Last updated
17 December 2015
Press Releases for
October, November & December 2010
21/12/10
On another weekend when the weather disrupted the fixture
list, athletes from Blackheath & Bromley defied the snow and transport chaos to
race at the Iris Lotto CrossCup and supporting Gaston Roelants 10 and 5km road
races in Brussels, Belgium.
A two and a half hour delay on the outward Eurostar
journey did nothing to dampen morale and the runners responded with some fine
performances across the age groups. Michael Skinner was selected for an England
Senior team which competed in the main race of the day. Up the front a storming
finish from European Cross Country champion Sergiy Lebid saw him snatch victory
from Kenyans Isaiah Keoch and Pau Meli.
Skinner held back at the traditionally fast start and then
worked his way through the field on the seven lap course to place 17th , a good
run as he continues to improve his form after injury.
Alex Bruce Littlewood made his debut in this race and,
despite finding it tough on the later laps, finished in 46th with Andy Rayner
51st closing strongly in the blizzard conditions while the local band played
“Walking On Sunshine”. Phil Sesemann was 22nd in a high class under 20 race with
modern pentathlete Oliver Robinson 34th.
In the Gaston Roelants 10km road race, Birmingham
University student Jack Swallow ran out winner in a time of 30.03 on a course
which was short in distance, but treacherous because of the ice and snow. Jamie
Darling overcame the after effects of a cold to close 11th, with Richard Hall
59th, Roy Smith 69th, Adrian Stocks 100th, Julie Reynolds 176th, Carolyna Jones
Baldock 393rd and Zoe Wood 394th.
There was more success in the accompanying 5km race where
Michelle Fewster caught the eye. Not only was she the first women to finish in
24th place overall but the local athletes were impressed by her bravery in
competing in crop top and shorts. Most of them were clothed from head to foot.
Success didn’t stop there as 5th placed Eamonn Prendergast
was the first over 35 male, and 19th placer Con Griffin was first over 55.
Oliver Taylor was 15th, Rob Yates 22nd and Melody Kane 53rd.
A number of the athletes slipped over and picked up bumps
and bruises and this persuaded over 60 Ken Daniel to drop out after 3km. His son
Richard went one better and stayed in the hotel.
French fries may not be the recommended refuelling diet
for the team but they certainly did the trick on this occasion. All that
remained was to celebrate their performances in the evening and prepare for the
five hour wait at the Eurostar terminal the next day. The squad were most
grateful to Nick Gasson for organising the event.
Still on the International scene Scott Overall has been
selected for the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team who will compete
in an International team challenge against the USA. The clash will be
incorporated into the BUPA Great Edinburgh Cross Country in Holyrood Park,
Edinburgh on Saturday the 8th of January. Nine athletes will run for each
country with six to score in the team contest.
During the Summer 2010 track and field season, there were
a number of occasions when team results were changed after the competing Clubs
had left the stadium. Most notably the Club’s Young Athletes believed they had
qualified for the National Main Final after the Southern Final, only to find out
days later that the match had been re-scored and they had been relegated to
competing in the National Auxiliary Final. There were similar disappointments in
the Kent Masters League and the British Athletics League.
Now three months after the event the results of the
European Champions Club Cup for Juniors A Final have been amended. On this
occasion, however, the change works in the Club’s favour. After the match the
Club thought they had finished fourth but Blackheath & Bromley’s Junior Women
are now officially the third best team in the whole of Europe, a remarkable
achievement.
The reason for the amendment appears to be that the team
from Serbia used athletes who were not eligible to compete in the Final.
Correspondence from the Competitions Department of European Athletics states
“While checking the results of the European Champion Clubs Cup Track and Field
Juniors Group A that took place in Bydgoszcz/POL on 18 September 2010, we
noticed that both Serbian Men and Women Clubs were composed of athletes from
different clubs than the qualified ones.
Further to this infringement of EA Regulations, the
European Athletics Executive Committee, gathered in Albufeira on 13 December
2010, decided to amend the results of the Men and Women Serbian Clubs, in order
to take into consideration the performances of the sole current members of AK
Novi Beograd (Women) and AC Sirmijum (Men). This of course leads to the
modification of the final results of the event and of the grouping for 2011.
No further actions will be taken by the concerned
athletes. Nevertheless, as the European Champion Clubs Cup needs to maintain its
status and importance for the future of our sport, the Executive Committee
emphasized that strong measures will be taken in the future in case the ECCC
Regulations are not strictly followed.” The B&B Junior womens team will again
represent the UK in Europe in 2011 at a venue to be confirmed.
A number of the Club’s female athletes were in action at
the recent South Of England Inter Counties match at Biggleswade where they were
representing Kent In the Seniors, Fran Green was 32nd while Michelle Fewster was
24th and Danielle Critchley 27th in the under 20s race. Amber Reed placed 38th
in the under 17s race with Kate Curran 42nd in the under 15s.
Best turn out was in the under 13s age group with Georgina
Taylor coming home in 16th, just ahead of Niamh Bridson Hubbard in 17th and
Charlotte Rhule in the chasing pack in 25th place, helping the Kent team to 5th
place.
Will Ruiz, who is still only 14, ran in the under 17s race
at the Holly Run at Reigate and finished in a very useful 13th place.
14/12/10
Michael Skinner
has been selected to represent England at this weekends International Cross Cup
meeting in Brussels. The race is probably the highest standard cross country
meeting in Europe this side of Christmas, save for last weekends European
Championships.
The 31 year old
Blackheath & Bromley athlete won’t be on his own in the Belgian capital as 30
club mates will also be making the trip to Brussels to compete in the full range
of supporting races.
Blackheath &
Bromley’s older athletes enjoyed a successful afternoon at the Kent Veterans
Cross Country Championships at Tunbridge Wells with three individual winners and
three team wins across the six age group races.
Jennie Butler won
the womens over 35s race by seven seconds in 19.26 and with Jane Bradshaw 4th
and Sarah Dowling 6th the Club were emphatic winners of the team race.. In fact,
had B teams been allowed to score in the team contest, the Club would have won
the silver medals as well since, in an impressive display of strength, Sara
Elmqvist was 8th, Bridget Davey 9th and Lisa Page 11th. They could have finished
a C team as well with Kate Pratten 17th , Carolyna Jones Baldock 21st and
Justine Eastbury 22nd.
The mens over 40s
team missed out on bronze medals by just five points as Kevin May was first home
in 10th place with Roy Priestley 23rd, Andy Tucker 27th, Steve Pairman 39th, Ian
Taylor 41st and Brendan McShane 52nd.
Past President
Anne Cilia inspired the womens over 45s to silver medals with a fine 9th place.
Annie McDonough 14th and Jackie Montgomery 17th completed the scoring trio.
The Club had both
the individual and team winners in the mens over 50s race. Top triathlete Nick
Kinsey was an emphatic winner finishing over half a minute clear of the runner
up. Mark Watling and Cliff Keene’s 6th and 7th places meant the Club won the
team race by a massive 34 points. Again the rules prevented the B team from
winning medals as the trio of Mark Ellison (12th), Andy Lawes (14th) and Chris
Pike (17th) scored better than the official bronze medallists.
It was double gold
again in the mens over 60s race with a clean sweep of the individual medals.
Paul Ross Davies was a runaway winner, eventually finishing nearly a minute
clear of runner up Graham Coates. Ken Daniel made a late decision to run and was
rewarded with third place, giving the Club a perfect score in the team race.
Again a B team of Rob Brown in 6th, Jim Phelan 10th and John Fenwick 16th would
have won bronze, rules permitting, with John Turner 19th.
Helen Godsell is
better known as a sprinter but she showed remarkable versatility to win silver
in the over 55s age group. Maz Turner was 10th.
With these results
and given the Club’s strength in the younger age groups, it would appear the
Club are the strongest in the County from the cradle to the grave.
Full results of
some other weekend fixtures have not yet been received. Full details will
follow.
The 2010 track and
field rankings for the under 15s age group have recently been published by
Athletics Weekly magazine and one Club member stands out. Dina Asher Smith tops
the rankings in three different events.
The Newstead Woods
schoolgirl is top of the 100 metres with 12.00, the 200 in 24..50 and the 300 in
39.4. She is the only athlete to have run under 40 seconds for 300 and is 1.4
seconds quicker than the second ranked athlete. Only two athletes ran under 25
seconds for 200.
Dina is not the
only athlete to feature for the Club. Shannon Hylton is ranked 10th in the 200
metres with a time of 25.56.
In the field two
Herbie Kuentslinger coached athletes feature in the discus. Yemisi Sofolarin is
13th in the girls lists with 31.06 while for the boys Louis Mascarenhas is 14th
in 36.82. Elsewhere Reon Gowan Wade is 13th in the long jump with 6.02 and Liam
Cater 20th in the javelin with 44.81.
7/12/10
It has been a fairly quiet few days for the athletes of
Blackheath & Bromley with the heavy snow causing the cancellation of many
fixtures. Nevertheless, some determined souls still managed to compete.
Up in the Midlands Birmingham University student Jack
Swallow was in action at the latest Birmingham Cross Country League match. He
finished in 28th place with former member Jeremy Bradley, who now runs for
Cheltenham finishing 42nd.
Jamie Darling ran in the Old Boys race at the Varsity
match at Wimbledon Common. The former Oxford University man finished in 19th
place in a time of 24.52.
On the roads second claim member Peter Tucker finished
second in the Perivale 5 at Greenford. Most runners would be pleased to time
26.19 but the Met Police man was disappointed to be beaten by a runner wearing
green arm warmers.
First home for the Club in the latest Bromley 5km park run
was youngster Joshua Dowling. He finished in 16th place in 24.59 with Iain
Swatton 21st, Barry Wetherilt 22nd, Ian Taylor 31st and Mike Peel 55th.
Indoors first year under 15 Maya Bruney was in action at
the Windsor open meeting. She had two runs over 60 metres winning one race in
8.20 and finishing 4th against older opposition in 8.32.
30/11/10
There was disappointment for Blackheath & Bromley’s
leading runners at the McCain UK Cross Challenge at Liverpool which incorporated
the Trials race for the Great Britain team for next months European
Championships.
For the Seniors, established Internationals Scott Overall
and Michael Skinner had below par performances finishing in 10th and 17th places
respectively. Alex Bruce Littlewood had also been looking for a place in the
Under 23 team but he was 44th overall and 15th in his age group.
This was disappointing as all had been in good form
recently. The previous weekend Overall had won the Amora Seixal cross country
race in Portugal; Skinner had won the Club’s annual mob match race against Orion
Harriers. The previous weekend Bruce Littlewood had won the Surrey League race
at Dorking, competing for his second claim club Hercules Wimbledon.
In the womens race at Liverpool, Bryony Proctor was 39th
overall and 12th Under 23 while Shavaun Henry finished in 59th.
Closer to home Jennie Butler finished 6th woman in the
South Of The Thames Junior Championships at Wimbledon. She was 110th overall.
Ben Harding was the Club’s first male finisher in 8th place with under 17 Will
Mercer finishing a very creditable 43rd against Senior opposition. At the other
end of the age scale, old war horse Ken Daniel, an over 60, finished in 137th.
Young Will Mercer was back in action the following day as
he finished in 4th place in the Club 10 mile cross country championship. Winner
of the race was Dan Ryan who is better known as an 800 metre runner. He won in
64.09 on a course which is arguably one of the toughest in the country.
Second place went to Glen Turner in 64.38 with Nick Kinsey
third in 64.45. First woman to finish was Elaine Murty who was 10th overall in a
time of 70.03 despite turning her ankle. Jane Bradshaw was second and Julie
Reynolds third.
The race incorporated the latest of the Bennett Handicap
series of races and it was a clean sweep for the women with Annie McDonough
winning from Sarah Elmqvist and Past President Anne Cilia third. The updated
positions in the series will appear on the Club website.
Club runners have featured prominently in a number of
other recent events, none more so than Andy Rayner, Russell Bentley and Keith
Ewing who won their respective races.
Rayner risked life and limb in the Puma Hell Down South
race at Longmoor Camp in Hampshire. He won in 1.03.36 but picked up a mass of
cuts and grazes when, as leading runner, it was beholden upon him to break the
ice across a stream. His injuries can be viewed on Facebook.
Russell Bentley was unscathed in winning the Beckenham
Charity 10km in 33.57 and veteran Keith Ewing won the Cotswold 10km in 35.28.
Birmingham University student Jack Swallow ventured further north to finish 47th
in the high standard Leeds Abbey Dash 10km in a time of 32.37 with over 50 Bill
Foster 81st in 33.52.
Joshua Dowling was the Club’s first finisher at the latest
Bromley Parkrun 5km at Norman Park. He finished 16th in 21.49 with Mike Peel
73rd and Iain Swatton 96th.
The Under 17 track and field rankings have recently been
published by Athletics Weekly (bible of the Sport) and a number of the Club’s
athletes feature.
Most prominent is Dina Asher Smith who is in fact an under
15. However, such has been the quality of her performances that she ranks third
in both the 100 and 200 metres with times of 12.00 and 24.50. She is also 5th
ranked in the 300 metres with 39.4, one place behind Rachel Dickens who ran
39.31. Rachel is also 12th ranked in the 200 metres with 24.93.
Elsewhere on the track Jessica Jones is 8th in the 1500
steeplechase with 5.48.36 while in the field Anna Huggins is 18= in the pole
vault with 3.00 and Ellie Duffy Penny is 20th in the discus with 33.60.
Unfortunately, for the first time in many years, the Club has no representatives
in the under 17 mens lists.
23/11/10
Michael Skinner celebrated his 31st birthday a day early
with an emphatic victory in Blackheath & Bromley’s Annual Mob Match against
Orion at West Wickham last Saturday. He won the 7.5 mile cross country race by
over three minutes finishing in 45.12, a good work out before he competes in
next weekends Trials race in Liverpool to decide who should represent Great
Britain in the European Cross Country Championships which take place in Portugal
next month.
Michael was able to fit in the mob match as that morning
he had been presenting awards at the Bromley Primary Schools Cross Country
Championships at Crystal Palace, a race he won over 20 years ago. He chose to
use the Mob Match as a training run.
The Club had 71 starters in the match and placed seven
athletes in the top 10 courtesy of Andy Rayner 2nd, Alex Gibbins 3rd, Jamie
Darling 5th, Dan Ryan 6th, Eamonn Prendergast 9th and Nick Kinsey 10th. Jennie
Butler was the first woman to finish in 25th with Jane Bradshaw 27th and Andrea
Pickup 32nd.
A number of youngsters were in action with Ross Braden
24th, Clare Parkin 62nd, Mel Kane 83rd and Jessica Jones 87th. These numbers and
the quality of performances ensured a big win in the team competition as the
Club scored 680 to Orion’s 1294.
The race incorporated the latest round of the Bennett
Handicap Cup series, a nine event contest which takes place over the Winter
months. First on this occasion was Jennie Butler with Sarah Dowling second and
Kevin May in third.
Overall leader is now Sarah Elmqvist on 136 points
followed by Jane Bradshaw on 125 and Chris Pike on 122. With another eight
runners on a 100 points or over, and, with 60 points available for each race,
there is still everything to play for.
Blackheath and Bromley young athletes represented Bromley
borough in the London Youth Games cross country championships on saturday, 20th
November. This was the first time in five years that the games had included
cross-country and the girls Under-13 team made an immediate impression on the
muddy Parliament Hill course, winning the team gold medal. Niamh Bridson Hubbard
(06:26) was the race winner with Charlotte Rhule (15th) and Jessica Keene (16th
- both 06:51) completing the scoring and just edging out Wandsworth, who
finished with the same points, by virtue of having the higher-placed third
scorer. Other Blackheath and Bromley runners were well-placed in the 160-strong
field. Shannon Riskey finished strongly in 19th, as did Leah Everson (52nd) and
Molly Dent (66th). Just behind them, leading the Croydon team home, was
Elizabeth Ibidunni (72nd).
For the boys Thomas Powell was 37th, Remi Ullah 82nd
The girls Under 15 team added a bronze medal, with Lucy
Sidey (6th), Bethony Frost (13th) and Anna Myers (18th) scoring and Isobel
Jackson (39th) showing well among the 115 finishers.
Will Riuz led the boys home in 43rd with Richard Webb
53rd, and Thomas Desborough 72nd.
In the Under 17 mens race Will Mercer finished 11th for
Croydon, with Chris Miles 38th, and Thomas Greenhill 54th. For the women Hope
Stenning was 30th, and Catherine Brooks 38th.
Andy Rayner was back in action the following day at the
Brighton 10km where he finished 16th in 31.55. Shavaun Henry was 8th woman to
finish in 109th in a time of 37.32, while Rosie Ferguson was 584th.
It was a busy weekend socially as well as the Club held
its Annual Dinner on Friday with principal guest the former mayor of London Ken
Livingstone.
16/11/10
Alex Bruce Littlewood showed that he is shaping up nicely
for the McCain UK European Trials which take place at Liverpool in two weeks
time as he won the latest Surrey Cross Country League race at Denbies Vineyard
in Dorking. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete was competing for his second claim
club Hercules Wimbledon and, although he was second over the line, the first
finisher International Frank Tickner was competing as a guest and so was a non
scorer.
This was the first time in recent years that a Hercules
Wimbledon athlete has won a Surrey League race, a proud moment for Alex and for
his father Stuart, a long standing HW member. He beat some very good athletes in
the process.
Alex will now be looking to gain selection for the Great
Britain under 23 team which competes in the European Cross Country Championships
in Albufeira in Portugal on the 12th of December.
One former Great Britain cross country International Dave
Taylor made a return to action at Dorking. Now an over 45 Dave Taylor was 22nd
while junior Phil Sesemann was 34th, both competing for their second claim Club
Herne Hill Harriers.
Another former British Senior International, Bill Foster,
competed in the British & Irish Masters Cross Country International as Santry
Demesne in Dublin. Representing England, he finished 12th in the over 50s race
in 12.39.
Blackheath & Bromley’s Senior women had to settle for
second place in the latest Kent Cross Country League meeting at Danson Park.
Despite finishing three runners in the top 10, they were beaten by a strong
Medway & Maidstone squad meaning the team title will all go down to the last
race of the season at New Barn Park in February.
First home last Saturday was Shavaun Henry who finished in
4th place with joint team managers Jennie Butler and Jane Bradshaw 7th and 8th.
Again there was a good turn out with Sarah Belaon 13th, Sarah Dowling 18th, Sara
Elmqvist 24th, Mel Kane 28th, Kate Pratten 41st and Carolyna Jones Baldock 42nd.
Danielle Critchley and Krystal Galley completed a one-two
in the under 20 womens race, replicating their places of the previous meeting,
while Catherine Brooks was 12th in the under 17 womens race.
Fast improving Chris Miles was first under 17 man in 10th
place just one second and one place clear of Will Mercer
Lucy Sidey led home the under 15 girls team in 7th place
and with Bethany Frost 14th, Sonia Woolhouse 15th, Samantha Leighton 17th and
Holly Fletcher 22nd they finished 3rd in the team race. William Fuller was first
in the boys race in 21st with Richard Webb 23rd and Thomas Desborough 24th .
This gave them 6th in the team race.
Best team of the day for the Club were the under 13 girls.
Led by Niamh Bridson Hubbard in 2nd they placed three athletes in the top five
with Georgina Taylor 4th and Charlotte Rhule 5th. Jessica Keen, 8th and Shannon
Riskey, 10th also made the top 10 and there was further quality in depth with
Mary Guy 18th, Isobel Vowles 26th, Elizabeth Ibidunni 27th, Leah Everson 30th
and Molly Dent 31st.
Thomas Powell was first under 13 boy home in 12th place
and with Bailey Stickings 16th, Remi Ullah 18th and Tom Mason 22nd they were 4th
in the team race.
Andy Tucker was the Club’s first finisher in the latest
Bromley 5km Parkrun at Norman Park. He was 2nd in 18.44 with Graham Coates 7th,
Steve Pairman 10th, Ian Taylor 11th, Rob Brown 17th and Iain Swatton 115th.
Jamie Darling finished 7th in the Civil Service Cross
Country Championships in Birmingham three places behind former member Jeremy
Bradley.
It will be another busy weekend for the Club this weekend
both athletically and socially. Friday night sees the sold out Annual Club
Dinner at Hayes while the following afternoon the Club hosts its first cross
country mob match of the Winter. They take on Orion Harriers in what is bound to
be a closely fought contest. The race also features the latest in the Bennett
Cup Handicap series of races.
9/11/10
Blackheath & Bromley’s Senior Men enjoyed another
outstanding weekend as they won silver medals for the second year running at the
National Cross Country Relays at Mansfield’s Berryhill Park. This was a notable
achievement against the top teams in the country and promises much for the
Winter ahead.
Fastest for the Club was Scott Overall on the anchor leg.
Fresh from finishing as first European at the BUPA Great South Run last week, he
moved up to the silver medal position with a time of 15.01, the third quickest
of the day.
Alex Bruce Littlewood had got he team off to a great start
as he came in 14th on the opening stage in a time of 15.26. Michael Skinner
returning from injury moved the quartet up to second with 15.16. Like Michael,
Andy Rayner is on his way back from his injury so his time of 15.54 represented
a strong effort. It did, however, mean he slipped a place before Overall
cracking’s last leg effort.
The Senior women also featured prominently finishing in
13th overall. Bryony Proctor ran 10.33 on the opening stage to place 11th a
position that was retained by Elaine Murty on the second leg with 10.50. Shavaun
Henry, fresh from her second place in last weeks Last Friday of The Month 5km in
Hyde Park, brought the team home in 11.12.
Back in the mens race the Club’s B team were 39th overall,
a strong effort with Russell Bentley timing 15.4 1 on the opening stage. Alex
Gibbins 16.30, David McKinlay 17.14 and Ian Frith 17.45 completed the scoring.
Phil Sesemann opened well for the Club’s Junior Mens team
closing in 10th on the opening leg with 9.09. This was a very competitive race,
however, and despite Stephen Cavey running 9.40 and Oliver Robinson 10.39, the
trio slipped to 35th overall.
The Under 17 men produced a remarkably consistent set of
times with Will Mercer (10.12), Robert Yates (10.16) and Chris Miles (10.17)
finishing 48th. The under 15 boys team of William Ruiz, Thomas Desborough and
Richard Webb finished 84th.
There was bad news for Montell Douglas recently as it was
announced that the British 4x100 metre squad will not be receiving Lottery
Funding in 2011. Montell, the British 100 metre record holder, was part of the
British team which did not get the baton round at the European Championships
last Summer, and, although she was part of the England quartet who won gold at
the Commonwealth Games, she has lost her funding.
The 2010 track and field rankings for under 20 women have
recently been published by Athletics Weekly magazine (bible of the Sport) and,
fittingly for a Club who are National Champions, a number of its first and
second claim athletes feature very prominently.
Three, in fact are ranked number one in their event led by
British Record holder Sophie Hitchon in the Hammer. Sophie, a second claim
member of the Club, improved to 64.47 this season, the highlight of which was
winning the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Canada in July.
Lorraine Ugen heads the long jump lists with her leap of 6.35 while Katrina
Cosby tops the 400 hurdles rankings with her 59.71 performance.
Megan Southwart is 6th placed in the 400 hurdles with
61.46 as is Jessica Jones in the not so frequently run 3000 metres steeplechase.
Savannah Echel Thompson is 5th placed in the 400 metres with 54.68 and she is
also 20th in the 200 metres with 24.9. Frederica Foster lies 9th in the 400 in
55.46 in her first year in the age group.
Remarkably Dina Asher Smith, who is an under 15, features
twice in the sprints. She is 10th in the 200 in 24.50 and 14th in the 100 with
12.00.
Back in the field Sarah Abrams features in three events
most notably the triple jump where she is 8th with 11.95. She is also 13th in
the long jump with a leap of 5.76 and equal 15th in the high jump with fellow
second claimer Philippa Wilson with 1.72. Sabine Efiannayi has had a successful
year in her first season as an under 20. She is 5th in the shot putt with a
throw of 13.22. Another first year, Samantha Milner is 7th in the discus with
42.51 while Christina Moore is 17th in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.33.
The Club’s athletes have as usual been in action in a
variety of events recently. Keith Ewing ventured abroad and finished 34th in the
Lausanne Half Marathon in Switzerland. His time of 77.27 was most useful for
someone in the over 45s category.
Andy Tucker was the Club’s first finisher in the latest
Bromley Parkrun 5km at Norman Park. He finished in 4th place in a time of 18.47
with Steve Pairman 11th, Rob Brown 21st, and David Carton 22nd.
2/11/10
The 2010 track and field rankings for Junior Men has
recently been published in Athletics Weekly and two members of Blackheath &
Bromley top their respective events. Both Jermaine Olasan and Andrew Jordon
shared the disappointment of not being selected to represent Great Britain at
the World Junior Championships last Summer. There are many at the Club who
thought they should have gone. Jermaine heads the long jump with a leap of 7.53
while Andrew is the country’s top hammer thrower with a distance of 68.83.
Plenty of other first and second claim members feature in
the lists. In the pole vault Ned Quiney is 4th ranked with a clearance of 5.00,
with Mark Longhurst 12th (4.61), and Sam Brown 18th (4.41). Joe Lawrence is 5th
in the triple jump with a leap of 15.11 with new member Jonathan Ilori 9th with
14.84. Joe is also 12th in the long jump with a leap of 7.19. Jake Haylock is
11th in the Hammer with a throw of 56.66.
Best placed athlete on the track is Dan Putnam. He was
part of the Great Britain team who won bronze in the 4x400 metres at the World
Junior Championships and he is ranked third in the individual event with 47.77.
Ben Hopkins is 8th in the 400 hurdles with 54.54 with Ben
Parkin 13th with 55.46. Matthew Walcott is 10th in the 110 hurdles with 14.40.
With no formal Club events last weekend, the Club’s
athletes have been involved in a variety of road, cross country and multi
terrain events.
Birmingham University student Jack Swallow finished in
38th place in the Birmingham Cross Country League match at Leamington.
Loughborough students Ian Frith and Stephen Cavey were 70th and 100th.
Second claim member Peter Tucker won the Wilmington 10km
in 34.25 with Kieth Duffy Penny 147th and Ramon Saiz 344th.
At the Barns Green Half Marathon, Andy Tucker was the
first Club member to finish. He was 54th in a time of 83.55. Others to finish
were Gary Cook 81st, Adrian Stocks 153rd, Julie Reynolds 209th, Dick Griffin
405th, and Justine Eastbury 437th.
Steve Pairman was the Club’s first finisher at the latest
5km parkrun at Norman Park. He was 8th in a time of 20.12 with Rob Brown 12th,
Joshua Dowling 14th, Dick Griffin 25th, Jessica Keene 51st and Iain Swatton
108th. Further afield Peter Hamilton was 10th in the Newcastle 5km parkrun.
Attention this coming weekend is focused on the National
Cross Country Relays which take place at Berryhill Park in Mansfield. Last year
the Senior Mens team won silver medals in a hotly contested race which was by
Bedford and County. This year they aim to go one better with three of last years
quartet, Scott Overall, Michael Skinner and Andy Rayner set to compete, plus
first year Senior Alex Bruce Littlewood who is in fine form having finished
second in both Kent Cross Country League races this Winter. The Club will also
be fielding teams in the other age group races.
26/10/10
Scott Overall was not only the first Briton to finish in
the BUPA Great South Run at Portsmouth , he was the first European as well. In a
race won by World Cross Country champion Joseph Ebuya, the Blackheath & Bromley
athlete set a new personal best for the 10 mile event finishing in 4th place in
47.37, four seconds ahead of Scotland ’s Andrew Lemoncello. His previous best
time was 48.00 set in the same race last year. A little further down the field
Richard Hall finished in 225th place in 65.53.
Up in Birmingham Jack Swallow broke the 70 minute barrier
for the first time as he timed 69.52 in the EDF Energy Half Marathon. This gave
the Birmingham University student 17th place overall.
Closer to home, all age groups from the Club were in
action at the latest Kent League fixture of the season at Somerhill School,
Tonbridge. First home in the Senior Mens race was Alex Bruce Littlewood
replicating his second place from the opening fixture. Andy Rayner continued his
return to fitness in third. Together with Alex Gibbins (7th) and David McKinlay
(15th) they finished second in the four to score team race. They were also
second in the 12 to score contest thanks to Eamonn Prendergast (24th), Jamie
Darling (28th), Ross Braden (33rd), Brendan McShane (75th), Mark Ellison (94th),
Andy Lawes (97th), James Donaldson (99th) and Chris Pike (100th).
Joint team managers Jennie Butler (7th) and Jane Bradshaw
(12th) were the first two finishers in the Senior womens race and with Sarah
Belaon 24th and Sara Elmqvist 25th the they were 3rd in the team contest.
Carolyna Jones Baldock and Anne Cilia provided good back up in 47th and 49th.
Danielle Critchley, Krystal Galley and Michelle Fewster
took the first three places in the under 20 womens race which gave them the team
title but there were no Club members in the Junior Mens race.
Will Mercer was the first home for the Club in the under
17 mens race. He finished in 14th place. Robert Yates in 19th and Chris Miles in
24th ensured the Club were fourth in the team race. For the women Catherine
Brook was 15th.
There was another good showing in the younger age groups
with team victories in the under 15 and under 13 races girls races.
Kate Curran was second in under 15s race. Saffron Salih
was 7th and Lucy Sidey 9th and they won the team contest by a single point.
Sonia Woolhouse was 17th, Bethany Frost 21st and Holly Fletcher 23rd. The boys
team finished 6th led home by William Fuller in 21st with Richard Webb 24th and
Henry Chong 25th.
Georgina Taylor was the Club's other individual winner.
She was first in the under 13s age group in 10.50, leading the team to victory
with Niamh Bridson Hubbard 2nd (10.54) and Charlotte Rhule 7th . There were
plenty of other good performances with Jessica Keen 12th, Shannon Riskey 13th,
Mary Guy 20th, Holly Warman, returning from injury, 30th and Elizabeth Ibidunni,
with a good sprint finish in 31st.
What the boys lack in numbers they made up for in quality
as Bailey Stickings finished in 4th with Charlie Davis 16th.
Graham Coates was the Club’s first finisher in the latest
Bromley 5km park run at Norman Park. He finished in 4th place with Dick Griffin
11th and Iain Swatton 89th. At the Emer Casey Memorial 10km at Brockwell Park,
Luke Brent was 61st, Kirsty Philp 64th and Nicholas Merritt 82nd.
A number of Club members took part in the Beachy Head
Marathon. Details to follow.
Blackheath & Bromley caters for all ages, abilities and
disciplines. For further information on your particular interest please e-mail
enquiries@bandbhac.org.uk Alternatively leave details on the Club answer phone
service on 020 8462 3115.
19/10/10
A solid team performance saw Blackheath & Bromley's senior
men finish in 23rd position in the National 6 stage road relay at Sutton
Coldfield. Highlight was the performance of Scott Overall who moved the team up
from 53rd to 27th on the third stage. His time of 17.05 was the fourth fastest
of the day and was actually just two seconds slower than the quickest.
Ben Harding ran 18.56 on the opening leg to come in 55th
and James Poole with 18.58 edged them up to 53rd before Overall's third stage
effort.
Alex Bruce Littlewood moved up to 23rd with 18.16 and
youngest member of the team Phil Sesemann got the Club to its highest place of
the day as he moved to 21st with 18.39. Alex Gibbins slipped back a couple of
places on the anchor leg with 19.16.
It was a good team effort as they were the first Kent team
to finish and the 70 plus teams who competed had to qualify to be at Sutton
Coldfield. With Mike Skinner and Andy Rayner back in training, the squad will be
looking for a good result in the forthcoming National Cross Country relays which
take place on the 6th of November. Last year they won silver medals.
The Senior women were also prominent. Bryony Proctor ran a
good first leg to close in 11th place with a time of 15.02. Elaine Murty moved
up into the top 10 as she closed in 9th on the second stage. Joint team captain
Jennie Butler slipped to 17th with 17.03 before Carolyna Jones Baldock timed
18.57 on the anchor leg.
The following day was the turn of the youngsters to
compete. The best team result came from the under 15 girls trio of Kate Curran,
Lucy Sidey and Saffron Salih. Kate got the team off to a fine start on the
opening stage closing in 5th place in 14.17. This was to prove the 7th fastest
time of the day. Despite a useful 16.06 Lucy slipped to 16th on the second stage
before Saffron shot back up to 11th with a time of 15.14. Samantha Leighton ran
16.59 for the B team.
The under 17 men produced another solid team performance.
Quickest was first leg runner Will Mercer who clocked 13.09 to close 49th. Rob
Yates moved up to 41st with 13.21 before Chris Miles anchored the team home in
34th place with a time of 13.12. Tom Greenhill ran 13.51 for an incomplete B
team.
Henry Chong was 48th on the opening stage in the under 15
boys race with a time of 14.21. Thomas Desborough closed in 52nd on the second
leg with 15.51 before Will Ruiz brought the trio home in 43rd with 14.35. Josh
Dowling ran 15.56 for an incomplete B team.
Plenty of other athletes from the Club have been in action
in various races in the last few days.
Second claimer Peter Tucker was 10th in the Cabbage Patch
10 mile road race in 53.27. At the Abingdon Marathon Tony Crowder was
comfortably under the three hour mark as he timed 2.58.07 to finish in 77th
place. Colin Poole continued his prodigious appetite for the distance finishing
as first over 70 in a time of 4.50.46.
Others opted for just half the distance with Kevin May
first home for the Club at the Maidstone Half Marathon in 80.26. Gareth Evans
was 18th, Chris Gentle 45th, Peter Burford 79th and Lisa Page 102nd.
Dan Ryan finished second in the latest Bromley 5km park
run at Norman Park. He timed 18.20 with Gary Cook 10th, Rob Brown 18th, Iain
Swatton 33rd and Molly Dent 63rd.
This Saturday sees the second round of Kent League races
at Somerhill Park, Tonbridge. All age groups will be competing. Those seeking
something a little longer will be in action in the Beach Head Marathon
13/10/10
Montell Douglas finished her season on a high as she was
one of the England 4x100 metre relay quartet who won gold at the Commonwealth
Games in Delhi. Taking over from Katherine Endacott she had a great run on the
second leg handing over to Laura Turner before Abi Oyepitan brought the team
safely home in first place in 44.19.
Individually the Blackheath and Bromley athlete made it
through to the semi final of the 100 metres. She was third in her heat in 11.74
and was quicker in the semi where she timed 10.62. However, this was not enough
to qualify the British record holder for the final.
The Club’s Senior womens team made a bright start to the
Kent League season with a win in the opening event at Sparrows Den, West
Wickham. Joint team manager Jennie Butler led from the front as she was the
Club’s first finisher in fourth place, just one second ahead of fifth. Fran
Green continued her return to racing with a useful 7th place and the Club’s
other joint manager, Jane Bradshaw, completed the scoring in 11th place to give
the Club a five point victory over second place Invicta East Kent.
Promisingly for the Winter season ahead, the squad has
good depth with Sara Elmqvist finishing 21st, Sarah Belaon 30th, Ella Fisher
34th, and Hannah Garcia, who is still an under 20, in 40th. With others waiting
in the wings the Club feature prominently in League and Championship races in
forthcoming months.
The Senior men did not fare so well in the team contest
finishing in fourth but the Club were prominent up front as Alex Bruce
Littlewood had a good run to finish in second place in 32.41. Back from injury,
Andy Rayner worked his way through the field to place 12th and Alex Gibbins
(16th) and Richard Hall (36th) completed the scoring quartet. The Club were 2nd
in the 12 to score thanks to Martin Airey (39th), Richard Daniel (61st), Brendan
McShane (74th), Jonathan Halls (79th), Mick Jones (82nd), Andrew Lawes (85th),
Ian Taylor (89th) and James Donaldson (103rd).
There was a one-two in the under 20 womens race courtesy
of Michelle Fewster and Danielle Critchley with times of 14.51 and 15.06
respectively. No team scored in this race and the Club did not have any Junior
men competing. However, the under 17 womens trio of Amber Reed (4th), Jessica
Jones (9th) and Catherine Brooks (11th) finished 2nd in the team race. Will
Mercer led the men home in 9th place and with Chris Miles 10th and Rob Yates
13th, they were third in the team competition.
There was a very encouraging showing by the youngest age
groups of the Club both in quality and in numbers. In the under 15s age group
Kate Curran finished in 4th place and with Saffron Salih 5th and Sonia Woolhouse
9th, the team came second. For the boys Will Ruiz led the squad home in 15th
with Henry Chong 22nd and William Fuller 23rd. They were 5th in the team
contest.
The second team win of the day came in the under 13 girls
race where Georgina Taylor won in 9.45 with Niamh Bridson Hubbard second in
9.56. Charlotte Rhule put in a fine sprint over the last 300 metres moving up a
number of places to finish 8th with 10.22 and help to secure the team victory by
just three points. Just as pleasing were the number and quality of the other
athletes competing with Jessica Keen 11th, Shannon Riskey 12th, Holly Warman
28th, Elizabeth Ibidunni 31st , Leah Everson 34th and Molly Dent 36th.
Similarly the boys put up a good display and finished
second in the team contest led home by Bailey Stickings in 6th place. Thomas
Powell 7th, and Remi Ullah in 13th completed the scoring with good support from
Charlie Davis in 17th and Kai Salih 23rd.
The Club’s athletes have been in action in a variety of
local races in recent days. Most prominent of these was Russell Bentley who won
the Self Transcendence 10km in Battersea Park. His time of 33.20 was nearly two
and a half minutes quicker than the runner up.
Fran Green was back in action the day after the Kent
League finishing in 42nd place in the Lexus Croydon 10km in a time of 42.19.
Gary Cook was the Club’s first finisher at the latest
Bromley parkrun 5km at Norman Park. He finished third in 19.23 with Dick Griffin
22nd in 22.47 and Iain Swatton 85th in 33.35.
Second claimer Peter Tucker was second in the Chislehurst
Chase over 10km in a time of 36.48. Steve Pairman (44.04), Andrew Lawes (45.23)
and Chris Pike (46.52) also made the top 50 placings.
Niamh Bridson Hubbard was the runaway winner of the
childrens 2km race, despite the handicap of running in a tutu and having raced
in the Kent League the previous day.
This weekend the attention turns to Sutton Coldfield where
the National road relays take place. The Senior men and women will be action on
Saturday with the young athletes competing on Sunday.
6/10/10
Alex Bruce Littlewood was the runaway winner of the
Blackheath & Bromley 5 mile cross country championship at West Wickham. The 20
year old Portsmouth University student won by nearly a minute and a half in an
excellent time of 28.24 considering the tough course and the fact that it is
actually over five miles.
The race is one of the oldest in the world, first having
been contested in 1880, and the list of winners engraved on the trophy is a
who's who of past and present members.
Alex Gibbins was second in 29.51 while David McKinlay
showed some promising early Winter form as he got the better of Peter Tucker to
finish in third in 29.55.
First in the womens race was Jane Bradshaw who was 15th
overall in 35.46 with youngster Amber Reed in second (37.19) and Julie Reynolds
third (38.01). Amber was first in the Junior Womens race with Claire Parkin
second and Melody Kane third.
Will Mercer had a fine run to win the Junior Mens race. He
was 5th overall with a time of 32.04 with Tom Greenhill second and Josh Dowling
third.
The race featured the second of the nine race Bennett Cup
Handicap series which runs throughout the Winter. Winner on this occasion was
David Leal with Claire Parkin second and Justine Eastbury third. Leader overall
at the moment is Sarah Elmqvist on 102 with Melody Kane and Andy Lawes joint
second on 99 points. With 60 points available to the winner of each event there
is still everything to play for and, with another five people over 80 points,
there is no doubt the pack will shuffle again in the forthcoming weeks.
Further afield Glen Turner competed in the Warsaw Marathon
in Poland and was delighted to go under three hours. He timed 2.57.43 and
finished in 73rd place.
On the roads at home Tony Crowder was the Club’s first
finisher at the Dulwich 10km. He came 30th in a time of 37.17. Fran Green was
the Club’s first woman home. She was 92nd overall and the 8th female in a time
of 42.30. Others to finish were Colin McEntee (181st), Kirsty Philip (228th) and
Nicholas Merritt (283rd).
Keith Ewing was quicker than all these at the Southend
10km where he finished 31st in 36.18. Iain Swatton was 121st in the latest 5km
parkrun at Norman Park.
This weekend all age groups from the Club will be in
action in the first Kent League races of the season at Sparrows Den, West
Wickham The first race is at 12.00 midday.
