Press Releases for
October, November & December 2014
31/12/14
Many athletes from Blackheath & Bromley feature in the
various end of year Senior rankings presented by Athletics Weekly Magazine
in conjunction with Athletics International.
Most prominent of these is Adam Gemili who is the only
Club member to appear in the International Merit Rankings. These are
calculated by a panel of experts taking into account placings in significant
competitions, quality of their best performances, consistency, and win-loss
records against other ranked competitors.
Adam is placed 7th in the World in the 200 metres and
8th in the 100, proof of his growing reputation as a performer on the big
occasion as, while he is also the 7th fastest in the World at 200 with the
19.98 he ran to win the European title, he is actually the 29th quickest
over the shorter sprint with 10.04.
Dina Asher Smith, who won the World Junior 100 metre
title this year, is the 18th quickest on the planet in the 200 metres
rankings with 22.61.
Adam tops the UK 200 Metre Merit rankings for the
third year in a row and he is also second in the 100 behind training partner
James Desaolu with Kieran Daly 11th.
Scott Overall is placed third in the Marathon; 7th
over 10 miles and half marathon; and 12th in the 10,000 metres. Jonathan
Ilori has spent most of the year in the United States but he is 7th in the
triple jump.
Dina tops the womens 100 metre lists and she is also
third in the 200 metres. Montell Douglas is 7th in the 100 and Shannon
Hylton who will still be a Junior next year is 6th in the 200.
Three of the 12 ranked athletes in the triple jump are
Club members with Chioma Matthews 3rd, Zara Asante 9th and Kerri Davidson
11th. Shaunagh Brown features in three events as she is 5th in both the shot
and discus and 6th in the Hammer.
Serita Solomon is third in the 100 metre hurdles;
Lorraine Ugen 4th in the long jump and Sam Milner 9th in the discus. Two
second claimers also feature as Izzy Jeffs is second in the javelin and
Pippa Woolven fourth in the steeplechase.
On to the UK top 30 best performance lists and Adam is
top of the 200 metres with 19.98 and 3rd in the 100 with 10.04. Kieran Daly
is 12th in the 100 (10.18) and 18th in the 200 (21.00). Dan Putnam is 22nd
in the 200 with 21.05 and 29th in the 400 with 47.16. Luke Smallwood ranks
24th in the 400 hurdles with 52.51.
Scott Overall is third fastest in the marathon with
2.13.00 and he is also 10th in the half marathon 64.44 and 12th in the
10,000 (29.18.39). Alex Bruce Littlewood is 16th in the 5000 metres with
14.03.79 and also 19th in the 3000 metre steeplechase with 9.05.24.
Two athletes make the long jump rankings with Jermaine
Olasan 10th having leapt 7.75. Oliver Newport was still an under 20 in 2014
and he achieved 7.41 despite some injury problems. Jonathan Ilori placed
11th in the triple jump with 15.89.
Dina Asher Smith is the fastest female in the country
over 100 metres having timed 11.14 and a further three Club members make the
top 30 with Montell Douglas 8th (11.37), Shannon Hylton 16th (11.59), and
Lorraine Ugen 17th (11.60). Dina 3rd (22.61), Shannon 7th (23.24) and
Montell 15th (23.73) also feature in the 200 metres and they are joined by
Cheriece Hylton in 22nd with 24.05. Dina and Cheriece are also 19th and 23rd
respectively in the 400 metres with 53.49 and 53.54.
Shaunagh Brown threw the second furthest in the
country with the hammer unleashing a 66.85 effort. She is also 5th in the
shot (51.96) and the discus (51.77), the latter an event where Sam Milner is
placed 10th with 48.18.
As well as her sprint success Lorraine Ugen is 3rd
ranked in her main event the long jump with a leap of 6.73 while Jahisha
Thomas is 17th with 6.12. Chioma Matthews is third in the triple jump with
13.46 while Zara Asante is 13th (12.67) and Kerri Davidson 18th (12.48).
Jahisha is also 16th in the 100 metre hurdles with
13.80 with Serita Solomon 4th with 13.22.
Three second claimers feature prominently with Izzy
Jeffs second in the javelin (58.63); Pippa Woolven third in the 3000
steeplechase (9.47.97) and 20th in the 5000 metres (16.08.93); and Carolyn
Plateau 28th in the 800 (2.05.57).
Not surprisingly with all these fine performers, the
Club’s Senior teams enjoyed a successful 2014 with the women retaining their
place in the Premier Division of the UK Womens League and the men finishing
3rd in Division One of the British Athletics League, their highest placing
since 2001. In fact, if the positions of Clubs in both Leagues are married
together, Blackheath & Bromley would be the third best combined male and
female Club in the country and the top one in the South Of England.
They look forward to making further progress in 2015
with the Club’s Junior Womens team having become National Champions for the
ninth time in ten years, and a number of athletes set to make breakthroughs
in the coming months.
Despite this, the Club needs more strength in depth
and always welcomes new talent into its ranks. Interested athletes should
mail enquiries@bandb.org.uk
initially for further information.
One athlete who will not be making the UK lists in
2015 is Mariette Terrisse Hilborne for the simple reason that she is French.
She showed that she is getting back to full fitness after the birth of her
second child as she cleared 3.54 at the Bath Pole Vault and Shot contest
just before Christmas. The evergreen Allan Williams who is now an over 60
cleared 3.24.
The walkers have also been in action with Shaun
Lightman finishing in 6th place in the Preston Park 5.5 mile race at
Brighton on Boxing Day. He timed 57.33 with David Hoben 9th in 63.24.
Closer to home, and less competitive, over 100 people
turned out for the annual Club Boxing Day paper chase at the Clubhouse at
Hayes.
23/12/14
Alex Bruce Littlewood finished 2014 with an
International vest representing England at the Lotto Cross Cup at Brussels
in Belgium. In what is traditionally the biggest cross country race in
Europe this side of Christmas, the Blackheath & Bromley athlete finished in
28th with a time of 35.20 for the 10,500 metre course.
Luke Smallwood travelled to Ireland to compete in the
AIT Baseline Indoor Meeting at Athlone and achieved two impressive times. He
clocked a new best of 33.93 for the 300 metres and also ran 16.55 for the
150.
The Club had two competitors at the South Of England
Combined Events Championships at Lee Valley and both came away with medals
and personal bests.
Mark Cryer won bronze in the Senior Mens Heptathlon
with 4898 points. As well as achieving his best ever points score, he set
individual bests of 7.36 in the 60 metres and 3.85 in the pole vault and won
the long jump with a leap of 6.76.
Henry James Cowie won the under 15 boys pentathlon
with a new best of 2547 points and this included personal bests of 9.76 in
the 60 metre hurdles and 10.55 in the shot. He also won the high jump with a
leap of 1.60 and the 800 with a time of 2.09.78.
At the Track Academy Sprint Challenge at Willesden,
Duayne Bovell timed 7.17 for the 60 metres and his sister Serita Solomon
clocked 7.58.
Closer to home the Club held it’s annual Christmas
Yacht Handicap over it’s 5 mile course at Hayes. With the slowest starting
first and the fastest last, in laboratory conditions all runners would in
theory finish at the same time. However, the Handicapper is unable to cater
for seasonal adjustments such as office parties, and there is always someone
who manages to sneak under his radar.
On this occasion it was Kelsi Cornish who enjoyed an
emphatic victory with John E Turner in second and Mick Keene third.
Fastest to go round the course was Will Fuller in
30.44 with Gareth Evans second in 32.27 followed by Will Ruiz 33.25 after
his first term away at Birmingham University. Fastest woman was Jess Keene
in 34.36 followed by Naomi Kingston 35.25 and Kelsi Cornish 37.01.
The race included the latest of the Bennett Cup races,
a handicap series which takes place through the Winter months. After 4
events of the 9 completed, the current leader is Mick Jones on 172 points
hotly pursued by Chris Pike on 167, Barry Wetherilt 165, Will Slack 164 and
Ian Montgomery 161.
The walkers have also been in action and at the Surrey
Walking Club 5km at Tonbridge track Shaun Lightman finished in 8th place in
31.37. Peter Hannell was 12th in 32.01 and David Hoben 13th in 34.08.
16/12/14
A week after winning the Kent over 35s title, Carole
Penlington was representing the Senior County team at the South Of England
Inter Counties Championships at Oxford. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete
finished in a commendable 19th place and helped the County to third place in
the team race.
It was a special day for her as her daughter Emilie
made her debut for Kent in the under 13 girls race. She was 26th with
Jessica Neale 43rd.
In the under 20 womens race Anna Myers was 35th,
Samantha Leighton 36th and Sonia Woolhouse 44th.
Joss Barber was part of the Kent Under 17 mens winning
team. He placed 17th . Highest placed Club member of the day was Jessica
Keene who was third in the under 17 womens race. Georgina Taylor was 50th,
Charlotte Rhule 52nd and Shannon Riskey 67th with the Kent team coming 6th.
Kent were runners up in the under 15 girls race as
Naomi Kingston finished 6th, Yasmin Austridge 10th, Kelsi Cornish 26th and
Genevieve Allen 42nd. Peter Guy had a fine run in the boys race as he
finished in 8th place with Joseph Georgiadis 22nd. Kent were 4th in the team
contest.
Genevieve Allen was back in action the next day as she
finished in 2nd place in the under 15s race at the Holly Runs in Reigate.
With Grace Scopes 4th and Lottie Weitzel 6th they won the team race.
Joanna Clowes was 9th in the Senior Womens race and
was the 6th under 17 to finish. In the under 17 mens race Bertie Harrington
was 4th.
The Corry family were out in force as Coleman was 6th
in the under 15 boys race, Barnaby was 28th in the under 11s race and Nic
was 69th in the Senior Mens race.
In the under 13s race Rosanna Allan was 7th and Gracie
Horton 10th.
On the roads Peter Tucker finished in third place in
the Up And Running Milton Keynes Winter Half Marathon. He timed 72.48.
Track and field athletes are starting to dip their
toes in the competitive waters At the Brunel Jumps and Throws Meeting, Mark
Cryer was just off his best in the long jump as he recorded a distance of
6.80. The Brunel Athletics captain also cleared 3.30 in the pole vault and
launched the shot out to 11.10.
Reynaldo Guevera was first over 35 in the long jump,
triple jump and Shot with distances of 4.75, 9.84 and 6.38
There was a welcome return to action for Shaun
Lightman. The Mexico 1968 Olympian has been seriously ill recently but he
finished in 13th place in the Alf Palmer 5km race walk. He was 13th one
place behind Peter Hannell and one clear of David Hoben.
9/12/14
It seems hardly a week goes by without Blackheath &
Bromley duo Adam Gemili and Dina Asher Smith picking up a prestigious award.
This week Adam has been voted the British Male Athlete of the year and Dina
the British Junior Athlete of Year by the readers of Athletics Weekly
magazine.
Adam is the European 200 metre champion and won a
second gold as a member of the 4x100 squad. He also won two silver medals at
the Commonwealth Games in the 100 and 4x100.
Dina is the World Junior 100 metre champion. She also
broke both the UK 100 and 200 metre records this Summer.
Carole Penlington is the Kent Masters Cross Country
Champion. She took the over 35s title on a chilly day at Sparrows Den in a
time of 19.47 nearly 20 seconds clear of the runner up. Sara Elmqvist was
14th and Charlotte Stickings 21st to give them 4th in the team race with
Sally Haffenden 25th.
It was gold too for John Isaacs in the mens over 70s
race.
Best team performance of the day was that over the
mens over 60s squad. Andy Lawes was first home in 4th with Paul Ross Davies
6th and Rob Brown 10th. Together they won the team gold medals. Good back up
came from Chris Pike in 12th, Jim Phelan 21st, John Turner 22nd and Graham
Coates 24th.
There were medals too for the womens over 55s team.
Anne Cilia in 10th, Cath Messent 15th and Maz Turner 19th secured bronze
medals.
Andy Tucker was first home for the over 40s team in
31st place. Dave Beadle was 36th and Richard Hall 41st to place the team 6th
while Clayton Aves was 51st, Ian Swatton 56th and Nigel Bulmer 72nd.
Tim Nash made a welcome return to competition in a
very competitive over 50s race. It seems only yesterday that he was a member
of the team who won the South Of England Cross Cross Country team title for
the first time in the Club’s History in 1986. On Saturday he was first home
for the over 50s in 5th place. With Steve Pairman 33rd and Mick Jones 37th
they were 7th in the team race. Nick Barber was 42nd and Dave Carton 56th.
In the womens over 45s race Angela Powell was 31st and
Julia Pairman 34th.
On the roads Peter Tucker won the Bedford Half
Marathon in a time of 73.08. Finton Parkinson was 4th in 74.50 and Gareth
Evans 7th in 78.19 and this gave them first place in the team race.
At the Cambridge Harriers Winter League, David Hoben
finished in 10th place in the5km walk in 35.13.
2/12/14
Dina Asher Smith has received another prestigious
prize, this time at the British Athletics Writers Association Annual Awards.
She was presented with the Lillian Board Memorial Award for Junior Woman
Athlete of the year. She is of course the World Junior 100 metre champion
and broke the British Junior records for the 100 and 200 during the Summer.
Alex Bruce Littlewood finished in 12th place in the
Trials race for the British team for the European Cross Country
Championships which was incorporated in the British Athletics Cross
Challenge at Liverpool. Mike Skinner has often featured in GB teams in the
past but this year he was 45th.
Will Fuller was 46th in the Under 20 mens race while
Will Ruiz was 106th.
Many Club members had been expecting to race in the
Kent League at Bexley. It was a fine, sunny and mild day but, unfortunately,
the fixture was cancelled at short notice because of water on the course.
This was a big disappointment particularly for
athletes such as Phil Sesemann who had come back home from Leeds University
to race. Instead he competed in the Self Transcendence 10km at Battersea
Park where he was second in a new best of 30.54. First was Club mate Scott
Overall in 30.03. Jon Vintner was 55th in 36.46.
Others competed in the various park runs. Fintan
Parkinson won the Dulwich event while were wins in the womens races for
Jessica Keene (Orpington), Amy Leach (Bromley) and Kelsi Cornish (Crystal
Palace).
The British Masters Athletics Federation 20km walk and
Enfield League 10km walk were contested together at Hillingdon cycle track.
In the 20km, Roger Michell finished in 8th place overall in 2 hours 7
minutes and 58 seconds. This meant that he was second in the over 65s race.
Those who competed in the 20km were also included in the 10km results and in
this he was 10th in 61 minutes and 7 seconds. Peter Hannell was 20th in
65.28 and David Hoben 27th in 72.02.
25/11/14
He is the current Club Under 13 3000 metre record
holder and GB Senior International on the country, but Michael Skinner is
now officially a veteran/master. He has always been a Master in his
clubmates eyes and having celebrated his 35th birthday during the week, he
showed his class by winning the Blackheath & Bromley v Orion mob match and
leading the Club to victory over a waterlogged course at Hayes on Sunday
morning.
His time for the 7.5 mile course was 48.43 with Alex
Gibbins, another veteran, second in 48.58 and Under 20 Richard Webb third in
49.09. With 7 finishers in the top 10 and 19 in 30, the Club comfortably won
the team race scoring 27 a side with 604 points to the visitors 986.
The race also incorporated a veterans mob match and
the Club won this as well with 306 points to 450. It was also the Club 7.5
mile Championships and the winner of the womens race was Carole Penlington
who was 25th overall in 57.39 and first woman to finish. Second was young
Amy Leach in 64.19 with Sarah Belaon third in 64.35.
Further down the field Paul Austridge finished in 61st
place the morning after celebrating his 50th birthday at the Clubhouse.
The race also included the latest of the Bennett Cup
races, a series of handicap events which take place over the Winter months.
Winner on this occasion was Gerry Alger with Chris Tuck second and John
Leeson third.
After three of the nine races Fintan Parkinson is the
overall leader on 150 points with Chris Pike second on 146 and Iain Swatton
third on 140. There is still plenty of time for the lead places to change.
Fintan had actually been in action the previous
morning when he finished in second place in the Peckham Park Run. Another
who ran both days was Marco Arcuri who was third, running the race as his
mother was celebrating her 50th birthday by completing her 50th park run.
The Club had four winners in the various races around
the country. Georges Vacharopoulos won the South Manchester event, Ben
Cockburn (Orpington), and Peter Tucker (Dartford) while Genny Allen was the
first woman to finish at Lloyd Park.
Meanwhile at the Midland League 5 and 10km race walk
at Warwick University, Roger Michell finished in 6th place in the 5km race
in 29.44. David Hoben was 15th in the 10km in 69.30.
18/11/14
The Blackheath & Bromley Club Dinner has boasted some
very famous principal speakers over the years. Ron Pickering, Cliff Morgan,
Harry Carpenter, Frank Dick, David Bedford, David Moorcroft, and Ken
Livingstone are just some of the guests who have attended. This year,
however, the Club did not have too far to look for prestigious persons.
Two of its members Adam Gemili, the European 200 metre
champion and Dina Asher Smith the World Junior 100 metre champion were happy
to accept the invitation of Club President Dick Griffin. Quite used to media
attention, they spoke eloquently giving their perspectives of the season to
over 80 people.
Among these were some of the youngsters who have so
ably represented the Club this year including World Junior Championship
representatives Cheriece and Shannon Hylton. It was a fine evening which
continued on to the early hours.
Not surprisingly none of those who ran in the London
Championships at Parliament Hill Fields the next day were in attendance. The
Club does not normally take part in this contest but made quite an
impression on this occasion with Alex Bruce Littlewood leading the squad
home in 4th place.
Joint team manager Danny Brewer was next home in 32nd
with Gareth Evans 38th, Kev May 54th, Fintan Parkinson 59th, Jamie Darling
66th, Jon Vintner 108th and Chris Tuck 127th.
Prior to this many of the Club’s youngsters were in
action in the London Borough Cross Country Championships. Most were
representing Bromley, but, being a broad church, it also had athletes
running for Wandsworth, Croydon, Bexley and the City Of Westminsster.
In the under 17s age group Jessica Keene was 2nd with
Kelsey Fuss in 3rd and Georgina Taylor 10th. This ensured that Bromley won
the team race. Charlotte Rhule in 18th and Shannon Riskey 20th also made the
top 20.
Joss Barber, competing for Bexley, was 4th in the mens
race while Marco Arcuri 10th, Charlie Davis 16th and Aleksander Wiltshire
36th helped Bromley to third place in the team contest.
Three Club members finished in the top 10 in the under
15 girls race and each was running for a different borough. Katy Ann
McDonald representing Wandsworth was 4th and part of the winning team. Naomi
Kingston in 6th was running for the City of Westminster while Yasmin
Austridge in 8th led Millie Smith in 15th and Jessica Sellar 24th to bronze
medals for Bromley. Magalina Samoila was 20th for Wandsworth but did not
make the scoring team.
It was third also for Bromley in the boys race with
Henry James Cowie 6th, Michael Eagling 12th and Angus Harrington 17th.
Rowan Fuss continued his memorable Winter with victory
in the under 13 boys race and with Peter Guy in 3rd and Keir Lundy in 13th,
Bromley won the team race. Robert Suckling was 17th.
First home from the Club in the girls race was Sophie
Hoare who was 6th representing Wandsworth and third scorer in their winning
team. Bromley were third team with Imogen Meers in 8th, Emilie Penlington
13th and Alice Prentice 15th while Morgan Squibb 17th and Jessica Neal 18th
also made the top 20.
On the roads Peter Tucker finished in 14th place in
the Brooks Brighton 10km in a time of 32.33.
11/11/14
Blackheath & Bromley members were prominent among
those recognised at the Kent County Annual Dinner. Adam Gemili received the
Senior Mens Athlete of the Year Award with Dina Asher Smith presented with
the under 20s womens trophy. Husband and wife team Dave and Hanna Cordell
received the volunteer of the year award. No one could say that these
weren’t richly deserved.
Adam and Dina have also been in the National news as
UKA have announced their Lottery Funding list for 2014-15. Both receive
support under the Olympic Podium scheme while Serita Solomon and Lorraine
Ugen are recognised within the Podium Potential plan.
Adam is also featured on the front of the Athletics
Weekly Calender for 2015 and both he and Dina are the Guests at the Club’s
Annual Dinner this coming Friday.
The Club were most fortunate to have Asha Philip as a
special guest to present trophies and certificates at its Young Athletes
Awards Ceremony at Ravensbourne School and supported by London Biggin Hill
Airport. Asha was part of the Great Britain team who won the 4x100 metres
gold medals at the European Championships. The afternoon recognised the
achievements of its athletes over cross country, on road and track and field
in 2014 and the Outstanding Achievement Award went to World Junior 100 metre
champion Dina Asher Smith.
Many of these athletes had been in action the previous
day at the third Kent Cross Country League match of the season at Sparrows
Den with great success.
Carole Penlington continued her excellent Winter by
finishing in third place in the Senior Womens race. With Mel Kane in 13th
and Sarah Belaon 14th they were second in the team race but with Danielle
Critchley 24th , Krystal Galley 25th and Charlotte Stickings 29th they were
first in the 6 to score race.
Anna Myers has dominated the under 20 womens races
this year and she completed a hat trick of victories. With Samantha Leighton
second and Janae Galley 4th a team victory was ensured and if B teams were
counted Sonia Woolhouse in 5th, Emma Rowland in 6th and Chloe Haffenden in
7th would have been second.
It was a similar story in the under 17s contest as
Kelsey Fuss won by half a minute, Charlotte Rhule was 3rd and Shannon Riskey
5th. Georgina Taylor in 6th and Joanna Clowes 10th also made the top 10. The
men were 2nd led home by Joss Barber in 7th with Charlie Davis 9th and Alex
Wiltshire 12th.
The under 15 girls are having an outstanding Winter
and fresh from becoming National Cross Country Relay champions last weekend
they provide five of the top 10 finishers. Naomi Kinston was 4th, Yasmin
Austridge 5th, Millie Smith 6th, Kelsi Cornish 9th and Grace Scopes 10th.
This ensured the team victory. The boys were 4th with Callum Myatt first
home in 14th, Frankie Scrivener 18th and George Pope 19th.
Peter Guy won the under 13s boys race and with Keir
Lundy 4th and Ben Gardiner 10th they won the team race too. The girls were
second with Jessica Neal first home in 7th, Emilie Penlington 9th and Morgan
Squibb 11th.
The girls team manager award went to Charlotte Rhule
for her third place in the Under 17s race while the boys award went to Keir
Lundy for his breakthrough performance in the under 13 boys race.
Some youngsters were not available for Sparrows Den
because they running in the English Schools Cup at Knole Park, Sevenoaks. In
the Intermediates age group Henry Cowie was 4th in the boys race with Genny
Allen 6th in the girls.
The Club had winners in both the Junior age group
races. Rowan Fuss won the boys race with Joseph Georgiades in 6th while in
the girls race there was victory for Sophie Hoare with Rosie Allen 4th and
Imogen Meers 10th.
Two of the Clubs students were representing their
Universities at the latest Birmingham League races in Leamington. In the
Division One match Will Ruiz was 49th for Birmingham University while in the
Division Two race Georges Vacharopoulos was 7th representing Warwick
University.
On the roads David Hoben finished in 28th place at the
Enfield 7 Mile race walk at Lee Valley. He timed 78.58.
4/11/14
Blackheath & Bromley enjoyed an outstanding day at the
National Cross Country relays in Mansfield winning two of the age groups
titles as well as providing some of the fastest legs of the day.
Most exciting finish of the day was in the under 15s
girls race where Katy Ann McDonald finished less than two seconds ahead of
her former Club Herne Hill. Her time of 6.58 was the second quickest of the
day.
Naomi Kingston had brought the team home in 5th on the
first leg, her time of 7.16 being the 9th fastest overall. Yasmin Austridge
moved through to second on stage two before Katy Ann hit the front and held
off her former team mate on the anchor leg.
Demonstrating great strength in depth a B team of
Millie Smith, Stephanie Taylor and Grace Scopes finished in 19th, the third
B team to finish.
The under 13 boys have been in fine form this Winter
but they excelled themselves at Mansfield. An impressive opening leg saw
Peter Guy come home in second place, his time of 6.45 being the second
fastest.
He handed to Joseph Georgiades who swept into the lead
with a 7.16 clocking. He passed on to Rowan Fuss who held on to win by five
seconds, against a strong challenge from Aldershot Farnham & District. His
time of 6.49 was the 6th quickest of the day.
A B team of Cameron Swatton, Robert Sucking and Keir
Lundy were 25th, the second B team to finish.
The Senior men finished in 21st place. Phil Sesemann
brought the team home on the first stage with 15.42. He handed to Alex Bruce
Littlewood who cut through the field to finish 6th in 15.23. Peter Tucker
(17.13) and Dan Kennedy (17.43) had solid runs.
Alex’s wife Jordan Folk ran a fine opening leg for the
senior women as she timed 10.47. Carole Pennington (11.17) and Mel Kane
(11.49) ensured the team were 30th.
Will Ruiz, Will Fuller and Richard Webb ran well in
the under 20 mens race to secure 14th place in a high quality field.
Apart from the two team victories the Club’s only
other top 10 placing came in the under 17 womens race where a team of
Jessica Keene, Shannon Riskey and Kelsey Fuss finished in 7th place.
Jessica’s time of 8.47 on the first leg was the 4th fastest of the day.
For the men Joss Barber, Marco Arcuri and Charlie
Davis had useful runs to finish in 21st place and they could have been
higher had a spectator not collided with Charlie when he was in full flight.
Coleman Corry, Angus Harrington and Callum Myatt were
43rd in the under 15 boys race.
The under 13 girls team of Morgan Squibb, Emilie
Penlington and Jessica Neal were 20th. They would have been higher had
Morgan not been “spiked” and brought to the ground at the start of the
opening leg. The B team of Lily Tappenden, Sophie Hoare and Gracie Horton
were 23rd and in fact Sophie’s 7.53 was faster than all the A team.
For the youngsters the boys managers award went to
Cameron Swatton for his fine opening leg. The girls team managers' award was
won by Millie Smith for her excellent run, also on leg one.
Peter Hannell finished in 7th place at the Alec Potton
Memorial 7 mile walk. He timed one hour 16 minutes and 29 seconds with David
Hoben 10th in 1.20.18
28/10/14
The second Kent Cross Country league races of the
Winter at Tonbridge saw Blackheath & Bromley produce five team victories and
four individual wins in the various age group races.
Alex Bruce Littlewood won the Senior Mens race and
with Michael Skinner in 4th , under 20 Will Fuller 9th and Alex Gibbins in
21st they won the team race as well. To add to the celebrations, they also
won the 12 to score thanks to the efforts of Peter Tucker, Richard Webb, Ben
Cockburn, Kev May, Ross Braden, Fintan Parkinson , Danny Brewer and Tom
Desborough.
Sarah Belaon was first home for the women in 19th
place. Danielle Critchley was 26th and Charlotte Stickings 32nd to give them
6th in the team race.
There was a one-two for the Club in the Junior Womens
race with Anna Myers first and Samantha Leighton second. Emma Rowland was
5th and Chloe Haffenden 6th to give them an easy team victory.
It was the same again in the under 17 womens race as
Kelsey Fuss won, having led from start to finish, Jessica Keane was 2nd,
Shanon Riskey 5th and Charlotte Rhule 6th. This secured the team race. The
men finished 3rd with Joss Barber 6th, Charlie Davis 9th, James Crawley 21st
and Alex Leggatt 25th.
The under 15 girls were dominant with six athletes in
the top 10. Naomi Kingston was 2nd, Yasmin Austridge 4th, Millie Smith 6th,
Genevieve Allen 7th, Kelsie Cornish 9th and Grace Scopes 10th. This meant
that not only did they win the team race but if B teams were counted they
would have been third.
The boys were 4th led home by Coleman Corry in 24th
with George Pope 27th and Lewis Sticking 29th.
Rowan Fuss won the under 13 boys race by 22 seconds in
11.13 with Peter Guy third and Joseph Georgiadis 5th. This won the team race
and the girls nearly did the same finishing in second just one point off
winning thanks to Morgan Squibb 4th, Jessica Neal 5th and Imogen Meers 8th.
Showing the Club’s strength in depth Emilie Penlington was 10th.
Winner of the girls team manager award was Kelsey Fuss
for her first ever Kent League victory while the boys award went to Leo
Braden who was a very useful 16th in the under 13 boys race wearing spikes
for the first time.
Scott Overall had been intending to run in the Senior
race at Tonbridge but he received an invitation to compete in the Great
South Run at Portsmouth over 10 miles. He finished in 17th place in 49.29.
Ray Walsh was 6469th in 82.47.
A number of the Club’s runners took part in the
challenging Beachy Head Marathon and first to finish was Carole Penlington
in 35th in 3 hrs 33 minutes and 24 seconds. Steve Pairman was 100th
(3.51.50), Clayton Aves 121st (3.55.51) and Mark Skelly 203rd (4.07.41).
21/10/14
Another week and another award. Adam Gemili received
the Ron Pickering Memorial Fund Under 23 Performance Athlete of the Year at
the England Athletics Hall Of Fame and National Volunteer Awards Ceremony in
Birmingham. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete won the European 200 metre
title in August to add to his silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 100
metres.
He was joined on stage by Dina Asher Smith who
received the award for her achievements in the under 20 age group this year.
Dina is the World Junior 100 metre champion and broke the British under 20
200 metre record in the Summer.
The South Of England Cross Country relays are a
relatively new event on the Winter Calender and while the races at Wormwood
Scrubs could have been better supported, there was, nevertheless, plenty of
quality in the fields, particularly in the younger age groups.
Blackheath & Bromley did not field teams in the Senior
age groups but in the younger categories they secured three sets of team
medals finishing with silver medals in the under 15 girls event and gaining
bronze in the under 17 womens and under 13 boys.
A close opening leg saw Jessica Keene come home fourth
for the under 17 women in 8.23. Charlotte Rhule ran well on leg two but
slipped a place before Kelsey Fuss brought them up to third with 8.24.
The men finished in 5th with Marco Arcuri closing in
4th on the first leg. Charlie Davis slipped one place to 5th a position held
by Alex Wiltshire on the anchor stage.
Yasmin Austridge put the Club in the medals right from
the start of the under 15 girls race. She brought the team in second on the
first leg. Millie Smith, in her first year in the age group, finished 4th on
leg two leaving the team poised just outside the medals. Naomi Kingston
secured the silver medals on the last stage. A B team of Genevieve Allan,
Grace Scopes and Stephanie Taylor was 13th.
The boys team finished in a very useful 6th place
courtesy of Henry James Cowie, who was third on the first leg, Michael
Eagling and Coleman Corry. The B team of Callum Myatt, George Pope and Lewis
Stickings was 19th.
Building on their success in the National Road relays
the under 13 boys picked up bronze medals. Peter Guy “won” the opening leg
as he timed 7.07, the second quickest of the day. Joseph Georgiades and Ben
Gardner secured the third place.
The girls were 6th thanks to the efforts of Morgan
Squibb, Lily Tappenden and Jessica Neal.
Alex Gibbins is the Blackheath & Bromley Club 5 mile
cross country champion. He won the title on a bright Sunday morning in
Hayes, the event having been switched from it’s traditional Saturday date.
He finished in 30.16, 16 seconds clear of Richard Webb, who was the first
Junior to finish, with Peter Tucker, fresh from his exploits in the Jersey
Marathon, in third.
Joss Barber was second in the Junior race with Marco
Arcuri third.
Winner of the womens race was young Amy Leach in 39.41
just three seconds ahead of Sarah Belaon with Rosie Ferguson in third, a
further 11 seconds down.
Amy won the Junior womens race with Shauna Paice in
second.
The race incorporated the second of the Bennett Cup
races, a handicap series which runs over the Winter months. Amy Leach won
this as well with Alexis Tobin in second and Rosie Ferguson third.
All this means is that after two races Alexis Tobin
and Joss Barber are joint leaders on 108 points with Andy Lawes third on 100
points. With seven races left to go there is plenty of time for the placings
to change.
Ben Cockburn and Tom Desborough finished 2nd and 3rd
in the Highway 10km in Orpington. The race is a multi terrain course over
park, road and school fields with proceeds going to the Highway School. Ben
timed 36.55 and Tom 37.16, exactly six minutes quicker than he ran last
year.
14/10/14
Adam Gemili has been presented with the European
Athletics Golden Tracks Rising Star award for his exploits over the 2014
Summer season. Having celebrated his 21st birthday last Monday, the 6th of
October, it has been a memorable few days for the Blackheath & Bromley
athlete.
His award follows his victory in the 200 metres at the
European Championships at Zurich in August which he won in 19.98. He also
won a second gold medal as part of the winning 4x100 metres quartet
anchoring the team to victory. He received his trophy from Lord Coe at the
ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel, Flame Towers in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Closer to home at Swanley the Club enjoyed an
excellent set of results at the opening Kent League fixture of the season.
They were the first team in five of the ten age group races and had two
individual winners. No doubt some of this success was due to the tremendous
team spirit and mutual support given by the athletes. If the season
continues in this manner it will be a good Winter.
Both the Senior men and women finished in third
places. Carol Penlington finished an excellent 5th in the womens race and
she was the first veteran. She was supported by Sarah Belaon in 17th and
Sara Elmqvist in 23rd. The team were runners up in the 6 to score race. Andy
Rayner was first home for the men in 12th with Alex Gibbins 14th, Danny
Brewer 16th and Peter Tucker 22nd. They were also second in the 12 to score.
The four male scorers have all worked their way up through the Clubs age
group teams and will be delighted with the performances of the next
generation of seniors.
A strong turn out in the under 20s race saw Anna Myers
claim victory with Janae Galley in 3rd and Sonia Woolhouse 4th. That wrapped
up the team race but the Club also had Emma Rowland in 6th and Chloe
Haffenden 7th.
There was more fine packing in the under 17 womens
race as Jessica Keene was 2nd , Kelsey Fuss 3rd and Charlotte Rhule 7th. The
team were first while Georgina Taylor in 9th, Shannon Riskey 12th, Joanna
Clowes 14th and Mary Guy 17th all made the top 20.
The mens team were second, led home by Joss Barber in
5th with Marco Arcuri 8th and Charlie Davis 11th.
In the under 15s age group the girls enjoyed victory
courtesy of Naomi Kingston in 4th, Yasmin Austridge 5th and Millie Smith 6th
. Emphasising the strength in depth the Club has in this age group Kelsie
Cornish in 9th , Grace Scopes 14th and Stephanie Taylor 15th all placed in
the top 20.
More good results came in the boys race as Henry James
Cowie finished in 3rd place in his first race in the age group. With Michael
Eagling in 8th and Callum Myatt in 23rd they were third in the team race.
Teamwise most impressive of the day were the under 13
boys who produced a clean sweep of the leading places. Rowan Fuss, who broke
the Club 1500 metres record this Summer won in 10.35 eight seconds clear of
Peter Guy, the current Club 800 metre record holder. Fast improving Joseph
Georgiades took 3rd. Ben Gardiner in 9th and Kier Lundy in 11th also made
the top 20.
Morgan Squibb was first home for the girls in 4th
place and with Jessica Neal in 5th and Emilie Penlington in 8th they won the
team race. There was tremendous packing behind with Imogen Meers 10th, Alice
Prentice 11th, Lily Tappenden 12th, Gracie Horton 13th and Hannah O’Flynne
15th.
The next races take place at Tonbridge in two weeks
time.
Not content with her exploits on Saturday , Carole
Penlington returned to action the following day finishing in 9th place
overall in the Petts Wood 10km with a time of 39.42. She was the first woman
to finish, and the first veteran.
Next home was Robert Perry in 13th place and he was
first in the 15 to 20 age group category. He, Mike Simms (87th), David
Carton (104th) and Adrian Perry (121st) helped the Club to third in the team
race. Rob Brown who was 143rd was third in the over 60s race while Madeleine
Payne who was 399th was runner up in the womens 15 to 20 age group.
On the roads David Hoben won the Enfield 5 mile walk
yacht handicap. With the slowest starting first and the quickest last a
perfect handicap would see all finish together. However David‘s time of
54.29 was around three minutes quicker than expected. His time was the 19th
fastest of the day while Shaun Lightman was the 12th quickest with 49.37.
7/10/14
Blackheath & Bromley descended on Sutton Coldfield in
force for the ERRA National Road relays which took place over Saturday and
Sunday. They fielded teams in all but one of the age group races over the
two days with the highlights being the gold medals won by the under 15 girls
and third place for the under 13 boys; plus a number of top class individual
performances.
The Seniors were in action on the Saturday with the
races over six legs for the men and four for the women. Alex Bruce
Littlewood got the men off to a strong start on what is always a very
competitive first leg. He came home in 10th place in 17.42 for the 6km stage
and this proved to be the 23rd quickest time of the day.
This rather set Alex Gibbins up as a target for the
chasing pack and despite running a useful 19.19, the plucky veteran slipped
to 32nd place. James Poole made a welcome return to competition and clocked
19.13 leaving the Club 33rd at the half way stage.
Under 20 runner Will Fuller then moved the team up to
31st with 19.18 before another junior Will Ruiz edged the sextet up to 30th
with 19.40. Joint team manager Danny Brewer anchored the team home in 32nd
timing 19.38. It was a solid effort with 80 teams starting the race.
It was not such a good day for the Senior Women who
did not complete a team. They did, however, have a representative as the
results show that Jane Bradshaw completed the opening leg in 16.24.
The youngsters races took place on the Sunday and the
long term aim is for as many of these as possible to progress to compete in
the Senior teams. If this can be achieved the future is very promising.
The under 17 women finished in 9th place. Shannon
Riskey brought the team home in 35th on the first leg timing 15.36 and
leaving Kelsey Fuss with a number of targets lined up just ahead of her.
Kelsey cut through the field to move up to 13th with a time of 13.52 which
was to be the equal 7th fastest time of the day. Jessica Keene moved up a
further four places on the last stage posting a time of 13.49, the equal 5th
quickest of the day.
A B team of Joanna Clowes (16.40), Mary Guy (17.07)
and Jennifer Sheasby (17.41) finished in 38th place while Francesca Pickup
ran the opening stage for an incomplete C team in 18.37.
The mens team finished in 24th place thanks to the
efforts of Joss Barber (12.33), Marco Arcuri (12.51) and Aleksander
Wiltshire (14.06) with Bertie Harrington timing 15.15 on the opening stage.
It promises to be an exciting Winter for the under 15
girls team. Having a good squad is one thing but producing quality on the
day is vital. This they did with style last Sunday. Naomi Kingston made sure
the team were in contention from the start as she closed in 2nd on the
opening stage. Her time of 13.57 proved to be the 4th quickest time of the
day.
She passed to Yasmin Austridge who ran a very useful
14.51 which left the team one place outside the medals. Katy Ann McDonald
rose to the occasion on the last leg moving into the lead and finishing 12
seconds clear of the field in 13.37, the 2nd fastest of the day. The trio
are National Champions, an outstanding achievement.
Promisingly the Club fielded a further two complete
teams. The B team of Genevieve Allan (15.34), Stephanie Taylor (15.49) and
Millie Smith (15.09) finished in 27th while a C team of Jessica Sellar
(16.18), Grace Scopes (15.57) and Amy Leach (15.30) were 38th.
Henry James Cowie ran an excellent first leg for the
boys team. His 12.42 on the opening stage saw him bringing the Club home in
6th place and the 12.42 he recorded was the 11th quickest individual leg of
the day. With Coleman Corry (14.11) and Angus Harrington (13.47) both having
useful legs the team were 19th with the B team of Callum Myatt (14.49),
Lewis Stickings (14.32) and Harrison Parker (15.42) placing 52nd.
More success came in the under 13s age group with the
boys winning bronze medals. Fresh from his track exploits this Summer, Peter
Guy brought the A team home in 2nd place on the first leg with a time of
13.42. His effort proved to be the 4th best of the day.
Joseph Georgiades kept the team in the medals as his
14.03 saw him finish in 3rd place. Keir Lundy ran a fine anchor leg to
maintain this position with a time of 14.48.
Again the Club had more than one team and the trio of
Benjamin Gardiner (14.55), Cameron Swatton (16.18) and Ben Ward (17.53) were
39th.
Just two places separated the girls two teams with the
A team of Lily Tappenden (15.51), Jessica Neal (15.49) and Lauren Goddard
(17.58) closing in 30th and the B team of Morgan Squibb (15.33), Zoe
Austridge (18.12) and Gracie Horton (16.13) in 32nd.
Not at Sutton Park was Peter Tucker who competed in
the Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon. He finished in 4th place in a time
of 2.29.42, an impressive performance given his injury problems earlier in
the year. It is also the fastest time he has run on this course.
