished members
celebrated his 90th birthday on the 30th of August. Sydney Wooderson is the
former World Record holder for the mile, 800 metres and 880 yards. He won the
European 1500 metre title in 1938 and returned after the war to claim the 5000
metre title in 1946. But for a cracked bone in his foot in 1936 and the Second
World War he may well have been Olympic Champion. He may also have been the
first Briton to break the four minute mile. Certainly he was the first person to
run under three minutes for the three quarter mile.
Wooderson's coach was Albert Hill who won the 800 and 1500
metres at the 1920 Olympics, the last Briton to achieve the middle distance
double at the Olympics until Kelly Holmes equalled this feat last weekend.
Wooderson now lives in Dorset and was due to celebrate his birthday with family.
This weekend the Club's youngsters travel to Birmingham to
take part in National Young Athletes League Final, an historic fixture as this
will be the first ever combined boys and girls scoring final. In the past there
have been separate matches for boys and girls, with the Club's girls team
winning the National title in 2003.
The Club have qualified for the Final as unbeaten Southern
Champions and will take around 300 athletes and supporters to compete against
the best teams from the North, Midlands and Scotland
24 August 2004
Kent Young Athletes League, Erith
The first season of the Kent Young Athletes League
came to a close with Blackheath & Bromley winning three of the four age groups.
Particularly pleasing was to win both the girls and boys under 13 age groups as
it shows there is great strength in depth for the National Young Athletes teams
of the future.
Highlight of the under 15's age group was a new sparkling
best for Emily Godley in the pole vault. She cleared 2 metres 52 centimetres one
of the highest jumps in the country this year.
The girls team dominated the match scoring 228 points
which was over twice as many as second placed Medway & Maidstone. Among the
numerous good performances, which saw the Club's athletes win 17 of the 25
events, were 14.1 clockings For Lily Rose and Sarah Harrison in the sprints and
three wins for Katrina Cosby in the long jump, 75 hurdles and B 200.
The boys had to settle for 2nd place but there were good A
string wins for Sam Simpson (3000), Heaven Lee Roach (80 hurdles) and Dane Cole
(high jump) while Hakeen Smith produced a useful 10.32 for second place in the
shot putt.
If anything the under 13 girls were even more dominant
than the under 15s winning both strings in all field events and proving
victorious in a total of 20 out of 23 events.
Undoubted highlight here was a leap of 1.44 in the high
jump by Nenisha Nelson-Roberts a height that was 14 centimetres clear of 2nd
places and one of the top jumps in the country this year.
Winner of the B string was Leah Forbes-Morris with a
clearance of 1.20 but even more impressive was her 4.40 leap to win the long
jump competition by over a metre. Likewise in the shot putt Katherine Jones
proved no match for the opposition with a winning distance of 8.09 and on the
track Rebecca Cook won the 75 metres by over half a second in 10.6 . Best
performance for the boys came from Daniel Duffin who won the javelin by over 10
metres with a distance of 38.89 to add to an impressive putt of 9.89 in the shot
while on the track Joe Harding continued his impressive season winning the 1500
in 5.00.3.
Many of the Club's athletes have been in
representative duty recently with some promising results
Four of youngsters were part of the South Of England
team that defeated the North and Midlands in the Under 20's Inter Area match at
Ipswich. There were 2nd places for Amir Williamson with 55.19 in the Hammer and
from Robert Bain who clocked 14.30.56 in the 3000 metre walk. Also in the
Hammer, second claim member Mark Covington picked up fourth place while Southern
Champion Tom Robinson again cleared 4.20 in the pole vault for a good third
place At the South of England Inter Counties match at Hemel Hempstead a number
of athletes had winning performances. Russell Bentley won the 800 for Surrey in
1.54.1 while team mate Michael Whitehouse won the high jump with 1.95. For Kent
Sam Bobb produced one of his biggest ever leaps when he won the triple jump with
a distance of 14.94.
There was a win also for Tawanda Chiwira in the 400 and
for Liz Hughes in the women's pole vault. Tom Robinson and Allan Williams
cleared 4.20 and 4.00 in the men's event.
Williams was also in action at the Veterans Inter Counties
match at Ashford. Here he soared over 4.15 for first place in the over 50's
category. Also in this age group there was a double victory in the 800 and 1500
for Ken Daniel and a win in the B 1500 for Peter Hamilton. Helen Godsell won the
100 in 13.8 and was second in the 200 in the women's events.
The evergreen Gordon Hickey is actually an over 70 but
this did not stop him moving down an age group and winning the over 60's shot
with a putt of 10.88. Colin Brand took the discus with 36.57 to add to a second
place in the javelin.
New member Miranda McLennan won the women's over 35's B
3000 with 11.52.4 while Diane Ballard was a good second in the 1500.
"I always thought I'd end up a
footballer like my dad. But a visit to an athletics track at the age of 11 made
me change my mind. Athletics had always seemed a bit boring before then but I
went to a training session with my sister and saw just how much fun it can be"
Carolina Kluft, Olympic champion at the heptathlon. Blackheath &
Bromley train at Norman Park track. Tuesdays and Thursdays for age 11 and over
from 6pm. Wednesdays for under 11s from either 6 to 7 or 6.30 to 7.30.
17 August 2004
AAA's Under 17 and Under 15 Championships,
Birmingham
Two Gold, two silver and two bronze medals made it a
highly successful weekend for the Blackheath & Bromley athletes who competed at
the AAA's Under 17 and Under 15 Championships at Birmingham.
These are the National Championships attracting the best
athletes from the country so just to have an entry accepted is an achievement.
To then go on and win a medal, whatever colour, is a highly noteworthy
performance.
Serita Solomon flew to victory in the Under 15 girls 75
metre hurdles. The Coopers Schoolgirl's time of 11.24 was impressive but all the
more so as it was run into a minus 1.5 metre per second headwind and she won by
a large margin.
Joe Stockton was also a comfortable winner. His distance
of 58.40 won the under 15 boys Hammer contest by 6 metres.
Two more of the Mike Davies Hammer squad also picked up
medals in the under 17 girls contest. Rachel Blackie launched the Hammer out to
46.22 to claim the silver medal while bronze went to Vickie Thomas with a new
personal best of 45.49 which moves her to 13th on the all time lists for the
event.
The other two medals for the Club also came in the throws.
Stuart Harvey picked up silver in the Under 17 Men's javelin with a throw of
60.36 while English Schools Champion Shaunagh Brown picked up bronze in the
under 15 girls discus with 32.53.
Others came close to the victory podium. The AlAmeen
brothers both just missed out on medals with 4th places. Alex timed 13.64 in the
Under 17 men's 100 hurdles while younger brother Richard had to settle for 4th
in the under 15's hammer with a distance of 49.82. Alistair Tawanaee was 5th in
the under 17's hammer with 56.53 while Lauren Blackie was 8th in a very
competitive under 15's long jump with 5.13.
South Of England Inter Counties, Abingdon
James Alaka continued his revision of the Blackheath &
Bromley under 15's Club records as he moved up to 7th on the UK all time list
when winning the 200 metres for Kent at the South Of England Inter Counties
match at Abingdon.
He won the race by over a second clocking 22.54 for the
distance slicing over 2 tenths of a second off former GB Junior International
Michael Nartey's previous best.
This was not the only Club record to be set at the match
as Rachel Arnheim soared over 2.70 metres in the under 15's pole vault
competition to not only break the Club under 15's record but also the under 17's
best as well.
A number of other athletes from the Club were in action in
a meeting that brings together many of the top athletes in the South Of England.
Amir Williamson won the under 20 men's Hammer contest by over 8 metres with a
distance of 60.44 while there were second places also in this age group for Alex
Pope with 3.80in the men's pole vault; Rachel Blackie, still an under 17, with
46.08 in the women's Hammer; and Sandra Alaneme with 11.60 in the triple jump .
Joe Stockton won the under 15 boys hammer by over 6 metres with a throw of 53.33
while on the track Rebecca Taylor prevailed in the 800 metres with a winning
time of 2.18.02.
Holly Williams picked up 2nd place in the 3km walk with
18.46.70 and Lauren Blackie placed 4th in the long jump with 5.10.
Celtic Junior Games
Scott Huggins' reward for his success this season in
the pole vault was an International call up. The Simon Tolson coached youngster
has cleared 3.70 this Summer a height which gave him selection to represent
Scotland at the Celtic Junior Games at Grangemouth.
He finished 2nd in the contest on his International debut
with a clearance of 3.40, the first no doubt of many International selections.
Under 23 Inter Area Match, Derby
Three of the Club's most promising athletes were in action in an Inter
Area Under 23 competition at Derby and showed good form. Fabian Collymore picked
up third places in both the 100 and 200 with times of 10.57 and 21.57 which were
wind assisted. Montell Douglas went one better in the women's 200 finishing 2nd
in 24.40 while Katy Benneworth showed that she is fast recovering from the mumps
as she leapt 5.35 for third place in the long jump.
Southern Men's League Division One,
Haringey
Third place in the final Southern Men's League match
of the season at Haringey leaves the Club's B team waiting to see if they retain
their place in the Division next season. They finished in 20th place in the 25
strong Division that contains mainly other Club's A teams.
The number of teams relegated will depend on whether
Club's are demoted to the League from the National League and vice versa if any
of the teams in the Southern League are promoted to the National League. So the
number of teams relegated to Division Two can vary between three and seven. It
all depends on the British League qualifying match on the 18th of September.
There was some strong competition in North London as Jonathan Barbour found out.
The former European Under 23 champion just prevailed in the 100 metres to win by
two hundredths of a second in 10.56.
Best performance in the field came from under 17 Adam
Berry who set a new sparkling best of 3.40 in the pole vault. Coach Simon Tolson
cleared a useful 3.80 in the A string.
Back on the track there was a season's best in the 400
hurdles from joint team manager Mark Purser and relatively newcomers to the
track Jon Thorpe and Ciaron Osbourne both set personal bests in the 5,000.
A number of athletes competed in more than their normal
number of events helping the Club to pick up valuable League and Match Points.
Among these was a promising 12.45 in the triple jump from Ian Allerton while Max
Richardson made an invaluable contribution in the 400 and both relays.
British Milers Club Races, Eltham
A number of the Club's middle distance stars were in
action at the British Milers Club races at Sutcliffe Park. Michael Skinner
succeeded in his quest to break the 1.50 barrier for the 800 is over as he timed
1.49.9 for 2nd place in the A race. Winner of the B race Andrew Rayner also set
a new best with 1.54.4, quite an achievement as he has missed most of the season
through injury. Joe Mills was 5th with 1.55.4, Steve Cooper 8th with 1.58.3 and
Terry Hawkey 9th with 1.59.3.
In the 1500 Dave Taylor smashed the Club Over 40's record
as he finished in 4th place in 3.49.7. There was a new best in the mixed B race
as Rebecca Taylor timed an excellent 4.46.1.
Many of the runners were in action again down in Brighton
where Skinner was 2nd in the 800 in 1.50.7 with Rayner timing 1.54.5, Mills
1.55.5 and Cooper 1.59.2 in the supporting races
On the roads
A number of the Club's athletes have been in road
action recently most noticeably Barry Stephenson who returned to his native
North East to place 2nd in the Sherwoods Darlington 10km.
At the other end of the country Bob Minting finished in
38th place in the Sidmouth Festival 10.5 km, a useful position as he has been
concentrating on the 800 metres.
He has just returned from the European Masters
Championships where his time of 2.05. was a new British Record. His time using
the age related tables is the equivalent to 1.45 for 800 metres at Senior Level,
quicker than any male has run this year.
10 August 2004
National Young Athletes League
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC's youngsters have qualified for the
National Young Athletes Final as Southern Premier Champions following a win in
their last match of the season at Norman Park.
The win meant they finished the Southern Premier season
unbeaten but this last fixture could not have been much tighter This is the
first year that the Young Athletes League has been a joint scoring competition
for boys and girls. Previously they had been separate and the match at Norman
Park brought together the 2003 girls champions, B & B, and the boys champions
Enfield & Haringey who needed to win to qualify for the national final. After
five and a half hours of tense competition the Blackheath & Bromley squad won by
just two points.
Individual highlight of the day was a new Club record in
the under 15's Hammer from Joe Stockton. His throw of 59.36 added over three and
a half metres to the previous best, a distance which Richard Al Ameen was close
to bettering in the B string with a throw of 53.94.
The Club only dropped two points out of 28 in the under 17
women's field events and hurdles. Captain Rachel Blackie, Victoria Thomas and
Rachelle Brace had a clean sweep in the throws and it was a similar story in the
hurdles where Leanne Critchley's A string wins were matched by Nina Akif and Jo
Wood in the B events. Many youngsters were unavailable for the match because of
the holidays so the contribution of athletes such as Katie Murray who was in
action in three track events proved invaluable.
For the Boys captain Alistair Tawanaee won all three of
the heavy throws including personal bests in both the shot and discus and Stuart
Harvey won the javelin by thirteen metres. On the track there was an A string
win in the 400 from Scott Blackwell.
James Alaka was again in unbeatable form in the Under 15
sprints winning the 100 in 11.4 and the 200 in 23.3 while in the field there was
a useful win for James Sellick in the javelin. For the girls there were A string
wins for Rebecca Taylor (800), Serita Solomon (75 hurdles), Lauren Blackie (long
jump) and Shaunagh Brown (discus and javelin).
In a remarkable team performance the under 13 girls only
dropped 2 points the whole afternoon. The squad is brimming with talent and was
boosted by new arrivals Daniella Annon who won the 75 B string in 10.5 and
Jessica Saville who won the A 800 in 2.34.0. Stephen Cavey was a comfortable
winner of the 800 in 2.17.2 and showed his great versatility with a 9.20 shot
putt. The youngsters now travel to Birmingham for the National Final on the 5th
of September.
Southern Women's League
The Club lost its unbeaten record in the Southern Women's League as the
team finished in 3rd place in it's 5th round match at Harrow. The squad was
greatly depleted because of the holidays and late withdrawals and were beaten by
the hosts and Radley Ladies who are in the UK Women's League. Despite the
absentees it was nevertheless another good team performance and it was only
towards the end the long hot afternoon that they slipped back from the leaders.
Young Athletes Captain Rachel Blackie was in fine form in
her specialist event, the Hammer which she won with a distance of 46.36 but she
also won the B discus before scoring valuable points in the triple jump and the
4x100. In fact the team only dropped one point in the Senior throws as former
Commonwealth Champion Myrtle Augee won the shot and discus A strings while
Vickie Thomas won the Hammer and Shot B strings. Christine Lawrence and Frances
Athawes were first and second in the javelin.
Athawes was another who was in action in more than her
normal event. She also ran the 400 and 4x400. Coaches and team managers
contributed too. Michell Bovell rolled back the years to pick up equal 3rd in
the B high jump and then 1966 Commonwealth Games 110 yard breas-stroke champion
Diana Mantoura made her track debut in the 400 metres to pick up more valuable
points for the team.
Her daughter Christina was in action in both hurdles
races, both relays and the 800 B string. "A" in the 800 was Katie Murray who was
close to her best despite the hot conditions. She finished 3rd as she was in the
1500 and in between cleared an excellent 1.55 in the high jump to finish second
in her first competition for some time.
There was a new best for Rachel King as she soared over
2.40 in the pole vault while Katy Benneworth, Leanne Critchley and Jo Wood all
scored good points in the sprints and hurdles.
There were wins in the under 15's age group from Serita
Solomon and the 4x100 team of Solomon, Emily Godley, Chloe Shaw and Jessica
Harding. Emily also had wins in the B 100, 200 and javelin competitions while
Chloe cleared 1.35 to win the B high jump with Jessica 3rd in the A string with
1.45. Faye Miller won the B hurdles in some style while in the middle distance
Ruby Samuels, Danielle Barley, Laura Kastoryano and Danielle Critchley all ran
well despite the sweltering conditions.
Out in the field there was a promising Southern League
debut from Katherine Jones with bests in both the shot and discus and she would
no doubt have benefited from competing alongside English Schools discus champion
Shaunagh Brown.
With the Olympics fast approaching it can sometimes be
mistakenly assumed that Athletics is an just an elite Sport. This is not the
case and the Club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities from under 13s
through to marathon runners.
3 August 2004
British Athletics League, Stoke
Blackheath & Bromley's Senior Men's team pulled off a
great escape with a third place in the final British League Division Two match
of the season at Stoke that meant they avoided the drop to Division Three.
Going into the match the Club were bottom of the 8 team
division with 7th and 8th placers to be relegated. They needed to beat the City
Of Liverpool by 2 League places and 20 match points and Notts AC by one place
and 13.5 match points. This they eventually achieved in some style but it was a
long days competition with the team places changing constantly and it was only
in the last events of the six hour match that they moved clear.
After two last places and a 6th in the previous three
matches the big difference was the availability of a few more of the Club's best
athletes and there willingness to do as many events as necessary to avoid the
drop. Michael Skinner, disappointed not to receive an invitation to the Crystal
Palace Grand Prix the night before, doubled up in the middle distance for the
first time in the League this season winning the 1500 in 3.47.98 and just missed
out on victory in the 800. With the match tight he also put himself forward for
a place in the 4x400 team that took second in 3.15.98.
Anchor leg in this relay was double Olympian Tawanda
Chiwira who has been the Club's biggest points scorer this season. He was 2nd in
the 400 in 46.97 as well as taking 2nd in the B 100. Winner of the B 400 was
former World Junior finalist Alloy Wilson who is returning to his best form
after some time out. He clocked 47.86 and was 2nd in the B 200 in 21.8 with
Fabian Collymore achieving 3rd places in both A string sprints with 10.84 and
21.7.
These three teamed up with Bomene Barikor for a resounding
victory in the 4x100 a timely win at a late stage of the match.
Barikor had a busy afternoon in the field in the high,
long and triple jumps. Sam Bobb won the triple jump with a leap of 14.44 and
Patrick Boundy defied a shoulder injury to compete in all four throws which
included an excellent 61.78 in his specialist event the javelin. Stuart Harvey
was 2nd here while Amir Williamson scored useful points in the hammer and
discus. Tom Robinson soared over 4.10 in the pole vault and looks sure to go
higher in the near future. The B string did not go so well as Alex Pope no
heighted. However the plucky junior was keen to make amends volunteering to do
the 3000 steeplechase. His attitude was typical of the team spirit all afternoon
and while he might have only expected to gain one point for a performance that
did not challenge the Olympic qualifying standard, he actually scored four
points as three clubs failed to field B strings.
A string here was Daniel Moore who had only got home from
a wedding at 4.30 that morning before the long car trek to Stoke. Not only is he
the Club's fastest chaser this year but the 57.4 he timed in the A 400 hurdles
is also the best by a B & B athlete this season.
Match Result. 1. Trafford (335) 2. Border (306) 3.
Blackheath & Bromley (300) 4. Windsor (284) 5. Harrow (252) 6. City Of Liverpool
(243) 7. Notts (240) 8. Cardiff (206)
Final League table. 1. Trafford (31) 2. Border (28) 3. Windsor (21) 4. Harrow
(21) 5. Cardiff (14) 6. Blackheath & Bromley (11) 7. City Of Liverpool (10) 8.
Notts AC (8)
Relegated from Div One, Shaftesbury Barnet and Thames Valley.
Promoted form Div Three, City Of Sheffield and City Of Stoke
National Junior Athletics League, Haringey
The Club's men and women's junior teams have both
qualified for the National Final in September after the last of the Southern
Premier Division matches at Haringey. The women finished 2nd overall and the men
3rd and four teams from the South and four from the North will travel to Derby
for the final which will determine who will be United Kingdom champions.
It was good to see Montell Douglas and Sandra Alaneme in
action as, had they not done this match, they would not have been eligible for
the final as they have competed in the Junior League for the last two seasons.
Injury and International duties have been reason for this but Montell soon made
up for this with a win in the 100 metres (12.0) and second in the 200 (24.2).
Sandra was a comfortable winner of the triple jump with a
leap of 11.60 with English Schools International Jade Castell Thomas winning the
B string. Harriet Robinson produced the other A string win as she sped over the
100 hurdles to time 14.7 a performance that earned her the track athlete of the
match award.
There were a number of significant personal bests with
Victoria Thomas improving in the hammer to 44.99 and beating training partner
and English Schools champion Rachel Blackie in the process. Rachel won the B
event. Leanne Critchley improved again over the 400 hurdles to time an
impressive 68.50. Likewise Jo Wood in the B string whose efficient hurdling
style also helped to a new best and 2nd place in the 100 hurdles.
Katie Murray had a busy afternoon as after a 5th place in
the 800 she proceeded to win the B 400 in 62.20 before contributing an
impressive split of 60.5 in the 4x400.
The men's team was not at full strength and contented
themselves here with a 5th place. There were nevertheless some impressive
performances. On the track Tunde Balogun timed a useful 10.8 for the 100 metres
for 4th place in a race won by European Champion Leon Baptiste, while in the B
event Duayne Bovell equalled his best of 10.9.
Max Richardson ran another gutsy 400 metres to time 50.7
as did Alex Worley whose 58.2 for 3rd in the 400 hurdles was one of the fastest
in the Club this year. In the field there were impressive A string wins for Tom
Robinson in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.20 and from Amir Williamson
with a throw of 58.60 in the hammer. Scott Huggins (3.50) and Alistair Tawanaee
(45.45) made it maximum points in the B strings.
Emphasising the Club's increasing strength in the throws
Stuart Harvey fired the javelin out to 58.84 for second place and a personal
best while there was a best also in the shot for Alex Pope who putt 13.82 also
for 2nd place.
European Masters Championships, Aarhus,
Denmark
Dave Taylor is a double European Champion after two
comprehensive victories at the Masters Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
He won the 1500 metres by nearly 10 seconds in 3.54.83 and
then followed this with a 15 second victory in the 5000 with 14.26.95.
It was gold too for Helen Godsell as she was part of the
Great Britain over 50's team that struck gold in the 4x400 with a time of
4.22.81. She also picked up bronze in the 200 with a time of 27.98.
World Champion Allan Williams had to settle for silver in
the over 50's pole vault with a clearance of 3.90 and it was second too for the
evergreen Jim Day who cleared of 2.60 in the over 70's vault competition.
London Marathon Charity
The Club recently presented a cheque for over £5,000
to the Parkinson's Appeal for Deep Brain Stimulation. The money was raised by
the Club's athletes who competed in this years London Marathon.
Deep Brain Stimulation allows sufferers of Parkinson's
Disease to lead a near normal life. The Appeal is urgently seeking to raise £1.5
million to secure the long term funding of the Deep Brain Stimulation Unit at
Queen Square, London. This will provide a dedicated operating theatre and
equipment to facilitate an extensive research programme, fund the training of
neurosurgeons and ensure the operation will be as widely available as possible
on the National Health in perpetuity.
One person who would benefit from this treatment is one of
the Club's Vice -Presidents Les Roberts. Now aged 60 Les is a former World over
45s Champion at the 5,000 metres. Such treatment could allow him to run again.
27 July 2004
Liz Hughes made her full Great Britain debut in the
Norwich Union International match in Birmingham. She finished in 6th place in
3.97 a good performance considering the difficult swirling winds. She will no
doubt have benefited immensely from the experience as in the same competition
Yelana Isinbayeva of Russia broke the World Record with a clearance of 4.89. She
finished as the first Britain and although she will not be going to the Olympics
she was delighted to gain a Great Britain vest.
Also making his Great Britain debut at the weekend was
Fabian Collymore who competed in Under 23 International Match against Germany
and Italy. He finished 3rd in the B 100 metres and was then part of the 4x100
metre team who finished third in 41.00.
Four of the Club's potential senior Internationals of the
future took a further step up the competitive ladder when they represented
England at the Home Countries Schools International in Chelmsford. All achieved
their selections after either winning or placing second in the English Schools
Championships the week before.
Rachel Blackie could not have had much more difficult
conditions in which to make her International debut. Competing in the Hammer the
event was interrupted by a severe electric storm and the athletes were taken
away from the throwing area for safety reasons. In such circumstances her throw
of 46.35 on a wet slippery circle, her second best ever competition performance,
was a fine achievement which gave her 2nd place.
Training partner Alistair Tawanaee also took the runner up
place in the boys event. He threw an excellent 58.53 and has his brother Amir's
Club Record in his sights. He was some way off the winner as team mate Alex
Smith smashed the UK under 17 record with a throw of 76.52.
Both athletes are coached by Mike Davies and Rachels
Championship best at the English Schools Championships at Gateshead was the
first time he had had an athlete break a championship record at the event since
1960! Rachel's father John coaches the two other International debutants. Jade
Castell Thomas also claimed the runner up spot in the triple jump. Her leap of
11.18 was just short of her personal best. Daniel Haque shocked his father when
he took silver at the Schools Championships not only because of the quality of
his performance but also because it meant re-arranging a family holiday so that
they could attend the Chelmsford International. He finished in 5th place in the
200 metres in 22.46 and was also part of the England 4x100 team that took top
spot in a time of 42.29.
Stephen Cavey was the Club's top performer representing
Kent at the Under 13 Southern Inter Counties match at Kingston. He was just
outside his own Club Record in winning the 800 metres in 2.14.5. The Club were
well represented at the match and helped Kent to finish third in the fixture
very close behind Berkshire and Surrey.
Also in the middle distance there was another good
performance from Amy DeMatos as she finished 4th in the 1500 in 5.00.9 while Joe
Harding, a first year under 13, was 4th in the boys B string event.
There was new best for Elliott Cox in the 200 metres as he
timed 25.5 for 2nd place to add to his 3rd place in the 100. More good sprints
came from Rebecca Cook who was 5th in the girls 100 in 14.2 and she later teamed
up with Grace Shepherd, who had earlier run 14.4 in the non scoring race, to
form part of the winning 4x100 relay squad.
Katherine Jones had a good afternoon with new bests in
both the shot and discus of 8.09 and 21.07. Estelle Patten picked up some good
points for the team by finishing 2nd in the "B" discus with 18.23 and she also
helped out in the B javelin with a throw of 15.08.
Jessica Matthews continued her promising season in the
high jump as she cleared 1.35 to finish in 5th place.
20 July 2004
Dwayne Grant of Blackheath & Bromley has been selected for
the Great Britain Olympic squad for the 4x100. Grant who turned 22 last week
finished in 3rd place in the 200 metres at the Olympic Trials and there was some
concern that his season might be over as he lay on the track clutching his
hamstring. A small tear was discovered and his rehabilitation will have received
a huge boost with the news of his Olympic selection.
Grant has been a club member since the age of ten and
still holds the under 13 boys long jump record. He is no stranger to the world
stage as he was part of the Great Britain 4x100 team that won gold at the World
Junior Championships in 2000. He is also a former winner of the 200 metres at
the European Youth Olympics and the Commonwealth Youth Olympics.
Another of the Club's sprinters took on one of the World
greats in the North Down International at Bangor in Northern Ireland. Fabian
Collymore lined up against Namibia's Frankie Fredericks in the 100 metres. He
finished in 6th place in a time of 10.93 which was into a headwind, with
Fredericks winning in 10.35. Collymore then timed a good 21.93 in the 200 to
finish in 2nd place again into a headwind.
Montell Douglas was also in sprint action finishing in 5th
place in both the 100 and 200 in times of 12.33 and 25.24. Michael Skinner was
5th in the 1500 metres in 3.44.17.
In Loughborough Innternational meeting, Jonathan Barbour
returned to action after injury to time 10.55 for 7th place in the 100 metres.
Tawanda Chiwira was 5th in the A race of the 400 in 47.87 while Alloy Wilson was
5th in race 3 in 48.86.
Golden Jubilee Cup Semi Final, Eton
A battling team performance saw the combined men and
women's team of Blackheath & Bromley come a close second to reigning champions
Belgrave in the Golden Jubilee Cup Semi Final at Eton. Unfortunately the tough
qualification of just one team from each match means that the Club don't make
the Final in August but since the competition became mixed three years ago they
have come closer each time.
Particularly pleasing to note was that if the men and
women's matches had been scored separately the women would have just won, which
bodes well for their campaign to gain a place in the UK Women's League in
September. Outstanding performance of the day on the track came from Michael
Skinner. He led from start to finish in the 800 to win in 1.51.6 and then toed
the line in the 1500 after Russell Bentley withdrew with a hamstring injury.
Such was the speed of the early pace he was struggling to
hang onto the leaders but as the bell approached he began to make contact and a
blistering last lap saw the AAA's bronze medallist come home to win in 3.46.0.
Tawanda Chiwira won the 400 metres in 47.8 and then did his chances of making
the Zimbabwe Olympic team no harm with a devastating 46.0 relay leg, just
missing out on victory.
Montell Douglas cruised to victory in the 200 winning by
half a second in 24.8 and there was a win too for Jennie Butler in the 3000 in
10.30.6 to add to her 4th place in the 800 and 3rd in the 1500.
In the field AAA's Silver medallist Liz Hughes was a
comfortable winner of the pole vault with 3.80 and Myrtle Augee set seasons
bests of 13.47 to win the shot and 38.02 for 3rd in the discus. She was also 3rd
in the hammer with 34.79.
Christine Lawrence won the javelin with a useful 39.81 and
fellow junior Michael Whitehouse showed a good return to form after a heavy cold
by soaring over 2.05 to win the high jump.
Another junior International Amir Williamson had a good
afternoon with a personal best of 51.33 for 3rd place in the hammer and there
was also a best for Steve Timmins with 45.99 in the javelin.
Layla Hawkins scored vital points in the high and long
jumps and both hurdles and Vickie Cole came in at short notice to place 4th in
the 100 and contribute good legs in both relays.
National Young Athletes League, Havering
The Club's youngsters moved another step closer to a
place in this years National Young Athletes League Final with a resounding win
in the latest Southern Premier Division match at Havering. With just one match
remaining the team head the 16 club division on maximum points and are
favourites to take one of the two places available in the final.
This was not an easy match, however, because of the
clashes with holidays, and neither will the last match be in two weeks time on
the 1st of August as they face second place Enfield & Haringey at Norman Park.
This will be an intriguing match as the Club won the National Girls title last
year and Enfield & Haringey the boys. This is the first year that the League is
a joint scoring boys and girls competition.
At Havering two of the Club received Athlete Of The Match
awards. English Schools champion James Alaka received the Boys track award for
another outstanding win in the Under 15 boys 100 metres where he timed 11.1.
Richard AlAmeen took the boys field event award for his throw of 51.71 which won
the under 15 boys hammer by over 21 metres.
In the Under 17's new English Schools International Daniel
Haque won the 100 metres in a grade one of 11.3 but did so in some difficulty as
he sustained an injury. There were sparkling new personal bests of 3.60 and 3.30
for Scott Huggins and Adam Berry in the pole vault and expected wins for big
hitters Alistair Tawanaee (hammer), Stuart Harvey (javelin) and Alex AlAmeen
(100 hurdles).
Surprise package of the day was Richard Daniel who has
blossomed in recent weeks. He won the 400 hurdles in a new best of 60.2 and
after winning the steeplechase by 17 seconds in a new best of 5.01.3 and
returned just 10 minutes later to deliver a 53.8 relay split as the 4x400 team
won a thrilling contest against Havering Mayesbrook.
For the girls Rebecca Syrocki contributed a blistering
41.3 to win the 300 and also clocked an excellent 12.8 for second in the 100.
Katie Murray won the 1500 and as well as competing in the 800 showed a good turn
of speed to finish second in the 200 metres. In the field Flo Clark, Rachel
Blackie, Vickie Thomas, Frances Athawes, Rachel King, Rachelle Brace and Jo Wood
scored near maximum points for the team.
In the under 15s Serita Solomon won both the 100 and 80
hurdles in grade ones of 12.6 and 11.7 as did Rebecca Taylor in the 800 with
2.17.0.
The under 13's continue to show great promise and there
were grade ones in the girls age group for Rebecca Cook with 10.1 and Amy
DeMatos in the 800 with 2.28.8. For the boys there were good wins for Izzy Ukoku
jnr (200) and Stephen Cavey (800).
This was, however, a great team performance with athletes
of all ages and abilities contributing to an outstanding result as the Club
achieved it's second highest match score of the season.
13 July 2004
AAA's Championships and Olympic Trials
Athletes from Blackheath & Bromley were in the thick
of the action at the AAA's Championships and Olympic Trials at Manchester as the
country's top stars strove to secure selection for places in the Great Britain
team for Athens. The cold and windy weather prevented fast times and made
conditions difficult in the field so many athletes are still left chasing the
qualifying standards.
Best performance by a Club member came from Liz Hughes who
coped well with the gusting wind to pick up silver in the pole vault with a
clearance of 3.95. Her performance has secured her selection for the Great
Britain team for the match against the USA in Birmingham in a couple of weeks
time. One of the closest finishes of the day came in the 1500 where a big group
of athletes including Michael Skinner battled together down the home straight.
At one point it looked as if he would claim silver but he had to settle for an
excellent bronze in a time of 3.50.77.
Most eagerly anticipated race of the weekend was the men's
200 metres where the Club had two athletes in the Final. In a tight finish
Dwayne Grant plunged across the line to take third place in 21.27 just ahead of
former Commonwealth champion Julian Golding who had to settle for 5th in 21.36.
Grant's immediate concern afterwards was a hamstring injury which left him
prostrate on the track while Golding will be disappointed as it looks as if he
will not be making the team for Athens.
There was disappointment too for Mohammed Sillah
Freckleton who didn't finish in his heat of the 110 hurdles after sustaining a
hamstring injury and also for Mark Awanah who was prevented by injury from
competing in the long jump.
Elsewhere Sam Bobb was 9th in the triple jump with a leap
of 14.75; Fabian Collymore set new best of 21.64 in the 200 and Alloy Wilson
timed 48.61 in his heat of the 400 metres.
Three of the Club's juniors also gained valuable
Championship experience. Sandra Alaneme was 10th in the women's triple jump
while on the track Montell Douglas timed 12.49 and 24.95 in the heats of the 100
and 200 and Robert Bain was 13th in the 5km walk in 24.11.07.
English Schools, Gateshead
The Club's athletes were in superlative form at the
English Schools Championships in Gateshead with 5 individual gold, 5 silver and
3 bronze medals, 4 youngsters gaining International selection and four Club
Records. Just securing a place at these Championships, often dubbed "the mini
Olympics", is an achievement in itself but to produce such results must be the
envy of most Clubs in the country.
It didn't take long for the first gold to arrive and it
came in spectacular fashion as Rachel Blackie smashed the Championship record in
the Intermediate Girls Hammer with a throw of 48.06 adding over 3 metres to her
previous best Club Record Under 17 and Under 20. Not only that it also bettered
Myrtle Augee's Senior Record as well! It is the 4th furthest ever by a UK
athlete, the best ever being 48.94, and as she has already improved over 12 and
a half metres since last Summer, the UK Record has become a realistic target.
The immediate aim, however, is this weekend as her
Gateshead performance has given her automatic selection for the England team for
the Home Countries International at Chelmsford. Here she will be joined by
training partner Alistair Tawanaee, who launched the Intermediate Boys Hammer
out to 58.22 to claim the silver medal.
Both are coached by Mike Davies as are Alistair's brother
Amir Williamson who won the Senior Boys Hammer with 58.39; and Joe Stockton and
Richard AlAmeen who took gold and silver in the Junior Boys age group event with
distances of 53.54 and 51.61 respectively.
The two other athletes to gain International selection are
both coached by Rachel's father John. Jade Castell Thomas set a new best of
11.29 as she finished 2nd in the Intermediate Girls triple jump and then
diminutive Daniel Haque sped to a new best of 21.89 for silver in the Inter Boys
200 metres.
The other golds came in the Junior age groups. James Alaka
showed what an awesome talent he is by dominating the 100 metres and winning the
final in 11.14. His time was a new Club Record and the 6th fastest ever by a UK
athlete. Out in the field Shaunagh Brown produced a mighty throw of 36.88 in the
discus to set a new Club Record adding nearly two metres to her previous best.
Her throw was over a metre further than anyone threw in the country last year.
It was nearly gold too for Serita Solomon. She missed out
by the narrowest of margins as her 11.21 in the 75 metre hurdles was the same
time as the winner.
Second claim members Mark Covington (51.46 in the Senior
Boys Hammer) and Tunde Balogun (10.80 in the Senior Boys 100) both picked up
bronze medals. So too did Stuart Harvey in the javelin missing out on next
weekends International by just 4 centimetres despite setting a new Club Record
of 64.69. Similarly there were others who just missed out any on medals at all.
Michael Whitehouse (high jump), Bobby Lockwood (shot) and Christine Lawrence
(javelin) were all 4th in the Senior age groups as was Vickie Thomas in the
Intermediate Girls Hammer despite throwing over 8 metres further than the
National Grade One.
There was disappointment too for Clare Cooper in the Inter
Girls 75 hurdles as after qualifying for the final she was unable to take her
place on the start line due to injury. On another day all these could have
tasted glory. Also out the medals but with another new personal best was Flo
Clark who threw 35.72 in the discus while Rebecca Taylor was less than a second
off silver in the junior girls 800 but also had to settle for 5th. Amy Godsell
(40.82) and Rebecca Syrocki (40.92) were 6th and 7th in the Inter girls 300 and
Lauren Blackie 6th in the junior girls long jump with a leap of 5.16 just 9
centimetres off bronze.
Kent Under 13 Championships
Medallists at the Olympic Trials Michael Skinner and
Dwayne Grant both began the athletic careers competing for the Club's under 13
teams and if the results of the Kent County Under 13 Championship at Erith are
anything to go by then there are a number of athletes already in the Club who
could succeed them in the future.
The youngsters collected 9 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze
medals, set 5 Championships records and broke a Club record.
Elliott Cox, who is on Queens Park Rangers Football Club's
books, was in explosive form in the sprints with two championship bests. He
timed 12.5 for the 100 and 26.0 for 200 just holding off Stephen Cavey who timed
26.1. Cavey came into his own in the 800 where he also set a championship best
of 2.18.0. The middle distance potential was emphasised by the performances of
Joe Harding and Oliver Robinson who gained silver and bronze in the 1500 with
national grade two performances of 4.52.0 and 4.58.1 and from James Reeves who
was 11th in the 800.
Fourth championship best came from Daniel Duffin the
javelin. He launched the spear out to 39.30 a new club record and a performance
that would have ranked him 3rd best in the country last year. His 9.20 in the
shot was a grade two performance.
Highlight in the girls events came from Amy DeMatos who
ran one of the fastest times in the country this year to win the 1500 metres in
5.04.2 another new championship best performance.
Rebecca Cook also took gold in the 100 metres in 13.7 and
added bronze in the 200 while there was silver for Lucy Price in the 800 in
2.37.9 and for Danielle Critchley in the 2500 walk in 16.13.0.
In the field there was a clean sweep for the Club in the
high jump as Jessica Matthews took gold with 1.33 on countback from Grace
Sheppard with Nenisha Nelson-Roberts 3rd with 1.30.
Further medals came courtesy of Katherine Jones and
Estelle Patten with a one-two in the discus and from Helen Silvester and Phoebe
Snow who struck gold and bronze in the javelin. Katherine also picked up silver
in the shot
Southern Men's League
The Club's Senior Men finished in 3rd and 2nd places
in the Joint Southern League Divisions One and Three South match at Norman Park.
The matches featured the Club's B and C teams and while it was a little
disappointing not to win on home ground it has to be remembered that they were
largely up against other Club's A teams.
In Division One, Neil Simpson provided the only individual
a String win in the 400 in 49.8 with Joe Godsell making it maximum points in the
B string. There was a new best of 1.59.6 for James Poole as he won the B 800 and
it was good to see Steve Timmins back in action after a long break from the
Sport and achieving a personal best in the javelin.
In Division Three Scott Jarred was a class apart in
winning the 400 and new boy John Thorpe made a good debut winning the 1500 in
4.19.6
Kent Young Athletes League
Many of the Club's youngsters were in fine form at the
recent Kent Young Athletes League match at Sutcliffe Park where there were wins
for the under 13 boys and girls teams and also the under 15 girls. The girls won
the combined age group competition while the boys finished in 2nd place.
Particularly pleasing to see is the emergence of a very
talented under 13 boys squad under team manager Peter Ward. Highlights her again
were the performances of Elliott Cox (sprints) and Stephen Cavey (800) who had
grade one victories but there was also wins for promising youngsters such a Joe
Harding in the 1500, Connor Sumner (75 hurdles), Jack Holland (high jump) and
Joseph Marchant (discus). Also Izzy Ukoku Jnr who won both the B string sprints
would have won the A races if he had run instead of Cox.
The girls in the same age group hardly dropped a point all
afternoon winning 21 out of 23 events. Of these there were natioal grade two
winning performances from Rebecca Cook in the 75 metres, Katie Vistuer (150
metres) and Helen Silvester in the javelin.
Highlight in the under 15's age group was a new Club
record in the pole vault for Rachel Arnheim. Her clearance of 2.65 also broke
her own under 17s record as well. Lauren Blackie went over 2.50 to win the B
string also a national grade one performance.
For the boys the performance of Dane Cole stood out as he
soared over 1.65 in the high jump and there was a useful win in the 80 hurdles
from Heaven Lee Roach.
6 July 2004
Internationals
Blackheath & Bromley's Amir Williamson celebrated his
debut as a Great Britain Junior International with a sparkling new hammer
personal best. Competing in the match in Manchester against Australia and a
Great Britain select, he launched the 6kg implement out to 61.77 an improvement
of three metres on his previous best to finish 2nd overall in the competition.
Michael Whitehouse also made his GB debut finishing 4th
equal in the high jump with a leap of 1.95. Competing as a non scorer Sandra
Alaneme was 5th in the triple jump with a leap of 11.72 while out on the track
Robert Bain was also invited to guest in the 5km walk finishing in 24.55.30.
Also guesting was Montell Douglas who finished 6th in the women's 100 in 12.25
before forming part of the 4x100 metre team that finished 2nd.
The pole vault competition took place indoors and Liz
Hughes warmed up for this weekends Olympic Trials by clearing a seasons best of
4.10 a height that makes her the 5th best vaulter of all time indoors. (She is
actually the 3rd best outdoors).
Also putting together his final preparations for the
Trials was Julian Golding who travelled to Heraklion in Greece. Here he timed
10.61 for the 100 metres before finishing 4th in the 200 in 20.66 in a race won
by current Olympic champion Kostas Kederis of Greece.
British League Division Two Eton
Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC will need all hands
to the pumps in the last British Athletics League Division Two match of the
season at the end of the month after a battling team performance at the latest
match at Eton gave them the chance of avoiding relegation to Division Three.
Last in the first two matches they finished 6th in the 8 team match ahead of
fellow relegation battlers City of Liverpool and Notts.
The Club achieved it's first A string win of the season
when Michael Skinner confidently hit the front in the home straight of the 800
metres going on to win 1.52.5. Tawanda Chiwira couldn't have been much closer to
victory as he finished in the runner up position in the 400 metres for the 3rd
successive match. Moving into the lead in the home straight he looked to have
the race won but was pipped on the line by Border Harriers fast finishing Rabah
Yusef. Both timed 47.3.
He also finished in 4th place in the 100 metres, won by
Cardiff's Christian Malcolm, but then had to pull up with cramp just after the
start of the 200 metres. Many would have simply walked off the track but the
double Olympian hobbled the rest of the race and even had the good humour to dip
at the finish and smile at the appreciative spectators. A time of one minute
31.2 seconds will not challenge the rankings lists but the four points he scored
could prove vital if at the end of the season teams are level on League points
and the relegation places are decided on match points.
Hence too the contribution of an athlete such as Richard
Hall should not be under-estimated. Not a first choice selection he accepted a
late call up to run the steeplechase and then, despite going for a swim in the
water jump, was game enough to race the 1500 metres.
The team was boosted by a number of athletes making their
returns to British League competition. Former World Junior Championship finalist
Alloy Wilson's time of 47.9 in the B string 400 was his fastest for six years
and the fact that he was only 3rd was testimony to the high standard of
competition in many of the events. For example, the strong pairing of Spencer
Newport and Barry Stephenson in the 5000 only yielded 6th and 4th places.
Daniel Moore has always had a reputation as a versatile
athlete which he again demonstrated by clearing 1.75 in the high jump and then
running the fastest time in the Club this year in the 3000 steeplechase.
Joe Mills timed a useful 3.58 in the 1500 and looks sure
to go faster with every race and Exeter University student Jake Aust picked up
useful points in the 110 hurdles.
There was disappointment, however, for Commonwealth Games
long jumper Mark Awanah. A knee injury meant he was forced to take off on his
wrong leg but he then exacerbated a back problem in the process. He had to quit
the competition early having registered 6.01 which pushed Sam Bobb up to the A
string where he gained 3rd place with 6.33. He later added 4th in the triple
jump.
There was a personal best for Alex Pope in the shot putt
with 10.69 and the performances of fellow juniors Tom Robinson (4 metres in the
vault), Duayne Bovell (100 and triple jump), Daniel Campbell (high jump) and Ian
Allerton (200) all showed promise for the future.
Youngest member of the team, however, was under 17 Stuart
Harvey, who achieved 2nd place in the B string javelin with 54.50. Oldest
competing was World Over 50's pole vault champion Allan Williams who cleared 4
metres before withdrawing as a precaution.
The Club will need this spirit from young and old plus the
firepower of some it's absent top athletes if it is to avoid relegation.
Southern Women's League, Guildford
The Club recorded it's 4th win of the season in their
Southern Women's League Division One match at Guildford and are now the only
unbeaten team in the 25 strong division. However, they remain in 2nd position in
the table as placings are based upon match points rather than League points.
Highlight of the day was a new club record in the discus
from Shaunagh Brown. Her distance of 35.00 would have ranked her 3rd in the
country last year. There was much else to celebrate with numerous individual
wins. Particularly notable were the performances of a number of under 17s who
were competing in the Senior age group. The pairing of Jade Castell Thomas and
Rachel King scored maximum points in both the long and triple jumps with Jade's
5.30 in the long and Rachel's 10.83 in the triple personal bests.
Similarly Rachel Blackie and Victoria Thomas scored near
maximum points in the Hammer both with distances way in excess of grade one
standards. Victoria also won the shot and Rachel the discus as B string to the
incomparable Myrtle Augee, the 5 times Commonwealth Games representative who is
enjoying her retirement from International Athletics by inspiring the stars of
the future at grass roots level.
The near maximum points in the throws was completed with a
double win in the javelin for Christine Lawrence with 39.30 and Frances Athawes
with a fine new personal best of 31.06.
On the track Harriet Robinson had a good day with an
excellent 14.6 win in the sprint hurdles to add to her win in the 100 metres
while training partner Clare Cooper took the B 100 and was 2nd in the 200 in a
good 26.3 with Sam Singer taking the B string in 26.7 to add to a 2nd place in
the A 400.
Other wins on the track came from Jennie Butler in the
1500 and the 4x100 team of Robinson, Cooper, Castell Thomas and Leanne Critchley.
Leanne's performances in the Under 17's hurdles were the other big highlight of
the day. An athlete on the periphery of the squad last year she has now
established herself as a essential member of any team demonstrating this with a
stunning 43.3 personal best to win the 300 hurdles. She followed with another
best of 12.8 to win the 80 metre hurdles.
The under 15's were outstanding scoring 94 out of a
possible 105 points. As well as the discus Shaunagh Brown also won the shot and
there were double wins as well for Vanessa Nakangu (B100 and 200), Rachel
Arnheim (B high and long jumps), Amarah Taitt (B shot and discus) and Sarah
McLellan who showed great versatility in the 800 and 75 hurdles.
There were maximum points for Amy Smith and under 13 Amy
Dematos, with a grade one, in the 1500.
Other wins came from Lauren Blackie with another grade one
leap of 5.15 in the long jump and the 4x100 team of Nakangu, Arnheim, Katrina
Cosby and Serita Solomon.
National Young Athletes League, Copthall
The Club took another step towards a place in the
National Young Athletes Final with a third consecutive victory in the Southern
Premier Division at Copthall. There are now the only unbeaten team in the
division as main rivals Enfield and Haringey were beaten by Harrow in the match
at Tooting. After two very near misses Stuart Harvey picked up the male field
event athlete of the match award for his 58.47 winning throw in the under 17's
javelin. It was of course a grade one winning performance as were those of
Alistair Tawanaee in the hammer, Alex AlAmeen in the 100 hurdles and Daniel
Haque in both the 100 and 200 metres. Haque completed a hat trick of wins in the
triple jump with a new best of 13.15.
Other A string wins came from Scott Blackwell (400), James
Poole (1500), Richard Daniels (400 hurdles), Scott Huggins (pole vault) and
Tawanaee again in the discus.
Best performance for the under 17 women came from Amy
Godsell who won the 300 metres with an excellent time of 41.1 to add to her win
in the 100 metres. In fact along with Nina Akif, Jo South, Leanne Critchley, Jo
Wood and Jade Castell Thomas only one out a possible 50 points were dropped in
the sprints and hurdles.
Similarly Castell Thomas, Anna Smith and Rachel King
scored maximum points in the high and long jumps and there were A string wins in
the throws from Rachel Blackie (discus), Rachelle Brace (javelin) and Victoria
Thomas (shot).
The under 15 girls field eventers also only dropped one
and a half points out of possible 50 in all the field events and included a
promising debut from Sarah McGuire with a victory in the A string javelin.
Highlight here though was the award of Field event athlete of the match to
Amarah Taitt with a mighty throw of 29.09 which won the B discus, A string
Shaunagh Brown having won the award at the previous fixture.
On the track there wins in both strings for Rebecca Taylor
and Amy Smith in the 1500 and Serita Solomon and Sarah McLellan in the 75
hurdles. Sarah also won the 800.
James Alaka was again in superlative form with a double
win in the boys sprints and Alex AlAmeen (hammer) and Ben Bateman (javelin) both
delivered victories.
Highlight in the under 13's age group was a new Club
Record by Amy Dematos in the 1200 metres. She lopped 1.7 seconds off Rebecca
Taylor's previous record to clock 3.54.3 but such was the high standard in this
event that it was still only good enough for 2nd place. Maximum points were
scored in the sprints by the quartet of Rebecca Cook, Sian Hurlock, Grace
Sheppard and Katie Vistuer and there were A string wins for Rebecca Smith (800),
Jessica Matthews (high jump) and Leah Forbes Morris (long jump).
The sprinters were on fire in the boys races where Elliott
Cox clocked grade ones of 12.6 and 26.3, the latter matched by Stephen Cavey who
also won the 800. Ben Greenhalgh and Joe Harding both logged good times in the
800 and 1500 while out in the field Stephen Camacho (4.43 in the long jump) and
Danny Duffin and Andrew Jordon (9.72 and 9.37 in the shot) showed great promise.
Fri 9th/Sat 10th English Schools, Gateshead
Sat 10th/Sun 11th AAA's and Olympic Trials, Manchester
Sat 10th Southern Men's Lague Divisions 1 and 3 Norman Park
Sat 10th Kent Under 13 Championships, Erith.
Fri 16th Kent Veterans League, Canterbury
Sun 18th Golden Jubilee Cup Semi Final, Eton
Sun 18th NationalYoung Athletes League, Havering
