Last updated
17 December 2015
Press Releases for
July, August & September 2008
30/09/08
Peter Tucker made his International debut last weekend
when he represented England in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in
Canada. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete gained his selection on the back of his
performance in this years London Marathon where he ran 2.23.12, the 10th
quickest time in the country this year.
Tucker was not so quick at Toronto, but no marathon course
is the same and an athlete has to adapt to local conditions. In a high quality
race which was won in 2.11.00 he finished in 24th place in 2.30.35, not as quick
as he would have liked but still an invaluable International experience.
He had warmed up for this race with wins in both the
Dorney Lake Windsor 10km where he timed 32.15 and the Burnham Beeches Half
Marathon with 70.01.
Montell Douglas is already an established International
and continued her season, post Beijing, with two more races in Europe. At the
Pedros Cup in Poland she finished third in the 100 metres in 11.51 and was third
again at the Quercia Roverto meeting in Italy with 11.48.
Another of the Club’s Internationals was in action
recently as Chelsea O’Rawe Hobbs won silver in the 5000 walk at the English
Schools Combined Events and Walks Championships in Birmingham. Her time was
27.46.65.
Because of his International selection Tucker had to miss
the South Of England 6 Stage Road Relay Championships at Aldershot on Saturday
where the Senior Men comfortably qualified for the National Final by finishing
in 8th place overall. Had they had the services of Tucker and fellow
International Mike Skinner they would undoubtedly have been in the medals and so
there is much to look forward to when they compete in the National event at
Sutton Coldfield next month.
Junior Alex Bruce Littlwood got the team off to a good
start as he finished 13th on the traditionally high quality first leg. Andrew
Rayner followed and he moved the team up to 5th with 18.08, the 11th quickest
time of the day, but, Dave McKinlay did not fare so well on leg three slipping
back to 13th with 20.26.
Loughborough University student James Poole maintained
this on leg four with 19.33 before passing to Scott Overall. Overall has been in
the form of his life this year breaking Club Records at 3000 and 5000 metres on
the track and he showed he has not lost much after his end of Summer break as he
brought the team back up to 5th place. His time of 17.26 was the quickest of the
day by ten seconds and only four athletes broke 18 minutes. Alex Gibbins had a
steady run on the final stage but slipped three places to 8th with 19.36.
One team who did win medals were the over 50s team. Con
Griffin came in 9th on the opening stage with 23.02 which set things up nicely
for Bill Foster. Foster has only recently turned 50 and he has been posting some
useful track times in preparation for the Great North Run next weekend. He moved
the team up to second place with 20.21 the second quickest time of the day.
Cliff Keene (22.10) maintained this on the third leg before Club President Tim
Soutar anchored the quartet home with 21.16, the 5th quickest time of the day.
The Club returned the following day for the Senior Womens
and Young Athletes races. Bryony Proctor flew round the first leg to come in 7th
in a time of 13.34 just six seconds behind Irish International Sonia O Sullivan.
Her time was the equal 18th fastest of the day. Elaine Murty also had a good run
but despite timing 14.14 she slipped a place. New girl Julie Reynolds timed a
useful 15.14 on leg three before acting team manager Carolyna Jones Baldock
brought the team home in 19th place with 17.09.
Best result in the Young Athletes races came from the
Under 17 women who finished in 7th place. Jen Hamer’s time of 11.06 on leg one
brought the team in 9th and Rebecca Smith held this on leg two with 12.23.
Danielle Critchley edged the team up to 7th on the final stage with 11.21.
Unfortunately the boys under 17 team only had three
runners and there were four in a team. Hector Kurtyanek (12.56), Joanthan Halls
(14.49) and Stephen Cavey (13.29) were the trio who were in 26th when they run
out of runners.
The Under 15 boys put in a good solid team performance
with Sam Jackson the quickest of the quartet with 10.15 on the opening leg. Will
Mercer (10.21), Greg Proctor (10.37) and Rob Yates (10.43) completed the team
which gave them 14th overall from 37 finishers
Encouragingly the under 15 girls fielded three teams. The
A team of Amber Read (11.24), Hannah Cook (12.57) and Jessica Jones (12.15)
finished in 28th place while the B team of Ella Self (13.13), Kayleigh Leonard
(14.00) and Hope Stenning (12.47) were 53rd and the C team of Rachel Robinson
(13.20), Lauren Heria (12.55) and Fiona Boyle (14.52) was 58th.
The previous weekend Andrew Rayner represented the South
Of England in an Inter Area match that was incorporated in the Swansea 10km. He
finished in 12th place overall in 31.30. Also on the roads Elaine Murty was
first woman home in the Tunbridge Wells 10km in 40.33.
A number of the Club youngsters enjoyed medal success at
the recent Kent Under 13s Championships which took place at Erith Stadium. Stars
of the weekend were Dina Asher Smith and Reon Gowan Wade who both set
Championship Best Performances.
Dina’s CBPs came in the 75 and 150 sprints. Her time of
9.8 in the 75 metres was also a new Club Record and is the second quickest time
in the country this year. In the 150 her time was 19.5 not a personal best but
still one of the fastest times this year.
Reon came away from the Championships with medals of every
colour. He won the long jump with a mighty leap of 5.44 to win by 70 centimetres
and set a new Championship best. He picked up silver in the high jump with a
clearance of 1.54 and although this left him second it was still the 6th highest
in the country this year. He also won silver in the 100 with 13.1 and completed
his set of medals with bronze in the 200 in 27.7.
Fourth gold medal of the weekend went to Shannon Cordell
who won the 2000 walk in a time of 15.02.5. Niyaz Chowdhury won silvers in the
discus and 75 metre hurdles and it was runner up spot too for Holly Fletcher in
the 800.
Three other athletes won bronze medals, Ben Akande in the
100, Ellie Lawrence in the javelin and Aleyah Babb Benjamin in the shot.
There were further Championship Bests and Club Records as
six athletes from the Club won an astonishing 17 gold medals at the Kent Masters
Championships at the same venue.
In the over 40s Past President Maureen Miller and coach to
some of the Club’s promising youngsters bagged a hat trick of golds with wins in
the 100, 200 and 400 metres. Her time of 62.9 in the latter was a new CBP.
Mens’ team captain Tom Phillips led by example with
victories in the over 50s 100 and 200 metre races.
Most success came in the over 60s age group where Barbara
Terry reigned supreme with four wins in the shot, discus, javelin and hammer.
Peter Hamilton took three titles in the 400, 800 and 1500 and also won bronze in
the 200. His time of 2.31.0 in the 800 was not only a new CBP but also a new
Club Record.
There was a Club Record too for Mike Martineau in the 300
hurdles. His time was 62.1 which gave him the silver, but he went one better to
take gold in the both the long and triple jumps. Gordon Hickey was another
athlete to win four medals as grabbed a hat trick of golds in the over 70s shot,
discus and javelin and also won silver in the hammer.
Katherine Jones has been nominated as the Jack Petchey
Foundation Award winner for September. Each month the clubs selects one young
person, in the 11 to 25 age group to receive an Achievement Award. The month's
winner receives a framed certificate and a cheque (payable to the club) for £300
to be spent on a club project of the recipient's choice.
Katherine, who was the Young Athletes girls captain this
year, has been one of the Club’s biggest points scorers in the League in recent
years and won all three of her events in the National Final. Her win in the
discus was a new personal best and the following week in the National Junior
League Final, against athletes up to three years older she won the B string
discus, again with a personal best performance. The only athlete who threw
further in the A string was team mate Shaunagh Brown who she trains with under
coach John Hillier.
23/09/08
Blackheath & Bromley’s junior women finished in 7th place
in the A final of the European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors which took place
in Mitrovica, Serbia. Being the A final (there are B and C finals), competition
was a very high standard with the top eight teams in Europe going head to head.
They started well and were in third place after five
events but slipped to seventh and will now have to wait to see whether they
compete in the A or the B final next year, having earned the right to represent
the UK in 2009 by being he best team at the National Junior League Final at
Derby the previous weekend.
The Club’s best events were in the field with five
athletes winning medals. Rachel Arnheim won the silver in the pole vault as she
cleared 3.40 in cold and drizzly conditions. It was silver too in the shot for
Shaunagh Brown as she putt 13.13, but, in her favoured event, the discus, she
had to settle for fourth place with a throw of 44.83.
Lorraine Ugen was the third Club athlete to win silver as
she leapt 5.67 in the long jump, a fine effort considering she had only just
finished competing in the 100 metres in which she finished fourth in 12.74
This was Rachel and Shaunagh’s third consecutive ECCCJ
contest as it was for Lauren Blackie who set a new best of 12.08 in the triple
jump to finish in third place. Banke Jemiyo was just outside her best in the
Hammer as she threw 46.08 to win the bronze medal.
Elsewhere in the field Jessica Matthews finished in 6th in
the high jump with a clearance of 1.60 and Sarah McGuire, who was struggling
with an ankle injury, was 8th in the javelin with a throw of 31.80.
Generally the team had a tough time on the track and the
best positions were Lorraine Ugen’s 4th in the 100 and Savannah Echel Thompson’s
4th in the 400. Savannah timed 57.72 but would have had to achieved a personal
best to have won a bronze.
Katie Murray ran one of her quickest times of the year in
the 400 hurdles, 64.36, but this only gained her 7th place.
Jen Hamer had a useful run in the 3000 metres with a time
of 10.49.05 but again this only gave her 7th place, the same position as
Danielle Critchley in the 800 as she timed 2.22.21. Amy DeMatos had perhaps the
toughest of afternoons. In the UK the distance for the steeplechase at Junior
Leagues in 2000 metres. In the ECCCJ the distance is supposed to be 3000.
However, due to an error in the lap counting the whole field ran an extra 400
metres, which, considering Amy is still an under 17 running in a higher age
group, is a difficult task. She finished in 8th place but no athletes were given
times, and others who had to settle for 8th were Kirstie Robinson (200 27.5),
Rebecca Smith (1500 5.23.4) and Sarah McLellan (100 hurdles 16.93).
Things perked up for the relays where Grace Sheppard,
Lauren Blackie, Katrina Cosby and Lorraine Ugen finished fourth in the 4x100 in
49.73 and then Katrina joined Isobel Ivy, Sarah McLellan and Savannah Echel
Thompson to finish 5th in the 4x400 with 3.59.95. Savannah’s last leg was a
particularly good effort as she moved the quartet up from 7th to 5th.
1. SC Moscow (Russia) 119. 2. Brno (Czech Republic) 96. 3.
Enka (Turkey) 93. 4. Novi (Serbia) 85. 5. Kronos Ljubljana (Slovenia) 78. 6. AK
Zagreb (Croatia) 75. 7. Blackheath & Bromley (Great Britain) 71. 8. LG Olympia
Dortmund (Germany) 67
The Winter cross country season started in hot conditions
at Sparrows Den, West Wickham with the Will Bolton Memorial Relays at Sparrows
Den and the Club finished teams in the medals in both the Senior mens and womens
events plus three of the four races in the inaugural under 13 and under 15
races.
The Club got off to a flying start with Alex Bruce
Littlewood leading the field home in first place in 12.56, 11 seconds clear.
Ella Fisher was second place in the womens race with 17.23. Richard Daniel
suffered on leg two and slipped to 11th but Jane Bradshaw had another good run
keeping the women in second place timing 16.04. Dave McKinlay moved the men back
up the field to 6th on the third leg with a time of 13.54 while Julie Reynolds
kept the women in second place with 16.49.
Leg four saw Mike Skinner storm off at the start and he
moved up another three places and his time of 12.26 was the fastest of the day.
The womens race was over four legs and Fran Green anchored
the team home in second place with 16.39 in her first competition since breaking
her ankle earlier this year.
Despite Skinner's fine run there was still too much to do
to catch the leading two teams. Dan Ryan timed 14.23 on leg five and Alex
Gibbins 13.33 on leg six for third place overall.
The race also included the first of the nine race series
of Bennett Cup Handicap Races which take place between September and March.
Winner of the first race was Neil Ive followed by Jim Osman and Rob Brown.
For the first time the Club also held a separate race for
under 15 and under 13 athletes. In the under 15s age group the girls team of
Hannah Cook, Jessica Jones and Amber Reed finished second while the boys trio of
Sam Jackson, Greg Proctor and Will Mercer were third. Best result of the day
came from the under 13 boys where there was a win for the team of Richard Webb,
Will Ruiz and Daniel Waller. There was also a race for under 11s which was won
by Luc Hagon from William Crawley and Tom Mason. The girls race was won by
Georgina Kennedy with Shannon Riskey second and Chloe Rogers third.
The Club won a number of medals at the recent Kent Relay
Championships at Sutcliffe Park and would probably have gained more but for the
clash with the National Junior League Final. Most success came in the under 13
girls age group with two sets of gold medals. In the 4x100 the quartet of
Shannon and Cheriece Hylton, Aine Hurlock and Dina Asher Smith won by 1.7
seconds in a time of 54.6. Victory in the 3x800 was just as impressive with the
trio of Georgina Kennedy, Sonia Woolhouse and Holly Fletcher winning by over
eight seconds in 7.59.2. The under 15 girls continued the sprint success with
the 4x100 team of Christine Lyston, Amara Lalemi-Jacobs, Lauren Stevens and
Charlotte Colgate winning in 50.9. In the 3x800 the team of Amber Reed, Jessica
Jones and Georgian Chew picked up silver medals with a time of 7.39.7. For the
boys Oliver Taylor, Dean Colley, Courtney Ubank and Jonathan Pettet finished in
third place in a useful 3.49.2.
The second Jim Day Memorial Pole Vault meeting proved a
great success. Conditions, like last year could not have been better and the
athletes responded with 11 personal bests and three seasons bests. For
Blackheath & Bromley members the event also included the Club pole vault
Championships. The Senior title to went to Allan Williams, the main organiser of
the event. He cleared 3.62 and finished equal first in the open competition. Liz
Hughes took the womens title. Both Junior women set new personal bests. For the
girls Anna Huggins cleared 2.82 while for the boys Mark Loghurst improved to
3.52. The Club are very grateful to all Allan and all the others involved in the
organising of the event. Jim would have been proud.
16/09/08
Blackheath & Bromley's Junior Men and Women are UK
Champions for 2008. They successfully defended their title at the National
Junior Athletic League Final at Derby in a close and exciting match. The League
has been a joint men and women scoring competition for the three years and each
time B & B have emerged as champions.
Within the match the scores are split to determine the
best men and womens’ teams with the winners going forward to fly the flag for
the UK in the European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors. The men finished second
to Enfield & Haringey but the women won and so they will compete in Europe in
2009 for the fourth year running. They travel to Serbia this week for the 2008
contest.
The Club won the National title by 26.5 points from
Enfield & Haringey but it would have been much closer but for an unfortunate
disqualification in the 200. Both E & H athletes were disqualified as they had
not been declared properly. Both had won their races but the DQ meant that both
B & B athletes were elevated to first place and this made a difference of 24
points in the match scores.
This showed just how close the contest could be and every
B & B athlete’s contribution was vital. They rose to the occasion with many of
them setting personal best despite the match being so late in a very long
season.
They took off in fine fashion with Shaunagh Brown and
Sabine Efiannayi winning both strings of the shot while in the hammer Andrew
Jordon set a new best of 61.05 to finish second with Richard AlAmeen runner up
in the B string.
As the track events began Rachel Arnheim set a new best of
3.60 in the pole vault to finish second on count back with Emily Godley winning
the B string. Matt Threadgold and Aryton Richards excelled in the mens’ 400
hurdles both finishing in second places, far higher than expected, with new
personal bests of 55.36 and 58.43. Katie Murray was fourth in a high class
womens’ A race with Sarah McLellan first in the B contest.
The points kept coming. James Alaka and Funmi Sobodu, who
represented Great Britain at the World Junior Championships, both extended their
seasons and competed in the final despite carrying injuries. They both finished
second in their strings of the 100 and James won the 200 with Dan Putnam taking
the B race.
There was a double win also in the women’s 400 for Mary
Iheke, who astonishingly ran with a broken toe, and Savannah Echel Thompson.
Danielle Critchley ran an inspired 800 to finish second,
set a personal best, and run the fastest in the Club this season despite only
being an under 17. Krystal Galley was third in the B string and Alex Bruce
Littlewood burst through the field to snatch bronze in the Mens’ B 800.
Sam Hunt (3000 metres), Danny Duffin (Javelin), Mark
Longhurst (Long Jump), Simon Lloyd (110 hurdles), Lorraine Ugen (100) Jen Hamer
(3000), Melody Kane (1500) Rachel Arnheim (high jump) Anne Sophie Gnadou
(javelin) and Jess Saville (javelin) all set personal bests and it took a League
record to defeat Alex AlAmeen in the 110 hurdles. Having won the long jump
Lorraine Ugen fell over a hurdle warming up but still came 4th in only her
second ever 100 hurdles race. Yet still the match was on a knife edge with
Enfield & Haringey closing the gap.
Then came a late afternoon surge. Captain Scott Huggins
soared over 4.95 to win the pole vault with Nick Moore third in the B string.
Shaunagh Brown won the discus by over 10 metres with Katherine Jones taking the
B string in a new best of 35.55 which would have won the A string but for
Shaunagh. Lauren Blackie leapt a new best of 12.04 to claim silver in the triple
jump; there was silver to in the mens discus for Liam Presnell and on the track
Alex Bruce Littlewood and Ben McCallum won both strings of the steeplechase and
Amy DeMatos set a new best to finish 4th in the womens’ event. There were no
dropped batons in the relays and solid performances meant few points were
dropped to the opposition with silver in the Mens’ 4x100, bronze in both the
womens’ relays and 4th in the mens’ 4x400. The match was won.
It was a real team effort behind the scenes too from team
managers Jean Blackwell and Brendan McShane, physio Gemma Viney and all the
atheltes’ coaches and the Club’s officials. The Club were also delighted to
receive support from London Biggin Hill Airport, a fitting sponsor for a squad
that are reaching for the sky.
This month saw the final running of the summer series of 6
races for the Parris Memorial Shield. The trophy honours Roy Parris, a club
member who sadly died in 1998 following an heroic battle against cancer. The
races are run on a yacht handicap basis whereby the slowest runner starts first
and others follow at timed intervals thereafter. This gives all runners an equal
chance of winning each race, whatever their ability. Points are awarded for the
position that runners finish in the race. These points are totalled up at the
end of the series and the runner with the highest points tally is declared the
winner. This year 61 club members participated, with 3 runners competing in all
6 races, namely Dave Beadle, Andy Tucker and Iain Swatton. The overall result
was in doubt right up to the final race, but congratulations go to the eventual
winner, Iain Swatton finishing 6 points clear of runner-up Andy Tucker
9/09/08
Blackheath & Bromley's youngsters had to settle for second
place in the McCain National Young Athletes Final at Sports City, Manchester.
The Club went to the Final as reigning champions to take on the best teams in
the United Kingdom but had to settle for the runner up spot behind a very strong
Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow team who had also beaten B & B to the Southern
Premier title.
As always in the National Final a number of athletes rose
to the occasion to set new bests and the Meeting wasn't long underway before one
of these occurred. In the Under 17 Mens Hammer Andrew Jordon launched the 5kg
implement out to a new meeting best performance of 69.28. This is over 8 metres
further than any one else has thrown in the country this year and a new Club
Record.
Boys team captain Dan Putnam led by example to win the 400
metres in 49.37 with Tom Bensted making it maximum points in the B string with a
time of 50.28. They also won golds in the 4x400 where they were joined by
Stephen Camacho and Ben Parkin and Dan picked up his third gold of the day in
the 4x100 along with Dominic Coelho, Matthew Fletcher and Ronnie Polkington.
Dan also gained a silver in the 200 A string with Ronnie
winning the B string in a grade one performance of 22.70 to add to his B string
win in the 100. Ben Hopkins was another to set a grade one as he recorded a new
best of 55.91 in the 400 hurdles as did Eddie Ekanem with his 15.23 putt in the
shot. There were good wins also for Ben Greenhalgh in the 1500 steeplechase and
from Mark Longhurst with a new best of 3.50 in the pole vault.
The Under 17 women were particularly strong in the field
events with team captain Katherine Jones, Sabine Efiannayi, and Lucie Robichaud
winning both strings in the shot, discus and hammer. Jessica Matthews produced a
grade one performance of 1.65 in the high jump but such was the standard of the
competition she had to settle for third.
Competition in the under 15 boys was particularly tough
especially in the 200 metres where there were an astonishing seven grade one
performances. One of these came from Jonathan Pettet who was fourth in the A
strong with 23.95. He also set a grade one of 53.55 in the 400 but again the
high standard of the competition meant he had to settle for 5th place. Oliver
Taylor just missed out on victory in the 1500 as he came second in 4.26.59.
For the girls Kelly Davey won the discus with a throw of
28.79 over three metres further than the runner up with Eleanor Dumper winning
the B string; and Frances Read achieved an excellent 9 centimetre victory in the
long jump with a leap of 4.69. Kelly’s grade one putt in the shot, however, was
only good enough for a bronze medal.
There were gold medals on the track for the 4x100 quartet
of Rachel Dickens, Amara Lalemi Jacons, Lauren Stevens and Charlote Colgate as
they sped to victory in 51.39 winning by just five hundredths of a second.
In the Under 13s Reon Gowan Wade enjoyed an excellent
afternoon winning both the A string high and long jumps as well as the B string
200 metres. Ben Akande and Darien Neavin scored maximum points in the 100 metres
and Darrien also won gold in the B string long and high jumps. Reon and Ben then
joined with Jonathan Holmes and Lamar Richmond to win the 4x100.
Dina Asher Smith had an outstanding afternoon winning
three A string gold medals and setting two new Club Records. She started the
afternoon by winning the 150 metres in 19.28, the second fastest time in the
country this year. This was a new Club Record as was her time of 9.89 in the 75
metres where she won by over three tenths of a second. Like the longer sprint it
was the second quickest in the country this year. Her third gold came in the
long jump where she leapt 4.78.
Georgina Kennedy made a big improvement in the 1200 metres
where she broke four minutes for the first time to finish in 3.54.68 and Holly
Fletcher also set a new best to win the 800 metres in 2.27.08. Although the team
did not win it was still a fine effort by the youngsters and their coaches, team
managers and supporters and the Club were most fortunate to receive sponsorship
from Biggin Hill Airport and Albert Vinson.
So after five years of the final being a joint scoring
boys and girls competition Blackheath & Bromley have won three times and
finished second on two occasions. The Club will now be aiming to regain their
National title in 2009 and are looking to recruit new athletes.
Many of those who competed in Manchester began their
Athletics in the Club’s Bees Academy. This coaching scheme is designed
specifically for children in school years 4, 5, 6 and 7 to encourage their
participation in sport and to develop their athletic potential to the best of
their ability. Coaching sessions are held each Monday and Wednesday from 6.00pm
to 7.00pm and also Saturday mornings from 9.00am to 10.00am at Norman Park
Athletics Track, during school term times. To book on to the scheme please visit
the Bees Website at
http://www.blackheathandbromley.com/bees/ or call John Blackie on
07768 120519.
The day before at Ashford the Club’s over 35s were in
action in the Southern Counties Masters final where after eight hours of action
the team retained the title they won last year. The day started on a high with
Martin Airey, Jon Thorpe and Bob Minting gaining wins in the over 35s A and B
string 800s and the over 50s 800. From then the Club were never headed but they
were pressed hard by Herne Hill Harriers and so the winning margin at the end of
the afternoon was just 13 points, 224 to 213.
With the Club only having seven individual wins all day
this was a true team effort with everybody contributing to the overall victory.
Other wins that there were came from Allan Williams in the
over 50s pole vault; Steve Langdon in the over 50s javelin; Bob Minting in the
over 50s 400; and John Robinson in the over 60s high jump.
Full marks to Tom Phillips both for his efforts at this
meeting and getting there in the first place. Tom had been competing in the
European Masters Games in Malmo, Sweden, an event which includes a whole range
of sports including Athletics. He won both the 100 and 200 metre races in 12.49
and 25.67 and then had to rush back on the Friday for the Masters Final. He
raced in Malmo at 5pm on the Friday, was in a taxi at 5.20 and at the airport at
6pm for a 7.15 flight. Unfortunately it was delayed four hours and he eventually
got home at 1.15 am before getting up to be at Ashford at 9am.
After the euphoria of both Mens’ and Womens’ teams
qualifying for the Golden Jubilee 10 in 100 Cup Final, the outcome at Bedford
was disappointing. The women failed to field a team and traffic problems meant
the some of the men missed their events.
The bright spots on the day were the performances of the
sprinters. Dwayne Grant flew in from Spain to win the 100 metres in 10.54 and
also ran his first 200 metres of the year in the medley relay. Injuries have
restricted Dwayne to running the shorter sprint this Summer. Daniel Haque
enjoyed a fine win in the 200 metres. He was one who had problems with the
traffic and arrived less than half an hour before the event. (His chauffeur Neil
Francis missed his) Daniel’s time was 22.4 and he joined Dwayne, Neil and Duayne
Bovell for a third place in the medley relay in 2.24.9.
Even for those who arrived on time there were problems as
one of Derek Paisley’s contact lenses broke. Wearing his glasses he was fourth
in the 400 hurdles in 55.55 despite hitting the last barrier.
Alex Bruce Littlewood was 6th in the 3000 metres in
9.04.71 while in the field Alex Pope finished 5th and 7th in the discus and shot
and Duayne Bovell was 6th in the triple jump. The team finished 7th on the day,
one place lower than last year but with a better point score.
2/09/08
Montell Douglas returned to action after the Beijing
Olympics to finish fourth in the 100 metres at the Aviva British Grand Prix at
Gateshead. The poor weather conditions prevented fast times and the Blackheath &
Bromley ran 11.47 to make her the fastest Briton on the day. She followed this
with an outing over 200 metres where after a good start she finished in 23.53
just six hundredths of a second outside her seasons best.
Andrew Jordon was in fine form at the Schools Games in
Bristol where he won the Hammer by an astonishing six metres. His first round
throw of 60.48 was enough to win the competition but this was just a safety
throw to record a mark. From there he upped his game launching the hammer over
65 metres three times with a best of 65.93. On his last two efforts the Mike
Davies coached athlete went for broke to try to improve his seasons best but
unfortunately these were no throws.
There were some impressive performances in the 400 metres
from Dan Putnam and Tom Bensted. They came second and third in their heats with
Dan timing 48.97 and Tom 49.14 but went quicker in the final.
Dan picked up the bronze in a new personal best of 48.55
the fourth fastest time in the country this year. It broke the Club Under 17
record which has stood since 1995. He also picked up silver as part of the 4x400
team. Tom also set a new best as he ran 48.92 for 5th place, the 6th quickest
time in the country this year.
There was another personal best for Eddie Ekanem in the
shot. He finished in 6th place with a putt of 15.29. Training partners Sabine
Efiannayi and Katherine Jones were 5th and 7th in the womens’ contest with
distances of 11.26 and 10.46.
This weekend will be a busy one for the Club with major
competitions at three different venues. On Saturday at Bedford the Senior Men
and Women will be in action in the Golden Jubilee 10 in 100 Cup Final. Eight
teams from around the country will take part in the mens’ and womens’ matches
and while these are scored separately there is also an award for the best
combined score from both matches.
Meanwhile at Ashford the mens’ team will be attempting to
retain their title in the Southern Masters Final, a marathon day of Athletics
for competitors over the age of 35. The following day the Club’s youngsters will
be defending their National title at the UKA Young Athletes Final in Manchester.
The Club had to settle for the runner up spot in the Southern Premier Division
this year so will be looking to gain revenge on Windsor, Slough Eton & Hounslow
who took the title. Both can expect strong competition from the other qualified
Club from around the UK.
26/08/08
After the euphoria of gaining a place in the Great Britain
team for the Olympics, Montell Douglas will have been disappointed with her time
in Beijing.
The Blackheath & Bromley athlete qualified comfortably in
her first round heat of the 100 metres finishing second in 11.36. However she
progressed no further timing 11.38 in her semi final. It was then time to
concentrate on the relay and the Great Britain 4x100 quartet qualified with some
ease for the final. Montell was again on leg two for the final and after a good
first change disaster struck as she tried to pass to third leg runner Emily
Freeman. The change never happened and Britain were out. The Great Britain
management put in a protest that the Jamaican quartet had interfered in the
British lane but this was turned down.
Montell had run a very quick leg and the GB team were up
with the Jamaicans so there was every chance they could have been in with a
chance of medals. It was not to be. Despite this disappointment it has not been
a bad season for Montell, having broken the British record for the 100 metres.
Another athlete to have gained an International selection
recently is Shaunagh Brown. She has been picked to represent England in the
Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune in India in October. She has been picked for
both the shot and discus.
She celebrated her selection with a double victory in the
Southern Under 20s Inter Counties match at Copthall last weekend. She won the
shot in a new Championship Best Performance of 14.02 and won the discus with a
throw of 48.25, over seven metres clear of the runner up.
James Alaka set a new personal best in the 100 metres as
he won by one hundredth of a second in 10.46. He also took the 200 title in
21.70.
Second claimer Savannah Echel Thompson won the womens’ 400
in 57.38. In the 100 there was a very useful 2nd place for Lorraine Ugen in a
time of 12.34 to add to her third place in the long jump. It was third also for
Lauren Blackie in the triple jump and for Banke Jemiyo in the hammer with a new
best of 46.52. Katrina Cosby was fourth in the 400 hurdles, Sarah McGuire 6th in
the javelin and Danielle Critchley qualified for the final of the 800.
Likewise Neil Francis who ran 50.80 in the heats of the
400 but could not replicate this in the final. Second claimers Antoni Davis
Philip and Matt Threadgold were second and fifth in the 400 hurdles, and Alex
Bruce Littlewood third in the 2000 steeplchase. It was third also in the Hammer
for Richard AlAmeen while Lewis Ely was 6th equal in the high jump.
Best performances in the Under 15s match came from Anna
Huggins who won the pole vault with a clearance of 2.70 and from Kelly Davey who
enjoyed a double victory in the shot and discus with throws of 10.47 and 32.25,
the latter a personal best and the 6th furthest throw in the country this year.
Two Club members were selected for the recent Masters
Inter Area match at Hemel Hempstead. Helen Godsell won both the over 50s 100 and
200 metres races while Tom Phillips won the Mens’ over 50s 100 in a seasons best
of 12.4 and added a runner up spot in the 200 in 25.5. These performances helped
the Southern Counties to victory.
Blackheath & Bromley's British League season ended with a
4th place in the final Division Two match at Derby. A 5th in the previous match
had almost guaranteed that the team would not get promoted and they finished 4th
overall for the season.
It had been hoped that they would gain one of the two
promotion places but weaknesses in the field events have held the Club back all
season. At Derby there were 12 top three places in track events but only two in
the field, and the Club will need to strengthen up in the jumps in the throws if
it is to gain promotion next year. Pleasingly Hammer thrower Karim Chester has
rejoined the Club which will be a boost to the squad.
Highlight at Derby was the performance of Dwayne Grant in
the 100 metres. His winning time of 10.30 was a new stadium record and earned
him the "Athlete Of The Match Award", a cheque for £100.
There were further wins on the track from Scott Overall in
the 5000 metres, following his runner up spot in the 1500, and from junior Alex
AlAmeen in the 110 hurdles.
Lewis Ely was a slightly unexpected winner of the high
jump. Six athletes cleared 1.90 but Lewis won the competition on countback
having cleared the height first time. His win was all the more notable as he is
partially sighted.
The Club's strongest event in the League this season has
been the 400 hurdles where Ed Harrison and Derek Paisley have dropped only 4
points out of 112 all year. Ed finished 2nd in the A race at Derby despite
straining a groin muscle at the first hurdle and Derek completed the season
unbeaten in the B string.
The last of the Club Championships took place at Norman
Park on the 23rd of August with the highlight coming in the under 13 boys long
jump. Here Reon Gowan Wade broke his own Club Record for the long jump with a
leap of 5.54. This is the furthest jumped by anyone in this age group in the
country this year and the 10th furthest of all time.
19/08/08
Blackheath & Bromley's under 15 and under 13 girls were
emphatic winners of their respective divisions of the Kent Young Athletes League
for the 2008 season. This was confirmed at the last meeting at Erith where again
both teams were victorious. It has not been so successful a year for the boys,
however, with the under 13s finishing second and the under 15s fifth.
Highlight of the afternoon came in the under 13 boys long
jump where Reon Gowan Wade won with a new Club Record of 5.37, the furthest in
the country this year. He won the competition by nearly a metre and also won the
high jump with a clearance of 1.51 which ranks him 6th equal in the country.
There were a number of A string victories in the under 15
girls age group with Lauren Stevens winning both the 75 hurdles and long jump
competitions plus the B string 300 metres. Other A string wins came from Amara
Lalemi-Jacobs in the 300, Amber Reed (1500), Lara Lalemi (High Jump) and
Ellouise Edwards (javelin). New girl Jahdine Shelley won the B 100 in a useful
13.8 considering the blustery conditions with further B wins from Hannah Cook
(800), Lauren Heria (1500), Sian Duffy (75 hurdles), Rhianon Jones (2000 walk
and javelin), Georgina Middleton (long jump) and Ellouise Edwards (shot). The
squad finished the afternoon on a high with the 4x100 quartet of Rachel Dickens,
Charlotte Colgate, Georgina Middleton and Amar Lalemi Jacobs enjoying an
emphatic four second victory.
Only A string win for the boys came in the 1500 where Sam
Jackson finished in 4.51.6 with Will Mercer making it maximum points in the B
event. Courtney Ubank continues to improve and he was second in the 100 in 12.1.
Likewise Paul Ashby who was second in the high jump with 1.60 while Adam Willis
won the B long jump with Courtney runner up in the A string with a leap of 5.23.
The under 13 girls barely dropped any points on the track
with A string wins from Dina Asher Smith (75 and 150), Janae Galley (600) and
Shannon Cordell (2000 walk). Holly Fletcher (75), Aine Hurlock (150 and 70
hurdles), and Louise Davison (600) secured B string wins.
Ellie Lawrence won the A string javelin and there were B
string wins for Hayley Smith (shot), Shannon Cordell (discus) and Aine Hurlock
(javelin).
Like the under 15s the 4x100 team won by a large margin
with a quartet of Amber Bryan Isaacs, Dian Asher Smith, Holly Fletcher and Aine
Hurlock.
The other star of the under 13 boys team was Niyaz
Chawdhury who won the 75 hurdles, shot and discus competitions. Darrien Neavin
enjoyed a hat trick of B string wins in the 100, high jump and long jump
competitions. Further wins came from Ben Akande in the 200 and Louis Hopgood in
the 75 hurdles.
Montell Douglas is the Jack Petchey Foundation Award
winner for July. Montell broke the British Womens 100 metre record with a time
of 11.05, five hundredths of a second quicker than the previous record of Kathy
Cook which had stood since 1981. As a result of her performance Montell was
selected to represent Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics where she competes
in the 100 and 4x100.
12/08/08
Andrew Jordon was Blackheath & Bromley's only gold
medallist at the England Athletics Under 17 and Under 15 Championships at
Birmingham. The longest thrower in the country this year, he did not have things
all his own way but dug deep in the final round the produce a winning throw.
This was the second pressure throw of the competition as
he began the contest with two no throws. However, keeping his cool he launched
the 5kg implement out to 59.88 to make the cut for the next three throws and
lead the competition. Jake Haylock also qualified for the next round with a new
best of 59.58. Things started hotting up and going into the last round as Andrew
slipped to third behind two athletes who set new personal bests. Jake lay in 4th
and he too had set another new best of 59.68. Composing himself Andrew snatched
back the lead with a distance of 61.09 to win by 32 centimetres. 2nd to 4th
places produced the 2nd, 3rd and 4th best distances in the country this year.
The only other Club member to win a medal was Sabine
Efiannayi who was 3rd in the Under 17 womens' shot with a putt of 11.62. She
would have had to have thrown a personal best for silver.
Another to set a new best at these Championships was Dan
Putnam. He finished 4th in the Under 17s 400 in 48.81 with team mate Tom Bensted
5th with 49.08, also a personal best. Stephen Cavey qualified for the 800 final
but finished in 8th place while Ben Hopkins timed 58.44 in the heats of the 400
hurdles.
Best placed in the under 15s was Anna Huggins who was
equal 4th in the pole vault with a new best of 2.80. Jonathan Pettet was 6th in
the 400 with 53.59 and it was 6th also for Kelly Davey in the shot with a putt
of 10.55 to add to her 9th place in the discus.
Only two of the Clubs athletes attended the European
Masters Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia but both enjoyed great success.
Helen Godsell returned with three medals. She won golds as part of the Great
Britain over 50s 4x100 and 4x400 metre teams. The times will need ratifying but
they may prove to be World Records. Helen was also second in the 100 in 13.57, a
seasons best, and 6th in the 200.
Tom Phillips ran a seasons best of 12.48 in the 100 heats.
His 200 time of 24.99 in the semi final was a new over 50s Club Record. He
qualified for both finals but missed out on medals.
A number of the Club's athletes were in action at the UK
Challenge and British Milers Club Final at Eton. On the track Andrew Rayner set
a seasons best of 14.39.00 in the 5000 metres. Dan Ryan and Elaine Murty times
1.58.51 and 2.16.41 in the 800s while Alex Bruce Littlewood and Bryony Proctor
clocked 4.03.89 and 4.38.39 in the 1500s. In the field Christine Lawrence was
4th in the javelin with 43.12, Sandra Alaneme 5th in the triple jump with 11.99
and Stuart Harvey 7th in the javelin with 63.
5/08/08
It was a weekend of mixed emotions for Blackheath &
Bromley' s Senior athletes in the National Leagues. The women enjoyed a win in
the final UK Womens League match of the season at Wigan, which means they are
promoted to Division Two next season. The men, however, were 5th in their
British Athletics League match at Swansea and unless there is a freak result in
the last match they will remain in Division Two for another year.
Back bone of the womens victory was the field events and
the afternoon could not have got off to a much better start with near maximum
points in the opening three field events. After two no throws Victoria Thomas
nailed a fine effort in the third round of the hammer and won the competition
with 52.17. Banke Jemiyo made it maximum points in the B string with 43.37.
It was two firsts again in the pole vault for Rachel
Arnheim and Liz Hughes. Rachel won the A string with 3.40 and Liz took the B
string after clearing 3 metres and retiring from the competition with a sore achilles. Lorraine Ugen set a new best in the long jump with a leap of 5.78
while Emily Martin was third in the B string with 5.18.
There was a double win also in the discus too where
Shaunagh Brown threw 44.43 to win the A string and Victoria Thomas took the B
string with 29.66. Shaunagh also won the shot with a putt of 12.60 nearly a
metre and half further than the runner up and Liz Hughes was third in the B
string with 10.22.
France Athawes was just outside her best in the javelin as
she threw 34.18 to finish third, and Lauren Blackie scored good points in the
high and triple jump contests with leaps of 1.50 and 11.22.
Only win on the track came from Siobhan Budd who pulled
clear in the last lap to win the 3000 metres in a very respectable 10.23.73.
Great team performances are not all about winning events, however, and this was
more than amply demonstrated by Rachel Arnheim who, fresh from her efforts in
the pole vault and B high jump, ran round in the B race for a point but ended up
with five as she finished fourth.
Similarly Katy Benneworth made her debut over the 400
hurdles and finished third in the B race and she also scored vital points in the
100 hurdles and 200 metres. Savannah Echel Thompson gained a good second place
in the 400 metres in a new personal best of 56.83 and she followed this with a
25.86 in the 200.
B string in the 400 was Elaine Murty who gained a very
useful third place, a good performance as earlier she had finished 5th in the
800 with 2.16.43. Bryony Proctor ran a new best of 2.16.26 to finish second in
the B race and she was also third in the 1500 with Siobhan Budd runner up in the
B contest.
Lorraine Ugen and Emily Martin picked up useful points in
the 100 and joined Sandra Alaneme and Lauren Blackie in the relay team that
placed 5th. Athlete of the match award went to Sarah McLellan who set new bests
in both the sprint hurdles and javelin, finished second in the 400 hurdles and
ran a leg of the 4x400 team along with Elaine, Bryony and Savannah.
The men travelled to Swansea with a stronger team than the
previous two matches in which they had finished third. However, other teams were
stronger too and so they had to settle for fifth place.
In previous matches the Club had been the best track team
but on this occasion they were not as dominant. Ed Harrison started the
afternoon off well with a win in the 400 hurdles with Derek Paisley making it
maximum points in the B string. The only other A string wins came from Alex
AlAmeen in the sprint hurdles, at the expense of a hamstring injury, and from
Stuart Harvey in the javelin as won the competition in the last round with a
throw of 65.80. Strong winds in general prevented quick times and only one
athlete ran under 11 seconds in the 100 metres despite there being a number who
have run 10.6 this year. A formidable quartet of Jonathan Barbour, Funmi Sobodu,
James Alaka and Daniel Haque would normally have picked up some first places but
not on this occasion. Captain Mike Skinner moved down in distance to run the 800
but with the race won in 1.48 had to be content with fifth place. He returned to
finish third in a similarly high standard 1500 with Andrew Rayner winning the B
race. Alex Bruce Littlewood continues to improve. He set a new best in the
steeplechase of 9.31.32 in finishing 4th and he now has the Club Junior Record
of 9.24 in his sights. In the field there was a welcome return to action for
decathlete Alex Pope following an injury he sustained before the League season
began. He restricted himself on this occasion where he scored 38 points for the
team and won the athlete of the match award. It was not such a good day for
Scott Huggins who no heighted in the pole vault but Nick Moore made a promising
League debut with a clearance of 3.60. Dale Willis set a new best of 6.03 in the
long jump
Away from the track Immediate Past President Les Roberts’
Charity Appeal to raise funds for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust has generated
£5441.65 before Gift Aid. Tom Isaacs will be visiting the Club on Wednesday the
13th of August to formally receive the funds. Tom has suffered with the disease
from a young age but this not stopped him from walking 4500 miles around the
coastline of Britain. His exploits are recorded in his book “Shake Well Before
Use”. For further information visit
www.cureparkinsons.org.uk
29/07/08
The last few days have seen a clutch of new Club Records
at Blackheath & Bromley. Scott Overall has been fine form recently twice
breaking the 3000 metres record. Racing in Liege in Belgium he improved his
existing record to 7.53.30 when he finished 9th in a high standard field. Last
weekend he was in action again at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.
Again it was a classy field and this time he smashed the 7.50 barrier finishing
in 8th place in 7.48.92, just five seconds behind Britain's number one 5000
metre runner Mo Farah.
Also in action at the Palace was Montell Douglas fresh
from breaking the British 100 metre record the week before. Like Scott she was
in a very tough field and although she timed 11.27, an Olympic A standard time,
it was not enough to qualify for the final. She was also part of the Great
Britain 4x100 team which finished 3rd in the 4x100 in 43.09.
Under 20 Shaunagh Brown finished third in a specially
arranged discus competition with a throw of 47.68 and Christine Lawrence was 8th
in the javelin.
Montell will soon be off to the Olympic Games in Beijing
and another Club member to gain an International selection is Peter Tucker.
Following his excellent performance at the London Marathon he has been selected
to represent England at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on the 28th
of September. He will be in a four man team competing against athletes from the
USA, Mexica and Canada.
He showed that his preparations are going well by winning
the Dartford Marathon last weekend in 72.36 a good time considering the heat,
humidity and severity of the course.
Last Wednesday at the Club Open Meeting at Norman Park
Dina Asher Smith broke the under 13 girls 200 metre record when she timed 26.58
taking over half a second off the previous best which had stood since 1988. It
didn’t take too long for her to break it again as on Sunday at the Southern
Inter Counties for under 13s at Kingston she timed 26.45. However, she had to
settle for second place with Dina and the winner running the quickest two times
in the country this year.
She didn’t stop there as her time of 13.02 in the 100
metres was also a new Club Record. A number of other athletes were also in
action. Holly Fletcher timed 2.33.88 in the 800 and Georgina Kennedy 5.21.89 in
the 1500.
For the bys Liam Cater threw an impressive 34.31 in the
javelin to add to his 15.92 in the discus. Joel Shonibare was just outside his
best in the shot where he putt 8.74 and he also threw 17.87 in the discus. Reon
Gowan Wade continued his impressive form with a leap of 4.68 in the long jump
and Ben Akande timed 13.98 and 30.04 in the 100 and 200.
The final Club record came in the womens’ over 35 age
group where Jane Bradshaw made a big breakthrough in the 3000 metres improving
her best to 10.36.0 taking nearly ten seconds off the previous record.
Jane’s time came in the latest round of the Southern
Womens League, full details of which are not yet available.
Similarly results of the Junior League match at Eton are
not to hand. However the important news is that although the Club finished
second on the day they are the Southern Premier League champions, but only on
match points from Enfield & Haringey. Both teams will meet again in the National
Final which takes place at Derby on the 14th of September where the top eight
teams in the country will battle it out to decide who will be National
Champions.
There was good news for the Club's Senior teams this week.
Both the men and the women have qualified for the British League Golden Jubilee
Cup Final on the 6th of September. Both teams were runners up in their semi
finals but qualified for the final at Bedford as they were the strongest of the
runners up from the seven semis.
22/07/08
Montell Douglas has had plenty to celebrate in the last
week. Being selected for the Great Britain Olympics team in the 4x100 metres was
a good way to start but things got even better as last Thursday she broke the
British record for the 100 metres, on Friday she graduated from Brunel
University and on Satruday she was given an individual place in the 100 at the
Beijing Games.
The 22 year Blackheath & Bromley athlete had secured her
place in the GB relay as a result of her second place in the 100 metres at the
Trials the previous week but she did not have a quick enough time to be selected
in the individual event. This all changed at the LEAP International Meeting at
Loughborough. In her heat ran a sensational 10.95 albeit with a +2.6 metre per
second following wind. This was over the legal limit for record purposes but in
the final it was +2.0 the maximum allowable limit.
Here she won in 11.05 breaking the British Record of Kathy
Cook that has stood since 1981 by five hundredths of a second. The time will
need to be ratified but some indication of the quality of Montell's performance
can be measured by the fact that she defeated Laura Turner, who was one
hundredth of a second behind her in the Trials, by 0.22 of a second. She was
obviously delighted with her result and subsequent selection for the individual
100 at the Olympics "I'm over the moon, and trying to keep my head down now and
get ready for Beijing!"
Coincidently Kathy Cook the previous record holder was a
graduate of Brunel University and it was back to Uni for Montell on Friday for
her graduation ceremony. She is the University's most bemedalled athlete and she
received a huge ovation for her recent achievements.
The Senior Men and Women were both in the respective Cup
Semi Finals at Eton on Saturday. In the two eight team matches under the new 10
events in 100 minutes format both teams finished in runners up spots behind
hosts Windsor. There were seven semi finals taking place around the country with
only the winners qualifying for the final in September. The remaining place will
go to the best of the runners up in the semi finals and the Club will have to
wait for the results of the paper match to see if they make the final.
If they do qualify it will be because of some fine
individual performances and some great efforts by athletes who were prepared to
put themselves out to score points for the team. The men enjoyed four individual
wins on the day. The afternoon started with Alex AlAmeen securing maximum points
in 110 hurdles with an impressive 14.5, despite having a limited time to warm up
because of traffic delays.
Scott Overall won the 1500 having completed a six mile
tempo run earlier in the day. He broke away over the last lap to win by over
four seconds in 3.57.57. Jonathan Barbour flew to victory in the 100 metres in
10.62 while in the field Scott Huggins cleared 4.90 to win the pole vault.
Elsewhere on the track Daniel Haque ran a very useful 21.46 to finish second in
the 200 metres; Ed Harrison was comfortably inside the 50 second barrier as he
was third in the 400 in 49.99; and junior Alex Bruce Littlewood was also third
in the steeplechase with 9.45.99. Jonathan Barbour scored some valuable points
in the long jump but was way down on his best as he had not had time to warm up
because of traffic delays. The Hammer and Javelin events were covered by Dave
Huggins, Scott’s father, who filled in because a number of athletes were not
available.
The afternoon finished with the medley relay team of Neil
Francis, Haque, AlAmeen and Harrison finishing third in a useful 2.25.19 in an
exciting finish. Windsor were last years Cup Winners so it was always going to
be a difficult for the women to win the match. Nevertheless, there were two
individual wins. Lorraine Ugen took first in the long jump with a leap of 5.66
while Christian Moore made a winning Club debut in the pole vault with a
clearance of 3.20.
Lucie Robichaud took third in the hammer with 35.43 and
Sarah McLellan improved by over five metres in the javelin to throw 20.74 and
finish third. Sarah was also runner up in the sprint hurdles and there were
second places also for Jennie Butler in the 3000; Clare Cooper in the 100 and
Rebecca Syrocki in the 400. It was second also for the medley relay team of
Clare, Lorraine, Rebecca and Sam Singer in 2.45.65. Sam had earlier finished
fourth in the 200 while Bryony Proctor ran a very good time of 4.40.97 in the
1500 metres.
The Clubs youngsters were at Eton the following day and
again the Club were beaten by the hosts. This was the final National Young
Athletes League match of the season and both sides have been unbeaten all
season. Both had already qualified for the National Final in September so this
match was to decide who would go there as Southern Champions. It was a tight
match with hosts eventually winning by 15 points with 490 to Blackheath &
Bromley’s 475.
As usual there were many good performances with the
highlight being a new Club Record for Dina Asher Smith in the 150 metres with a
time of 19.5.
In the under 17s age group team boys captain Dan Putnam
was again in good form with National grade one performances in the 400 and 200
as well as anchoring both relay teams to victory. There was also a big
breakthrough in the 200 for Ronnie Polkington who timed an excellent 22.7. Ben
Hopkins enjoyed victories in both the 100 and 400 hurdles races and Jake Haylock
dominated the Hammer winning the competition by nearly 25 metres. There were
also good wins for Andrew Yorke in the 800 and Ben Greenhalgh in the 1500
steeplechase.
Best performances from the girls came in the field events
with double wins in the discus (Katherine Jones and Lucie Robichaud) and shot
(Sabine Efiannayi and Katherine Jones). Jessica Matthews won the high, long and
triple jumps with Leanne Weighill, Leah Forbes Morris and Sian Hurlock made it
maximum points in the B events. On the track Amy DeMatos and Nenisha Nelson
Roberts won both 300 hurdles races.
In the under 15s Jonathan Pettet dominated the 400 metres
winning by over three seconds and he was involved in one of the most exciting
races of the afternoon as he held on for victory in the 4x400. For the girls
Christine Lyston set a new best of 1.58 to win the high jump with Lara Llalemi
making it maximum points in the B string. Further double wins came from Amara
Llalemi Jacobs and Lauren Stevens in the 200, and from Lauren again and Rhiannon
Jones in the 75 hurdles.
Niyaz Chowdhury made an impressive debut for the under 13
boys. Brought in as a late replacement in the shot he won with a grade one
performance of 9.24 with Joel Shonibare winning the B string. Niyaz also won the
B string 75 hurdles in 14.1 with Louis Hopgood making it maximum points in the A
race with 13.9.
Reon Gowan Wade had a busy but successful day wining the A
strings high and long jumps as well as the B string 100 with Ben Akande first in
the A string. Darian Neavin won both the B string jumps.
Holly Fletcher achieved a new best and National grade one
in the 800 metres winning in 2.29.2 and there was a grade one too for Georgina
Kennedy in the 1200 as she timed 4.02.9. However she had to settle for second
place.
As ever there was a wealth of other good performances,
full details of which can be found on the Club Website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
and the squad now looks forward to the National Final In Manchester on the 7th
of September.
15/07/08
Montell Douglas has been selected to represent Great
Britain at the Beijing Olympic Games after finishing second in the 100 metres in
the Trials race at Birmingham last Saturday. In a strong final the Blackheath &
Bromley athlete's time for second place was 11.35 which is outside the A
qualifying standard of 11.30 for the British team. It has, however secured her
selection for the GB 4x100 metre squad, of which she is becoming an experienced
member.
There was silver medal too for Scott Overall in the 5000
metres but he has not gained selection for Beijing as he is just outside the B
standard. The only way he could achieve selection would be to run the A standard
by this Friday.
Although the race was not as quick as the competitors
would have like it was an exciting affair with a large group still together at
the bell. On a last lap burn up, Overall just failed to catch Stockport’s Andy
Vernon and finished with a time of 13.55.14. Team mate Mike Skinner was just
behind in 4th place in 13.58.65.
Two other athletes were just outside the medals in these
championships with Christine Lawrence 4th in the javelin with 45.79 and junior
Chelsea O Rawe Hobbs also 4th in the 5000 walk in 27.08.03.
A number of athletes set seasons best with Jonathan
Barbour and Duayne Bovell running 10.67 and 10.89 in the 100 metres. Dwayne
Grant flew in from Spain for the Championships but injury has dogged his Winter
and he went out in the semis running 10.62, one hundredth slower than he did in
his heat.
Shavaun Henry was 7th in the 3000 steeplechase in
11.17.26, again in a seasons best and it was 7th also for Victoria Thomas in the
hammer with 54.15, while Sandra Alaneme placed 9th in the triple jump with
12.31.
Meanwhile out in Poland seven athletes from the Club have
been in action at the World Junior Championships at Bydgoszcz. Just to get
selected for this event was an achievement in itself as it features the best
under 20 athletes in the World and for the Club to have seven representatives in
action was remarkable.
Closest to getting a medal were James Alaka and Funmi
Sobodu who were part the 4x100 team who finished 5th in the final in 39.89.
Fourth fastest in the heats with 39.84 they had been hoping to go quicker in the
final and be in the medals but their baton changing was not as good as they
would have liked.
James also contested the individual 100 metres but he did
not progress beyond the heat timing 10.75. Like wise Femi Owolade who timed
10.89. Femi also ran in the 200 metres where he timed 21.80.
Anike Shand Whittingham was part of the womens 4x100 team
but unfortunately they failed to get the baton round in their heat.
Alex Alameen got through his heat of the 110 hurdles as a
fastest loser finishing 3rd in 14.00. In the semi final he was 8th in 14.14 into
a –1.0 metre per second headwind.
In the field Scott Huggins was eliminated in the heats for
the pole vault. He needed either to clear 5.20 or be in the top twelve
competitors from the two pools but after clearing 4.90 at the first attempt he
went out at the next height and was out the competition.
Similarly Shaunagh Brown did not make the cut in the
discus, her best distance being 45.62. Undoubtedly all seven will have gained
from the experience of competing at a major International Championship and will
return hungry for personal bests.
The English Schools Championships remain an invaluable
stepping stone towards the World Juniors and beyond and judging by the
performances of the Club’s athletes last weekend at Gateshead a number of them
will be going on to emulate their peers. Three claimed individual gold medals
and many performed well in the biggest competition of their careers. Andrew
Jordon won the Intermediate boys Hammer by a mighty seven metres with a throw of
65.28. There was gold too in the same age group for Stephen Cavey as he burst
from the pack to sprint to victory in the 1500 metres in a time of 4.01.88.
In the Senior Boys event Simon Merrill, who was so close
to being selected for the World Junior Championships, won the 110 hurdles 14.11.
Also in this age group Alex Bruce Littlewood was 4th in
the 2000 steeplechase in a new best of 6.03.52 and there were 5th places for
second claimers Jermaine Olasan in the long jump and Antoni Davis-Phillips in
the 400 hurdles.
Two more second claimers featured in the 400 metres with
Mary Iheke second in 56.31 and Savannah Echel Thompson 5th in 57.06. Harriet
Lucas was the other medallist with a third place in the 200 metres in 25.49.
Lauren Blackie was just outside a medal in the triple jump
finishing 4th with a leap of 11.70 and it was 4th also for Rachel Arnheim in the
pole vault with a leap of 3.50.
Back in the Intermediate age group Tom Bensted and Dan
Putnam were second and third in the 400 metres with times of 49.32 and 49.41 two
of the fastest times in the country this year. Others to come close to medals
were Eddie Ekanem who was 5th in the shot with 14.75; Ben Hopkins 5th also in
the 400 hurdles with 56.67; and Sabine Efiannayi 5th also in the shot with
11.96.
Kelly Davey was the third Club shot putter to achieve a
5th place. She did so in the Junior Girls age group with a throw of 9.98, but
would no doubt have thrown further but for a knee problem. For the boys there
was a big breakthrough for Jonathan Pettet in the 400. He set a new best of
52.66 to qualify for the final and then ran even quicker clocking 52.60 to
finish 4th.
Some of the Club’s older members have also been winning
medals in National Championships. The British Masters Championships took place
in Birmingham recently and the Club’s athletes returned home with seven gold
medals.
Leading the way was former Olympian Allan Williams who set
a Championship best performance to win the over 55s pole vault with a clearance
of 3.51. Another former Great Britain International Bill Foster won the over 45s
5000 metres in 15.59.13, a notable achievement as he will be 50 next month.
Club President Tim Soutar led by example by winning the
over 50s 3000 steeplechase in 11.20.08. Richard Holt took the over 35s 400
hurdles in 59.28 and Barbara Terry the over 60s discus with 21.75. Barbara also
won silvers in the shot, javelin and weight throw as well as claiming bronze in
the hammer.
Past President Colin Brand was the only athlete to come
away with two gold medals. He won the over 70s discus and javelin titles with
distances of 33.25 and 38.69. Colin did, however, see one of his Club records
broken when Steve Langdon launched the over 50s javelin out to a distance 50.15
to claim the silver medal. There was a Club Record too for Peter Hamilton as he
came second in the over 60s 1500 in a time of 5.01.77.
Helen Godsell picked up two silvers in the over 50s 200
and 400; and other runners up spots went to Jennie Butler (W35 1500), Nigel
Keogh (M40 400) and Gordon Hickey (M70 shot).
Bronze medals were won also by Jon Thorpe (M35 1500),
Helen Godsell (W50 100) and Gordon Hickey (M70 Discus).
The final round of the Kent Masters League at Erith
Stadium confirmed the mens’ team as champions which means that will be defending
their Southern Crown at the Area Final in September. Unfortunately the women
have just missed out after a nail biting battle with Cambridge Harriers. Going
into the final match the Club needed to beat Cambridge by a place. If they did
so both teams would have had the same number of League points but B & B would
have qualified for the final on match points scored. However, at the end of the
day the two Clubs tied on the day and so it is Cambridge who go through.
There were a number of individual wins with team manager
Anne Cilia leading the way with victory in the over 35s walk. Caroline Nyamusi
took the triple jump with 8.29 and Jackie Montgomery the hammer with 15.48. In
the over 50s Helen Godsell won the 400 metres by over nine seconds!
Best performance for the men came from Jon Thorpe who won
the over 35s 3000 metres in 9.16.1. Peter Hamilton won the over 60s race in
10.59.9 and Clem Leon took the over 50s high jump with a leap of 60.1.
The Senior Men were involved in a very close match in the
latest Southern Mens League match at Ladywell. Up against St Mary’s Richmond who
have been unbeaten all season they eventually had to settle for second place
just 4.5 points behind the League leaders.
Again on the track the Club were particularly strong with
A string wins for Daniel Haque (200), Neil Francis (400), Martin Airey (800),
and Richard Holt (110H and 400H) and the Club won both relays. In the field
debutant Nick Moore soared over 3.70 to win the pole vault with a personal best
and there was a good new best for Dale Willis in the triple jump with 12.64.
Athlete of the match award went to Neil Francis for his
efforts in the 100 and 400 and both relays. It was not quite enough though and
the result leaves the team 5th in the division with one match to go.
The latest round of the Kent Young Athletes League at
Deangate saw wins for both girls teams and the under 13 boys but a 5th place for
the under 15 boys. This meant that overall on the day the girls finished 1st and
the boys 3rd.
Four athletes enjoyed A string wins in the under 15 girls
match. Amara Lalemi Jacobs won the 300 in a very respectable 42.3 and further
victories came from her cousin Lara Lalemi in the high jump, from Anna Huggins
in the pole vault and from Eleanor Dumper in the discus. Amara, Georgina
Middleton, Charlotte Colgate and Rachel Dickens rounded off the afternoon with a
useful 52.4 victory in the 4x100.
For the boys Joseph Ewing set a new best of 2.13.7 to win
the 800 and there was a win also for the 4x100 team of Dean Colley, Fraser
Arnott, Adam Willis and Babajide Jemiyo
Shannon Hylton and Dina Asher Smith’s times of 10.3 and
19.7 in winning the 75 and 150 metre races were both National grade one
standards and Dina also won the long jump with a leap of 4.24 nearly a metre
further than the runner up. Further wins came from Holly Fletcher in the 1000
metres, Ellie Lawrence in the javelin and from Dina and Shannon again in the
4x100 where they were joined by Cheriece Hylton and Aine Hurlock.
For the boys Nyal Chawdrey made a good debut winning the
75 metre hurdles in 13.4 and there were some impressive field event performances
with wins for Reon Gowan Wade in the long jump, Joel Shonibare (shot and discus)
and Liam Cater in the javelin.
8/07/08
Both Blackheath & Bromley's Senior teams remain
challenging for promotion in their respective National Leagues after their
second rounds of matches last weekend. The women finished 4th in their UK Womens
League Division Three match at Wakefield and are now second in the table, two
points behind leaders Enfield & Haringey and half a point clear of third placed
Thames Valley. The men were third again in their match at Kingston and are third
overall, one point of second place.
Neither of these results were what the Club wanted as both
teams need to get promoted this year. However, the performances of those who
were there were of the top order and these individual efforts contributed to
fine team performances which ultimately have kept the Club in with the
opportunity of achieving its goals.
The women at Wakefield had only 10 athletes, a serious
problem as competitors in the UKWL are only allowed to do 3 individual events
and there are 32 on the programme plus the two relays. That they managed to
place fourth was due to the fact that those there were all talented athletes who
were able to cover more than their normal individual events.
So, for example, Rebecca Syrocki and Clare Cooper won both
strings of the 400 metres but also took part in the Hammer and Long jump
respectively as well as both running the 200 metres. There was a double win also
in the javelin from Christine Lawrence and Anne-Sophie Gnadou and Anne Sophie
was also third in the shot with 11.11 and 5th in the sprint hurdles.
Other A string wins came from Victoria Thomas in the
Hammer with 53.82 and from Rachel Arnheim in the pole vault with 3.30. It was
Rachel who was the Club’s Athlete Of The Match as she also placed 4th in the
high jump and contributed a leg in the 4x400 but there were a number who would
have been worthy recipients.
Bryony Proctor doubled up in the middle distance placing
4th and 2nd in the 800 and 1500 and also threw the discus. Lauren Blackie was
3rd and 5th in the triple and long jumps and Emily Godley took second place in
the B string pole vault, third in the B high jump and 4th in the B triple jump.
There was a personal best too for Shavaun Henry in the 1500 as she finished
second in the race with 4.50.2.
After the first British League match of the season the
general consensus was that the men could probably not score many more points on
the track but they could do on the field. In fact the opposite occurred and the
Club had five A string wins on the track but the highest placed A string field
eventers came 6th.
There were double wins in four of the track events. Ed
Harrison and Derek Paisley started things off in the 400 hurdles, the swirling
winds making fast times difficult. Jonathan Barbour impressed in the 100 winning
in 10.80 despite running into a –2.5 wind. Yet when Duayne Bovell secured
maximum points in the B race it was with the benefit of a following wind of
+1.2!
Both sprint hurdles Taiwo Sodeyi and Mensah Elliott won
running into a –1.9 headwind in times of 14.54 and 15.45. Scott Overall and Mike
Skinner shared the pace in the 1500 before Scott sprinted clear for victory with
Mike first in the B contest.
Andrew Rayner ran an impressive 5000 winning in 15.04.28
off a slow early pace with Peter Tucker second in the B race. Both
steeplechasers Alex Bruce Littlewood and Alex Gibbins set personal bests with
times of 9.34.2 and 9.40.4 to place 4th and 1st in their respective strings and
David McKinlay and Dan Ryan both secured third place in the 800s in strong
fields. Neil Francis was 4th in B 400 again against some good opposition.
Success in the field was not so forthcoming but those
there performed well. Dan Ridge made his BAL debut and set a personal best of
33.02 and there was a seasons best in the Hammer for Richard Alameen. Alan Hardy
also set a seasons best in the pole vault with a clearance of three metres but
youngster Mark Longhurst unfortunately no heighted which was a shame, but this
mishap will not blot what promises to be a successful Athletics career.
Scott Huggins would normally have competed in the vault
but he was in travelling to the World Junior Championships, but there was one
member of the Huggins family in action as father Dave, a former Hibernian
goalkeeper, made his League debut in the Hammer.
Mensah Elliott, Duayne Bovell and Jonathan Barbour joined
Dale Willis and Mark Purser, who had arrived as a spectator, to ensure all
events were covered.
Again it was not easy to nominate an Athlete Of The Match
but in the end it went to Ed Harrison for his win in the 400 hurdles and his
third place in the 400, the second match in a row he has doubled up in these
events which is not easy as the gap between the two is not ideal, and with the
Olympic Trials just a week away.
1/07/08
National Junior League, Cambridge
Blackheath & Bromley's junior team will almost certainly
be in the National Junior League Final in September after finishing runners up
in the latest Southern Premier League match at Cambridge. Having won the first
two matches they lead the division with 23 points to Enfield & Haringey's 22
with Shaftesbury Barnet five points further behind on 17. With just one match to
go it would take an extraordinary result to prevent the Club from securing one
of the two guaranteed final places. This good result was achieved despite a
large number of athletes being unavailable and had the Club had representatives
in every event they would undoubtedly have won the fixture and there were some
excellent individual performances.
The Club's strongest area again was the womens' field.
Here Shaunagh Brown, fresh from gaining selection for the World Junior
Championships in Poland, won both the discus and shot competitions with throws
of 48.48 and 13.07. Sabine Efianayi made it maximum points by winning the B shot
with 11.31 and it was maximum points in the pole vault also with Rachel Arnheim
winning the A string with 3.50 and Emily Godley the B with 3.20.
Lauren Blackie broke the 12 metre barrier in the triple
jump for the first time with a leap of 12.01 to win the competition and Jessica
Matthews cleared 1.65 to win the high jump.
On the track Katrina Cosby and captain Katie Murray
enjoyed victories in the A and B string 400 hurdles and Katie also won the B
3000. Savannah Echel Thompson was the only other A string winner taking the 200
metres in 25.4.
For the men Simon Merrill bounced back from the
disappointment of not gaining selection for the World Champs with a good win in
the 110 hurdles in 14.0. Earlier he had set a new best of 10.9 in the 100. Under
17 Dan Putnam had a good win in the 400 metres.
National Young Athletes League, Reading
The Club's young athletes have definitely made the
National Final as they enjoyed their fourth win of the season in the Southern
Premier Division. It was a close affair as they were up against last years
runners up Enfield & Haringey and two of the strongest teams in the division
this year, Shaftesbury Barnet and host Reading. With one match to go the Club
travel to Windsor, the other unbeaten team in the Division to decide who will be
National Champions.
Captain Dan Putnam produced two National grade one
performances in the Under 17 age group as he won the 200 and 400 metre races in
22.3 and 49.1. A double victory and both with grade ones came in the hammer from
Andrew Jordon and Jake Haylock and there were further wins from Ben Hopkins (400
hurdles and 100 hurdles), Ben Greenhalgh (1500 s/c) and Eddie Ekanem (shot). For
the girls Sabine Efiannayi was just shy of breaking the 12 metre barrier in the
shot as she putt 11.96. Captain Katherine Jones made it maximum points in the B
string as well as winning the A string discus. Leah Forbes Morris enjoyed a
double victory in the long and triple jumps and there were wins also for Jessica
Nicol Smith (pole vault), Jen Hamer (3000) and Danielle Critchley (1500).
In the under 15s Lauren Stevens broke 12 seconds for the
first time in the 75 metre hurdles as she won in 11.9 seconds with Sian Duffy
making it maximum points in the B string. The only other A string win came from
Christine Lyston who won the high jump with a leap of 1.51 with Lara Lalemi
winning the B string with 1.48.
Jonathan Pettet won the boys 400 in 54.6 with Oliver
Taylor and Joseph Ewing scoring maximum points in the 800. Each match this
season has revealed fine new talents and this one saw new boy Dean Colley win
the 80 hurdles B race in a promising 13.0. Similarly, in the under 13s age group
Reon Gowan Wade is a talented prospect. He won the long jump with a leap of
4.93, the high jump with a clearance of 1.43 and also placed second in the 200
with a time of 27.5. Another NYAL debutant Darren Neavin won the B long jump.
Dina Asher Smith was beaten for the first time this season
but it was to the UK number one and she still ran grade one performances in the
75 and 150 of 10.3 and 19.8 allowing twins Cheriece and Shannon Hylton to win
the respective B races.
Georgina Kennedy had a useful win in the 1200 metres and
Janae Galley enjoyed a win in the B string 800.
English Schools Championships
There was more good news for the Club’s youngsters with
over 30 of them selected for the English Schools Championships which takes place
at Gateshead in two weeks time.
Kent Masters League, Erith
It is not just the Club’s younger teams who have made
important finals. B & B will be represented at the Southern Masters League Final
certainly in the mens event while the women need to win their last Kent League
match of the season to qualify.
Highlight of the lastest Kent Masters League match of the
season at Erith was the performance of the over 50s medley relay team. With two
members over 58 and an average age of 56 the quartet of Bob Minting, Clem Leon,
Tom Phillips and Dennis Wallington won beating clubs who had 35 to 40 year olds
in their teams. Bob’s split in the 800 was 2.10 and he is the fastest over this
distance in the country this year for his age.
Bob was delighted with his record but did add “An ironic?
corollory is that the next morning I hired a four wheel scooter for my mum, and
had to ride it back to her house from the shops. I felt a bit of a fraud, as the
traffic stopped in Coney Hall to let me cross the road at about 2mph, probably
feeling sympathetic that I had lost the use of my legs.”
It was a good evening all round on the track with Nigel
Keogh and Jon Thorpe winning the 100 and 800 in the over 35s and Tom Phillips
and Bob Minting doing the same in the over 50s. The women finished second on the
night behind Cambridge Harriers who now head the table by one league point.
However, B & B have a superior match points score so if they win the final match
they will win the league and qualify for the final.
Helen Godsell was the only winner on the night taking the
over 50s 100 metres in 14.2.
Southern Mens League, Norman Park
The Senior Men had a useful victory in their latest
Southern League match of the season at Norman Park. They scored near maximum
points on the track but were not so strong in the field. Daniel Haque won the
100 and 200 in useful times of 11.1 and 21.8 and Taiwo Sodeyi took the 110
hurdles by an astonishing 7 seconds as he timed 14.7.
Other A string wins came from Ian Allerton(400), Martin
Airey (800), Andy Rayner (1500 and 5000), Dan Ridge (discus) and over 50 Allan
Williams in the pole vault. There were wins too for both relay teams.
Athlete of the match award went to Dale Willis who
competed in the high, long and triple jumps as well as the 400 hurdles to score
valuable points for the team.
Southern Womens League, Norman Park
The Senior women were in action at the same venue where
they finished second behind a very useful City Of Portsmouth team.
The athlete of the match award here went to Clare Cooper
for her new personal best in the 400 hurdles winning in 60.3. Clare has spent a
lot of time injured over the last couple of years so it was pleasing to see her
running quicker than ever before. Similarly Frances Athawes bounced back from
long tern injury to win the javelin with a new best of 34.85. Other A string
wins came from Grace Sheppard in the 200 and from Victoria Thomas who won the
Hammer with a seasons best of 54.33.
There was also a new Club over 35s record in the 1500
metres where Jennie Butler timed 4.52.7 to finish second in the B race. She then
joined Clare Cooper, Sam Singer and Maureen Miller for a comfortable win in the
4x400.
Southern Counties Veterans Championships
A small number of athletes from the Club took part in the
recent Southern Counties Veterans Championships at Ashford.
Tom Phillips came the closest he’s come to taking the M50
100m title, mis-timing his dip for the line, and placing second by just four
hundredths, in 12.56. He made amends in the 200m, leading off the bend, and
winning by a big margin, equalling this year’s season’s best of 25.4. Dennis
Wallington took fourth place in the M55 100m in 13.91, and later bounced to good
form with 4.48 to win the M55 long jump.
In the W50, Helen Godsell ran a good 13.68 100m, to win by
more than a second, and was even more dominant over 200m, where an excellent
28.7 was more than two seconds clear of the next athlete.
Ken Daniel won the M55 1500m in 4.49.86 and Peter Hamilton
took the M60 race in a leisurely 5.13.90, coming on the heels of his win over
800m in 2.37.65.
It was a busy day for Barbara Terry who won the W60 discus
in 21.52m, came second in the shot (8.76m), second in the hammer (25.27m), and
third in the javelin (17.30m).
