Last updated
17 December 2015
Press Releases for
July, August & September 2009
30/09/09
Blackheath & Bromley's Senior men qualified comfortably
for the National 6 Stage Road Relay in three weeks time as they finished in a
good 5th place in the Southern event at Rushmor Arena, Aldershot.
Fastest leg for the Club came from Mike Skinner who
clocked 18.09, the 10th quickest of the day. Considering he is only just back
from injury it was a good run. However, the most notable performance of the day
came from Scott Overall. At 1pm he toed the line in the Windsor Half Marathon.
Having won this race in a very useful 66.10 he travelled to Aldershot to run the
last leg for the team and time 18.14, a remarkably good effort.
Junior Alex Bruce Littlewood ran a very good 18.41 on the
opening stage and Andy Rayner went slightly quicker on the second leg with
18.38. James Poole (19.28) and Steve Holmes (20.48) completed the successful
team.
It was not good news for the Senior Women, however, as
they failed to finish a team. Elaine Murty got the Club off to a fine start, her
time of 13.38 being the 19th fastest of the day. Jen Hamer ran a useful 14.35 on
the second stage and Carolyna Jones Baldock ran 16.10 on leg three. There was no
fourth runner and the Club's challenge ended there.
There were some decent performances in the younger age
group races from those who competed. The under 17 mens team of Sam Jackson
(12.58), Will Mercer (13.26), Greg Proctor (13.57) and Robert Yates (13.29)
finished 23rd with Jonathan Halls timing 14.15 as the sole B team runner. There
were, however, no under 17 womens or under 15 boys teams. The under 15 girls
trio of Jessica Jones (12.16), Amber Read (11.31) and Isabel Jackson (12.58)
finished 30th.
Good efforts from the under 13 boys quartet of Richard
Webb (11.31), Thomas Desborough (12.30), Sean Sturrock (11.47) and William
Fuller (11.14) saw them place 17th and the girls trio of Charlotte Rhule (9.00),
Holly Warman (9.40) and Louise Davison (9.23) also showed promise as they placed
23rd.
The Club enjoyed much success at the Kent County Multi
Events, Under 13 and Masters Championships at Erith with numerous medals won.
Performance of the weekend came in the under 13 girls shot
where Ellie Lawrence’s winning putt of 9.72 was a new Championship Best
Performance. She also won silver in the discus with a distance of 25.00 with the
gold medal going to training partner Yemisi Sofolarin who was just seven
centimetres ahead. Yemisi also won the javelin with a throw of 26.87 and was
third in the shot with 8.22.
Second in the javelin was Aine Hurlock but she wasn’t to
be denied a gold as she finished first in the 75 metre hurdles in 12.1 to
complete a clean sweep for the Club with Vivian Olatunji second and Oshuwa
Ogbeta third.
Other silver medals came from Alex Wheelwright (high jump)
and Shannon Cordell (long jump)
In the under 15s pentathlon there was bronze for Rhiannon
Jones with Georgina Middleton 5th and Holly Fletcher 9th and Adam Willis was 6th
in the boys competition.
The Masters enjoyed another highly successful weekend with
three individuals grabbing a hat trick of golds. In the over 40s Maureen Miller
won the 100, 200 and 400 races. Barbara Terry won the shot, discus and hammer in
the over 60s as well as taking silver in the javelin, while in the over 70s
Colin Brand triumphed in the shot, discus and javelin.
Beatrice Simpson took gold in the over 50s discus and
hammer and also won silvers in the shot and javelin. Other golds came from Ken
Daniel (M50 1500), Allan Williams (M 50 pole vault) and Mike Martineau (M60 long
jump) to give an impressive haul of 14 first place medals. Shirley Rowbottom won
three silvers behind Maureen Miller in the over 40s 100, 200 and 400 and there
were second places also for Peter Hamilton (M60 800 and 1500) and Gordon Hickey
(M70 Shot). Gordon also achieved bronze in the M70 discus.
The was an impressive turn out for the Jim Day Memorial
Pole Vault competition at Norman Park and the competitors responded to the fine
weather and athlete friendly environment. When organizer Allan Williams studied
the results 47 athletes competed, 6 produced 11 seasons best and a further 18
produced 30 lifetime bests.
Fittingly Allan won the over 55s contest with a clearance
of 3.72. Of the other Club members who competed Nick Moore finished his season
with a personal best of 4.02, the same height as second claimer Sam Brown who
was second in the under 20 mens contest.
Mark Longhurst cleared 4.22 to win the under 17 mens event
and Jessica Nicole Smith set three seasons bests eventually finishing with 2.92
to take runner up spot in the under 17 womens age group.
Jim would have been proud of them all
The day before at Norman Park Steve Pairman finished 3rd
in the weekly 5km park run in a time of 19.49. Jennie Butler was 4th overall in
20.09 and was the first woman to finish, with James Selway 8th, Ian Swatton 10th
and Mike Peel 25th.
These races take place all over the country each week and
at the event at Roundshaw Downs Gary Williams was 4th in 19.11.
Last week up in Leeds, University student Richard Davies
was 25th in 19.18.
23/09/09
Blackheath & Bromley's Junior women finished their Summer
season in style as, representing the United Kingdom, they won the European
Champions Club Cup B Final for Juniors in Bosnia. This means that the UK are
promoted to next years A Final when the B & B squad will again represent the
nation.
On an afternoon when most of the team won medals of some
sort there were wins for Lorraine Ugen in the long jump, Serita Solomon (100
hurdles), Christina Moore (pole vault), captain Shaunagh Brown (shot) and the
4x100 quartet of Serita, Megan Southwart, Grace Sheppard and Kirstie Robinson.
Megan also picked up two silvers as she was just beaten in
the 400 hurdles and joined Katrina Cosby, Chelsea Crouser and Savannah Echel
Thompson for second in the 4x400. Savannah was also second in the individual 400
as was Rebecca Smith in the 3000 steeplechase and Serita again in the 100
metres.
Bronze medals went to Shaunagh Brown (Hammer), Danielle
Critchley (1500), Samantha Milner (discus) and Jess Matthews who made a welcome
return to action after injury in the high jump.
Mel Kane achieved a new best in the 3000 metres but did
not get a medal while Grace Sheppard (200), Katrina Cosby (800), Sam Milner
(Javelin) and Sian Hurlock (triple jump) also just missed out. However, all
their points were vital in the team contest as the Club won the match by just
two points from KS Podlaise Bialystok of Poland.
It was the perfect way to finish the season and the squad
will look forward to competing against the best teams in Europe in 2010.
Istanbul has been mooted as the possible venue but this won’t be confirmed for a
while. Given that the recent venues have been Moscow, the Czech Republic, and
Serbia, the Club will almost certainly have to embark on another round of fund
raising to enable it to represent the UK.
The next event in this on-going fund raising effort is the
Freddie Mercury Tribute Night at Langley Park Sports & Social Club on Friday
16th October. Details can be found on the Club website.
The Winter season began with the Will Bolton Memorial
Cross Country Relays which took place at Sparrows Den with a win for the Senior
Men and third place in the "womens" race. This year the number of runners in
each mens team was reduced from six to four. Whether this helped the host Club
it is unclear but they delivered the three fastest legs of the day. Fittingly it
was Andy Rayner, who moved through the Clubs age group teams with Will Bolton,
who ran the fastest leg of the day. He anchored the quartet to victory.
Second quickest was Alex Bruce Littlewood who brought the
team home in the lead on the opening stage. He handed to Mike Skinner who was
the third quickest of the day on leg two. Peter Tucker completed the winning
line up.
The Blackheath & Bromley women finished in third place but
the trio of Amber Reed, Saffron Salih and Jessica Jones are all still under 15s
and so were ineligible to receive the prizes of bottles of wine. A suitable
replacement was found.
The race incorporated the first of the 9 race Bennett Cup
Handicap Series which takes place throughout the Winter. First blood went to
Steve Holmes who won in a net time of 10.28 a mere three seconds clear of Mark
Compton with Carolyna Jones Baldock a tantalising two seconds further back. With
eight races remaining there is still everything to play for.
Meanwhile up in the North East Montell Douglas was in
action at the Great North City Games in Gateshead which took place between
England and Australia in the build up to the Great North Run. She finished
second in the 150 metres behind Olympion 400 metre champion Christine Ohuruogu.
Following the Will Bolton relays Peter Tucker travelled to
Portsmouth to compete in the Victory 5 mile road race. He had a very good run
finishing in second place in 25.00. Andy Rayner was 8th in 26.09 while in the
womens race Elaine Murty finished in a fine 4th place in 29.14.
Jen Hamer was first woman home in the weekly Bromley Park
Run timing 19.08 for the 5km course.
16/09/09
After three years of being National Champions Blackheath &
Bromley's Under 20s men and womens team finally lost their crown when they
finished third in the National Junior Athletics Final at Derby. They were just
one point behind second placers Birchfield but 30 down on winners Shaftesbury
Barnet.
It was not all disappointment, however. To finish third in
a National final is an achievement in itself but, when the points were
calculated to identify the best mens and womens teams, it showed that for the
fifth year running that the Blackheath & Bromley Junior Womens team is the best
in the country. This means they will represent the UK in the European Champions
Clubs Cup for Juniors in 2010 at a venue to be determined. The team travel to
Bosnia this weekend for this years contest, having competed in Serbia, the Czech
Republic and Russia the previous three years.
There were plenty of fine performances at Derby with the
highlight coming from Shaunagh Brown as she received the Female Field Event
athlete of the match award for her 47.52 winning throw in the discus. This was
her third medal of the day as she also won the shot putt and came third in the
hammer.
Her win in the shot helped the Club to maximum points in
one of the opening events of the day as Sam Milner won the B string. It was,
however, a mixed start and it was soon clear that the match was going to be a
close affair with five clubs in close contention in the early stages. As the
afternoon progressed these reduced to three with the athletes battling for every
point. Serita Solomon claimed a good win in the 100 hurdles to add to her second
place in the 100 metres and Savannah Echel Thompson enjoyed victory in the 400
and the B 200, the latter in a time faster than the A string winner.
Silver medals in the A strings went to Tremayne Gilling
(100), Phil Sesemann (3000), Ross Norton (javelin); the womens 4x400 team of
Sarah McLellan, Krystal Galley, Frederica Foster and Savannah Echel Thompson;
and the mens 4x100 quartet of Ellis Zorro, Ronnie Pocklington, Matthew Walcott
and Tremayne Gilling.
In addition there were bronze medals for Matthew Walcott
(110 hurdles), Ben Hopkins (400 hurdles), Sam Brown (pole vault) and Sarah
McGuire (javelin).
Wins in the B strings came from Ben Hopkins (110 hurdles),
Mark Longhurst (pole vault), Megan Southwart (100 hurdles), and Sam Milner
(discus).
Men's team manager Brendan McShane was quick to highlight
the performance of Alex Bruce Littlewood who was made captain for the day and
who ran the 800, 1500 and 2000 steeplechase as there were a number of athletes
unavailable. His time in the chase of 6.15.54 was the quickest he has run in the
Junior League after racing in an earlier event. Credit also to 400 hurdlers Ben
Parkin and Josh Clarke who competed in the 800 and steeplechase respectively.
As the afternoon closed it became clear that Shaftesbury
Barnet were going to win. The focus, therefore, shifted to who would come second
and who would be the best mens and womens teams and so go into Europe next year.
Birchfield's win in the mens' 4x400 secured them second
place by one point and Shaftesbury were confirmed as champions and best boys
team. Just one award to go and, to much celebration, it was announced that the
Blackheath & Bromley team had won the womens match and would be in Europe in
2010. It was a fine effort with everybody playing their part. In fact had this
been decided on A string points the Club would not have qualified. The strength
of the B strings swung the result Blackheath & Bromley's way with silver medals
going to Chelsea Crouser (400 hurdles), Mel Kane (1500 steeplechase) and Banke
Jemiyo (Hammer) and bronzes to Sarah McLellan (400) and Amy Mitchell (3000).
The Club is grateful to everyone who contributed to this
success including sponsors Biggin Hill Airport, all the athletes, coaches,
supporters and to team managers Brendan McShane and Mike Sheppard. The challenge
now will be to regain the National title in 2010.
The Club’s Under 20 women travel this Thursday to Bosnia
to represent the UK in the European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors. They will be
up against hosts Tuzla, Helsinger (Denmark), Nitra (Slovakia), Tallin (Estonia)
and Bialystok (Poland)
Leading the B & B challenge will be team captain Shaunagh
Brown who is number one in the country in the shot and discus. She is joined by
Lorraine Ugen and Serita Solomon who are ranked 2nd in the country in the long
jump and 100 hurdles. Lorraine had to miss the final in Derby as she was
selected to compete in the Robert Emmiyan Cup, an International jumps
competition in Armenia at the Gyumri city stadium. She showed good form
finishing second in the long jump with a distance of 6.22, just seven
centimetres off her best ever distance. Another athlete who has been in European
action this week is Montell Douglas. She competed in the Pedro’s Cup at Szczecin
in Poland finishing 7th in the 100 metres in 11.72.
The Club enjoyed much success in the girls events at the
Kent Relays at Dartford. In the under 15s 4x100 it was gold for the quartet of
Georgina Middleton, Dina Asher-Smith, Rachel Dickens, and Charlotte Colegate)
and silver for the team of Frances Read, Jessica Moore, Rhiannon Jones, Victoria
Munt. There was gold too in the 3x800 courtesy of Jessica Jones, Holly Fletcher,
and Saffron Salih and bronze for the trio of Ella Self, Hope Stenning and Amber
Reed.
In the under 13s the 4x 100 team of Leah McDonald, Oshuwa
Ogbeta, Aine Hurlock, Vivien Olatunji won gold.
Meanwhile at Oxford Peter Hamilton enjoyed victory in the
British Masters 10000 metres winning by less than a second in 39.34.79. It was
an exciting race. He led every step of the way, pulling a group of 5 clear and
as the laps ran down fancied his chances with a lap to go. He kicked up the back
straight into the wind, and again round the bend as he still felt contact, and
with 100 to go decided he wasn’t going to be British champion for 9,900 metres.
A final sprint secured victory.
A number of the Clubs athletes have been in action on the
roads recently at events across the country. At the Bristol Half Marathon, which
incorporated the UK Trials to determine the team for next months World
Championships, Peter Tucker finished 20th in a time of 69.26. Andrew Conway
continued his return to fitness after injury by finishing 50th in 72.57.
Further west Andrew Rayner finished 17th in the mens race
at the Cardiff 10km in a time of 31.33 while Elaine Murty was 9th in the womens
race in 37.48, a personal best. At the Adida Women’s 5km Challenge at Hyde Park,
Bryony Proctor finished 18th in 17.28 with Jen Hamer 35th in 19.27 out of a
field of 18,000.
This weekend the Club host the Will Bolton Memorial Cross
Country Relays at Sparrows Den with athletes of all ages and abilities taking
part. Club members can register and be put into teams up to 1.30 pm at the
Clubhouse. Everyone is welcome to take part and with legs of just 4 km the
distance is ideal for athletes of all disciplines.
More Club members will be in action at the Kent Combined
Events, U13s and Masters Championships at Erith.
9/09/09
On a thrilling afternoon of Athletics, Blackheath &
Bromley's youngsters were crowned National Champions as they won the McCains
Young Athletes League Final in Birmingham. The match was a classic with the lead
constantly changing and the final positions only decided in the last of the 82
events.
Runners up in the Southern Premier Division to qualify for
the final, the Club did not start as favourites. Reigning National champions and
Southern Premier winners Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow looked the best on
paper, but B & B knew they had got stronger as the season progressed.
A good start was essential and with the track events
starting at 11.15 the focus began on the field events which commenced at 10.30.
Those in action did not disappoint. In the under 17 mens long jump, Mark
Longhurst improved his personal best three times finishing with a silver medal
for his leap of 6.32; Christine Lyston soared over a personal best of 1.60 in
the high jump, while first time clearances secured an unexpected victory for
Chelsea Crouser in the B string.
Yet even these achievements were surpassed by two of the
Club’s youngest members in the under 13 girls shot. Here Ellie Lawrence and
Jumoke Fatna both exceeded Shaunagh Brown's Club Record to record maximum
points. To the delight of coach Herbie Kuentslinger they produced putts of 9.78
and 9.58 and Ellie's performance gave her the under 13s field event Athlete Of
The Match award.
The momentum started in the field events soon carried over
on to the track with captain Ben Hopkins making a statement of intent with a win
by over three seconds in the 400 hurdles. His time of 55.70 gave him the under
17 mens track Athlete Of The Match award. Dina Asher Smith was just three
hundredths of a second outside her best in the 200 to take silver behind the UK
number one; and Ronnie Pocklington snatched victory in the under 17 mens race.
After 12 events it was Blackheath & Bromley and Enfield & Haringey who were
joint top with Windsor slow off the mark, but with six hours of competition
remaining.
Suitably enthused the B & B athletes strove to produce
their best, not necessarily finishing in medal places but performing to the best
of their ability to score points for the team. Tellingly the Club did not win
that many A string events. The Club’s strength in depth was important. There
were more highlights. Mark Longhurst, again, broke his own Club Record twice to
win the pole vault finishing with a clearance of 4.41. Yet for all their efforts
the match remained tight and two thirds of the way through the afternoon just
three match points separated B & B, Enfield and Windsor. The team needed a boost
and it soon came. Phil Sesemann charged down the home straight to win the under
17 mens 1500 while in the field Shannon Clarke leapt over 1.43 to win the under
13s high jump.
The match was going down to the relays. The under 15 girls
team of Georgina Middleton, Dina Asher Smith, Rachel Dickens and Charlotte
Colgate stormed to a new Club Record of 49.56 in the 4x100 and there was victory
too for the under 13 girls 4x100 team of Leah McDonald, Oshuwa Ogbeta, Aine
Hurlock and Shannon Hylton; but this success was tempered by a disqualification
in the under 17 mens 4x100. However, there were nine other teams disqualified in
the various relays. The match remained on a knife edge as the under 17 men lined
up for the 4x400. Ben Hopkins, Jonathan Pettet and Ben Parkin all ran fine legs
but still the quartet lay behind the team from Sale Harriers, Manchester. Taking
over 20 metres down Ronnie Pocklington looked like he would be bringing the team
home in second. He had other ideas. A perfectly timed finish so him storm down
the home straight to win by a metre.
There was wild excitement but although the track programme
had finished the field had not and there was a tense wait for the final
result…..
The Club had won by 12 points from Enfield & Haringey, the
fourth time they have won the National title in six years.
Such an achievement doesn't just happen. Good athletes,
good coaching, good management, supportive parents and Club, and the support of
sponsors Biggin Hill Airport and Vimsons all combined to produce an unbeatable
team spirit that ensured victory on the day. Everybody played there part, not
just those who competed on the day, but all those who competed in the Southern
Premier Division to qualify the team for the final.
Ben Parkin, who competed in the 4x400 at Birmingham had
earlier in the day won the 400 hurdles at the UK School Games in Cardiff in an
excellent 54.52. There was a win too for second claimer Samantha Milner in the
discus with a distance of 40.27. Another second claimer Frederica Foster took
bronze in the 300 metres and Sabine Efiannayi was 4th in the shot.
The same talent and enthusiasm also ran through the
Masters team who were in action in the Southern Counties Vets AC Final at
Ashford. As reigning champions they started as favourites but they met up
against a strong Herne Hill team who took the match by 14 points. Second place
was no disgrace, after winning the title for the past two years, and it might
have been first but for a number of late withdrawals through injury.
Captain Tom Phillips singled out three individuals as men
of the match, Derek Paisley for two stunning 400m laps, Allan Williams for a
great 3.70 clearance to win the pole vault despite an infected elbow, and Jon
Thorpe for a very exciting 3,000m race. It was, as he said, “A tough call
choosing just three, though”.
Derek won the over 35s 400 metres by over two and a half
seconds. Allan won the over 35s pole vault despite being an over 55 and Jon
prevailed in the over 35s 3000 metres by five seconds. Immediate Past President
Tim Soutar won the over 50s 3000.
A number of people travelled a long distance to be at the
match. Roger Michell came down from Shropshire to compete and was another who
moved down in age group winning the over 35s 2000 walk by over half a minute.
Bob Minting came from Devon to win the over 50s 800 Dennis Wallington came down
from Suffolk to score important points in the jumps and discus. Best event for
the Club was the javelin where Mike van den Dobblesteen
won the over 35s with a
distance of 50.01 and Steve Langdon took the over 50s title with a throw of
47.42. He may not have won, but Clem Leon’s 10.79 for second place in the over
50s triple jump was a new Club Record for the age group.
All these fine efforts and those of others were not quite
enough to win, but the Club will be looking to bounce back in 2010 and will
hopefully have both the mens and womens team in the final. The men will have
athletes such as Julian Golding, Mark Steinle, Michael Champion, Tawanda Chiwira
and Richard Hall in the age group next year and if they choose to compete they
would be a big boost to the team. In addition Bob Minting and Ken Daniel move
into the over 60s age group where they will be looking to revise the Club
Records in the middle distance.
The last Southern Womens League match of the season took
place at Harrow. It was actually a very close match with just eight points
separating all four teams at the end of the afternoon. Unfortunately, the Club
were third equal.
Highlight of the day came in the womens Hammer where
despite having no warm up Rachel Blackie won with a throw of 50.27. This was her
first competition for two years due to injury and will no doubt give her the
incentive to get back into full training this Winter. Boosted by this
performance she also competed in the shot, discus and javelin.
Another busy athlete was Liz Hughes who won the A string
shot, the B string pole vault and hammer and also got good points in the javelin
and discus.
Winner of the A pole vault was Rachel Arnheim who cleared
3.60 and she was also in action in the high jump and triple jump.
It was good to see Layla Hawkins in action. She won the
long jump with a leap of 5.19 and cleared 1.60 in the high jump.
Best performer on the track was Amy Godsell who was second
in the 400 in 59.6 and also runner up in the 200 in 26.0. Jane Bradshaw and
Shavaun Henry scored good points in the middle distance and it was good to see
veterans Helen Godsell and Maureen Miller in action in the sprints alongside
junior Grace Sheppard.
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 70 club members participated, with 9 runners competing in all
6 races, namely Mick Jones, Mark Compton, Iain Swatton, Chris Pike, Andy Lawes,
Bernie Bater, Justine Eastbury, Trevor Delahoy and David Churchus. The
competition was very close throughout the summer and for the first time since
the inauguration of the races there was a tie. So congratulations go to joint
winners Mick Jones and Chris Pike on 139 points each with 15 year old Melody
Kane finishing third just 3 point behind the leaders.
The Club is most grateful to Rob Brown and Stephen
Hollingdale for organising the series and all those who have given them support.
2/09/09
With the Senior Men and Women both promoted in their
respective divisions of the National League, the focus of attention for
Blackheath & Bromley now turns for the next few weeks on the younger and older
age groups, culminating in three weeks time in the Club’s under 20 womens team
representing the United Kingdom in the European Champion Clubs Cup for Juniors
in Bosnia.
This Sunday the Club will be looking to go one better than
last year at the National Young Athletes Final in Birmingham. Having finished
runners up last year the squad will be looking to regain the title they last won
in 2007. With three wins and two runners up places in the last five years, the
Club are the most successful in the country since the competition became a joint
scoring boys and girls team contest.
Meanwhile the Blackheath & Bromley men's Masters team will
be at Ashford, in defence of one of the most hotly contested and prestigious
titles in Masters athletics - the Southern Counties Masters League trophy. The
team were 2007 and 2008 champions, but will face formidable opposition from the
seven other top Masters teams from London and the south of England.
The powerful Blackheath & Bromley squad will include two
medalists from the recent World Masters Championships, Dave Taylor in the middle
distance events, and sprinter and team Captain Tom Phillips. They will be ably
supported by a number of former European and World Masters Championship
competitors, and an array of UK Masters champions and medalists, including UK
Masters record holder in the pole vault, Allan Williams. The squad includes two
of Britain's best Masters javelin throwers, Steve Langdon and Mike van den
Dobbelsteen, and Derek Paisley, whose performances over the 400m hurdles have
been breath-taking through the current season.
The day-long competition, beginning at the Julie Rose
Stadium at 10.30 promises to be an epic.
The following weekend will be turn over the Under 20s to
challenge for honours in the National Junior Athletics League Final at Derby
where as well as looking to retain their overall title of National Champions,
both the men and womens teams will be trying to qualify to represent the UK in
Europe in 2010. With the Club having the strongest womens team in the final last
year they travel to Bosnia the following weekend to fly the flag for Britain.
Further details on these two matches next week.
With no League competitions this weekend, the Club’s
athletes were completing at numerous Internationals, representative matches,
open meetings and the Club Championships at Norman Park.
Montell Douglas was seventh in the 100 and 200 at the
Aviva British Grand Prix at Gateshead while in a specially arranged 110 hurdles
race for Juniors second claimer Matthew Walcott won in 15.35.
Prior to Gateshead Montell ran at the London Inter Club
Challenge at Copthall where she timed quicker than in the North East with
clockings of 11.50 and 23.96 for the 100 and 200. Dwayne Grant was in action at
the International Athletics Gala in Antwerp where he timed 10.60 for the 100
metres and 21.33 for 200.
The day before his race in Gateshead Matthew Walcott won
the hurdles race at the Southern Under 20s and Under 15s Championships at
Watford. Dina Asher Smith was the Club’s other winner as she sped to victory in
the under 15 girls 100 metres.
There were runner up spots for Savannah Echel Thompson
(u20 400) and Sam Milner (U20 shot) and third places for Rachel Dickens (U15
200), Savannah Echel Thompson (U20 200), Sarah McLellan (U20 400), Alex Bruce
Littlewood (U20 2000 Steeplechase), Andrew Jordon (U20 Hammer), and Tremayne
Gilling with a fine new best of 10.76 in the Under 20s 100.
A number of the Clubs older athletes were in action at the
Vets AC Track and Field Championships at Kingston. Gold medals went to Ken
Daniel (M55 1500), Peter Hannell (M65 3000 walk), Gordon Hickey (M75 shot and
javelin) while Barbara Terry, competing as a guest won the W60 shot, discus,
javelin and hammer. Gordon also took silver in the M75 discus as did Keith Ewing
in the M45 800 and Peter Hamilton in the M60 5000. Details of the Club
Championships plus lots of other news will appear on the Club website.
26/08/09
Montell Douglas was part of the Great Britain 4x100 metre
relay team who finished in 6th place at the World Championships in Berlin. The
Blackheath & Bromley athlete ran on leg two in both the heat and the final.
In the heat she struggled to collect the baton from first
leg runner Laura Turner and the quartet only qualified for the final as fastest
losers. As a result they were drawn in lane one in the final. Despite running
well, they had to settle for sixth but their time of 43.16 was a seasons best.
Blackheath & Bromley completed a hat trick of promotions
this season by finishing second in their final British League match of the
season at Kingston. With the women already promoted to Division One of the UK
Womens League and the men going up in the Southern League, the Club went into
the match needing a solid performance to do the hat trick.
They started in the best possible way with a win in the A
string hammer from Karim Chester and never really looked back. This was Karim’s
first match of the season and he made up for lost time by also scoring good
points in the shot and discus.
The other winner on the day was Andy Rayner who ran
another fine 5000 metres kicking away on the last lap for victory with Peter
Tucker third in the B string.
Athlete of the match award went to Dwayne Grant who was
second behind Cardiff's Christian Malcolm in the 100 and 200 and anchored the
Club to victory in the 4x100 metres with Daniel Haque, Femi Owolade and Duayne
Bovell completing the quartet.
Daniel had earlier won the B 200; Femi gained a good third
in the 400 and Duayne produced a superb dip to grab fourth in the B 100. Alloy
Wilson made a welcome return to the team in the B 400 with a seasons best of
49.71.
Elsewhere on the track Scott Overall was third in the B
800 and A 1500 despite not having run for two weeks and Russell Bentley was
third in the A 800.
Alex Bruce Littlewood was fourth in the 3000 steeplechase
with James Poole making a useful debut over the barriers in the B string before
scoring three points in the 1500 which made the difference between the team
coming second rather than third on the day.
With Mensah Elliott missing after being knocked off his
bike the day before the match Richard Holt and Bomene Barikor scored important
points in the sprint hurdles. In the 400 hurdles Ed Harrison suffered an attack
of dizziness and loss of vision and did well to finish. Youngster Ben Parkin was
third in the B race.
In the field the ever dependable Lewis Ely was runner up
in the high jump and Sam Bobb was just outside his seasons best with a 14.42
leap in the triple jump. Under 17 Mark Longhurst was second in the B event with
13.18 and he also cleared 4 metres in the pole vault, as did Nick Moore who was
second in the B string.
Another youngster Andrew Jordon was third in the B hammer
while at the other end of the age scale 73 year old Colin Brand was in action in
the javelin.
Last but by no means least, top points scorer for the
season, Alex Pope had another busy afternoon in the shot, discus, javelin and
high jump and was an ever present in the team this Summer along with Duayne
Bovell, Russell Bentley, Alex Bruce Littlewood, Ed Harrison, Lewis Ely, and Nick
Moore.
It has been a very satisfactory season for the team and
they are now planning for 2010 in Division One. To perform well at the next
level they will need more depth in the squad but, with news of possible new
members, things are moving in the right direction. Anyone wishing to join as a
first claim or higher competition member should contact Pat Calnan on 07779
052286.
Away from the track Jane Bradshaw was in action in one of
the Sport’s more unusual events. She was in the Welsh Mountains at the Tywyn
Race The Train a contest where the athletes attempt to beat the train over a 14
mile course. She beat the train with a time of 1.43.59 and was the second woman
to finish, coping well with a strong headwind over the last five miles. On the
muddy course she also had to stop to put her shoe back on.
Only six women beat the train and she was 92nd overall out
of 959 runners.
19/08/09
Blackheath & Bromley's Under 20s team have qualified for
the National Junior League final at Derby in four weeks time as champions of the
Southern Premier Division. Going into the final match of the season at Lee
Valley they headed the table by three points and by winning the match they
extended this to six points.
Shaunagh Brown was the female athlete of the match for her
winning throws of 14.16 in the shot and 45.81 in the discus and she also gained
a very useful third place in the hammer. All A string wins came from the women
with victories for Savannah Echel Thompson in the 400; Serita Solomon (110
hurdles); Rebecca Smith (1500 steeplechase); Lorraine Ugen (long jump);
Christina Moore (pole vault) and the 4x400 quartet of Krystal Galley, Megan
Southwart, Savannah Echel Thompson and Frederica Foster.
This is not to say there weren't some good performances on
the mens side. Tremayne Gilling had a fine run in 100 metres in a field packed
with Internationals. He finished third. Alex Bruce Littlewood showed he is now
recovered from a dose of swine flu by finishing third in the 800 and second in
the steeplechase. Matthew Walcott was up against European Junior champion
Lawrence Clarke in the 110 hurdles and came second. Both Mark Longhurst and Sam
Brown were over 4 metres in the pole vault.
Megan Southwart scored numerous points for the team with
third in the A 400 hurdles; B string wins in the 100 hurdles and pole vault and
good legs in both relays and there were B string wins also for Mel Kane
(steeplechase); Samantha Milner (discus) and Sabine Efiannayi (shot).
The team will now be looking to retain the National title
they won last year. The final is a joint scoring men and womens competition but,
by having the best womens team in the final last year, the Club’s girls will
represent the United Kingdom in the European Champions Club Cup for Juniors
which takes place in Bosnia the week after this years final.
Three Club members were in action in the supporting events
at the World Pentathlon Championships which took place at Crystal Palace last
weekend.
Full results are not yet available but Oliver Robinson
finished 4th in his age group category.
Saffron Salih finished 4th in her biathlon. She ran 1000m
in 3.17 to finish 6th in the run and then swam a pb in the 50m freestyle to move
up to 4th overall.
Georgina Taylor won the 1000m run in her age-group in
3.29.9 and finished second overall.
Another big weekend for the Club and its athletes
approaches. In Berlin Montell Douglas is part of the Great Britain 4x100 metre
squad who will be challenging for medals at the World Athletics Championships.
Closer to home at Kingston the Club will be looking to secure promotion at the
British Mens Athletics League match at Kingston. They currently head the table.
11/08/09
Blackheath & Bromley were just pipped for first place in
the 10 in 100 Cup Final at Copthall. The team were beaten by a strong team from
the Channel Islands who won the match by five points. Going into the last event,
the medley relay, B & B were three points behind and needed to win by two places
to take the trophy. They led up to 30 metres from the line when the Channel
Islanders Dale Garland, who had earlier won the 400 metres, swept by for
victory.
The Club had some good individual wins. Dwayne Grant
shaved the 100 metres by the smallest of margins beating Cardiff's Christian
Malcolm. Both were given the same time of 10.57. James Alaka won the 200 metres
with ease but was disappointed with his time of 21.66 and Ed Harrison got the
track programme off the a flying start with victory in the 400 hurdles.
There were second places for Femi Owolade (400), Scott
Overall (1500) and Lewis Ely (high jump) and the medley relay team of Duayne
Bovell, Daniel Haque, Derek Paisley and Bomene Barikor. Richard Daniel ran a
personal best in the 800 and Alex Pope was just outside his best in the shot.
However such was the quality of opposition in the throws that Alex had to settle
for 5th in both the shot and discus.
It has been an eventful week for first year under 15
athlete Dina Asher Smith. At the Tonbridge open meeting last Tuesday she ran the
fastest ever time by a Briton in her age group for the 300 metres. She was
competing in a mixed race, men and women of all ages, and ran a sensational time
of 39.16. No one has ever come near this time.
Of course this was a Club Record and she took this rich
vein of form into the England Athletics Under 17 and Under 15 Championships at
Bedford and set two more! She won the 100 metres in 12.10 improving by two
tenths over the weekend. Then in the 200 metres she finished in second place in
24.83.
She was not, however, the only athlete to set a Club
Record as in the under 17 womens shot Sabine Afiannayi produced a putt of 12.48
to win the bronze medal. Dina was also not the only athlete to win a gold medal.
In the under 17 womens discus Samanatha Milner won in a new best of 43.19.
Ben Hopkins is the quickest in the country over the under
17 mens 400 hurdles this year but he had to settle for silver as he was pipped
near the end by Nene Valley’s Ben Jones whose time of 54.34 was two hundredths
slower than Ben’s best of the year. Ronnie Pocklington ran a very good 22.42 as
he finished fourth in the 200 metres.
World Masters Championships, Lahti, Finland 28 July to 8
August 2009 A combination of factors meant that the Club had only four members
in the GB squad at the World Masters Championships, held in a warm and very
sunny Lahti, about 60 miles north east of Helsinki.
Following on from good runs in the last Worlds, Dave
Taylor made 4th in the M45 1500m in 4.24.38, and a bronze medal in the 5,000m,
held on a very warm evening a couple of days earlier, with 15.38.26.
In M50, Bill Foster ran to 6th in the 5,000m, recording
16.31.15, and battled it out to 7th in a tough 10,000m, with 34.45.25, and sore
legs for days afterwards.
M35 sprint star Matt Richards looked good in his 100m
heat, qualifying 4th in 11.57, but went out in the semi-final despite his 11.47
clocking. In the 200m, Matt was 4th in his heat with an excellent 23.29, but
next day he was one of two Brits eliminated in the same semi-final, where he ran
23.56.
Club Masters Captain Tom Phillips had a great time in
Lahti. Running season's bests of 12.39 and 12.35 to make it to the M55 100m
final, he then placed fifth in the final with a scorching time of 12.15. He was,
understandably, delighted, but more was to come. Easy winner of his 200m heat
(25.41), Tom was second fastest qualifier overall going into the semi-finals.
There, he cruised to second place in 25.12, and a great lane draw in the final.
Third off the bend in that final, Tom clung on until the very last inches of the
race, where one of two Canadians in the final literally fell past him, snatching
the bronze medal by two hundredths of a second. Asked if he was disappointed,
Tom replied "What, at fourth place in a World Championship final?"
On the last day in Lahti, Tom ran third leg for the GB
4x100 squad. In racing to the gold medal ahead of Finland and the USA, they
clocked the second fastest time on record by a British M55 sprint team.
Many of the Club’s athletes were in action at the Southern
Inter Counties match at Chelmsford. Funmi Sobodu (Essex) won the A 100 and
Dwayne Grant (Surrey) the B. Both were into a strong headwind. Femi Owolade
(Kent) won the B 200 in 21.71 and Derek Paisley (Surrey) timed an excellent
53.49 in the 400 hurdles to claim third place in the A contest. For the women
Vickie Cole was second in the 100 and first in the B 200 with Anike Shand
Whittingham runner up in the A 200.
In the middle distance Elaine Murty set a new best of
2.11.19 as she finished third in the 800; Bryony Proctor was fourth in the 1500
and Rebecca Smith was second in the 3000 steeplechase.
Megan Southwart was third A in the 400 hurdles and fourth
in the 100 hurdles. In the field Shaunagh Brown won the discus with 44.38 and
was third in the shot with 14.00. More good points came in the pole vault from
Rachel Arnheim and Liz Hughes who cleared 3.57 and 3.37 respectively for second
in the A and first in the B. Lucy Robichaud was fourth in the B hammer.
4/08/09
On a wonder weekend for Blackheath & Bromley, the Club
have been promoted to division one of the UK Womens League; the men have
consolidated their lead at the top of British Athletics League Division Two and
the men have also finished champions of Southern League Division Three South. To
add to the celebrations the Club's youngsters finished the Kent League season
with overall wins in three of the four age group categories. Within these
successful team results were many fine individual performances.
The Women had a long trip to Grangemouth in Scotland for
their Uk Womens League Division Two match and came away with second place. This
gave them second overall for the season and promotion to Division One for the
first time in the Club’s History.
Having been National champions at under 20 level for the
last four years the hard work from athletes, coaches, managers and supporters is
now coming to fruition. With a young up and coming squad the future looks
bright.
Best events for the Club were the 1500 metres and pole
vault where there were double wins for Bryony Proctor and Elaine Murty and from
Rachel Arnheim and Liz Hughes. Other A string wins came from Serita Solomon in
the 100 hurdles and the 4x100 quartet of Serita, Emily Martin, Vickie Cole and
Anike Shand Whittingham.
Anike and Vickie have been big points scorers for the team
in the individual sprints all season and did the same again in Scotland. Anike
was second in both the 100 and 200 A races and Vickie won both B strings.
With a number of athletes unavailable, primarily due to
injury, some competed in more than their normal events. Pole vaulters Rachel and
Liz were also in action in the high jump and long jump, and shot and discus
respectively. International long jumper Lorraine Ugen made a rare appearance in
the sprint hurdles gaining second place in the B race and 400 metre runner
Rebeca Syrocki competed in the hammer.
Carolyna Jones Baldock also threw the hammer as well as
running the 3000 metres and 400 hurdles, while Frances Athawes scored useful
points in the javelin, shot and discus. With such a good team effort the Athlete
Of The Match award was difficult to choose, but, after some thought, it went to
Emily Martin, who, although primarily a sprinter, scored important points in the
high jump, javelin and triple jump.
Perhaps the champagne should, however, have gone to team
manager Bridget Benneworth who has taken the team from the Southern League to
Division One of the UK Womens League.
At the British League match at Leeds the team were second
behind the hosts and this leaves them top of the table. With the top two
promoted, going into the last match on the 22nd of August they are one point
clear of Cardiff and three points ahead of third placed Thames Valley.
The Club's strength was on the track where there were A
string wins for Dwayne Grant (100), Femi Owolade (200), James Alaka (400), Scott
Overall (1500), Andy Rayner (5000) and Ed Harrison (400 Hurdles). In addition B
string wins came from James Alaka (100) and Russell Bentley (1500) and there was
a fine new best for Peter Tucker in the 5000 metres.
Dwayne’s win in the 100 was despite a slight injury, while
James victory in the 400 was an impressive new best of 48.28, made all the more
notable by the fact that he ran this from the outside lane in windy conditions
beating two athletes who have run under 48 seconds.
Scott doubled up and ran the 800 as well just days after
missing out on selection for the World Championships for 5000 metres. Andy
Rayner ran a perfect race in the 5000 hitting the front on the last lap and
kicking away from the field. Ed has now had two wins and a second place in the
hurdles this year and ran himself into the ground in the B 200 and both relays.
While the highlights were on the track there were some important points being
scored in the field events primarily by Alex Pope who took part in six events
plus the sprint hurdles. He quite rightly was the Club’s Athlete of the match
scoring 58 of the teams 333 points. Great credit to Richard Holt who on the way
back from injury scored good points in four events. The Club had two National
javelin record holders in action, father and son Colin and Daryl Brand. Daryl,
who broke the British record for an over 45 at the previous meeting, was second
in the javelin and fourth in the shot. Colin helped the team out by throwing in
the discus.
There were more celebrations at the Southern League
Division Three South match at Tonbridge as the Club won the fixture to claim the
League title. Going into the match they were level on League points with Crawley
who were also at this fixture. With Herne Hill, the other team at the top having
an easy fixture it was essential to beat the team from Sussex. A string wins
came from James Powell (400 hurdles), Jon Thorpe (5000), Richard Daniel (400),
Dan Ryan (1500), Jake Haylock (Hammer), Mike van den
Dobbelsteen (javelin) and
both relay teams.
Athlete Of The Match award went to Dave McKinlay for his
spirited efforts in both hurdles and the steeplechase.
This was an important result for the Club as it means
that, for athletes who do not gain selection for the British League, there will
be a better standard of competition available in the Southern League at Division
Two level.
Many of the Club’s Senior athletes started their careers
in the younger age groups. For example Internationals Dwayne Grant, James Alaka
and Mike Skinner all joined the Club as 10 year olds. So on a weekend of so much
success at Senior level it was most satisfying to reassured that the Club’s
future is in good hands as at Deangate at the Kent Young Athletes League the
Club won three of the four age group categories for the season.
Highlight again in the under 15 girls age group came from
Dina Asher Smith in the 300 metres. She won by nearly five seconds in a new Club
Record of 40.5. Other A string wins came from Georgina Middleton in the 200
metres and Frances Read in the high jump. The team were second on the day but
claimed the overall title.
For the boys Reon Gowan Wade was in fine form in the
jumps. He leapt 5.78 to win the long jump and soared over 1.65 to claim victory
in the high jump. Rueben Fakoya was the other A string winner in the 200 metres.
The team were second on the day, but fifth for the season. There were plenty of
promising performances in the under 13s age group. For the girls Shannon Hylton
won a hard fought 150 metres in a grade one performance of 20.4 and Aine Hurlock
(70 hurdles and javelin) and Junoke Falana (shot and discus) achieved double
wins. Alex Wainwright set a new best of 1.38 to win the high jump and the 4x100
team of Amber Johnson, Josephine Rey, Leah McDonald, and Shannon Hylton won by
nearly three seconds. All these efforts helped the squad win not only on the day
but for the season.
Bobby Cribben won both the shot and discus contests for
the boys and his impressive putt of 9.26 was a grade one performance. It was
victory also for the 4x100 team of Joshua Dalson, Joshua Shonibare, Ayo Ajiboye
and Kieran Gowan Wade. Like the girls they won the team contest on the day and
for the season.
STOP PRESS. As the report was being completed news has
arrived of a sensational performance by Dina Asher Smith at the Tonbridge Open
Meeting. The first year under 15 ran 39.16 for 300 metres, the fastest time ever
in this age group by a British Athlete. More news on this to come.
28/07/09
Montell Douglas has been selected for the Great Britain
4x100 metre squad for the World Championships in Berlin which take place from
the 15th of August. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete believes the squad have a
good chance of getting amongst the medals despite none of the squad being picked
for the individual 100 metres. No one athlete has really stood out this year in
the event, in the main, due injuries which interrupted Winter training. Now the
squad have the chance to make amends in Germany.
Scott Overall's hopes of qualifying for the World
Championships ended on Friday evening at a windy Crystal Palace. He needed to
run quicker than 13.20 in the 5000 metres but began to fall off target in the
second half of the race. He dropped out when there was no chance of him
achieving the time.
At the European Junior Championships in Serbia, Funmi
Sobodu was part of the Great Britain 4x100 metre squad who won bronze medals.
Funmi ran for the team in the heats but not the final. As he helped the team
qualify for the Final he also receives a medal, a fitting way to finish his
International career as a Junior. He will of course, as captain of the Club’s
Junior team, be looking forward to the competing for the Club’s under 20’s as
they bid to retain their title of National champions.
Kola Adedoyin jumped his second best ever distance of
15.39 into a headwind of -2.1 in the triple jump but missed out on the final by
one place. Shaunagh Brown and Lorraine Ugen were knocked out in the heats of the
discus and long jump and second claimer Jack Green pulled out of the semi final
of the 400 hurdles with an abdominal injury.
Blackheath & Bromley's under 20s team are a step closer to
reaching the National Final in September after finishing second in the latest
Southern Premier Division match at Norman Park. They were just one and a half
points behind winners on the day Shaftesbury Barnet and this means they head the
table on 22 League points, three points ahead of Windsor and Shaftesbury who
both have 19 points.
Individual A wins came from Matthew Walcott 110 hurdles;
Serita Solomon (100 metres and 100 metre hurdles); Frederica Foster (400);
Rebecca Smith (1500 steeplechase); Sarah McGuire (javelin); Christina Moore
(pole vault); Sabine Efiannayi (shot); the womens 4x100 and 4x400 teams; and the
mens 4x400. There were also B string wins for Ben Parkin (400 hurdles), Richard
AlAmeen (hammer), Isobel Ivy (400), Megan Southwart (100 hurdles), and Anna
Huggins (pole vault). Barring a disaster in the last match at Lee Valley in
three weeks time they will be in the final to defend the National title they won
last year.
The Club finished in third place in the latest Southern
Womens League match at Milton Keynes. Best performance of the day came from
Rachel Arnheim who won the pole vault with a clearance of 3.70. With the team
short on numbers she also came third in the high jump. Amy Godsell made a rare
appearance in the 400 metres and was rewarded with a new personal best of 59.9.
Under 17s Amara Lalemi Jacobs, Lauren Stevens, Sophia Maslin and Ellie Duffy
Penny made a valuable contribution to the points total competing in a number of
events as did veteran Carolyna Jones Baldock. Athlete of the match went to
Frances Athawes who as well as scoring in the throws also ran in the 4x400.
A number of the Club's youngest athletes were selected to
represent Kent at the Southern Inter Counties Under 13s match at Kingston.
Highest placed of these was Ellie Lawrence who was fourth in the shot putt with
a distance of 9.30. Others selected were Kieran Gowan-Wade, Janae Galley,
Georgina Kennedy, Aine Hurlock, Shannon Clarke, and Yemisi Sofolarin.
At the McCain Jumps and Throws festival in Birmingham
Jermain Olasan won his pool in the long jump with a leap of 6.93 but sustained
an injury in the process. Lewis Ely cleared 1.91 in the high jump and Christine
Lawrence threw 43.19 in the javelin.
The final Kent Masters League at Bexley was cancelled at
short notice due to a power failure. No decision has been taken at the moment
about re-scheduling it, so it is possible that the League will be decided on the
five fixtures held to date this summer. This would place the Club's Men's team
as Kent League winners once again, and on their way to the SCVAC League Final on
6 September. However, the position would be a galling one for the Ladies team.
They would finish in third place, just half a league point behind Cambridge
Harriers, yet tied on match points, and miss out on a place in the League final
by the smallest margin possible.
At the previous match at the same venue the week before,
Allan Williams having set a UK M55 pole vault record a few days previously won
the League match comfortably with 3.75 and in fading light, had several good
tries at 4.00. Alan Hardy's 3.00 was a clear win in the M35-49 group, although
Alan is now an M50.
On the track, Tim Soutar had a decisive win in the M50s
3,000m. Rob Hall and Mark Ellison were up against tough opposition in the M35-49
race.
Windy conditions didn't help the 400m runners, but Clem
Leon (59.7) and Tom Phillips (59.9) dipped under the minute. Tom's time was his
Masters PB. The wind didn't seem to affect a very competitive triple jump, where
Clem Leon came third, and Dennis Wallington second. Colin Brand put in a very
sound second place in the M60 discus. The women finished in second place. Jane
Bradshaw and Bridget Davey won both strings of the 3000 metres and Maureen
Miller won the 400 by three seconds and Helen Godsell won the W50s race as well.
There were also wins in two Hammer contests, Beatrice Simpson in the over 50s
and Barbara Terry in the over 60s.
21/07/09
Scott Overall’s race to achieve the 5000 metres qualifying
standard for the World Championships took him to Huesden in Belgium.
Unfortunately the Blackheath & Bromley athlete remains outside the standard he
needs as he timed 13.36.17. He will have one final attempt at achieving the
13.20 he requires at this Friday evenings Grand Prix meeting at Crystal Palace.
Montell Douglas was in action at Zaragoza in Spain where
she ran 11.45 in her heat of the 100 metres and 11.54 in the final.
At Antrim in the Home Countries Schools International, Ben
Parkin won the 400 hurdles in a new personal best of 54.40. This reversed the
placings from last weeks English Schools as Ben Hopkins was second in 54.86.
Second claimer Samantha Milner took the runners up spot in
the discus with a throw of 39.84 and it was second place also in the shot for
Sabine Efiannayi with a putt of 11.93. Unfortunately a back problem meant Tom
Bensted trailed in last in the 400.
Blackheath & Bromley's Senior Men have qualified for the
final of the National 10 in 100 Cup with a convincing win in their semi final
match at Copthall. Pitted against, amongst others, Herne Hill and Thames Valley
with whom they are battling for promotion in the British League Division Two
this season, it was potentially a tricky fixture.
Best performance came from Lewis Ely who set a new best of
1.96 to win the high jump. There was every chance that he could have gone higher
but the Cup only allows athletes to have eight jumps in total and he had used up
his quota. Elsewhere Alex Pope enjoyed wins in both the shot and discus but
there was more to it than that. Due to major problems on the roads, he arrived
late for the discus and only entered the competition in the third round. He won
with a standing throw. In the shot he was trailing until the sixth round when he
produced his second best ever putt of 12.84 to win the competition. Jermain
Olasan leapt 6.89 to place second in the long jump.
There were also three wins on the track. Ed Harrison was a
comfortable victor in the 400 hurdles as was Daniel Haque in the 200 metres. The
other win came in the final event of the day, the medley relay, with Daniel
Haque and Duayne Bovell on the 200 metre legs and Bomene Barikor and Derek
Paisley doing 400s. Bomene missed out on winning the 400 metres by one hundredth
of a second and Duayne had earlier finished third in the 100 metres. More
valuable points came from David McKinlay who was third in the 800 and Andrew
Conway fourth in the 1500.
The womens team did not fare so well, primarily as they
lacked numbers. Those who competed were of some quality. Shaunagh Brown won the
discus and came second in the shot while Anike Shand Whittingham dominated the
100 metres. Katie Murray ran a useful 67.70 in the 400 hurdles; as did veteran
Jane Bradshaw who timed 5.06.42 in the 1500. Layla Hawkins soared over 1.60 to
finish second in the high jump and also leapt 5.10 in the long jump.
There was more success closer to home as the Young
Athletes won their final Southern Premier League match of the season at Norman
Park to finish runners up in the division and qualify for the National Final in
September. The Club have won the National title three times and been runners up
twice in the last five years, a better record than any other Club in the
country.
The match was by no means an easy fixture as they were
against former National champions Enfield & Haringey and the City Of Norwich who
finished third and fifth in the division. However the Club's youngsters rose to
the occasion and produced 16 National grade one performances and numerous
individual wins.
Highlight of the afternoon was a new Club Record in the
under 13s shot from Ellie Lawrence. Her putt of 9.64 eclipsed the previous
record of Shaunagh Brown, who has, of course, progressed to be one of the top
throwers in the country. Just to keep her on her toes in the B string Jumoke
Fatna threw 9.17 on her Club debut and the duo are now ranked 5th and 7th in the
country this year.
In the under 17s age group there were two grade ones from
Mark Longhurst as he won the pole vault and triple jump contests. Ronnie
Pocklington timed an excellent 51.2 in the 400 and captain Ben Hopkins was
nearly five seconds ahead of the runner up in the 400 hurdles. There was some
fine sprinting in the under 15 girls age group where three of the top five in
the country came head to head. Dina Asher Smith ran grade ones in both the 100
and 200 but had to settle for second place in both. Rachel Dickens won both B
strings, the 200 in a grade one. The boys had an impressive double win in the
400 metres courtesy of Joshua Oyedele and Harry Smith while Reon Gowan Wade
leapt a fine 5.89 in the long jump. Most pleasing performance came from Aaron
Lloyd who returned after a long absence to finish second in the 80 hurdles in a
grade one of 11.90.
Like Dina, Shannon Hylton ran grade ones in the under 13s
age group in the 75 and 150 metres but still did not win. Janae Galley took the
800 metres in 2.28. In addition to these grade ones a number of athletes
achieved A string wins. Amara Lalemi won both the 100 and 200 in the under 17
age group to add to victories for Krystal Galley (300), Sian Duffy (300
hurdles), Ellie Duffy Penny (discus), Christine Lyston (high jump) and Anna
Huggins (pole vault).
Rhiannon Jones also gained a double win in the under 15s
age group in the 75 metre hurdles and high jump while Anton Daly won the boys
100 metres. Georgina Kennedy enjoyed victory in the under 13 girls 1200 metres
and the Club achieved maximum points in the middle distance in this age group
courtesy of the afore mentioned Janae Galley and B Strings Sonia Woolhouse and
Charlotte Rhule. This was significant as the other Club at the meeting was
Aldershot Farnham & District, who have dominated youngsters middle distance in
recent years. There were also wins in the relays in the under 17 mens 4x100 and
4x400; the under 17 womens 4x300 and the under 15 girls 4x300.
As ever, however, the small 9.5 point victory showed that
all athletes who competed played a part in achieving this win and the squad look
forward to the final in September.
Many athletes have been in action in open meetings over
the last week. Perhaps the best performance was from Derek Paisley, who prior to
running in the relay in the Cup competition, took part in Lee Valley Hurdles and
Steeplechase festival. Here he won the 400 hurdles in 53.27 his fastest time for
four years despite being 35. Megan Southwart was runner in the womens event in
66.72 and was also second in the 100 hurdles in 16.24. Matthew Walcott was third
in the under 20s 110 hurdles in 14.84.
Up at Solihull at the British Milers Club meeting Elaine
Murty set a new best of 2.11.78 in the 800 metres and there were seasons bests
for Andrew Rayner in the 3000 (8.25.32) and Russell Bentley in the 1500
(3.56.61). Bryony Proctor and Shavaun Henry were 12th and 17th in the womens
3000 metres in 9.57.42 and 10.56.77.
Femi Owolade ran 21.75 and 49.90 for the 200 and 400 at
the Herne Hill Open Meeting
On the roads Peter Tucker finished in second place in the
Dartford Half Marathon. The England Marathon International timed 70.30 for the
distance. Roy Priestley was 24th in 84.22. First woman to finish was Kate
Pratten in 1.40.16. Keith Tyler closed in 2.41.42. Fresh from Saturdays 1500
Jane Bradshaw was in action again at the Beccahamian 10 mile race. She finished
in second place overall in 66 minutes, despite getting a bit lost in Wellwood.
Full results are not available but for there is a picture of Wilf Orton in full
flow on the home page of the Beckenham Running Club website.
Mark Longhurst is the Jack Petchey Achievement Award
winner for June. Mark broke the Club Record for the pole vault with a clearance
of 4.31, adding a centimetre to Scott Huggins previous mark. He is a talented
all rounder and has scored many valuable points to the Club’s Young Athletes and
Junior teams
14/07/09
Scott Overall won the 5000 metes in style at the Trials
for the Great Britain team for the World Championships in Birmingham. After
being in the lead group for the whole race he applied the pressure in the latter
stages and held off all challengers to win in 13.57.75. All winners at the
Trials are selected for the World Championships subject to them having achieved
the A standard. Scott has still to achieve this time of 13.20 and has two weeks
to obtain the qualification.
One athlete who is in a better position to gain selection
is Montell Douglas. She finished third in the 100 metres and will be in a good
position to be selected for at least the relay.
Not so fortunate were Mike Skinner and Dwayne Grant who
had injury problems. For Mike an achilles injury which flared up in the days
leading up to the Championships did not heal sufficiently and although he
started the 5000 he had to drop out rather than risk making it worse. Dwayne
struggled in the semi finals of the 100 metres as he picked up a grade one
hamstring tear, a great shame as he had timed 10.37 the Wednesday prior to the
Championships at Salamanca in Spain. He too hopes to be back in action soon.
Christine Lawrence was 7th in the javelin with a distance
of 45.32. Ed Harrison set a personal best of 52.51 in the heats of the 400
hurdles but the tough qualifying conditions meant he did not make the final.
Derek Paisley returned from injury to run 54.36. Anike Shand Whittingham missed
out on a place in the womens 100 metres final by four hundredths of a second.
The Club is celebrating a number of athletes being
selected for forthcoming International Championships. The European Junior
Championships take place at Novi Sad in Serbia at the end of the month and five
Club members have been selected, Lorraine Ugen (long jump), Shaunagh Brown
(discus), Kola Adedoyin (triple jump), Funmi Sobodu (4x100) and second claimer
Jack Green (400 hurdles).
James Alaka is in the Great Britain team for the European
Under 23 Championships in Lithuania next weekend and five athletes have been
selected to represent England in the Home Countries International next weekend
following their performances at the English Schools Championships in Sheffield.
A number of athletes achieved wins at Sheffield. Kola
Adedoyin has been chasing the qualifying distance for the European Junior
Championships in the triple jump and he achieved this with a winning leap of
15.63. Andrew Jordon took the Hammer title with a distance of 62.87. Lorraine
Ugen won the Senior Girls long jump title with a leap of 5.94. The reward for a
top two placing in the Intermediate age group is selection for the Home
Countries Schools International this weekend and five athletes from the Club
achieved this. Ben Hopkins and Ben Parkin won gold and silver in the 400 hurdles
in times of 54.32 and 54.55 the two fastest times in the country this year.
Second claimer Samantha Milner won the discus title with a throw of 40.06.
Sabine Efiannayi's reward for a personal best of 12.21 in the shot was a silver
medal.
Tom Bensted has also been picked for International. He was
third in the 400 but one of those ahead of him is unavailable.
Bronze medals were also won in the Senior Girls age group
by Savannah Echel Thompson in the 400 with a time of 55.43 and from Christina
Moore in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.20. Georgina Middleton, Rhiannon
Jones and Dina Asher Smith were three quarters of the Kent 4x100 team that won
bronze in the Junior Girls age group.
Meanwhile down on the South coast the Senior Men enjoyed
an emphatic victory in the Southern Mens League match at Hastings. Highlight on
the day came in the pole vault where Allan Williams cleared 3.90 to set a new
British over 55s best for the event. Nick Moore, who he coaches also cleared
3.90.
In all the team won 26 of the 36 events and scored 133 out
of a possible 144 points. This means the Club still head the table albeit on
match points with just one match remaining.
7/07/09
It has been another very busy few days for Blackheath &
Bromley. The Senior Men and Women are in promotion places after the second round
of matches in the British Athletics League and UK Womens League. Daryl Brand and
Allan Williams have set British records. Serita Solomon broke both the Club
Senior and Junior 100 metre hurdles records. There were medals galore for the
Club’s athletes at the British Masters Championships and the youngsters showed
the future is bright with some fine performances in the Kent Young Athletes
League.
The Club hosted the first ever BAL match at Norman Park
and there was a celebratory mood with beer tent, barbeque and many former
athletes from the last 40 years in attendance.
Herne Hill Harriers won the match with B & B just six
points behind in second place. Cardiff and Harrow who finished first and second
in the opening fixture came 5th and 6th respectively which meant a big change
around in the League placings. Cardiff and B & B are first and second both with
12 League points, the same as third placed Herne Hill. The three Clubs are only
separated by match points. With Thames Valley on 11 and Harrow on 10 there is
everything to play for in the remaining two matches.
There were many great performances from the B & B members
but the Athlete Of The Match went to Daryl Brand. Daryl who represented England
in the Commonwealth Games in 1986 was competing in his first BAL match for 23
years and celebrated in fine style by winning the javelin with a throw of 63.11
which is a British over 45s record. He also finished third in the shot with a
putt of 13.73. His javelin record means that both he and his father Colin, aged
73, hold current British Age group records in the event.
Other wins came from James Alaka, who celebrated his
selection for the Great Britain team for the European Under 23 Championships,
with victory in the 200; from Lewis Ely in the high jump with a leap of 1.95; Ed
Harrison in the 400 hurdles in 53.04; and Nick Moore who was equal first in the
pole vault with a new best of 4 metres. Both under 17s who competed did well
with Mark Longhurst winning the B pole vault with a clearance of 4 metres and
Ben Parkin gaining second in the B 400 hurdles.
Andrew Jordon made an impressive debut in the Hammer.
Throwing the Senior implement for the first time he finished third in the A
String with a distance of 55.55 with Richard AlAmeen runner up in the B string.
Elsewhere in the field Dale Willis set a new best of 13.17 in the triple jump
and the Club were grateful, as ever, for the contribution of Alex Pope in the
jumps and throws.
On the track Josh Cayenne dipped under 49 seconds for the
first time this season in the 400 metres but such was the quality of the field
that it only gave him 5th place. Russell Bentley set seasons bests in both the
800 and 1500 while Andrew Rayner and Peter Tucker in the 5000 and Alex Bruce
Littlewood and Alex Gibbins in the steeplechase scored more good points for the
team. The 110 hurdles were a bonus with former Commonwealth Games representative
Mensah Elliott third in the A string and Richard Holt a fine second in the B
event.
It was a great effort behind the scenes too with everyone
working as a team to ensure the success of the meeting. The next match is at
Leeds on the 1st of August.
The women finished third in their match at Lee Valley but
are also now 2nd overall with one match to go at Glasgow on the 2nd of August.
The Club have 12 League points, one more than Enfield & Haringey and B&B have
6.5 more match points. Best performance came from Vickie Cole who won both the
100 and 200 metres and deservedly won the Athlete Of The Match award. The Club's
other winner was Christine Lawrence in the javelin with a throw of 41.97.
Elaine Murty ran a new personal best of 4.39.81 to finish
second in the 1500 with Bryony Proctor runner up also in the B string. Other A
string second places came from Rebecca Smith in the 2000 steeplechase and
Shaunagh Brown in the discus. Shaunagh was only just outside her best but was
beaten by Olympian Philippa Roles. She also had to settle for third place in a
high standard shot contest and also came 4th in the hammer with a new best of
42.50.
Amy Godsell and Amy DeMatos picked up some important
points with second places in the B string 200 and 800 as did captain Liz Hughes
in the discus, who was also third in the B pole vault and shot. Interestingly
there were more athletes over 3 metres in the B string vault than in the B
string in the mens match the day before at Norman Park.
Some athletes were not available for these matches as they
were competing abroad. Serita Solomon set a new Senior and Junior record in the
100 hurdles in winning at the Leon Buyle Memorial meeting. She has made an
impressive return to form after two years of injuries. Kola Adedoyin leapt 15.13
in the triple jump to finish 5th despite using a short run up.
At the Cork City Games Scott Overall and Mike Skinner
finished 4th and 5th in the 3000 metres while Anike Shand Whittingham came 6th
in the 100 metres in 11.81. In the field Pamela Hughes was 8th in the high jump
with a clearance of 1.70.
In Madrid Montell Douglas had to contend with a strong
headwind in the 100 metres and had to settle for 4th place in a time of 11.75.
Daryl Brand was not the only person to set a British
Record at the weekend. At the British Masters Championships in Birmingham Allan
Williams cleared 3.85 to win the over 55s pole vault and improve his own record.
Other wins came from Helen Godsell W50 100 metres; Peter Hannell M60s 3000 walk;
and Gordon Hickey M70s shot and javelin.
Clem Leon gained silver in M50s high jump with a leap of
1.55 and also bronze in the triple jump. Steve Langdon threw the M50s javelin
52.63 to pick up silver as well. Colin Brand had a busy weekend picking up
silver medals in the M70s age group in the shot, discus and javelin and was 4th
also in the Hammer. He was beaten in the discus by former Club Member and Senior
Record holder John Watts who has recently returned to competition.
Gordon Hickey was also second in the M70s discus and heavy
weight and Barbara Terry took silvers also in the M60s discus and javelin as
well as bronze in the shot and heavy weight. On the track Tom Phillips won
bronze medals in both the M55s 100 and 200.
Younger members of the Club were in action at the Kent
Young Athletes League at Erith. Most encouraging here was a win for the under 13
boys team. There was victory also for the under 13 girls.
The performance of the under 13 boys squad was
particularly pleasing as they have not always had things their own way this
year. Bobby Cribben won the shot and discus A strings with Jon Pairman and Lewes
Burton Bell making it maximum points in the B string.
Lewes also won the B string javelin and A stringer
Jonathan Holmes joined Joshua Shonibare, Alex Scott and Joshua Dalsan for
victory in the 4x100.
The under 13 girls had an outstanding afternoon and
dropped just four points in the field events all afternoon. Yemisi Sofolarin
enjoyed wins in the shot, discus and javelin with Aine Hurlock (shot and
javelin) and Shannon Cordell (discus) completing a clean sweep in the B strings.
There was a double win also in the high jump from Shannon Clarke and Oshuwa
Ogbeta. On the track there was victory in the 4x100 for the quartet of Amber
Johnson, Josephine Rey, Leah McDonald and Myma Enchil Yawson.
Best event for the under 15 girls was the discus where
Shannon Stride and Irenee McIntosh won both strings. There was also victory for
Georgian Middleton in the 200 metres.
Top performance for the boys came from Harry Smith who ran
an excellent 54.9 for the 400 metres.
This weekend will be another busy one for the Clubs
athletes. The seniors will be in action at the World Championships Trials in
Birmingham with athletes such as Montell Douglas, Mike Skinner, Scott Overall
and Dwayne Grant aiming to earn selection for the Great Britain team The top
younger athletes will compete at the English Schools Championships in Sheffield.
Just to get selected for the English Schools is an achievement. First and second
claimers who have been selected are listed below. (Apologies for any omissions)
Junior Boys Reon Gowen-Wade, Anton Daly
Inter Boys Ronnie Pocklington, Thomas Bensted, Ben
Hopkins, Mark Longhurst, Ben Parkin, Kieran Daly
Senior Boys Dan Putnam, Jake Haylock, Kola Adedoyin,
Andrew Jordon, Matthew Walcott, Jermaine Olasan, Sam Brown
Junior Girls Dina Asher-Smith, Georgina Middleton,
Rhiannon Jones, Rachel Dickens, Frances Read
Inter Girls Danielle Critchley, Anna Huggins,
Frederica Foster, Emily Nolan, Sabine Efiannayi, Samantha Milner
Senior Girls Katrina Cosby, Megan Southwart,
Christina Moore, Sandra Seaton, Lorraine Ugen
