Last updated 26
November 2002
Press Releases for
October & November 2002
26 November 2002
Anthony Draper was a runaway winner of the Blackheath
Harriers, Bromley Club 7.5 miles cross country championships at Hayes which was
incorporated into the Annual Mob Match against Orion Harriers. The 28 year old,
who is better known as an 800 metre runner, made light of the wet and muddy
conditions timing 47.25 to finish nearly a minute clear of the first Orion
runner and 66 seconds clear of the 2nd Heathen Alex Gibbins who was 4th in the
race. Veteran John Morland was 3rd in the Club Championship in 48.58 with 18
year old Terry Hawkey in 4th. Kate Pratten won the women's title from Anne Cilia
with Alison Jelly third, while Clare Lodwig made a promising debut in 4th with
Sarah Cummings 5th.
The race also incorporated the latest of the Bennett Cup
Handicap races with Richard Hall winning from David Churchus and Mark Watling.
Despite a good turn out in numbers the Club were narrowly beaten by Orion in the
50 a side Mob Match match.
Missing from the fixture were a number of runners who were
competing elsewhere. Russell Bentley finished 18th in the British Milers Club
Cross Country races down in Bristol while a number of other Club members
travelled to the Cross Cup races at Roeselare in Belgium. Peter Tucker was the
Club's representative in the Senior Men's race which incorporated the Trial for
the Belgian team for the European Cross Country Championships and was live on
Belgian television. He finished in 31st place.
Ken Daniel was 15th in the over 40's race and was the 2nd
over 50 runner to finish with Con Griffin closing in 29th. Daniel Snow took 47th
place in the Junior Men's race with Chris Daniel 52nd and Eve Bugler was 25th in
the women's race.
Another Harrier who has been in action abroad recently is
Bill Foster. He took part in the Great Ethiopian Run, greatly enjoying the
experience, and last weekend was team coach to the Great Britain team which took
part in the Ekiden Relay in Japan.
The Under 15 girl's rankings for the 2002 track and field
season have recently been published with Clare Cooper heading the 75 metre
hurdles lists. Her time of 11.17 was achieved when she won the AAA's of England
Championships in August.
Victoria Thomas features in both the shot and discus
events in which she set Club records during the season. Her 10.63 putt ranked
her in 18th position while the Southern bronze medallist is 15th in the discus
with 30.39. For further details about how to join the Club contact Dave Liston
on 01322 663504 or visit the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
where action shots from the Mob Match can be viewed.
19 November 2002
Athletes from Blackheath Harriers Bromley featured
prominently in the latest round of the Reebok Cross Challenge at Margate which
incorporated the trials for the Great Britain team for the European Cross
Country Championships to be held in Croatia in December.
Four members toed the line in the Senior Men's race
against many of Britain's best with Dave Taylor first home in the 9.5km race in
23rd place in 29.47. With Michael Skinner 32nd in 30.18 and Andrew Rayner 59th
in 31.40 the Club finished 7th in the team race ahead of representative teams
from Wales, Northern Ireland and the North Of England.
Peter Tucker was 68th in 32.07 to continue his good recent
race form which has included a win in the Wilmington 10km road race in a time of
34.27. The meeting at Margate also incorporated the Kent Women's and Young
Athletes League races where the Club again figured prominently. In the Senior
Women's contest Kate Pratten led the Blackheath team home in 78th with Anne
Cilia 79th and Sarah Cummings 89th. This gave them 5th place in the Kent League.
In the under 20's age group Terry Hawkey was 40th in the Trials race but first
in the Kent League and with Ray Perkins in 74th and Chris Daniel in 103rd the
Club won the team race. Jack Appleton was 105th and Peter Moreton 108th while
Hannah Williams was 86th in the women's race.
The Under 17's men's team were 2nd in the Kent League as
Jack Sunde led the squad home in 84th with Max Richardson 88th and Colin Norris
93rd. Eve Bugler was 43rd in the women's race with Caroline McQuillan 79th and
Michelle Delahoy 91st.
The under 15 boys finished 3rd in the Kent League with
Danny Brewer first home in 43rd followed by Daniel Casey (59th), Tom Beech
(82nd), Dale Willis (94th), Stephen Leach (95th), Robert D'Angelo (101st) and
Richard Daniel (103rd). Bryony Proctor was 70th for the girls with Sophie
Williams 83rd. Highest placed individuals of the day were in the under 13's age
group. Rebecca Taylor, celebrating her 13th birthday, was 2nd in the girls race
and may well have won the race had she not taken a wrong turning while leading.
Bianca Gibbons was 28th. For the boys Michael Thorpe was an excellent 9th and
with Sam Simpson 32nd, Robert Evans 41st, and Tom Corbett 55th the team finished
in 3rd place.
Indoors two Club members showed some promising form at the
latest round of Sportshall Athletics at Tunbridge Wells. In the under 15 boys
pentathlon Alex Al Ameen was 2nd in the vertical jump, shot putt and standing
long jump and also 3rd in the speed bounce and 4 lap race. This gave him 2nd
place overall. His brother Richard competed in the under 13 boys pentathlon but
only in the shot where his putt of 9.18 was the 2nd best of the day. The Club
welcomes new members of all ages and abilities. For further information contact
Development Officer Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
12 November 2002
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley won two sets of team medals
in the South Of The Thames Junior Cross Country Championships at Sparrows Den,
West Wickham. In the 4 to score event they finished second to Kent AC and then
reversed the places to win the 8 to score event by a single point.
The race is "Junior" by standard, not age, with
barring clauses to exclude some elite runners and the Club's actual scoring
members were a mixture of juniors, seniors and veterans. First home for the Club
on the testing 5 mile course was Alex Gibbins in 10th with youngster Terry
Hawkey in 15th, veteran John Morland 17th and Nick Gasson 18th completing the
four to score places. Another Junior Ray Perkins came a useful 21st with Mark
Watling 27th, Mark Ellison 30th and Dave Ellison 33rd.
The following day at Lloyd Park Croydon the over 60's team
took bronze medals in the British Veterans Athletics Federation Cross Country
Relays. Chris Woodcock put the team into the lead on the opening stage with a
time of 16.37 before former Irish International Barry O Gorman (17.38) was
passed by teams from Bingley and Aldershot. It was left to another former
International, Club Secretary John Baldwin (17.19), to bring the team home
safely in third.
The over 40's team did not compete after a number of
athletes had to withdraw through injury. The over 50's also had some injuries
but still fielded a team of Mike Cronin, Ken Daniel, Rob Brown and Graham Coates
which finished in 9th place. Daniel showed that his preparations for the
European Indoor Championships later this Winter are progressing well as his time
of 14.32 was the second quickest of the day. Cronin timed 16.35, Brown 16.20 and
Coates 16.27.
The women made a small piece of Club History with a team
of Anne Cilia, Janet Long and Cathy Messent competed in the event for the first
time. They finished in 13th with Cilia the fastest in 19.30 followed by Long
22.50 and Messent 23.58.
Club members feature in the recently published National
Under 17 rankings for the 2002 track and field season. English Schools Champion
and Home Countries International winner Sandra Alaneme did the furthest legal
triple jump of the year with her leap of 11.93. This is the 4th furthest ever
jump by a UK athlete. Harriet Robinson is 5th in the under 17's 80 hurdles with
11.56 and also 22nd in the 300 hurdles.
Around 75 members attended the Club's Annual Dinner at
Hayes last Friday where the guest of honour was journalist Alistair Aitken.
Pictures of the evening can be viewed on the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk
where further details of the Club can be obtained. Alternatively contact
Development Officer Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
5 November 2002
Michael Skinner finished an excellent 8th place in the
second of the Reebok Cross Challenge races at Senneleys Park, Birmingham. The
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley athlete was 18th in the first race at Liverpool two
weeks ago and improved 10 places to time 35.02 for the 10km course. Andrew
Rayner also improved on his previous performance from 56th to 35th while Jeremy
Bradley opened his Winter campaign finishing in 56th place.
Closer to home the Club's youngsters were in action in the
second of the Parkwood League races at Canterbury enjoying a number of
individual wins. Most impressive was Rebecca Taylor who won the under 13 girls
race by over a minute despite easing down towards the end. She was backed by
Claire McNamara in 7th and Clare Sapsed in 9th while for the boys Michael Thorpe
also took the individual title with Sam Simpson in 3rd and Tom Corbett in
11th.
Best supported race was the under 15 boys race where the
Club had 9 starters with Daniel Casey taking the individual honours with Danny
Brewer third and Tom Beech sixth. Dale Willis (7th), Jonathan Vintner (8th),
Stephen Leach (10th) Carlos Pereira (13th) and Richard Daniel (14th) were the
other finishers with Robert D'Angelo having to retire with a sprained
ankle.
The girls packed well with Sarah Coombs first home in 4th
with Bryony Proctor sixth and Sophie Williams seventh. Chris Daniel had his
first Parkwood League win as he finished first in the under 20's race with Peter
Moreton third and Jack Sunde led the under 17's home in 5th place with Max
Richardson 7th.
There was a low turn out for the second Kent League
fixture of the season at Capstone Park. Torrential rain caused chaos with many
runners numbers disintegrating and making it impossible to provide a speedy
results service. Peter Tucker was first home in 9th place with Mark Watling, Ken
Daniel, Con Griffin, Graham Coates and Rob Brown supporting him.
A number of Harriers appear in the National Under 20
rankings that have recently been published. Highest ranked for the women is
Emily Oliver whose Club Record of 43.58 leaves her 7th best in the country this
year. Another Club Record holder, Sandra Alaneme, is 10th in the triple jump
list with 11.93 despite still being an under 17 which means she is up to three
years younger than others in the list. Katy Benneworth's 5.70 long jump which
broke another Club Record this Summer leaves her 19th placed the same position
as the 1.69 high jump of Danielle Fidge who has recently joined the Club from
Croydon Harriers.
For the men Karim Chester is 6th in the hammer with his
49.97 with the Senior weight. He is also 2nd using the 6kg weight and 7th using
the 6.25kg weight. Max Richardson has been chosen to join the UK Athletics
Talent Identification Programme based at Crystal Palace. Athletes at the Academy
receive strength and conditioning training and benefit from a support package
which includes physiotherapy, massage and nutrition, psychology, drug awareness
and lifestyle management workshops. The Club welcomes new members of all ages
and abilities. For further details contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
29 October 2002
The Senior Women of Blackheath Harriers, Bromley defied
illness and injury to finish 26th in the National 4 stage road relay
championships at Sutton Coldfield. This was their highest ever position in these
championships and an improvement of 18 places on last year.
Just back from injury, Siobhan Budd gave the team a solid
24th position on the traditionally ultra competitive opening stage with a time
of 15.42. Hannah Leach, who has been ill recently, flew over from France for the
race and timed 17.09 on leg 2 to close in 31st. An ear infected Gemma Viney
maintained this position on leg 3 with a 17.30 clocking before Jennie Butler,
who was struggling with a hamstring injury, moved the team up to 26th with
16.21.
Meanwhile many Heathens were in action in the annual Mob
Match against South London Harriers at Coulsdon. The fixture proved a
competitive affair with the scoring 34 a side. First home by nearly a minute and
a half was the in form Roy Smith in a time of 45.07. He was followed by Alex
Gibbins in 3rd in 47.12 with John Morland 3rd home in 5th place in 47.49. Anne
Cilia just got the better of Carolina Jones Baldock to be first Blackheath woman
home but all these efforts were not enough to defeat the host Club who won by a
narrow margin.
A number of other Harriers were in action in the Beach
Head Marathon which is not only 26 miles but also a multi terrain course. With
gale force winds only one athlete broke the three hour barrier. First home for
the Club was Andy Tucker in 24th place in 3.42 with Glen Morgan 31st in 3.48 and
Terry Brightwell 33rd also in 3.48. First woman for the Club was Alison Jelly in
270th in 4.56.
Middle distance star Dave Heath has returned home after
spending time in hospital having suffered a heart attack three weeks ago. He is
making good progress and after tests at hospital last week felt so good that he
ran home! He is currently running every day and is planning to race again later
this winter.
The Club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities.
For further details contact Development Officer David Liston on 01332 663504.
22 October 2002
Dave Taylor began his Winter season in fine form with a
6th place in the Senior Men's race at the Reebok Cross Challenge in Liverpool.
The £30,000 sponsored series attracted some of the top distance runners in the
country with the 38 year old Blackheath Harriers, Bromley athlete timed 24.42
for the course.
Michael Skinner also had his first race of the season
finishing in 20th place in 25.25.
Roy Smith celebrated his 40th birthday and his entry into
the veterans ranks with a win in the Club 5 mile championships at Hayes. The
trophy is one of the oldest that is still competed for in the world and
attracted a field of over 60 with ages ranging from 16 to 75. Smith finished 40
seconds clear of a fit again Russell Bentley, former winner of the Club Junior
title, in 29.01 with Andrew Rayner 3rd in 29.58.
Also back from injury was Jonathan Murray in 4th with
Martin Airey 5th and first junior Terry Hawkey 6th. Jennie Butler was 16th
overall and comfortably retained her Women's title with Carolina Jones Baldock
just getting the better of Kate Pratten for second place.
First in the handicap competition which was incorporated
in the event was Bob Cliff with Jones Baldock second and Darryl Hilliar third.
The race also included a match against the Bank Of England which the Club won
comfortably.
Showing no ill affects from his run, Bentley was in action
the following day taking 2nd place in the Dulwich 10km road race in 32.16. Also
on the roads Neil Ayrton was 4th veteran in the Quest 10km at Ashford in
36.19.
A number of these athletes were competing again last
weekend at the first of the Kent League races at Tunbridge Wells. Jennie Butler,
the current Kent League champion, led the Senior Women's team to 2nd place
finishing in 3rd position with Siobhan Budd in 5th, Jones Baldock 23rd and
Pratten 24th.
Jonathan Murray was first home for the Men closing in 9th
position with Peter Tucker 11th and Alex Gibbins 13th. Veteran Neil Ayrton was
the fourth scorer for the team.
Best team performance of the day came from the Under 13
Boys who finished in first position. Michael Thorpe was first home for them in
4th place with Edward Martin 6th and Sam Simpson 9th.
Danny Brewer was first home for the under 15 boys in 5th
place and new boy Jack Sundae was 7th for the under 17's team.
For the girls Eve Bugler was 4th in the under 17 girls
race with Bryony Proctor 11th for the under 15's.
Middle distance star Dave Heath has returned home after
spending time in hospital having suffered a heart attack two weeks ago. Team
Manager Ian Wilson reports that he has made good progress and is planning a
return to running. The Club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities. For
further details contact Development Officer David Liston on 01332 663504
8 October 2002
Spencer Newport finished 23rd in the Worlds biggest half
marathon, the Great North Run on Tyneside. Entries totalled 47,000 and in an
International field the Blackheath Harriers, Bromley Vice President, was the
12th Briton home. He managed a very useful 67.20 for the 13.1 mile course
holding five minute mile pace up to the 8 mile point but then slowing. Paul
Kosgei of Kenya won in 59.58. "Winning times were exceptional but compared
to other Brits I am fairly pleased", said the 36 year old Newport who
celebrated his birthday the day before. Fastest Briton was Allen Graffin who
timed 64.09 in 7th place. Newport will now be looking to improve his fitness
over the coming months having missed nearly two years with injury.
One Clubmate also hoping to get back to shape is former
Southern Cross County Champion Tim Dickinson. He had a major health scare
recently being rushed to hospital with viral meningitis. He lost a stone in
weight which he has since regained and is now back to light training.
Some may consider the Half Marathon distance a long way
but not John Turner and Bernie Bater who both ran in the London to Brighton road
race of 55 miles. Turner has run the race on many occasions and this year
finished 59th in 8 hours 57 minutes. After 15 miles he was 5 minutes down on
Bater who subsequently had to withdraw.
This Saturday the Club's runners compete for probably one
of the oldest Cross Country Cups in the world when the Club 5 mile race takes
place at Hayes. First competed for in 1880 this year could see Britain's top
marathon runner Mark Steinle toe the line as his plans to race the Chicago
marathon have been thwarted by injury. The field will include men and women of
all ages from 15 to 80 reflecting the full range of Club membership with Supper
at the Clubhouse in the evening. Guests are welcome.
For further details about the Club please contact
Development Officer David Liston on 01322 663504.
1 October 2002
Blackheath Harriers, Bromley finished a hugely
disappointing 29th in the South Of England 6 Stage Road Relay at Aldershot. With
most of the better runners unavailable the team never featured at the sharp end
and must now wait to see if they are given a discretionary place in the National
Final at the end of October.
Best run of the day came from Spencer Newport who warmed
up for this weekends Great North Run by timing 18.07 for the 6km course. He
moved the Club up from 37th to 19th on leg 4 with the 10th quickest time of the
day. Roy Smith who turns 40 this weekend timed a useful 19.16 on leg three.
Youngsters Terry Hawkey (19.55) and Ray Perkins (21.07) benefitted form the
experience of running in a major Senior Championship event and Nick Gasson
(20.51) and Pat Calnan (21.21) continued their slow comebacks from injury.
Another youngster, Dan Snow (23.10) was the sole runner in the B team.
More encouraging was the performance of the Senior Women
who also fielded 7 runners in the 4x4km Championship. The A team finished 13th
in a very competitive race. Siobhan Budd timed 13.54 on the very fast opening
leg to close in 13th. She handed to Hannah Leach (15.08) who had flown over from
France for the race. It was pleasing to see Gemma Viney back in action on leg
three. She has hardly raced in the last 18 months but clocked a useful 14.57 to
signal the start of a comeback. Fastest of the day was Jennie Butler on the last
leg. She timed 13.53 and just missed out on 12th place as she was outdipped by
Aldershot's last leg runner on the line. Carolina Jones-Baldock (16.16), Sarah
Cummings (16.49) and Kate Pratten (17.41) made up three quarters of a B
team.
Earlier in the day the Under 13 Boys team achieved a
notable 11th place with first leg runner Michael Thorpe running the 9th fastest
time of the day. He clocked 11.09 to finish 6th on the opening stage. Tom
Corbett (12.34) and Robert Evans (11.50) both had promising early season runs
before a brave Ian Roswell (13.29), clutching his asthma inhaler, held off a
late challenge in a close sprint finish. The Under 15's team of Danny Brewer
(10.51), Robert D'Angelo (11.17), Daniel Casey (11.17) and Simon Martin (11.24)
were a useful 24th place.
Highest placed Blackheath team of the weekend was the
oldest one. The over 60's team took bronze medals and were less than half a
minute off silver. Alan Davis (25.23) brought the team in 5th on the opening
stage handing to former World Veteran 10km champion John Baldwin whose 25.17 was
the fastest on the stage. Joe Clare (26.13) kept the team in medal contention on
leg three before former Irish International miler Barry O'Gorman (24.42)
anchored the team home. The over 40's team of Brendan McShane (21.49), Neil
Ayrton (21.05), Mark Watling (22.05) and Ken Daniel (21.23) finished in 19th
place. The Club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities. For further
information contact Development Officer Dave Liston on 01322 663504.
