Thames Valley Harriers win National League Premiership match in Woodford
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP, round 2, Woodford Green, London, July 7
Reigning champions Thames Valley Harriers were aiming to regain the initiative in this second round match after being headed by nearby rivals Harrow in the opener, but Woodford Green with Essex Ladies were hoping to spoil the party in their home fixture.
However, as the afternoon unfolded it became clear that reigning Thames Valley would eventually hold sway.
After six events had been scored, mainly on the track, they were led by Blackheath & Bromley and Birchfield, for whom Jake Minshull won the 400m hurdles in a personal best 50.47 to lead an event double. Birchfield Harriers also saw Yanique Haye-Smith add the women’s race but they were soon to drift right away.
Blackheath's points came from Angus Harrington, who took the 800m in 1:51.14 and, with the blustery wind pushing Luke Dorrell to a windy 100m PB of 10.24, the Heathens scored a double.
It was stronger for the women’s 100m, where Blackheath piled up more points from Jennifer Eduwu’s win in 11.61, a time matched by team-mate Darcy Kuipers' legal personal best in the B race.
Blackheath still led after 10 events, albeit narrowly from Thames Valley, as first round winners Harrow trailed but they soon posted their first win as Terry Fawden set a personal best 5:56.63 in winning the men’s 2000m steeplechase. At this stage, just three points separated the remaining five clubs.
Hosts Woodford Green with Essex Ladies won the first field event, the women’s long jump thanks to Mary Elcock’s personal best equalling 6.04m but then had to wait a long time before Youcef Zatat added the men’s shot put with 18.25m.
The men’s 110m hurdles saw Birchfield post another track win through Will Richie-Moulin’s 13.99.
Windsor’s Charlotte Payne threw a season’s best 68.97m in the women’s hammer to head Thames Valley’s Kayleigh Presswell’s 62.59m and Glasgow had a win too, as Beth Harrison took the women’s 800m in 2:08.15.
After 12 events Thames Valley were now ahead in the match as Blackheath and Harrow trailed and they had to thank their Kosana Weir who just got the nod on Woodford’s Bea Wood with a 9:27.25 3000m victory.
Harrow were fighting back though as Marli Jessop ran a legal 13.45 in the women’s 100m hurdles, so that as the afternoon wore on, the top two clubs began to separate themselves from the rest.
Three-time league winners Thames Valley opened out 41 points over their conquerors in the first match and saw Sarah-Anne De Kramer take the javelin with 45.26m and Lily Hulland the triple jump with a season’s best 13.07m.
Glasgow was well out of it in fifth spot on the day but saw Stephan MacKenzie win a close long jump with 7.49m.
Windsor too were not challenging for a match win but had Phoebe Dowson take the women’s discus with a 54.10m season’s best, as second placed Jade Lally also threw a 2024 best with 53.64m. There was also a season’s best for Windsor’s Jake Norris in the men’s hammer at 76.71m.
After their early successes, Birchfield were not doing so well but bounced back when Efekemo Okoro won a keenly contested men’s 400m in 46.72 and their Amy Hillyard the women’s in 53.58.
These wins were not enough to see the Stags move up but there was another for English National junior cross-country champion Aron Gebremariam in the 1500m with 3:50.36.
Late on the wins kept coming for Thames Valley as they began to stretch out their lead on Harrow as India Weir won a tight 1500m from their rival’s Suzannah Monk in 4:24.15.
Weather conditions had been difficult but a legal following wind worked to the advantage of the Valley’s Muhammad Kounta’s 20.81 200m personal best.
But Harrow fought back as Joy Eze’s women’s win in 23.46 was also a personal best with the wind again just inside the limit.
Still the Thames Valley wins came and their banker Amelia Campbell’s 16.92m season’s best was enough to take the women’s shot.
The wind also had an affect on the men’s triple jump but in the absence of any known wind speeds there were four over 15-metres led by the evergreen Tosin Oke for Woodford at 15.64m.
With the match all but decided, the hosts also added the final event of the track programme as in another novel development it featured A and B strings in a mixed 4x400m relay.
At this point with a few field event results still to be added to the points total, Thames Valley still led Harrow by 46 points, but then first match winners’ Conor Martin took the men’s javelin with a personal best 66.57m.
This was from Windsor’s Paralympian Dan Pembroke with 65.48m.
One of the last events to declare saw Thames Valley further increase their lead in the match thanks to second ranked under-23 Nemiash Munir’s 4.12m season’s best in the women’s pole vault. With a pb of 4.15m, the bar was raised to 4.22m but no new mark was achieved.
With one match win each, Thames Valley and Harrow go into the final match on the third of August to decide the championship.
Match: 1 TVH 625.5; 2 Harrow 567.5; 3 B&B 448.5; 4 WG&EL 444; 5 Glasgow 437; 6 WSEH 417; 7 Sale 373.5; 8 Birchfield 314
Men
100 (2.9): 1 L Dorrell (B&B) 10.24; 2 N Walsh (Sale) 10.35; 3 H Taylor (Harr) 10.37
200 (1.8): 1 M Kounta (TVH) 20.81; 2 L Dorrell (B&B) 2085; 3 J Broome (Sale) 21.09
400: 1 E Ekoro (Bir) 46.72; 2 D Putnam (B&B) 46.92; 3 A Cooper (Harr) 47.34
800: 1 A Harrington (B&B) 1:51.14; 2 J Owen (WG&EL) 1:52.85; 3 L Cotterill (WSEH) 1:53.84
1500: 1 A Gebremariam (Bir, u20) 3;50.36; 2 B Potrykus (WGEL) 3:51.51; 3eq A Milligan (Harr)/B Rock (TVH) 3:55.71
3000: 1 J Kavanagh (B&B) 8:18.12; 2 J Doye (WG&EL) 8:29.56; 3 C Hudson (Harr) 8:29.89
110H (no W): 1 W Richie-Moulin (Bir) 13.99; 2 S Connal (Glas) 14.20; 3 R Cottell (B&B) 14.35
400H: 1 J Minshull (Bir) 50.47; 2 B Francis (Glas) 51.79; 3 S Clarke (TVH) 51.92
2000SC: 1 T Fawden (Harr) 5:56.63; 2 J Kicera (TVH) 5:59.83; 3 V Weerakkody (WG&EL) 6:18.77
HJ: J Clarke-Khan (TVH) 2.12
LJ: 1 S MacKenzie (Glas) 7.49; 2 J Lelliott (Harr) 7.44; 3 M Fotheringham (Glas) 7.45
TJ: 1 T Oke (WG&EL, M40) 15.64; 2 S Okome (Sale) 5.45; 3 J Aki Sawyer (WSEH) 15.04
PV: 1 T Walley (Sale) 5.02; 2 J Phipps (Bir) 4.82; 3 A mCfarlane (Glas) 4.62
SP: 1 J Zatat (WG&EL) 18.25; 2 A Lockhart (Harr) 15.60; 3 D Claydon (B&B) 15.27
DT: 1 D Claydon (B&B) 51.27; 2 A Peck (Glas) 48.36; 3 M Plowman (WG&EL) 47.79
HT: 1 J Norris (WSEH) 76.71; 2 J Paget (TVH) 68.53; 3 T Campbell (WSEH) 65.26
JT: 1 C Martin (Harrow) 66.67; 2 D Pembroke (WSEH) 65.48; 3 C Evans (TVH) 63.00
4x100: 1 TVH 40.79; 2 B&B 40.80; 3 WG&EL 40.88
Women
100 (3.3): 1 J Eduwu (B&B) 11.61; 2 E Modeste (TVH) 11.65; 3 P Akpe-Moses (Bir) 11.71
200 (1.9): 1 J Eze (Harr) 23.46; 2 F Aginbileje (B&B, U20) 23.63; 3 K Dubarry-Gay (WG&EL) 23.90
400: 1 A Hillyard (Bir) 53.58; 2 Z Clark (TVH) %4.42; 3 R Greve (WGEL, U20) 55.20
800: 1 B Ansell (Glas) 2:08.15; 2 A Svihalkova (TVH) 2:10.09; 3 C Sharp (B&B) 2:10.17
1500: 1 I Weir (TVH) 4:23.72; 2 S Monk (Harr) 4;24.15; 3 C Buckley (TVH) 4:27.03
3000: 1 K Weir (TVH) 9:27.25; 2 B Wood (WG&EL) 9:27.79; 3 K Olding (TVH) 9:44.68
110H (1.4): 1 M Jessop (Harr) 13.45; 2 A Broadbest-Blake (TVH, W35) 13.95; 3 F Docherty (Sale, U20) 13.97
400H: 1 Y Haye-Smith (Bir) 59.18; 2 O Brennan (WSEH) 59.73; 3 S Elliss (B&B) 60.26
2,000SC: 1 A Barbour (WSEH)6:48.72; 2 S Stoddart (Glas) 7:15.45; 3 A Paton (Glas) 7:16.86
HJ: 1 B Coulson (Bir) 1.72; 2 P Rogan (TVH) 1.67; 3 R Burrell (Bor) 1.62
LJ: 1 M Elcock (WG&EL) 6.04; 2 D Snell (B&B, U20) 5.91; 3 C Nwafor (TVH, U20) 5.88
TJ: 1 L Hulland (TVH) 13.07; 2 A Omitowoju (Harr) 12.55; 3 M Elcock (WG&EL) 12.46
PV: 1 N Munir (TVH) 4.12; 2 S Barbour (Glas) 3.92; 3 M Bailey (Harr) 3.72
SP: 1 A Campbell (TVH) 16.92; 2 C Agyepong (B&B, U20) 15.09; 3 M Joseph (Harr) 13.63
DT: 1 P Dowson (WSEH) 54.10; 2 J Layy (TVH, W35) 53.64; 3 Z Obamakinwa (B&B) 52.50
HT: 1 C Payne (WSEH) 68.97; 2 K Presswell (TVH) 62.59; 3 P Wingate (TVH) 56.56
JT: 1 S De Kramer (TVH) 45.26; 2 R Burrell (Bir) 42.53; 3 L O’Dell (Harr) 41.81
4x100: 1 Harrow 45.63; 2 WG&EL 45.61; 3 TVH 47/08
Mixed 4x400: 1 WG&EL) 3:23.53; 2 TVH 3:25.01; 3 Harrow 3:25.60
Standings after 2 matches: 1 Thames Valley 15 (1230.5); Harrow 15 (1213.5); 3 WSEH 9 (880.5); 4 Glasgow 9 (873); 5 WG&EL 9 (869); 6 Blackheath & Bromley 7 (802.5); 7 Birchfield 4 (702); 8 Sale 4 (745)
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP NORTH, round 3, Bedford, July 7
Sheffield and Trafford came into this third-round match almost assured that they would contest the Premiership qualifier after each winning one of the earlier matches, while hosts Bedford & County wanted to try and make up for two earlier poor results.
All of that happened as Trafford and Sheffield now go to the Premiership knock out and hosts Bedford did improve to third on the day.
Trafford and Sheffield were tied on league points after the first two matches and Sheffield won the 400m hurdles through Ben Schofield in 53.1, but Trafford held sway here winning by 77 points to take the lead after three matches.
They then followed up with Callum Winchester-Wright winning the men’s 100m in 10.72 and Leone Ashmeade the women’s in 11.88.
Nisha Desai added the women’s first event for Trafford where there were only two match runners out of a possible 12 but her club led after five events had been scored.
In a tight men’s 800m Notts’ Nairobi Smith-Mills squeezed home ahead of Trafford’s Joe Hudak but takers were few in the women’s two-lapper where Trafford scored through Kate Meeson.
Trafford still led after 11 events had been scored and, in a poorly supported men’s 2000m steeplechase junior Joe Daly just came out on top in a slow race.
Sheffield had countered with Alice Barnsdale taking the women’s hammer with 60.55m and William Lane the pole vault with 4.82m but Emily Madden-Forman had a 1.72m clearance in the high jump for Trafford as Sam Danson won the men’s long jump with a legal 7.24m.
Sheffield kept trying with a double led by Henry Curtis in the 110m hurdles with 14.87m against a breeze and Kaya Walker the men’s high jump with a 2.02m clearance.
Liverpool had been having a lean day until Jade Morgan won the women’s 5000m in 17:25.14 and Nick Wedderman narrowly won the men’s discus with 52.31m from Sheffield’s Chiks Osammor’s 52.19m. Emma Alderson then added the women’s 400m for the Merseysiders in 56.43.
Notts had challenged in the first two matches but ended up fourth here but did have Imogen Smith win the women’s Pole vault with 3.72m and Milan Campion the men’s 3000m
Both hosts Bedford and Milton Keynes whose Lateefah Agberem won the women’s long jump and then triple with a windy 13.10m as team mate James Ericsson-Nicholls added the men’s hammer were putting on a better show here.
Bedford then had junior Jasmine Wilkins win the women‘s 200m in 24.18
As the afternoon drew to a close Trafford took both 1500m races with Kate Meeson the women’s in 4:44.92. and a double in the women’s javelin led by junior Neve Davenport’s 41.67m. They further stretched their lead as Sagesse Nguie won the men’s 200m in 21.18 and had two of the only three runners in the women’s steeplechase won by Bethany Reid.
Match: 1 Trafford 551; 2 Sheffield 474; 3 Bedford & C 402; 4 Notts 354; 5 Liverpool 319; 6 Milton Keynes 275
Standings after 3 matches: 1 Trafford 17 (1687); 2 Sheffield 16 (1647); 3 Notts 10 (1402); 4 Liverpool 10 (1276); 5 Bedford & County 7 (850); 6 Milton Keynes 4 (663)
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH, round 3, Kingston, Surrey, July 7
Kingston & Polytechnic played hosts at The Weir Archer Centre as Tonbridge continued their seemingly easy march on to the Knockout round and the Kent based outfit took good early points in the opening two field events the women’s long jump and hammer.
Crawley led the early points count from Tonbridge and Belgrave, thanks to Adam Dray’s 800m led in a double victory and Mia O’Hara’s 12.57 women’s 100m clocking before Matthew Grindrod added the steeplechase and Callum Holder the high hurdles.
Hosts Kingston scored a couple of early wins thanks to Joely Bytheway’s 400m hurdles and Tom White’s 10.96 100m and later had Kira Holt lead a double in the 100m hurdles.
After 11 events Tonbridge had assumed the match led from Belgrave, whose Chinedu Okereke won the men’s long jump with 6.51m.
Bournemouth were last here but they had got in on the winning act with Emily Field’s 2:12.35 800m before Brian Webb took the men’s high jump with 2.10m.
There was a big turn around in the match by midafternoon, after 30 events had been scored, as Belgrave opened out a 75-point advantage and had had a double in the women’s 5000m led by Felicity Harrison as they were the only two runners and the women’s 400m through junior Arabella Wilson’s 56.60.
This was over Crawley with Tonbridge the run-away victors in the first two matches a close third, despite a double win from their Kirsty-Anne Ebbage in the women’s hammer and discus. Tonbridge also won the men’s discus and 400m with modest performances and Bronwyn Yeandle the women’s pole vault with a 3.53m clearance before Lewis Church took the men’s shot.
In a steady men’s 1500m Crawley had Adam Dray take the race but Belgrave piled up more points with second and third. Crawley added more points after Katie Mackison’s women’s javelin win with 44.65m as James Pratt’s 59.26m in the men’s event gave them a double.
Hugo Hewitt in the men’s 3000m and junior Amelia Cox in another poorly supported event the women’s 1500m steeplechase, boosted the Crawley tally.
Hosts Kingston & Poly posted a win in the women’s 1500m through Rebecca Keddie’s 4:38.78, but it was Belgrave who came out on top after two relay wins, including the new 4x400m mixed final event on the track.
They now go to the Premiership knockout match with Tonbridge. Nevertheless, the winners failed to present a competitor in two of the events. In contrast, last placers City of Portsmouth missed out on more than a quarter of the poit scoring opportunities.
Match: 1 Belgrave 548; 2 Tonbridge 491; 3 Crawley 465; 4 Kingston & Poly 389; 5 Bournemouth 342; 6 Portsmouth 299
Standings after two matches: 1 Tonbridge 17 (1744); 2 Belgrave 15 (1574); 3 Crawley 10 (1355); 4 Portsmouth 9 (1232); 5 Kingston & Poly 8 (1172); 6 Bournemouth 4 (1013)
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP WEST, round 3, Yeovil, Somerset, July 7
The Bill Whistlecroft Stadium at Yeovil again saw Swansea make the trip across the Severn Bridge, as fellow Welshmen Cardiff battled with Yate and Basingstoke & Mid Hants to determine the second spot in the mini-league.
However, as Swansea ran out match winners, it was only by 12 points over their rivals but Yate slipped up badly in a tight scoring match.
The two Welsh clubs were scoring well early on and, after eight events had been tallied it was Swansea ahead of Cardiff, whose Jacob Reynolds won the 800m.
Swansea saw Emily Jenkinson take the women’s 800m and Stanislav Kivalenko the men’s 100m in a legal 10.57.
Cardiff’s Rebecca Chapman won the first field event on the programme, the women’s long jump with 5.52m as Swansea won the women’s hammer with Zoe Dakin after club mate Jack Houghton had taken the opening track 400m hurdles.
Yate were also pressing for qualification to the knock out and Lily Bailey led a double in the women’s high jump with 1.62m and the men’s hammer with Toby Conibear, but their quest proved to be in vain.
Nevertheless, they wheeled out UK third ranked under-17 pole-vaulter Arisa Burgess, who won the event with 3.32m but she was one of only three, from a possible dozen competitors in the event as their Katie Robbins won the 400m with 56.91.
Hosts Yeovil got in on the winning act early too as Ellen Barber won the women’s 100m in 12.14 and they were one of only two clubs to enter anybody in the men’s 2000m steeplechase and, after 15 events were battling with Cardiff for second in the match over 40 points behind Swansea, who had Jacob Edghill win the long jump with 6.42m. and Jake Cover the high hurdles.
Yeovil’s Roberto Lopez-Smith added the men’s pole vault with 4.62m and Lottie Garratt the women’s triple jump with 11.44m, but Cardiff had Lauren Cooper win the women’s 5000m with 16:53.97 but there were only five runners instead of a dozen here.
As the afternoon wore on the scores tightened despite Swansea’s Jake Cover taking the high hurdles against a wind in 14.97, junior Evan Cole the high jump and Phoebe Brown the women’s javelin with 40.61m.
Junior Kinga Kudzia kept Swansea’s wins coming in the 200m with 25.12 but Cardiff’s Luke Hamley won the 3000m.
Yeovil had enjoyed a series of modest wins but they closed the field event programme with top ranked under-20 Ben Jones winning the men’s javelin with a best of 62.27m.
Southampton had few bright spots but they did win the men’s 400m thanks to Jack Higgins’ 47.68.
At the end on the track Cardiff won the women’s steeple with Lauren Cooper’s second victory and two relays to Swansea’s one and it was all over with the two Welsh clubs progressing to the Premiership qualifier.
Match: 1 Swansea 499; 2 Cardiff 487; 3 Yeovil 462; 4 Southampton 416; 5 Basingstoke & Mid Hants 361; 6 Yate 348
Standings after two matches: 1 Swansea 18 (1718.50); 2 Cardiff 13 (1471); 3 Basingstoke & Mid Hants 10 (1241.50); 4 Yate 9 (1323); 5 Yeovil 8 (1222); 6 Southampton 6 (1141)
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP EAST, round 3, Stevenage, July 7
As the Ridlins Wood track hosted the third match of the series, Shaftesbury Barnet, the winner of the two previous rounds, ensured that they would go to the Premiership knockout next month with a comfortable win.
They got off to the best possible start as Steven Garrett led a club double in the men’s 400m hurdles.
Then Hayley McClean led another double in the women’s 400m hurdles in 58.23, so that their club led after six track events had been scored from Chelmsford and Havering and they continued with a men’s 800m victory through Sam Wiggins.
Herne Hill too had been piling up early track points and, after Sophie Tooley had won the women’s 800m, Kristal Awuah won the 100m in 12.10 before later adding the 200m in 24.73.
Newham had Ben Snaith win the 100m in a legal 10.70, before later completing the sprint double with 21.37, two performance which were adjudged the best on offer. Team-mate Emma Nwofor added the women’s sprint hurdles with 14.20 against a breeze.
After nine events Shaftesbury led by 21 points from Havering, whose Alicia Fairmanner won the women’s long jump and Alex Ford the men’s steeplechase but the league leaders had a double in a modest men’s hammer and did the same in the men’s pole vault.
After 22 events Shaftesbury had over 50 points to spare on Havering after their Tom Butler just squeezed out a 1500m victory and Jo Blair the women’s Javelin with 42.70m. Another early winner for the eventual mini-league champions was Evelyne Fonteine with 1.72m in the women’s high jump.
Herts Phoenix had been languishing mid table before Lauren Rule won the women’s 400m in 54.40 and Shannon Rapacchi added the pole vault with 3.32m. So too had Herne Hill despite Tooley completing the middle-distance double by winning the women’s 1500m.
Havering had a chance of making the Premiership qualifier coming into this match and saw Freddie Rowe, the Inter-Counties under 15 bronze-medallist Snatch a close men’s 3000m in 8:51.13.
Former men’s overall league champions Newham had another success in the women’s triple jump as junior Abbie Dowdye had a legal 11.56m, her second in the league this year.
However, after 32 events had been tallied the Shaftesbury lead became dominant with a margin of over 100 points, but the battle between Havering, Chelmsford and Herts Phoenix to see who would join them on the Premiership qualifier remained close.
Their Greg Thompson again took the discus with a 53.23m best and, later the shot with a 15.28m heave, as other wins also kept coming, notably from Kimani Jack in the men’s high jump at 2.02m.
Chelmsford got in on the act late in the afternoon as Jess Hopkins sixth round shot win with 14.20m, but it was Shaftesbury’s day as the meeting drew to a close, with two track wins. Firstly, Zoe Levin won the women’s 1500m steeplechase and Shaftesbury confirmed their lead in the match as the 4x400m relay was also theirs.
In a close battle for the second qualifying slot Havering finished second on the day as their rivals Chelmsford could only finish fourth and so lost their chance.
There was a poor turn out from Newham & Essex Beagles as the east-end club filed to offer a competitor in around half of the events, and were well short of their required number of officials and so finished well tailed off last in the match.
Match: 1 Shaftesbury 622; 2 Havering 500.5; 3 Herts Phoenix 487.5; 4 Chelmsford 455; 5 Herne Hill 423; 6 Newham & Essex Beagles 176
Standings after 3 matches: 1 Shaftesbury Barnet 18 (1872); 2 Havering 14 (1518.5); 3 Chelmsford 12 1472; 4 Herts Phoenix 10 (1447.5); 5 Herne Hill 35 (1212); 6 Newham & Essex Beagles 4 (828)
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