Last updated 23
December 2005
Press Releases for
October, November & December 2005
27/12/05
A number of athletes from Blackheath & Bromley represented
Kent in the recent South Of England Inter Counties match at RAF Barnham,
Thetford in Norfolk. Just to be selected is an achievement there were a number
of fine performances on the day.
Highlight of the day came in the under 15 girls race where
Amy Smith led the Kent team to a 12 point victory over Hampshire. She finished
in 6th while Amy DeMatos in 16th was also part of the scoring quartet with
Rebecca Smith in 69th.
Second claim member Angie Alstrachan was the Club's only
representative in the Senior Women's race. Running for Suffolk she finished in
56th place. Bryony Proctor continued her good progress this Winter by finishing
in 20th place in the Junior Women's race helping Kent to second in the team
race.
Rebecca Taylor took 29th in the under 17 women's race as
Kent placed third. For the men Alex Bruce Littlewood closed in 29th with
Jonathan Vintner in 36th. Stephen Cavey was 53rd in the under 15 boys race.
Michelle Fewster has enjoyed a very successful start to
her cross country career and this continued as she placed 17th in the under 13
girls race. With Daniel Critchley in 23rd and Sophie Gordon 46th Kent finished
in the silver medal position.
The only downside on the day was an injury to Andy
Frankish who coaches all of the girls who ran. He put his foot down a hole while
running around the course and it has subsequently been found that he has
fractured a bone in his foot.
Amy DeMatos was back in action again in the Holly Runs
meeting at Reigate where she led the under 15 girls team to victory. She
finished in the runner up spot and with Hannah Garcia in 6th and Rebecca Smith
13th the team prize was secured.
There was a very promising run in the under 11's race from
Anthony Moore. He finished in third place out of 90 finishers.
On the roads Peter Tucker had a good win in the Swanley
Christmas Caper. He timed 22.53 for the 4.2 miles course.
The rankings for the under 13 boys age group for the 2005
track and field season have just been published with Matthew Fletcher featuring
in three events. His new Club record of 5.32 puts him third in the country in
the long jump and he is also equal 14th in the 100 metres with 12.7 and equal
9th in the 200 with 25.8. Ben Hopkins is 6th in the 80 hurdles with 13.80 and
Philip Sesemann equal 15th in the 800 with 2.20.7. In the field Callum Murray is
18th in the javelin with 32.32.
20/12/05
Athletes from Blackheath & Bromley were in action all over
Europe at the weekend. Fresh from his exploits at the European Cross Country
Championships in the Netherlands Michael Skinner travelled to Spain to race at
Venta De Baros. In another high class field he finished in 12th place in 33.06.
A large group of Club members were in Brussels for the
latest of the Belgian Cross Cup races with some very encouraging performances in
the younger age groups. Jamie Atkinson was up against European Champion Segei
Lebid in the Senior Men's race. Lebid finished second which gives some
indication of the strength of the field. Jamie came in 66th.
The Junior Men's race was also of a high standard with
many of the Great Britain team in action. Despite the muddy conditions James
Poole ran strongly throughout to finish in 31st place. Richard Daniel fared less
well collapsing on the third lap but recovered after medical treatment.
In the under 17's race Richard Davies finished an
excellent 12th with Alex Bruce-Littlewood just behind in 15th while Philip
Sesemann was 45th in the race for those born in 1991-92, a good performance as
he was one of the youngest in the field.
His training partners in the 1993-4 race all had good
runs. Packing well in their first experience of European competition Joe Harding
placed 9th, Will Andrew 15th, Hector Kurtyanek 17th and Robert Yates 20th.
Earlier in the day Jon Thorpe placed 9th in the veterans
race with Roy Smith 42nd while Ken Daniel failed to finish. In the Gaston
Roelants 10km road race Dan Ryan ran 35 minutes and David Griffin 36 minutes,
good times on a very twisty and undulating circuit.
Closer to home a number of athletes were in action at the
Indoor Open Meeting at Brunel University. Fastest of the day was Duayne Bovell
who clocked 7.02 in the Senior Men's race.
Probably the best performance, however, was that of Amy
Godsell. She timed 7.79 and 7.82 for 60 metres, very quick times for an under 20
in her opening races of the season. Her mum Helen did well too! She ran 8.33 in
her first heat and rewarded with a race against her daughter. She was not so
quick here timing 8.61. Back in the Junior age group Daniel Haque opened his
season with two useful 7.04 clockings followed by 7.07.
Grace Sheppard timed 8.30 and then improved to 8.28 and
Daniella Annon ran times of 8.39 and 8.45. There was more good news for Rebecca
Cook and Katie Vistuer as both ran 8.49 to dip inside the qualifying time for
the AAA's Indoor Championships. Jessica Matthews timed 8.61.
Another to achieve a AAA's qualifying time was Dan Putnam
who set a personal best in each race in which he took part. He timed 7.73, 7.72
and 7.70.
Over 50 athlete Tom Phillips timed 7.98 and 7.94 in his
races.
The under 13 girls rankings for the 2005 outdoor season
have just been published and show that Shreidan Pritchard-Lewis was the fastest
in the country in the 75 metres with a time of 10.0. Her electronic time of
10.05 is the 10th quickest ever by a Briton. She is also 3rd in the 150 metres
with 19.89 a time which is the 6th quickest ever in Britain in this age group.
Elsewhere in the lists Nenisha Nelson-Roberts is 12th in
the high jump with her clearance of 1.50 and Emma Armstrong 17th in the discus
with a throw of 21.92.
13/12/05
Michael Skinner was the second Great Britain athlete to
finish in the Senior Men's race at the European Cross Country Championships at
Tilburg in the Netherlands. The 26 year old Blackheath & Bromley athlete
finished in 35th place to help Britain to 7th in the team competition.
The former Langley Park schoolboy was pleased with his
run. Heeding the advice of the British team management he started steadily and
worked his was through the field to finish strongly just ahead of two of his
team mates.
Amir and Alistair Williamson both broke National records
in heavy weights competitions at the South Of England throws squad day at
Sutton. Amir launched the 25lb weight out to 20.45 to smash the under 20's
record by nearly a metre. The 18 year old was happy with his performance and
believes he will be able to throw much further in the future. There has been
more good news recently for the National Junior Hammer thrower. He has gained a
sponsorship deal with "For Goodness Shakes" (www.forgoodnessshakes.com)
the nutrition company who also support Olympic decathlete Dean Macey. Alistair
set an age 18 record of 13.89 using the 35lb weight, improving the previous best
of 13.52.
Some of the Club's veterans were in fine form at the Kent
Veterans Championships at Goodnestone Park in Canterbury with gold silver and
bronze medals in the various age group races. Pride of place went to the over 35
women who won the team race with Miranda Porritt taking the individual silver
medal. Angela Cook in 4th and Diane Osbourne in 10th completed the scoring team
with Tara Emery providing good back up in 14th.
Silver came in the over 50 men's contest where Tim Soutar
was the Club's highest placed athlete in 2nd place. Peter Hamilton finished 9th
and Graham Coates 12th to secure the team medals with Rob Brown 23rd, Terry
Brightwell 24th and Chris Pike 25th.
Bronze medals came in the over 40's age group where Alan
Camp was the Club's first finisher in 4th place with Roy Smith 7th, Mark Ellison
24th and Michael Reeves 35th. Mike Cronin was 3rd in the over 60's age group
with Pete Shepheard 18th.
Annie McDonough was 9th in the women's over 45 race with
President Anne Cilia 16th.
The indoor track and field season is underway and a small
number of the Club's athletes have already dipped their toes in the competitive
waters. Akinola "Lash" Lashore, who has represented Great Britain at the 60
metres competed at Eton timing 7.01 for the distance and finishing second in the
A race. Veteran Tom Phillips raced three times clocking 7.98, 8.06 and 8.03. Up
at Sheffield, Loughborough University Joe Godsell time a very useful 23.00 for
the 200 metres to win his race.
Joe's mum Helen was in action closer to home at the indoor
meeting at Sutton. The British record holder clocked 8.44 and 8.52 in the 60
metres. She was accompanied by some more her training group under the watchful
eye of coach John Blackie. Best run came from Grace Sheppard whose 8.24 in her
first 60 metres was the fastest on the day by an under 15 girl. She clocked 8.28
in her second race with Rebecca Cook runner up in 8.48, considerably quicker
than the 8.62 she timed in her opening heat.
Jade Castell Thomas took a break from triple jumping to
test herself in the sprints. The English Schools International was a model of
consistency timing 8.48 and 8.49 for the 60 metres.
Tyrone Swaray, another of the Club's top sprinters, timed
7.12 and 7.04 to blow away the cobwebs after a long period out from racing. Tom
Phillips was again in action improving to 7.92 and 7.93.
6/12/05
Steve Gascoigne became the first pole vaulter to win the
Blackheath & Bromley Christmas Yacht 5 Mile Handicap race. The 38 year old held
off 16 year old Adam Atkinson by two seconds with 56 year old Mike Salmon in
third.
With the slowest in the field starting first, Gascoigne
was one of the first to start but he was pleased with his performance as he was
over a minute quicker than in the Club 5 earlier in the year where conditions
had been better.
The quickest male and female times of the day were also
recorded by athletes who have had some experience of pole vaulting. Junior
Richard Daniel, who cleared 2 metres in the vault for the Junior team last
Summer was the quickest of the day with 31.49. Alex Bruce- Littlewood was next
in 32.14 with Bernie Bater and Dave Ellison equal third with 33.43.
For the women Carolyna Jones Baldock, who has scored good
points in the vault in the Southern Women's League in the past, was the quickest
by one second in 39.37 from Kate Pratten with Angela Cook just a further two
seconds down.
This was the fourth of the nine Bennett Handicap Cup races
this Winter and current leader is Brian Power on 150 points with Angela Cook
second with 148 and Bernie Bater and Wilf Orton joint third with 143.
The under 15 boys track and field rankings for the 2005
season have just been published with a number of Club members prominent. Highest
ranked is Marcus Morrison in the triple jump. The English Schools silver
medallist is second placed with 12.94.
Also in the field list is Andrew Jordon who is fourth in
the hammer with 51.15 while Danny Duffin is 20th in the javelin with 44.20.
Best placed on the track is Jermaine Alexander who is 5th
in the 100 with 11.31 and 6th in the 200 with 22.94. Stephen Cavey is 11th in
the 800 with 2.02.8 and Aston Stockdale is 19th in the 400 with 53.11.
This weekend Michael Skinner travels with the Great
Britain team that competes in the European Cross Country Championships at
Tilburg in the Netherlands.
29/11/05
Michael Skinner has been selected to represent Great
Britain at the European Cross Country Championships at Tilburg in the
Netherlands on December the 11th. The Blackheath & Bromley athlete who turned 26
last week secured his place in the team by placing 4th in the Trials race at
Sefton Park, Liverpool which was incorporated into the latest round of the UKA
Cross Challenge series.
Although he won the last Challenge race in Birmingham at
the start of the month he did not have things his own way at Liverpool. He had a
slight cold during the week and also fell on the second lap of the course. This
allowed the second and third placers to break clear and although he moved past
Frank Tickner in the closing stages the Wells runner fought back to push Skinner
back down to fourth at the finish.
Although fourth did not guarantee a place in the team the
selectors have picked him for the Britain which makes up for just missing out on
a place last year. Earlier this year he represented Great Britain in the short
course race at the World Cross Country Championships.
Team mate Scott Overall flew in from America for the race
and had a useful run to finish in 13th place. Former Southern Cross country
champion Tim Dickinson had less of a distance to travel as he now lives in the
Wirral. He finished 43rd with Jamie Atkinson 67th.
Skinner now leads the UK Challenge series after two of the
five races and Overall lies in 21st equal despite missing the first race.
Another former Southern champion Dave Taylor was in action
at the recent Brighton 10km where he finished in third place. His time of 30.48
easily made him the first runner over the age of 40 to finish. Jon Thorpe was
delighted to time a personal best of 32.45 and finish in 10th place while Trevor
Simmons was the third over 50 to finish in 37.15.
Shavaun Henry returned to racing after a long period of
being troubled with injury. The Birmingham University student won the women's
race at the Bushy Park 5km by over a minute in 19.57.
The 2005 track and field rankings for under 15 girls have
recently been published. Highest placed athlete from the Club is Chelsea O'Rawe
Hobbs who is 2nd in the 3000 metres walk with her time of 15.56.07.
Katrina Cosby is 8th in the 300 metres with 41.84 and
Southern Shot Putt Champion Sarah McGuire is 8th in the shot with a putt of
10.87. She is also 9th in the discus with 31.57 just ahead of Banke Jemiyo who
is 12th with 30.97.
Also just out are the veteran women's rankings with two
Club members each topping two lists. Helen Godsell heads both the over 50's 60
and 100 metre rankings with times of 8.2 and 13.24 and she is also placed second
in the 200 with 27.6.
Beatrice Simpson tops the Hammer and Heavy Weight lists in
the same age group with throws of 35.24 and 10.90. She is also third in both the
discus (24.96) and the javelin (26.49)
Michael Skinner first became involved in Athletics at the
age of 8 when he started attending the Club's Wednesday Night sessions for under
11's. These sessions have now developed into the Club's Bees Academy which is
designed to cater for school years 4,5 and 6. Details of how to register can be
found at
www.blackheathandbromley.com/bees
22/11/05
Blackheath & Bromley enjoyed another successful afternoon
at the latest round of Kent League races at Sparrows Den, Hayes and with just
one race to go next February, the Club has a realistic chance of becoming
champions in five of the ten age group categories. On the day they had four team
wins and two individual wins plus five runners up places.
The Senior Men lost their unbeaten record as they finished
in second place in the four to score race, but Jamie Atkinson's second place was
his highest ever in a Kent League race. Likewise David Warrington who placed
sixth, while Alex Gibbins was 8th and David McKinlay 16th. Despite the defeat
the team still head the League table and so are poised to take the title for
what would amazingly be for the first time in the League's 45 year history.
Bridget Davey led the Senior Women home in 13th place with Fran Green 14th and
Miranda Porrit 18th.
The Under 20 men enjoyed their second win of the season
with Andrew Conway in 2nd place, Richard Daniel 3rd and James Poole 5th. Again
Bryony Proctor was the only woman from the Club in action placing a good second.
Danny Brewer inspired the Under 17 men to victory as he
finished in the runner up position. Strong backing from Jonathan Vintner in 8th
and Richard Davies 9th secured the team honours. After wins in the opening two
races the women slipped to third led home by Rebecca Taylor in second place with
Sarah McLellan 13th and Lauren Smith 17th.
The under 15 girls are the only one of the Club's teams
who remain undefeated this season. Amy Smith looked to be heading for her second
win of the season but she dropped out feeling unwell. Team mate Amy Dematos took
full advantage to win and with Rebecca Smith in 5th and Hannah Garcia 8th first
place in the team contest was secured. However, the highlight of the day was the
performance of Jenny Linker who had her best ever run to finish in 10th. Stephen
Cavey was 8th for the boys with Cameron Ward 9th and Robert Evans 21st. They
were third in the team race.
Danielle Critchley made a dramatic return to form in the
under 13 girls race. Sixth and fifth in the opening two races she came through
strongly to win the third race. This improvement made the difference in the team
race too as with Michelle Fewster, the winner of the second fixture in second,
and Sophie Gordon in 4th, the Club won the contest after finishing as runners up
in the opening two fixtures.
The boys were second for the third time this season led
home by Philip Sesemann in 4th place with Robert Yates 7th and William Andrew
10th.
This weekend Michael Skinner travels to Liverpool for the
Trials for the Great Britain team for the European Cross Country Championships
with are incorporated into the latest round of the UK Cross Challenge. The 26
year old just missed out on a place last year but later in the year he
represented GB in the short course race at the World Cross Country Championships
and having won the first of this years UK Challenge races in Birmingham he goes
into this years trials in confident mood.
He will be joined in Merseyside by team mate Scott Overall
who will be flying back from America where he is studying at Butler University.
This weekend he finished 66th in the highly competitive National Collegiate
Championships at Indiana State University. He was second scorer for his
University with 30.40.3 eleven seconds and 17 places behind team mate and
clubmate Andy Rayner who had an outstanding run to time 30.29.5. Andy has chosen
not to come back for the Trials.
Skinner joined the Club as a 10 year old and was at the
Clubhouse this Sunday with his coach Conrad Milton, who also coaches Scott and
Women's European Cross Country Champion Hayley Yelling, to take part in a cross
country coaching day. After a talk on the benefits of cross country training and
races the groups headed to Sparrows Den for a hill session with Skinner taking
the athletes through his warm up routine. This was followed by some food and
informal discussion back at the Clubhouse.
The 2005 rankings for under 17 men have recently been
published with a number of Club members highly placed. Dann Doyley is second in
the 100 metres with 10.79 and third in the 200 with 21.72. He did not run an
individual 400 during the year but the 47.0 split he ran for the Under 20's
4x400 team would suggest that, had he done so, he would have been close to the
top of the list.
James Alaka still has a year left in the age group and he
is 5th in the 200 with 21.92 and 11th in the 100 with 11.02. Southern Champion
Scott Blackwell is 8th in the 400 with 49.7. Alex AlAmeen who represented Great
Britain at the European Youth Olympics in July is 5th in the 100 hurdles in
13.44 and team mate in Italy Ashley Harris is second in the long jump with 7.04
with Tawanda Mukusha 13th with 6.57.
Scottish record holder Scott Huggins had an outstanding
season and is ranked second in the pole vault with 4.30. Fellow Charles Darwin
pupil Joe Stockton is 5th in the hammer with 57.86 while training partner and
Southern Champion Richard AlAmeen is 7th with 56.83.
Nanette Cross has just returned from Dublin where she
represented Northern Ireland. She went in to the race having spent a few days in
bed with a kidney infection and there was added pressure as she was running
below her proper age category in the over 55's.The twisty three lap, 6km course,
was particularly muddy in places but she coped well with the conditions and was
pleasantly surprised to finish as first scorer for the team. She even managed to
beat one of her over 45 team members. This was a great performance from someone
who is really a sprinter and hurdler.
15/11/05
Michael Skinner ran the third equal fastest time of the
day at the English Cross Country Relays at Berry Hill Park, Mansfield. The 25
year old Blackheath & Bromley athlete timed 14.36 for the 5km course, a 6 second
improvement on last year, and in so doing helped the Club to 16th position in
race in which over 130 teams started. The only athletes quicker were fellow
Internationals Nick McCormick (Morpeth) and Mo Farah (Newham) and his
performance will give further encouragement as he builds up to the European
Cross Country Trials at Liverpool in two weeks time.
Russell Bentley 16.04, David Warrington 16.16 and Jamie
Atkinson 16.04 completed the scoring team while Carolyna Jones Baldock, Kate
Pratten and Annie McDonough finished in 60th place in the Senior Women's race.
Best team performance in the younger age groups came form
the under 13 boys team who finished in 12th position. Hector Kurtyanek brought
them in 21st on the opening stage with 7.30 before James Clack (7.36) brought
then up to 15th. Philip Seseman took them up a further three places on the last
leg with 7.20.
Fastest for the under 13 girls was Michelle Fewster who
timed 7.49 to close in 15th on the opening stage. Clare Parker (8.41) and Emma
Hook (8.47) completed the team which finished in 28th place.
The under 15s also both finished in the 20's. The girls
team of Hannah Garcia (8.12), Rebecca Smith (7.53) and Amy Dematos (7.30)
finished in 22nd and the boys team of Stephen Cavey (6.49), Robert Evans (7.19)
and Cameron Ward (7.10) were 24th.
The under 17 men’s team of Jonathan Vintner (10.07)
Richard Davies (9.56) and Alex Bruce-Littlewood (10.07) were 33rd and the under
20's team of Richard Daniel (9.53), Andrew Conway (9.42) and James Poole (9.58)
closed 34th.
The National rankings for under 17 women have just been
published and highlight how strong the Club is in this age group with members
topping four different disciplines. Serita Solomon was unbeaten all year over
the 80 metre hurdles so it is no surprise that she tops the ranking in this
event. Her time of 11.10 is the third furthest ever by a UK athlete and this was
achieved in her first year in the age group. She also heads the 100 hurdles, an
event not always done by under 17s, with 14.41. She is also 14th in the 200
metres with 24.88 and 18th in the 100 metres with 12.24.
Katie Murray heads the 400 hurdles with 62.21, quite an
achievement for a youngster who is equally at home winning cross country races
or County Heptathlon titles. She is 11th ranked in the country in the multi
events and also lies 6th in the 300 hurdles.
Second claim member Jade Dodd is the top javelin thrower
of the year and her distance of 43.34 is the 5th furthest ever by a UK athlete.
Also prominent in the throws are Shaunagh Brown and Flo Clark who place second
and third in the discus with distances of 42.43 and 40.20. Shaunagh is also 12th
in the shot putt with 11.28.
Three members appear in the pole vault lists with English
Schools Silver medallist Rachel Arnheim the highest placed in 5th equal with
3.25 in her first year in the age group. She is closely followed by Emily Godley
in 12th with 3.05 and Lauren Blackie in 21st with 2.70.
Lauren would probably have gone higher had she not been
injured at the start of the season but she bounced back to rank 11th in the
triple jump with 11.53, five places clear of Jade Castell Thomas who leapt
11.34.
Back on the track Vanessa Nakangu is 15th in the 400 with
58.99.
8/11/05
Michael Skinner enjoyed the best of starts to this Winters
UK Cross Challenge as he won the opening race at Senneleys Park, Birmingham. The
Blackheath & Bromley athlete timed 33.43 for the 10km course to win by 8 seconds
after moving clear in the latter stages to beat some of the best cross country
runners in the country. Next race in the series, which is staged throughout the
Winter, is the European Trials in Liverpool where the 25 year old will be aiming
for a place in the Great Britain team for the European Championships in Tilburg,
Holland in December.
It was a double celebration for Skinner as one of his
training partners Hayley Yelling, the European Champion, won the women's race.
Both are coached by Conrad Milton who has agreed to take a Cross Country
Coaching Day on Sunday 20th of November at the Club's headquarters in Hayes.
More success came for the Club at the Reigate Priory
Relays as the Senior Men finished in 3rd place. Super veteran Dave Taylor ran
the 2nd fastest time of the day with 13.12 and there was a good run also from
captain Nick Gasson who clocked 14.16. Others in the team were Jon Thorpe
(14.35), Andrew Conway (14.48), Dan Ryan (14.53) and Richard Daniel (15.41).
The Club had a large turn out for the Mob Match against
Orion at Chingford. However despite the numbers they were defeated because they
only had 6 runners in the top 20. Alex Gibbins won the race in 46.67 with
Anthony Draper third in 47.36. The contest incorporated the Club's 7.5 mile
championships and so these took the top two places here with Nick Kinsey in
third.
Bridget Davey won the women's race with Carolyna Jones
Baldock second and Kate Pratten in third.
The race also featured the latest of the Bennet Cup
handicap races which was won by Mike Gasson followed by Joe Clare and Paul
Ollendorf.
Many Club members took part in the Beachy Head Marathon
the previous Saturday a cross country race around the Seven Sisters with the
tough terrain preventing fast times. First home from the Club was Andy Tucker in
3.43 followed by Clayton Aves and Peter Burford. First woman was Kate Pratten in
4.16.
Marathon fanatic Dave Lewis then headed to North Wales to
run the Snowdonia Marathon the next day and then went on to run the Dublin
Marathon on the Monday!
The under 20 men’s rankings for the 2005 track and field
season have now been published with a number of Club members figuring
prominently. Highest placed is Stuart Harvey, the AAA’s champion who threw 66.00
in the javelin a distance that was the second furthest this Summer.
Another AAA’s champion Amir Williamson has the fourth
furthest throw in the country with the 6kg hammer with 62.73. He is also 5th
ranked using the Senior implement with 52.59 and had he not been struggling with
injuries during the Summer he would undoubtedly thrown further.
His brother Alistair is 7th ranked with the 6kg Hammer
with 59.05. He is also 17th in the 1.5kg discus with a throw of 44.08.
Second claim member Jeremy Odametey is also placed 2nd in
the triple jump with 15.03 and 14th in the long jump with 6.89. Training partner
Dexter Nicholls is 18th in the triple with 14.09 and leapt a wind assisted 6.98
in the long jump. Seventh ranked in the long jump is Ashley Harris who leapt
7.04 despite being an under 17.
Scott Huggins also features despite being from the age
group below. The Scottish record holder is 10th in the pole vault with 4.30.
Michael Whitehouse’s season never started as he was rushed to hospital in the
Spring with meningitis. His best performance of the year therefore was the 2.00
metres he cleared indoors, but now, fully recovered, he will be aiming to exceed
the 2.10 which gained him a Junior International vest in 2004.
Another whose season was severely disrupted was Ed
Harrison who suffered with a viral problem. He still placed 5th in the 400
hurdles with 52.72 and featured in the 110 hurdles lists with 14.97. Alex
AlAmeen placed 11th in these with 14.79 despite being an under 17.
Another under 17, Danny Doyley is 17th in the 100 with
10.79 while Daniel Haque has a 10.7 hand time to his credit. Daniel was
particularly unlucky with electronic timing this year with meetings either not
having the necessary equipment or having it fail when he raced. His quickest 200
performance is a 21.6 hand timing while his 21.75 electric timing places him
17th. One place above is Danny Doyley again with 21.72.
Club members enjoyed the Annual Dinner last Friday with
BBC Athletics Commentator Paul Dickenson the guest speaker. He was able to
reflect on a lifetimes involvement in Athletics and offer encouragement to the
Club's youngsters who were in attendance.
Further details about the Club plus results and pictures
from the Mob Match and
Club Dinner.
1/11/05
Blackheath & Bromley’s Under 20 Women’s team, who became
National Champions in September, have now found out the venue for next years
European Junior Champion Club’s Cup competition where they will represent the
United Kingdom. They will travel to Moscow at the end of next September to
compete against the 7 other top Junior Countries in Europe.
The Cup is separated into an A, B and C Final with the
strongest countries in the A event. The top two countries from the B Final are
promoted to the A Final for the following year with the bottom two from the
higher Division being relegated. The same system works with the C and B Final.
This year the UK’s representatives, Woodford Green With
Essex Ladies finished 6th in the A Final just one point ahead of 7th. On paper
the Blackheath & Bromley team should be significantly stronger as most of this
year National winning team are still eligible to compete in the Under 20 age
group next year.
Subject to confirmation the other countries in next
Septembers final will be from Russia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey, Italy,
Serbia & Montenegro, and Estonia.
Now that the Club know where they will be competing,
management can now start to plan for a match which will be a heavy
administrative and financial burden.
The Club’s strength in this age group is reflected in the
National Under 20 rankings which have recently been published. Montell Douglas
was the fastest 100 metre runner in the country with the 11.56 she timed towards
the end of the Summer and had she not been carrying injuries in the early part
of the season she may well have gone quicker. She is also ranked 3rd in the 200
with 23.93 and 10th in the 400 with 56.16.
Katie Murray is only an under 17 but she is the 4th
fastest 400 hurdler with 62.21 and has three more years in the under 20 age
group. Serita Solomon is eligible to compete in this age group for the next four
years! Only a first year under 17, she only ran one 100 hurdles race this year.
Her time of 14.41 recorded in the National Junior League Final was the 9th
quickest in the country in 2005, and on the day was the same as the winner Zara
Hohn of Wakefield who is ranked 4th.
Holly Williams time of 29.26 on the road places her 6th in
the 5000 walk.
Highest ranked in the field events is Natalie Olson who is
4th in the pole vault with the 3.70 she recorded indoors. Hot on her heels
though is her younger sister Hannah who cleared 3.60. First year under 17 Rachel
Arnheim is placed equal 17th with 3.25.
English Schools Champion Rachel Blackie is 5th in the
Hammer with 51.37 while training partner Victoria Thomas is 7th with 48.98.
Christine Lawrence is also placed 5th in the javelin with 44.24 with 2nd claim
member Jade Dodd 8th with 43.34.
Mark Steinle made a welcome return to cross country racing
when he placed second in the latest Kent League races at Tonbridge. The former
Southern champion, and Britain’s fastest marathon runner who is still competing,
made a late decision to run. He had already been on a 14 mile run in the morning
and had originally just gone along to spectate. With a morning’s training in his
legs he was not able to stay with Medway and Maidstone’s Barry Royden who led
all the way, but he came a good second.
Steinle’s efforts helped the Senior Men to their second
successive win of the season with Alex Gibbins in his highest ever Kent League
position of 5th, Jamie Atkinson 6th and David Warrington 8th. Viv Mitchell was
the first Club member to finish in the Senior Women’s race.
It was first place too for the junior Men’s team with
Andrew Conway winning, Richard Daniel taking third, Jason Daly 9th and Dale
Willis 10th. Bryony Proctor continued her good season by placing second place in
the women’s race.
There was a winning team performance too for the under 17
girls. Katie Murray won the race with Sarah Coombs in 8th and Claire McNamara
16th. With Danny Brewer 2nd, Jonathan Vintner 6th and Alex Bruce-Littlewood 9th
the men’s team won as well. The squad was boosted by Alex Pirie who made his
debut for the team and finished a useful 33rd.
Amy Dematos was first home for the under 15 girls in 2nd
place. Rebecca Smith (7th), Hannah Garcia (8th) and Catherine Chambers (9th) all
made the top 10 to secure the team win while Laura Kastoryano (12th), Jenny
Linker (20th) and Katie Gibbs (23rd) showed that the Club has quality and depth
in this age group. Stephen Cavey was first home for the boys in 7th and with
Cameron Ward 12th and Robert Evans 21st the team placed third.
Michelle Fewster continued her fine start to the cross
country season with a win in the under 13 girls race. The team finished in 2nd
place with Danielle Critchley 5th, Sophie Gordon 8th Amy Mitchell 9th
Emma Hook 15th, Sophie Maslin 18th, Kayley Broadway 19th
and Siobhan Parr 22nd.
It was second also for the boys team who were led home by
Joe Harding in 7th with Hector Kurtyanek 9th and Robert Yates 10th. There was a
good turn out in this age group where Jourdan Kirby 16th and Toby Robinson 32nd
both made promising debuts.
There was more good news from America where Andrew Rayner
enjoyed victory in the Horizon League Conference 8km Cross Country Championships
in Yellow Springs, Ohio and helped Butler University to their 8th successive
team win beating Loyola University by five points. His time of 24.21 was a new
best for the distance. Also in the team, but racing on the back of some very
heavy training, was Scott Overall. He placed 5th in 24.39.
Closer to home Nanette Cross has been selected to
represent Northern Ireland in the Masters International Cross Country races in
Dublin on the 12th of November.
25/10/05
Blackheath & Bromley’s Senior Men and Women put up solid
performances at the Nike AAA’s 6 Stage and 4 Stage road relays at Sutton
Coldfield. The men finished in 13th place out of the 82 teams who qualified via
the Area Championships. The Women’s field was even bigger as there is no
qualification standard for the Nationals and the B & B team finished in 35th
place.
Russell Bentley opened for the men on the 6km course
finishing 31st on the ultra competitive opening stage with a time of 18.22.
Spencer Newport edged up three places on the second leg with 18.30 before
Michael Skinner swept the Club up 14 places to 14th with 17.25 the Club’s
fastest leg of the day.
Super veteran Dave Taylor gained a further place with
18.01 and Jamie Atkinson took the team up to 10th place with 18.49. Dave
Warrington, in his first race for the Club at these championships, was up
against some strong runners on the closing leg and brought the team home in 13th
with 19.02. They were the first team from Kent to finish.
The women were also the first team from the County to
complete the course. Siobhan Budd flew back from France to take part and she
closed in 45th on leg one with a time of 16.10 for the 4.1km course. Jennie
Butler then moved up 16 places to 29th with 15.46 the Club’s fastest time of the
day.
Seventeen year old Bryony Proctor made her debut for the
Club in these races and, as well as getting Paula Radcliffe’s autograph, ran an
excellent 16.47 to bring the team in 33rd and Bella Clayton anchored the squad
home with 17.20 for 35th place.
Missing from the men’s team were Scott Overall and Andrew
Rayner who are currently studying at Butler University in America. Both have
been in good form in their opening races of the Winter on the highly competitive
College circuit.
On September the 24th they were in action at the Roy Griak
Invitational 8km at the University Of Minnesota where they helped Butler to 11th
place overall. Scott finished in 10th place in 24.32 with Andy 29th in 25.00.
Six days later it was on to the Notre Dame Invitational 5
mile race and two more excellent performances. Scott placed 8th in this race in
23.51 while Andy was 38th to help Butler to 15th place.
Then on the 15th of October they travelled to Indiana
State University for the Pre-Nationals over 8km.
This is Scott’s second year of racing in the States and
his positions so far have been far further up the fields than last year.
The duo have three races left this year starting with
their conference meet on the 29th of October and then the Regional Championships
on the 12th of November. Depending on how Butler do in the latter will determine
whether they qualify for the Nationals on the 21st of November. Alternatively
the duo could qualify for the Nationals on individual merit.
Also in action overseas was Tim Dickinson. He was in
action in the Amsterdam Marathon where Haile Gabrselassie was attempting to
break the world record. The Ethiopian failed in his bid on this occasion as he
timed 2.06.20. Tim was the leading Briton in the race finishing in 21st place
overall in a time of 2.30.24.
He was happy with his run and delighted to meet the great
man Haile. Starting off with the elite women’s race he went through the halfway
mark in 74.45 spot on what he had been aiming for. Feeling stronger as the race
progressed he edged through the fields and his last 2.2km was the quickest of
the race.
This was his fourth marathon of the year, having already
completed Blackpool in June, the Isle Of Man in August and Nottingham in
September. He will tackle his 5th and toughest this weekend when he races the
Snowdonia.
Race Walking
A number of the Club’s walkers have been in late track
season action. In the Inter Area match at Dartford, Robert Bain finished in 2nd
place in the under 20’s 5km race in 25.06 while Holly Williams was third in the
under 17 women’s race in 31.08.
Best position of the day, however, came from Chelsea
O’Rawe Hobbs who won the under 15 girls 3km race in 15.32.
Their efforts helped the South to victory over the North
and Midlands.
The following weekend Robert travelled up to Tipton for
the Clare Powell Memorial Walks Meeting where he was over a minute quicker in
the 5km with 24.04.9 but still finished in 2nd place.
Bees Academy/Sportshall
The Club’s Bees Academy for primary school age
children is thriving at present with 20 youngsters from the Academy taking part
in the first of the Kent County Sports Hall competitions at Tunbridge Wells.
None of the youngsters had done Sporthall before so for
the five teams to attain positions of 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th and 14th was quite an
achievement. In fact the 4th placed team were just one place off third and had
they not had to redo their speed bounce, due to a judging error, they may well
have finished higher.
Further details about the Bees Academy can be found at
www.blackheathandbromley.com/bees
18/10/05
Jamie Atkinson continued his recent good run of form by
winning the Blackheath & Bromley 5 mile Club Cross Country Championship at
Hayes. The 21 year old has recently switched to part time work to help with his
training and recent results suggest this is already paying dividends.
Last week he attained his highest ever position of 4th in
the Kent Cross Country League and followed with a 2nd place in the Quest 10km
road race in Ashford. On Saturday he lived up to his billing as pre race
favourite to defeat Alex Gibbins by six seconds with last years winner Jon
Thorpe in third.
The warm conditions attracted a good field to support a
race that has been contested since 1880 and is possibly the oldest cross country
race in the world that is still in existence. Those taking part ranged from13
year old Amy Dematos through to 74 year old David Churchus and attracted runners
of all standards.
Amy actually finished third in the women’s race which was
won by under 13 girls track and field manager Viv Mitchell in 37.10 with Bryony
Proctor in 2nd place with 37.54.
Richard Daniel was first home in the Junior Men’s race and
5th overall with in a time of 30.58, which he was pleased to note was faster
than his brother Chris ran in winning the race last year. New member Andrew
Conway impressed in finishing 2nd in 31.19 while Alistair Cliff improved by
nearly six minutes from last year for a well earned bronze.
The race also included a handicap contest and the winner
here was Bernie Bater with David Beadle second and Wilf Orton third. This
handicap race is one of nine over the Winter with all those taking part scoring
points to see who will win the Bennett Cup in March. Current leader after two
races is Trevor Delahoy with 93 points followed by Andy Tucker (87) and Richard
Daniel (85)
Full results are available
here...
The Club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities
for competitive and social running. Again full details can be found elsewere on
this Website.
11/10/05
Michael Skinner started his winter season with a
comprehensive victory in the Kent League at Danson Park. The 25-year-old
teaching assistant chose to run as part of his training and spent most of the
6-mile course on his own as he simply ran away from the opposition.
The lead got bigger and bigger over the three-lap course
and stretched to over a minute and a half by the finish. With Jamie Atkinson
finishing an excellent 4th, Alex Gibbins 8th and Nick Gasson 14th, the
Blackheath and Bromley quartet won the 4 to score competition to put the icing
on the cake of what was a very successful day for the Club.
The Senior Women finished 2nd with Jennie Butler 5th,
Bella Clayton 10th, and Carolyna Jones-Baldock a fine 18th, despite suffering
with a cold. Encouragingly for the depth of the squad Helen Gear, Abi Brown and
Ellie Harker all made their Senior Kent League debuts.
Bryony Proctor was 2nd in the Junior Women’s race and was
the only finisher from the Club in this age group, men and women.
Kent heptathlon champion Katie Murray took 2nd in the
under 17 Women’s race and with Rebecca Taylor 3rd and Sarah Coombs 6th, they won
the team competition. The men were second in their race with Jonathan Vintner
6th, Alex Bruce Littlewood 7th and Sam Simpson 15th.
There was a first place also for the under 15 Girls team.
Amy Smith won the race despite going off course at one point while Rebecca Smith
came 6th and Hannah Garcia 8th to secure the team honours. The boys were 5th
team with Stephen Cavey in 17th, Robert Evans 18th and Cameron Ward 20th.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the day was to see so
many youngsters from the Club in the under 13 races. Ten girls and twelve boys
toed the line in these races with both the boys and girls teams finishing in
second place.
Leading the girls was Michelle Fewster who impressed
greatly with a fine second place with Sophie Gordon 4th and Danielle Critchley
in 6th. It was good to see Joe Harding back in action in the boy’s race closing
in 5th with Hector Kurtyanek 8th and Ross Braden 10th clinching runners up spot
in the team contest.
4/10/05
Road Running/Cross Country
Runners from Blackheath & Bromley have been prominent
on the roads in recent weeks, most notably, Michael Skinner. He received an
invitation to race in the International 3000 metre race which took place up in
Newcastle on the same weekend as the Great North Run. Having just finished his
end of track season break he was not as sharp as he would have liked, and had to
content himself with finishing 12th in a time of 8.29.7.
Tim Dickinson has had a quiet Summer but he returned to
racing by placing 4th in the Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham in 2.32.03.
Closer to home Terry Brightwell was the first over 50
runner in the Thanet Marathon in 3.15.30. Annie McDonough won the women’s over
45s race in the accompanying half marathon in 98.37.
On the country Chris Hogg finished 3rd in the Striders Of
Croydon Switchback 5 in 30.14 and Alex Littlewood placed 7th in the Kingston and
Polytechnic 5 mile champs and Inter Club Five Mile Championships at Richmond
Park.
Throws
Although the Summer season is now virtually over Club
members have been taking part in some of the more esoteric throws events. The
Williamson brothers Amir and Alistair were in action at Eton throwing the heavy
weight.
Amir hurled the 25lb implement out to 19.57 which is the
second furthest for a Junior with this weight. Considering the Junior record for
the 22lb weight is 22.0 he would surely have been close to surpassing this
distance had he been using the lighter implement. Alistair launched the 25lb
weight out to 17.75.
Gordon Hickey celebrated his 72nd birthday by winning the
over 70’s title at the National Throws Decathlon at Milton Keynes. The event
features the normal field throws, the shot, javelin, discus and hammer plus the
Heavy weight, the one handed hammer, the sling ball, the brick, club and an
event in which the shot is thrown like a discus.
It was a long day for the Blackheath & Bromley vice
president as he started at 10 in the morning and was still in action at 6.30 in
the evening. He ended the day with 5400 points, around 600 clear of his nearest
rival who had three no throws in one of the events.
This was quite an achievement as he had been struggling to
keep his balance when moving in certain positions. This has subsequently been
diagnosed as a collapsed spine bone at the top of the neck which will
necessitate use of a neck brace.
Southern Women’s League
A fourth place in the Final Southern Women’s League
Division One match of the season at Sutton meant that Blackheath & Bromley
finished the 6th place in the 25 team division. This was better than the Club
may have expected because of the clashes with the UK Women’s League and the
National Young Athletes League.
Best performance of the day was that of Sandra Alaneme as
she set a new best of 11.38 to place second in the shot to add to her 1.55
winning leap in the high jump. There was more success in the throws with the
Thomas sisters, Victoria and Catherine winning both strings in the Hammer.
Although an under 17 Rachel Arnheim won the pole vault with an excellent
clearance of 3.20.
On the track there were B string wins for Christina
Mantoura (110 hurdles) and Leanne Critchley (400 hurdles) and it was pleasing to
see Bridget Davey (3000 metres), Vicki Cole (100), Ellie Blackwell (200) and
Stephanie Allerton (400) return to action and score some good points for the
team.
Because of the clash with the National Young Athletes
Final many under 15’s were away. However the spirited efforts of Georgia Crosbie,
Chantal Jones, Rose Power, Jenny Linker, Sophie Churcher, Emma Kenvyn and Lucy
Matthews who battled hard all afternoon made the difference between coming 4th
and 5th as the Milton Keynes squad finished just 10 and a half points behind.
