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Jun & Jul 2000

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Last updated 25 August 2000

Press Releases June & July 2000

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31 July 2000

Oldest Club in the world Blackheath Harriers Bromley is currently enjoying some of the greatest individual success in its 131 year history with another magnificent seven new Club Records set on a hectic weekend of competition.

First team captain Mensah Elliott broke the Senior Mens 110 Hurdles record twice in a day at the Loughborough International Development Meeting. He won his heat in a new best of 13.92, 0.05 quicker than Newham’s Damien Greaves. In the final he took second in 13.82 despite hitting a number of hurdles and had the frustration of seeing Greaves dip inside the Olympic qualifying time with 13.62. His time leaves him ranked 4th in the country and he will aim Olympic qualifying mark of 13.70 at the Trials on two weeks time.

The previous day he won the prestigious Inter Area match at Solihull where he timed 14.06; while team mate Michael Champion was 2nd in the 200 in 21.66 and Paul Fisher continued his return to racing with 6th place in the 800.

Emeka Udechuku was also in action both days. He beat one of his rivals for an Olympic place, Glen Smith, at the Loughborough meeting when he threw 58.83 for 2nd in the discus, one centimetre off his seasons best.

He had represented England at an international meeting in Dublin the day before finishing 3rd in both the shot and discus with throws of 17.36 and 57.26. Lash Lashore timed 10.68 in the 100, despite a tight hamstring; and Joe Mills, running for Wales, was 3rd in the 1500 in 3.45.87. Jonathan Barbour also had hamstring problems and was forced to withdraw from the 100.

Meanwhile at the AAAs Under 17s and under 15s Championships at Sheffield, the Oliver sisters continued their systematic revision of the Clubs throws records. Spurred on by Coach Herbie Kuenstlinger, Emily launched the under 17s discus out to 33.91. Not only was this a record in her age group but it also set a new Senior Record as well!

Not to be outdone sister Anita hurled the under 15s implement out to 26.91for another record. Both finished 6th in their respective competitions.

Star of the weekend, however, was Joseph Godsell who was rewarded for some hard training under Dave Liston at Norman Park with an outstanding silver in the 800 metres.

Godsell’s uncle, Bob Minting also had cause to celebrate, as he and some of the Clubs more senior members returned from the British Veterans Championships at Bedford with six gold medals. Not only did Minting win both the over 50s 800 and 200 metre events; but he also set new Club records of 12.41 and 67.32 with silvers in the 100 and 400 hurdles; and was also 3rd in the high jump.

The evergreen Jim Day was also a double winner with gold in the over 65s pole vault and high jump in 2.70 and 1.29, and 2nd in the 100 hurdles and triple jump. Gordon Hickey was 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the over 65s shot, javelin, discus and hammer; while Peter Hannell strode to victory in the over 50s 3km walk; and Joe Clare was 3rd in the over 60s 1500 metres.

Some of the Clubs stars of the future were in action at the Bromley Primary schools and there was a one-two from Blackheath athletes in the girls 500 metres with Rebecca Taylor breaking the Championship record to win in 1.32.7, and Aimee Boyle a close 2nd in 1.34.5.

More of the Clubs youngsters are currently appearing on television each Sunday morning in Jamie Baulch’s Energize programme at 10.05 with Katy Porter helping do the presenting.

The Club is still looking to recruit new girls and boys of all standards. Anyone interested should visit Norman Park track on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday from 6.30 and ask for Michelle Bovell or Dave Liston. Further information about the Club is available on the weekly updated website.

  Both Julian Golding and Jonathan Barbour are set to compete at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace this Saturday; while many of the Clubs youngsters will make up the supporting cast of baggage carriers and hurdle removers. On Sunday the Clubs Senior mens team travel to Enfield for the final match of the British Athletics League Division Two season. Currently second in the table, a solid result would secure promotion back to the highest division of Club athletics in the country.

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24 July 2000

Mark Steinle posted his second Olympic qualifying time when he finished 4th in the AAAs Olympic 10,000 metre trial at Watford. The 25 year old Blackheath Harrier Bromley athlete is already selected for Great Britain in the marathon, but his time of 28.04.48 was nearly six seconds inside the 10,000 qualifying mark. It also breaks the Blackheath club record of Bob Richardson, which has stood since 1969, by 31 seconds, a second for every year.

A new best by over a minute, Steinle was also pleased with the negative splits. “I ran the first 5,000in 14.04 and the second half in 13.59 which is only a second off my 5km best. It’s back to hard training this week. I aim to run the Erewash 10 in four weeks time and that’s it as far as racing until the Olympics. Hopefully I’ll be allowed to travel out to Sydney around the 10th of   September.”

Although 3rd Briton home in the 10,000, he does not seek double Olympic selection, being happy that his time indicates that his training is on course for a good Olympic marathon.

Steinle’s performance was the highlight of an outstanding weekend with six Club members on international duty. Julian Golding and Mensah Elliott represented England and Joe Mills, Wales, in an international in Bucharest, Hungary. Golding timed 20.84 for 2nd in the 200, with Elliott 5th in the 110 hurdles in 14.20, having timed 14.08 in his heat; and Mills setting a seasons best of 3.43.73 in the 1500.

At Liverpool, the Club provided 3 individual winners for Great Britain in the under 23 international match against France and Germany. Jonathan Barbour won the 100 in 10.34; Chris Moss the 800 in 1.48.68; and Emeka Udechuku the discus in 56.30.

Udechuku was also 3rd in the shot in 17.17 and his weekend didn’t finish there, as, the following day he travelled to Rugby to help the Blackheath team to a memorable semi final win in the Gold Cup over current National League and Cup holders Belgrave by half a point.

He won the shot and discus and started the day with a new best of 45.38 in the hammer, a remarkable achievement since he arrived minutes before the event as his car broke down on the way from Liverpool that morning. Other wins came from Bill Foster (10,000), Michael Skinner (1500), Dave Heath (5000); and the 4x100 team of Lash Lashore, Dave Gardiner, Darren Burley and Michael Champion.

The team now look forward to the final at Bedford on the 22nd of August.

Car trouble also affected the womens team as they travelled to their first ever Jubilee Cup semi final at Eton. Motorway hold ups meant they missed the 100 metre and 800 events as the young team from Southern League Division Three took on five National League teams including two from Division One, six divisions higher than them.

Making the Final was never a realistic goal, but, the chance to challenge some of the country’s top athletes   was met with some gusto, as Siobhan Budd ran away from the field to win the 3000 metres; and Sam Singer and Karyn O Mahoney both scored 2nd places in the 200 and 1500.

Highlight in the field was another new under 17 Club Record in the hammer for Emily Oliver. She improved to 30.22 which means the record has been extended by nearly 25% this summer!

The motorway hold up has probably cost them a place in the Plate Final for the best non National League teams in the Cup, but the Clubs boys team have certainly qualified for a final. They will compete in either the main or auxiliary final of the McDonalds Young Athletes League, after finishing 2nd in their final match at Crawley. Which match they have qualified for depends on the results elsewhere, but, whichever one it is, Sundays individual performances indicate they will be tough match for anyone.

Phillip Shelley took the Man Of The Match Award for his 29 metre throw in the under 17s discus, while in the same age group there were impressive 22.7 and 23.0 clockings in the 200 from Fabian Collymore and Darren Watson. Matt Gipon set a new best of 54.7 in the 400; and there was a rare double victory in the pole vault from Tom Robinson and Gareth Fergus.

In the under 15s excellent performances included Andrew Johnson 80 metre hurdles (12.1); Ray Campbell 800 (2.14.9); Joe Sweeney 1500 (4.22.1) and Sanjo Bamjboye long jump (5.77) while in the under 13s Fabrice Serybi launched the shot out to 10.09 (13 centimetres off the Club Record) and Langley Park schoolboy Shane Marsh leapt 4.42 in the long jump on his debut.

There was success of a different kind at the girls match at Perivale where an inspired effort from a weakened squad meant the Club avoided relegation. A third Club Record of the weekend was set by Clare Cooper as she timed 11.7 to win the under 13s 70 metre hurdles. Sandra Alaneme won both the under 15s high and long jumps; and Anita Oliver scored a one, two three in the discus, javelin and shot.

Equally vital to the Clubs cause were the efforts of Nina Akif, Vanita Apsouka, Siobhan Taylor, Cleo Richardson, Rebecca Atanda, Vicky O Connell, Ashley Harper and Leanne Anderson, many of whom were making their seasons debuts.

Gold Cup Result

 1. Blackheath Harriers Bromley 125. 2. Belgrave Harriers 124.5. 3. Swansea Harriers 96. 4. Rugby 91.5. 5. Cardiff 83. 6. City Of Norwich 76. 7. Telford 62. 8. City Of Stoke 50.

100. 2. Lash Lashore 10.6. 200. 3. Michael Champion 21.3. 400. 6. David Gardiner 51.5. 800. Paul Fisher 1.55.1. 1500. 1. Michael Skinner 3.57.2. 5000. 1. David Heath 14.04.1. 10,000. 1. Bill Foster 30.47.7. 110H. 8. Alexis Sharp 15.5. 400H. 2. Nange Ursell 55.1. 3000s/c. 2. Jeremy Bradley 9.32.6. HJ. 2. Bomene Barikor 1.90. LJ. 4. Levi Edwards 7.08. TJ. 4. Marvin Bramble 14.37. PV. Sharp n/h. SP. 1.Emeka Udechuku 17.17. DT. 1. Udechuku 57.79. JT. 2. Sharp 53.58. HT. 4. Udechuku 45.38. 4x100. 1. (Lashore, Gardiner, Champion, Darren Burley) 42.1. 4x400. 3. (Gardiner, Skinner, Bradley, Gardiner) 3.25.9

Jubilee Cup

200. 4. Anisha Barnaby 26.0. 400. 2. Sam Singer 57.3. 1500. 2. Karyn O Mahoney 4.52. 3000. 1. Siobhan Budd 10.20.9. LJ. 6. Katy Benneworth 5.21. TJ. 5. Angela Zihute 10.61. SP. 6. Lisa Edwards 9.75. DT. 5. Emily Oliver 31.02. JT. 6. Edwards 28.46. HT. 5. Oliver 30.22 Club record. 4x100. 4. 49.1.

Other results from Watford

800. E. Race. 4. David Moulton 1.55.2. F Race. 4. Steve Cooper 1.56.0

1500. C. Race. 4. Martin Airey 3.51.6. D Race. 1. Jeremy Bradley 3.51.39

3000s/chase. 2. David Heath 8.52.92. 12. Dave Lee 9.18.23.

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18 July 2000

Athletes from Blackheath Harriers Bromley have set a number Club Records in the first couple of months of the track and field season, but few were anticipating that five should fall in one hectic weekend of competition.

The Oliver sisters, both coached by Herbie Kuenstlinger, were in outstanding form at the Southern Women's League match at Parliament Hill. In the under 15s Anita broke the javelin record with a throw of 26.58 and then improved the discus record to 26.24. Not to be outdone sister Emily set a new under 17s hammer record of 26.39 and the following day went even further at the National Junior Athletic League match at Croydon launching the implement out to 27.78.

On the track, the burgeoning talent of Joanna South was amply demonstrated with a new under 13s 100 metre record of 13.4 and an excellent 28.0 clocking in the 200.

Clare Cooper had a busy afternoon with a 2nd place in the 75 hurdles and 3rd in both the 100 metres and long jump; Manisha Wynter set a new best of 20.47 in the discus; and there were promising Club debuts from Venita Akpofure in the 800 and Leanne Anderson in the 75 hurdles.

For the seniors Siobhan Budd was outstanding in the middle distance winning the 3000 and finishing 2nd in both the 800 and 1500. Louisa Guthrie and Katy Benneworth took maximum points   in the 100 metres, while in the field Lydia Henderson Boyle threw a useful 21.88 in the discus.

More current Club Record holders were also in action albeit at the other end of the age group categories, with three of the Clubs more senior members competing the European Veterans Championships in Jyvaskyla, Finland. Bob Minting took silver in the over 50s 400 metres in 54.9 and was also the fastest qualifier for the 800 metre final having timed 2.10.69 in his heat.

Also in the over 50s, Dennis Wallington finished 8th in the long jump with a leap of 5.47 and was then 11th in the pentathlon with 2935 points. He also timed 12.73 in the heats of the 100.

The remarkable Jim Day just missed out on a medal. The West Wickham based athlete, who will be 67 next month, soared over 2 metres 80 in the pole vault and would have taken bronze but for a last gasp clearance at the third attempt by another athlete. It was 4th again in the 100 metre hurdles where he timed 20.02. He was also 17th in the high jump with 1.27.

There was some disappointment, however, at the men's National Junior Athletic League match at Enfield where a greatly weakened team finished in 5th place. It will now take a huge effort to finish in the top four and qualify for the National Final.

Despite the team result there were a number of excellent individual performances. Mark Awanah was just 5 centimetres off the league record with a winning leap of 7.21 in the long jump; Dwayne Grant cruised to victory with a 10.7 clocking in the 100; and Daniel Ayrton made a welcome return from injury to run under 9 minutes for 3000 metres. A number of personal bests were achieved including Chris Daniel (2.06 for 800); and Matt Gipon (55.9 for 400).

This weekend three Club members will be representing Great Britain in the under 23 match against France and Germany in Liverpool. Jonathan Barbour runs in the 100, 200 and 4x100; Chris Moss goes in the 800; while in the field Emeka Udechuku competes in the shot and discus. It will be a busy weekend for Udechuku as the following day he is in the Blackheath squad who travel to Rugby for the Gold Cup semi final.

The Clubs women's team make their first ever Jubilee Cup semi final appearance when they travel to Eton. A good result their could qualify them for the Plate Final which is for the best placed non UK Women's League teams.

Also this weekend is the AAAs Olympic 10,000 metres trial at Watford. Mark Steinle, who has already gained Olympic selection in the marathon is set to race, and a number of other Heathens will be competing in the various supporting development races.

For further information about the Club please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or visit Norman Park track on a Tuesday or Thursday evening from 6.30.

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  9 July 2000

Blackheath Harriers Bromley are just one match away from a return to Division One of the British Athletics League after a gripping Division Two match at Peterborough. The team actually finished 3rd on the day but they remain 2nd in the overall table, three league points ahead of Trafford with a superior match points total. In effect, to go up, Trafford would need to beat Blackheath by four places in the remaining match at Enfield on 6th August to push them out of one of the two automatic promotion places.

With the Olympic Trials now only five weeks away many athletes with selection for Sydney in mind were in action. Last weekend Mensah Elliott competed for Great Britain as a replacement for Tony Jarrett in the 110 hurdles. At Peterborough the two met head to head with Jarrett just getting the verdict in a tight finish. Elliott timed an excellent 14.1 in blustery conditions.

Both Bomene Barikor and Paul Graham defeated Dalton Grant in the high jump. 18 year old Barikor was equal 1st in the competition clearing 2.00 metres and Paul Graham’s 1.90 3rd place in the B string was still sufficient to beat Britain’s top jumper as Grant progressed no further than his opening height of 1.70.

Emeka Udechuku celebrated his 21st birthday two days early with a win by 6 metres in the discus, but was then surprisingly pushed into 2nd in the shot by New Zealander Fale Seve who competes for Cardiff.

The middle distance again proved a source of good points for the Club with a double first from Dave Heath and Martin Airey in the 1500 and a 2nd and 1st place from Anthony Draper and Michael Skinner in the 800. Performance of the day, however came from Jeremy Bradley who set a new best of 9.14.8 to finish 3rd in the steeplechase before running 15.17.1 for 3rd in the B string 5,000, his 2nd fastest ever time for the distance. Veteran Bill Foster clocked an excellent 14.51.9 for 4th in the A race.

Top sprinters were out in force which explained why Lash Lashore was only 6th in the 100 in his first race back from injury. Jonathan Barbour was beaten into 5th place in the 200, but Michael Champion made amends with an emphatic victory in the B race, and he was also a key member of both relays teams, as the Club moved from 6th to 3rd place in the last 5 events of the day.

With the match finely balanced the 4x100 team of Champion, Barbour, Lashore and Darren Burley equalled the Club Record of 41.0 that they set in the last match at Enfield finishing second to a powerful Cardiff quartet. After good legs from Dave Gardiner, Steve Cooper, and Paul Fisher, in the 4x400, Champion clocked a best ever 47.6 split to anchor the team to another 2nd place.

Match result. 1. Woodford Green 351. 2. Harrow 294. 3. Blackheath Harriers Bromley 291. 4. Trafford 267. 5.Enfield And Haringey 262. 6. Cardiff 252. 7. Peterborough 249. 8. Edinburgh 212.

The Club also had a successful weekend at the English Schools Championships at Sheffield, the so called “mini Olympics”, which features top schools athletes from around the country. Great Britain junior international Dwayne Grant from Penge took gold in the 200 in 21.2. Mark Awanah returned from injury to leap 7.11 for 2nd place in a long jump competition he lost on count back, with just one centimetre separating 1st to 3rd places. Paul Archer’s reward for some hard training at Norman Park was a fine 2nd place in the Senior Boys shot with a putt of 14.31.

For the girls Anisha Barnaby smashed the Senior Women's Club Record for the 100 metres timing 12.17 as she finished 6th in the Senior Girls 100 metres in 12.17. Sam Singer just missed out on a medal in the 800 finishing 4th in 2.13.03. Katy Benneworth jumped 5.17 in the intermediate girls long jump while Anita Oliver putt the junior girls shot 9.13.

Other good performances came from Neil Simpson with a 6th place in the Intermediate Boys 400 in 50.51and from Joe Sweeney with a 4.24.50 7th place in the Junior Boys 1500.

At Norman Park there was another win for the Kent Boys And Colts team. Good performances all round mean the Club is set to win the League for the 20th year in a row. New member Daniel Casey had a gun to tape victory in the under 13s 800 and Ray Campbell timed an impressive 2.15.1 in the under 15s race.

Elsewhere there were useful performances from Will Edet who timed 55.9 for 400 and Andrew Johnson who won the under 15s 80 metre hurdles in 12.0.

The previous day at the same venue the Senior men's Southern League teams had been in action with the division 2   team finishing 3rd while the Division Five team had their 4th successive team win.

The Club now has two of its members chosen for this years Olympic Games. Following Mark Steinle’s selection for the marathon, Sian Brice has been picked to represent Great Britain in the triathlon in the first year of it being an Olympic sport. Brice is no stranger to competing at major championships having represented the Isle Of Man in the 1500 metres at the 1986 Commonwealth Games at the age of 17. Although athletics is not now her main sport, she still occasionally runs for the Club in cross country events. She will be one of Britain’s hopes for a medal in Sydney having finished 6th in last years World Championships.

The Club is always keen to welcome new members. For further information please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504.

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3 July 2000

Blackheath Harriers Bromley have received a resounding endorsement of it’s Club Development Policies with the signing of a new sponsorship deal with BG Electrical Associates Ltd and Sportsmatch worth £10,000 a year. BG Electrical Associates Ltd have agreed to support the Clubs youngsters with £5,000, and this has been equalled by Sportsmatch, a business sponsorship incentive scheme that is administered by the Institute of Sports Sponsorship on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The new injection of money will be used to expand the Clubs links with local schools in the Borough allowing coaches to attend classes to provide specialist advice to youngsters.

Managing Director of BG Electrical, Ken Tonkin, was delighted that his firms support for the Club had qualified for Sportsmatch funding, as was the Clubs Schools Liaison Officer David Liston. “This is exciting news for the Club and allows us to greatly expand our activities in schools in the Borough. We are very grateful for the support from BG Electrical Associates and Sportsmatch and also to Tina Slater of the Bromley Sports Development Unit who gave advice on our Sportsmatch application”.

The Clubs ability to discover, nurture and develop young athletes was admirably demonstrated on a weekend which saw three of its former young athletes representing Great Britain in the Norwich Union Challenge match against the USA in Glasgow.

Former Junior captain and Commonwealth 200 metre champion Julian Golding continued his steady build up for next months Olympic Trials with a 5th place in the 200 in 20.89. Current Senior captain Mensah Elliott made his Great Britain debut in the 110 hurdles and finished 6th in 14.39 in a race won by World Champion Colin Jackson.

In the field Emeka Udechuku completed a hectic weekend by finishing 5th in the discus in 56.84. The previous day the ex Young Athletes captain had been competing at the AAA’s Under 23 Championships at Bedford where athletes from the Club won an astonishing 5 gold medals.

These age group championships aim to bridge the difficult gap between the junior and senior age groups and the British selectors will use the results to pick teams for two forthcoming under 23 international matches, the first of which is in Liverpool against France and Germany in three weeks time.

Udechuku booked his place in the International with wins in both the shot and discus, and, he will be joined in Liverpool by two other Heathens.

19 year old Jonathan Barbour continued his sensational season with wins in both the 100 and 200 metres in times of 10.32 and 21.04. He has already equalled Julian Golding’s Club 100 metre record this season but the 200 record is perhaps out of reach at present. “I won’t be doing too many more 200s. They’re too far” said the new rising star of British sprinting.

Former World Junior Championship finalist, Chris Moss ran a perfect tactical 800 metres to win in 1.50.11, while Michael Skinner had to settle for 4th place in the 1500 after being well positioned with 250 metres to go.

Club Records have been tumbling recently and the latest to go was the senior womens 400 metres as Sam Singer timed 55.4 while representing the South Of England at the Inter Regional Junior Match at Watford.

Also at the meeting Dwayne Grant returned from a mid season training trip to Portugal to win the 100 in 10.67.

The Club were also in action in the latest round of the McDonalds Young Athletes League For Boys And Girls. The Boys were 2nd in their Southern Premier Division Match at Havering, while the Girls finished 3rd in their match at Newham. In the McDonalds Girls National Rankings for the season Katy Benneworth currently lies 10 in the under 17s long jump with 5.14.

The Club had such a response to its recent races for under 11s that it will be holding more competitions at Norman Park track on Wednesday July 12th. Girls and Boys from 6 to 10 are invited to take part in races of 150 metres and 600 metres. Entry is 50 pence. The first race is 6.30 pm. For further details please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504.

This weekend see the 3rd of the 4 British Athletics League Division Two matches at Peterborough. The Club are currently joint top of the table and will be fielding a number of its top athletes in an effort to secure promotion back to Division One. The B and C teams will be in action at Norman Park while many of the Clubs youngsters will be competing in the so- called “mini Olympics”, the English Schools Championships at Sheffied, which bring together the top athletes in the country.

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26 June 2000

Blackheath Harriers Bromley are set for an immediate return to British Athletics League Division One after winning the second of the four Division Two matches at Enfield, and an afternoon of top class competition culminated in the 4x100 metres team breaking the Club Record which has stood since 1984.

Early in the afternoon things had not looked so good as the Club were unable to fill the B string pole vault and Levi Edwards, a bronze medallist at the Inter Counties Championships injured himself in the long jump. The earliest points score saw the team positioned in 7th place out of 8 teams.

An inspired team performance followed, with Emeka Udechuku and Alexis Sharp providing the backbone in the field events. Udechuku won the discus with 54.76 and the shot in 17.22. Sharp was 2nd in the B string discus, 3rd in the B javelin and 6th in the A long jump. Both also scored vital points in the hammer.

On the track the middle distance squad were in outstanding form winning 7 out of 8 events. Anthony Draper comfortably took the 800 metres in 1.51.3 ahead of the country’s 6th fastest runner from last year and Michael Skinner and Martin Airey won both strings of the 1500. Dave Lee took the steeplechase for the 2nd match in a row in 9.09 and in a dramatic sprint Jeremy Bradley just snatched a win in the B race by 0.1 of a second in 9.24.

In the 5,000 metres Mark Steinle, Britains number one at the marathon , had to settle for 3rd in the A race after losing out in the last 600 metres. He timed a very useful 14.18.8 off a slow early pace while super veteran Bill Foster won the B race in 14.48.5 in his 21st season in the Clubs British League team.

Joe Mills win in the B string 800 was another notable performance as it was his fourth race in a week. Last weekend he finished 2nd in the Welsh 800 metre Championships at Cwmbran. He then travelled with the Welsh squad for two races on the continent. On Tuesday he won a tactical 1500 metre race in 3.47.46 in Estonia. His prize was a microwave oven which he then took on to Riga in Latvia where he was just outside 1.50 in the 800. Arriving back in the country late on Friday night, and not having time to unpack, he travelled, with microwave, to Enfield for the B race which he won in 1.56.4.

Team captain Mensah Elliott was also in Riga, where, representing England he finished 3rd in the 110 hurdles in 14.11. He is the 2nd fastest hurdler in the country at the moment and won his event at Enfield in 14.1.

Michael Champion was an impressive winner of the 200 metres in 21.3 following his 10.9 in the 100; and Darren Burley was just one tenth of a second behind former Commonwealth 200 metre champion Marcus Adam in the B 200.

Both were excellent performances but these did not prepare the spectators for what followed in the 4x100. The team had just moved into the lead with 15 of the 19 events completed and needed a good result to maintain their position. Rising to the occasion the quartet of Burley, Champion, Elliott and an almost fit again Lash Lashore defeated an Enfield And Haringey team containing Tony Jarrett, Adam and Solomon Wariso to win by a tenth of a second in 41.0. In doing so they broke   the Club record which has stood for 16 years.

The win leaves the Club joint top in the table with Woodford Green on 14 points, 2 clear of Trafford who have 12.   

Meanwhile the Clubs B and C teams were in action in the Southern League with mixed results. In their Division Two match at Deangate the B team were the strongest team on the track but a lack of field eventers meant they had to settle for 4th place. The C team continued their unbeaten season with another comfortable win in their Division Five match at Bournemouth.

At the same venue there were a wealth of quality performances from the womens team in their Division Three match. Siobhan Budd continued her outstanding season winning both the 3000 and 1500; and there were double wins also for Sam Singer (400 and 800); Katy Benneworth (100 B and 80 Hurdles) and Claire Cooper (under 15s 100 and 75 hurdles). There were also wins for Karyn O Mahoney in the B 800 and Louisa Guthrie in the 200 in the seniors; and from Joanna South in the under 15s B 200.

Elsewhere Julian Golding followed a 2nd place in the 200 metres in Latvia with a useful 10.51 clocking in the heats of the 100 at the Grand Prix meeting in Nuremburg, Germany. Closer to home at Battersea, Dave Heath again timed 8.42 for the steeplechase at the London Marathon Endurance Initiative Meeting.

This weekend Golding runs in the 200 metres at the Great Britain v USA match in Glasgow. Mensah Elliott may get a late call up for the 110 hurdles. Meanwhile Alexis Sharp competes for Britain in the European Cup Combined Events Championships at Esbjerg in Denmark.

A number of Heathens feature in first rankings list of the season including three in the top ten of the 100.

100. 5. Jonathan Barbour 10.28.   8=. Lash Lashore and Julian Golding 10.38.   200. 2. Golding 20.64.   800. 8. Anthony Draper 1.48.78.   5000. 3. Dave Heath   13.57.50.   Marathon. 1. Mark Steinle 2.11.18.   3000s/chase. Heath   8.42.04.   110hurdles. 2. Mensah Elliott   14.03.   Shot.   4. Emeka Udechuku 17.74. Discus.   5. Udechuku 58.84. Decathlon. 3. Alexis Sharp 7133.

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20 June 2000

Jonathan Barbour catapulted himself amongst Britain’s sprinting elite with a stunning performance at the Southern Championships at Brighton. Still only 19, the Blackheath   athlete won his first senior 100m title in a time of 10.28 equalling Julian Golding’s Club Record.

Barbour won the AAA’s junior indoor 60 metre title in 1999 but then spent all of last summer injured. Now training with Golding under coach Mike McFarlane, he will be sure to win a senior international vest in the very near future.

It proved another highly successful championships for the Club as there were another three gold medals won as well as two bronze. Emeka Udechuku celebrated the end of his exams at Loughborough University by setting a new best of 17.74 in the shot putt. He also won the discus by nearly three metres with a throw of 57.46.

Mensah Elliott retained his Southern title in unusual circumstances as the final had to be rerun. Having broken 14 seconds for the first time with a wind assisted 13.99 in the heats Elliott thought he had got silver in the final. However two athletes had pulled up at the start thinking they had heard a recall gun. Judges agreed that the starters gun had produced an echo which could be interpreted as a recall and ordered the race to be run again.

After another hour the race got underway again. First out the blocks the Blackheath captain broke the Club Record with a legal 14.03 to win by nearly two tenths of a second.

Levi Edwards continued his excellent season with a third place in the long jump with a leap of 7.08. Like Barbour, Michael Champion also made a breakthrough in the sprints. Currently in the form of his life after suffering injuries in recent seasons, he finished 3rd in the 200 metres in 21.18 just behind former Commonwealth Champion John Regis.

Current Commonwealth champion Julian Golding was in action at Lille, France and opened up his European season with a promising 20.64 for second place in the 200 metres. He also ran a 10.54 for the 100 as a warm up. “I was glad to get a couple of races under my belt and was pleased with the times” said Golding. “Training has gone well and I’m looking forward to some good racing on the European circuit.” He runs in Riga, Italy on Thursday and then at Nuremburg, Germany next Sunday.

Golding’s main aim this year is the Olympics and Dave Heath is looking another possible selection for Sydney after timing 8.42 for the 3000 steeplechase at the Wythenshawe BMC races. It was his first chase for a number of years and having started cautiously he was more than happy with his finishing time. The Olympic qualifying time is 8.28 and he is confident of getting a lot closer to that when he races again at Battersea this Sunday.

Also at Wythenshawe Michael Skinner timed 3.46 for 1500 with Jeremy Bradley clocking 3.51.

Meanwhile the Club had a tough fixture in the second match of the Southern Premier Division of the National Junior Athletics League at Haringey. The blazing hot conditions made for a difficult afternoon so in the circumstances the efforts of team captain Daniel Moore were exceptional.

He started his afternoon by clearing 2.70 in the pole vault and then followed this with a 3rd in the 400 hurdles, 4th in the 110 hurdles and rounded off the day by winning the B 2000 steeplechase. Winner of the A chase was Robert Laming who had earlier won the B 800 by over 50 metres.

David Moulton was 2nd in the A 800 despite not being fully recovered from glandular fever and he also contributed a useful leg in the 4x400.

Bomene Barikor got a good 2nd place in the high jump with a 1.90 clearance and there were useful points scored in the throws from Amit Patel, and Robin and Philip Shelley. The team finished 5th on the day in a highly competitive division with the top four progressing to the National Final in September. There are now two matches to go and there are 5 Clubs in contention for the four places.

The girls were also in action at Deangate in the Medway division of the League. Best performances here came in the throws with two personal bests from Lydia Henderson Boyle with 21.70 in the discus and 7.64 in the shot. Emily Oliver also set a new best in the hammer with 25.72 and also threw an excellent 32.55 in the discus. Cath Castledine defied the blazing heat to win the 3000.

At the Kent under 13s championships Adam Berry won the 75 hurdles in 14.1 and also took silver in the 150 metres with 21.1. It was silver also for Alex Al-Ameen in the 80 metres in 11.8 and there was a bronze for Chris Place in the 600 metes in 1.51.5.

The Club welcomes new members of all ages. For further details please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or ask for Dave at Norman Park track on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening from 6.30pm.

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13 June 2000

Blackheath Harriers Bromley produced a shock result in the Womens Jubilee Cup First Round match at Eton by beating many more fancied teams, and are now waiting to see if they have qualified for the semi final next month.

Two matches take place at the same venue with the six teams for each match only confirmed by a random draw of 12 Clubs on the morning of the fixture. On paper Blackheath appeared to have been pitted in by far the stronger match with all the opposition coming from teams from the National League and higher placed teams in the Southern League.

However, an outstanding team effort saw them clinch 2nd spot just 5 points behind Newham And Essex Beagles but ahead of National League Division Two Club Essex Ladies and local rivals Croydon. The winners of each match qualify for the semi final plus the better of the two 2nd placed teams at each venue. With the Blackheath match being the stronger of the two, the squad now await the decision of the organisers to see if they have qualified for the Cup Semi Final for the first time.

There were a number of individual winners with Louisa Guthrie taking the 100 in a personal best of 12.2, and Sam Singer and Karyn O Mahoney winning the 400 and 800. Newstead Woods schoolgirl Helen Thomson won the high jump and the meeting finished with a rousing victory in the 4x400.

Siobhan Budd, recovering from a dose of tonsillitis, still managed 2nd places in the 1500 and 3000 and Anisha Barnaby clocked an impressive 25.4 in the 200.

Just as important on the day were the points scored in events where the first choice athletes were unavailable. Lisa Edwards picked up a pole for the first time and after a brief coaching session vaulted 1.60 for 4th place. Singer and O’Mahoney helped out in the long and triple jumps, while Guthrie had a rare excursion over the sprint hurdles.

Edwards and Emily Oliver also scored useful points in the throws despite being up against two Commonwealth Games representatives and a Southern Champion.

The clash with the Cup meant a much weakened team being fielded at the latest round of the Kent Womens League at Norman Park. Highlight of the afternoon was a 5.41 personal best and English Schools qualifying distance for Katy Benneworth in the long jump.

In the under 13s Annabel Atkins was in outstanding form throwing the discus out to 19.41 and also finishing 2nd in the high jump with a leap of 1.26. Aimee Boyle ran a gutsy 3.29.6 for 2nd in the 1000; Claire Cooper was 2nd in both the 75 metres and the long jump; and Joanne South ran a useful 21.2 in the 150 metres.

Meanwhile some of the Clubs top seniors warmed up for this weekends Southern Championships with some impressive performances at the Bedfordshire International Games. Jonathan Barbour put a season of injury misery behind him by running the fastest time of the day for the 100 metres clocking 10.36 just 7 hundredths outside Julian Golding’s Club Record. Also in the sprints Dwayne Grant timed 21.41 for 2nd in a 200 metre race against fellow Junior international Tim Benjamin from Cardiff.

In the field Emeka Udechuku set a meeting record and personal best in the shot with a putt of 17.52 and then finished 2nd in the discus with 56.56. At Watford the previous Wednesday Anthony Draper ran one of the fastest times in the country this year when he won the BMC 800 race in 1.48.7.

At the Kent schools at Ashford on the Saturday there were wins in the Senior Boys events from William Bolton in the 1500 and Paul Archer in the shot; while for the girls Sam Singer had a comfortable win in the 800.

Joe Sweeney was just two tenths outside the English schools qualifying time in winning the 1500 in 4.23.2 and there were also wins for Brendan Early in the 400 and Simon Childs in the 800. Other medallists included Dwayne Bovell, James Sharpington and Andrew Johnson with silvers in the 100, 200 and 80 hurdles; and 3rd places for Dennis Sawyerr and Colin Smith in the 100 and 80 hurdles.

On the Sunday the Club had another team victory in the Kent Boys And Colts League at Dartford. They now head the League by over 200 points and look set to win the title for the 19th successive year, an unprecedented achievement.

The Club welcome new members of all ages and standard. For further details please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or ask for him at the Norman Park track from 6.30 on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

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6 June 2000

On another hectic weekend of athletic competition members of Blackheath Harriers Bromley were again in action at the cutting edge of the sport with success spread across the age groups.

17 year old Dwayne Grant was the star performer at the European Inter City Under 23 match to celebrate the opening of the newly revamped athletics track at Battersea Park. Competing for London against teams from Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam and Dublin, the newly crowned Southern junior 100 and 200 champion, blasted to victory in the 100 in a time of 10.6 before helping the 4x100 team to gold in an impressive 40.11.

Fellow Heathen Darren Burley was also a member of this relay team and he also gained a useful 3rd place in the 200 metres. It was 3rd bronze also for Michael Skinner in the 1500 in 3.50.07. Dave Heath ran in the special invitation Mile race and was just outside 4 minutes in a blanket finish, a time which was just outside his best of 3.59.36 set in 1989.

Meanwhile, more Harriers were appearing live on Sunday Grandstand at the Road To Sydney International Match at Bedford. The meeting incorporated a 4x100 metre relay for the top 8 Club teams in the country and despite being without a number of the Clubs top stars, a squad of Ejike Wodu, Michael Champion, Mensah Elliott and Levi Edwards ran a useful 42.23 for 6th place.

In the International Event, Chris Moss, competing for the England Under 23s team, had a frustrating race in the 800. Perfectly positioned for the first 550 metres, he suddenly found himself boxed in and was never able to find a space to break through. He timed 1.50.55, a seasons best, but was convinced that if a gap had opened he would have won the race.

Team mate Emeka Udechuku was 3rd in the shot with a putt of 16.93. His coach, former Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the shot and Blackheath life member, Mike Winch, has recently been appointed the new chairman for track and field for the AAA of England. Winch is still 4th on the British all time list for the shot with a best of 20.43 and hopes that in his new role he will be able to “re-establish the base of our sport, which in my opinion has been very sorely neglected.”

Part of the competition pyramid in Britain is the Area Leagues and there was more success for the Club as both the Senior Mens B and C teams strengthened their promotion challenges in the Southern League. In the Division Two match at Harrow the B team, competing against many other Clubs A teams, missed out on victory by just two points, but the result still leaves them with 9 out of 10 League points so far this season. The C team have maximum points after a win in their Division Five match at Brighton.

The Clubs youngsters were also in outstanding form in the latest round of the McDonalds Young Athletes League For Boys. They won their Southern Premier Division match by a mighty 126 points scoring 272 to Basildon’s 146 with Belgrave on 131 and Oxford City on 116. This keeps the team on course for a place in the National Final at Birmingham in September where the Club has won the National title an unprecedented 9 times in the last 11 years.

Fabrice Serybi took the Field Events Man Of The Match award for his 9.22 putt in the shot in the under 13s age group where the Club dropped just 6 points the whole afternoon. Adam Berry clocked a useful 13.4 in the 100 and new boy Chris Place timed an excellent 5.07.5 to win the 1500.

In the under 15s Alex Pope set a new best of 2.50 in the pole vault; while on the track Dwayne Bovell and Dennis Sawyer had powerful runs in the 200 both timing 25.0; and Joe Sweeney set yet another new best in the 1500 with a time of 4.23.9. Asando McCloud again showed great promise as he won the discus with a throw of 37.98 and also jumped 5.05 in the long jump and was 1st in the B string 400.

A number of athletes were unavailable because of exams which meant some athletes competing in more than their main events. Dan Snow, for example won the 1500, B javelin, and the 1500 steeplechase. Stephen Brockwell was another triple winner taking the 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles and triple jump. Joe Godsell was just outside the English Schools qualifying time with 51.7 in the 400 and Darren Watson set a new best of 1.85 in the high jump.

The latest round of the Kent Womens League also saw more good performances from the Club’s athletes. For the Seniors there was a double win for Louisa Guthrie in the 100 and 200 and a first also for Siobhan Budd in the 1500.

Helen Thomson soared over 1.58 to win the under 17s high jump while in the same age group Katy Benneworth was a double winner taking both the 80 metre hurdles and long jump.

Anita Oliver set a new Club Record in the under 15s javelin when she threw 25.82. Also in the field Sandra Alaneme won the high jump in 1.55 and there was victory on the track for Eve Bugler in the 800.

The multi talented Claire Cooper won the under 13s long jump with 4.04 and Annabel Atkins was another to impress with a new best of 1.30 to win the high jump.

The Club prides itself in the ability of its coaches to develop novice athletes of all ages to medal winning performers. For further details of the Clubs Development Programme please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or ask for him at the track from 6.30pm onwards on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening.

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30 May 2000

Emeka Udechuku moved closer to revising his Club discus record when he threw the 2kg implement out to 58.84 at the Halle International throws meeting in Germany. The Mike Winch coached 20 year old was just over 2 metres down on his best of 60.97 and, with it still being early season, there seems every likelihood that there is better to come.

Two other members of Blackheath Harriers Bromley have also just returned from abroad having completed the finishing touches to their summer preparations. Julian Golding and new member Jonathan Barbour have been training in California and, while out there, took the opportunity to take part in some US meetings. At Irvine on May 7th Golding timed 10.38 for the 100, just nine hundredths outside his best. He wasn’t so fast a week later when he clocked 10.55 at a meeting at Eagle Rock. In fact Barbour actually ran faster in his heat timing 10.51, only 3 hundredths of a second behind established British international Marlon Devonish.

Emphasizing the Clubs strength in depth in the sprints came two more impressive performances from the weekends major domestic Championships. At the Inter Counties Championships at Bedford, Kent 200 metre champion Michael Champion set a new best of 21.12 in his heat and then, despite suffering with a sore toe, finished 4th in the final in 21.28.

Also on the track veteran Bill Foster finished 5th in the 10,000 in 31.18.66; and Michael Skinner and Stephen Pratt timed 4.21.06 and 56.93 in the heats of the mile and 400 hurdles.

Outstanding performance in the field came from Levi Edwards who set a new personal best in finishing 3rd in the long jump with a leap of 7.35.

Meanwhile at the Southern Under 20 Championships at Watford, Dwayne Grant continued his outstanding start to the season as he took gold in both the 100 and 200 Under 20s events. He won the 200 in a new best of 21.2, and then was equally impressive in the 100 with a 10.6 clocking.

It proved yet another successful Championships for Blackheath athletes against the top athletes from an area spanning from Suffolk down to Cornwall. Further golds came from Katy Porter in the 100 hurdles in 14.57; and from Sandra Alaneme who set a new best of 1.65 to win the under 15s high jump.

Back in the sprints Anisha Barnaby took silver in the under 20s 100 in 12.34, and there was bronze and a new Club Record for Lisa Edwards in the discus with a throw of 33.87.

There was another Club Record in the under 15s discus where Anita Oliver threw a new best of 26.17 and to cap a fine start to her season she then putt another best of 9.79 in the shot. Alaneme threw even further with 9.96.

Emily Oliver was just outside her best in finishing 5th in the under 17s discus in 32.66 while Katy Benneworth was 5th in the long jump with a leap of 5.23.

Elsewhere Robert Laming was 9th in the under 20s 1500 final with Stuart Simmons setting a new best in the heat.

On the roads internationals Mark Steinle and Dave Taylor were in action in at high quality race at Stevenage. The Fila Leisure Experience 5km attracted some of the best runners in the country with Kenyan Julius Kimtai winning in a course record of 13.45 from former Commonwealth 5000 metre champion Rob Denmark . Steinle, running far below his Olympic marathon distance, finished in 12th having seen Taylor sweep past him in the final 400 metres as he moved through to 10th.   

The Club will be featured live on Sunday Grandstand this weekend when they compete in a special invitation Clubs 4x100 metre relay race which has been incorporated in the latest Road To Sydney meeting at Bedford. The fastest 8 Club teams in the country have been invited to meet head to head with the winners receiving prize money of £2000. Many of the Clubs other top athletes will be competing there and also at the European Inter City match at Battersea Park. The Club will also be fielding teams in the Southern Mens League and the McDonalds Young Athletes League for boys.

For further information about joining the club, please contact Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or ask for Dave at Norman Park track on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening from 6.30 onwards.

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