Lancashire Schools T & F Championships at Blackpool – June 8th
An horrific day greeted athletes and officials on Saturday with gusting very strong winds and pouring rain. Junior athletes who have trained all year to try and achieve entry standards for English Schools and needing to win the County Schools Championships with the required standard must have been filled with gloom as they entered the stadium at the beginning of the day. However, Blackburn Harriers athletes didn’t let the weather deter them as they posted 9 Wins, 7 second and 7 third places along with 11 new PB’s in tack and field events. Those who won will now be waiting to see if they have been selcted for the English Schools Championships being held in July.
Many conversations among coaches and parents watching on dwelt on the difficulty of trying to achieve the standards required on days such as this, even for the best of athletes and there were many nods of agreement that perhaps the qualifying standards could be looked at over a period of four weeks say, rather than leaving it all down to one event on a specific day. Obviously a question to be answered by a ‘pay grade’ above that of website writers of reports!
Another topic of conversation covered the role of Officials. Many athletes will have had reason to complain about the conditions hampering their performances and many parents will have bemoaned the cold and wet, but spare a thought for the officials, there at 8.00am in the morning and still there clearing up after 4.00pm in the afternoon. Field Officials, Track Judges, Timekeepers and Starters all out in the rain all day long. More volunteers are needed to take up officiating, otherwise, we are not going to be able to hold these events.
RESULTS
Timekeepers Track Judges
Track Judges – jobs between Track Judging!
Field Officials – still smiling despite the weather
In the 3000m, Inter-Girls, Inter-Boys and Senior Boys all ran together in the one Race. The race quickly developed into a contest between Senior Boy Matthew Mckay and Inter-Boy Matt Ramsden. McKay took the lead the whole way round with Ramsden sticking to him like glue. With 350m to go McKay made a break into the wind and opened up a sizeable gap which was around 15 metres with 150m to go. Coming off the top bend in the finishing straight, Ramsden gave it everything and with McKay (8.57.9) responding to the challenge, Ramsden (8.57.8) managed to hold him off by just a tenth of a second. Cracking race by the two lads.
Matt Ramsden (1)
Maddie Elliott ran against one Senior and one Inter Girl in her Senior Girls 1500m Final, winning comprehensively. Running from the front, Maddie took all the wind in the race, putting in a fast last 150m to clock a winning and new PB time of 4.47.4. Joe Gebbie is running really well and has gone under 2 minutes for 800m on a number of occasions. In the Senior Boys 800m Final he clocked 1.59.4 to finish 2nd on the podium. The Inter-Boys 800m was won in a very good time of 1.58.9 and this was the race that Findlay Sullivan was in where he clocked 2.14.5 in 11th place. Eleesha Charnley came 3rd in the in the Inter-Girls 300m with a time of 44.2
Maddie Elliott (25)
Joe Gebbie (31)
Findlay Sullivan (16)
Eleesha Charnley (16)
Harvey Ashworth ran the Inter-Boys straight Final over 1500m which had a dozen athletes in the race. Harvey came home in a time of 4.35.0 in 9th place. The Junior Boys 1500m was also a straight Final covering sixteen athletes – five of them from Blackburn Harriers representing their various towns. Dexta Thompson ran his fastest race since April over the distance clocking 4.49.3 in 5th place. David Holman was just one place behind in 6th with 4.52.7 with Kyle Taylor-Pomfret in 9th (4.59.6), Jack Paget-Fowler in 12th – his first time ever over the distance running a time of 5.13.3 and Codie Dewhurst in 14th with a new PB by over three seonds (5.16.1).
Harvey Ashworth (1)
Jack Paget-Fowler (3) & Dexta Thompson (28)
Codie Dewhurst (3) 
Kyle Taylor-Pomfret (32) and David Holman (16)
Nineteen athletes took part in a Junior Girls 1500m straight Final won in 4.50.3 where Abi Stratton took on the eventual winner, as the front runners battled the wind on the back straight four times, resulting in a 3rd placed finish for Abi in a time of 4.52.3.
Abigail Stratton (22)
Hayden Mercer didn’t hang around in the Junior Boys 800m – another middle distance race which went to a straight Final – going to the front and into the wind right from the off and apart from looking behind him a couple of times in the home straight he came home a good winner in a time of 2.11.4, someway outside his personal best, but a good confident and strong run in the prevailing conditions. Saul Sharp also had a solid run and was just three seconds down on his best time, clocking 2.29.8 in 10th position.
Hayden Mercer (1)
Saul Sharp
It was a straight Final in the Junior Girls 800m featuring fourteen athletes. No middle distance runner was going to enjoy the races on this day with a really bad wind on the back straight. Keira Haxton came home in 4th place with a good time of 2.31.6 which was just two tenths outside of her personal best, so too for Kate Cookson finishing in 7th place with a time of 2.35.5. Rebecca Ramsden ran 2.38.3 in 11th place in the Inter-Girls 800m Final with Hannah Cookson clocking 2.37.7 in the Senior Girls 800m Final in 3rd place.
Kate Cookson (7) and Keira Haxton (17)
Rebecca Ramsden (17)
Hannah Cookson
Cameron Harris went into the Schools Championships as current Lancashire County Champion and undefeated in all competitions this year including already having thrown the Entry Standard for English Schools. This was his first reverse as he came home in 2nd spot with 44.97m in weather conditions which were the exact opposite of what was needed to throw long. Like Cameron, Millie Coy braved the elements in the Inter-Girls Javelin to take the win with a distance of 28.42m.
Cameron Harris
Grace Bontoft contesting in the Junior Girls Hammer had a very good day with a throw of 30.84m in the Hammer – just 27 cms short of her best and half a metre of challenging the winner as she came in 2nd in the Championships.
Grace Bontoft
In the Inter-Boys Hammer, Matthew Heywood – ranked 7th Nationally – has maintained his very good levels of consistency as he took 2nd spot with a distance of 51.72m – the fourth time he has thrown the Englaish Schools qualifying distance this year already. In the Junior Boys Hammer – Sebastian Burton with a personal best of 22.07m was just shy of that as he threw 21.62m to also finish in 2nd place. George Whittaker was delighted with his new PB in the Inter-Boys Discus, finishing in 2nd place with 32.64m – over half a metre further than his previous best. Nicky Saunders has thrown the Englsih Schools entry standard nine times this year including yet another win for her in the Championships today with a distance of 30.04.
Matthew Heywood
Rory Teare and Liberty Thompson really battled the elements in the High Jump which saw Rory clear a modest, for him, 1.48m in 5th place and Liberty similar, with a clearance of 1.40m in 3rd position.
Rory Teare
Jonathan Gough who cleared 13.03m in the Triple Jump just over a week ago, was, like the other athletes in this event, jumping into the wind. He still managed to pull out a good perforamnce as he won the Championships with a leap of 12.34m. Ben Branton was in a four way contest in the Inter-Boys Long Jump, taking 3rd place with a jump of 5.25m and recent new recruit to Blackburn Harriers – Fawwaz Mustapha – also placed 3rd in the Senior Boys Triple Jump with 11.10m.
Jonathan Gough
Myah Booth went into the Schools Championships as Lancashire County Champion and already having run the English Schools entry standard. She excelled again on the day with another Championship win in a new PB of 11.9. Ben Boocock opened up his season over 80m Hurdles with a time of 12.6 back in April. Working really hard, he got down to within one tenth of achieving the entry standard for English Schools on May 27th. He has obviously peaked at the right time for these Championships as he clipped another two tenths off his personal best to set a new PB of 11.9 in 2nd place. Ben Whittaker was just three tenths outside of his best as he placed 2nd in the Senior Boys 110m Hurdles in 17.0 seconds and Lucy Ramsden ran herself a new PB by nearly three tenths in the Junior Girls 75m Hurdles, clocking 14.0 in 5th place.
Myah Booth (2)
Ben Boocock (1)
Ben Whittaker
Lucy Ramsden
Jayden Riley goes from strength to strength going into the Championships ranked 6th Nationally and undefeated in eight 100m races so far this season and today, he maintained that record, winning his Heat in 11.4 and then clocking a new PB of 11.3 to win the Final – the 6th time he has bettered the entry standard for English Schools which has also included two National standard times. In the Inter-Boys 100m, Kyle Mashiter did the same as Jayden, winning his Inter-Boys 100m Heat in a new PB of 11.4 and then set his second new PB of the day, winning the Final in 11.3. Chris Brand also in the Inter-Boys, placed 2nd in the Heats with a time of 11.6 to qualify for the Final where he ran 11.9 in 4th spot. Fawwaz Mustapha clocked 12.4 in the Senior Boys straight Final in 4th position. Ben Whittaker knocked another tenth off his 100m best time to-date as he clocked his second new PB in a week over the distance clocking 11.8 for 2nd in the Senior Boys 100m Final.
Jayden Riley (2)
Kyle Mashiter (1)
Chris Brand (16)
In the Inter-Girls 100m Bailey Madden (12.7) and Amy Wiggans (12.8 and new PB by four tenths) both qualified for the Final with Bailey getting on to the Podium in 3rd place with an equal personal best time of 12.6 and Amy running another new PB by a tenth to place 4th in a time of 12.7. Rachael Jesse finished 6th in the Heats of the Junior Girls 100m with 13.7 with Abigail Armas coming home in 5th spot in the Inter-Girls 100m Heats in a personal best equaling time of 13.9. 800m runner Leah Hoole was entered into the 200m by her team manager and yet had no athlete in the 800m race for Junior Girls! – in the Heats she ran 28.4 in 5th spot which was a new PB by half a second and all the more remarkable given she was running with an injury.
Bailey Madden (3) and Amy Wiggans (16)
Rachel Jesse (Lane 1)
Abi Armas (2)
Leah Hoole (1)
Eleesha Charnley (3rd) 300m Hannah Cookson (3rd) 800m
Joe Gebbie (2nd) 800m Kyle Mashiter (1st) 100m
Myah Booth (1st) 80m Hurdles Bailey Madden (3rd) 100m
Millie Coy (1st) Javelin Ben Whittaker (2nd) 110m Hurdles
Nicola Saunders (1st ) Discus Abigail Stratton (3rd) 800m
George Whittaker (2nd) Discus Maddie Elliott (1st) 1500m
Matt Ramsden (1st) 3000m Ben Whittaker (2nd) 200m
Liberty Thompson (3rd) High Jump
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Potters ‘Arf Marathon – Sunday June 9th
The Potters ‘Arf ended this year with the same 1st and 2nd placed athletes as in 2018 with Matt Clowes in first place and Ben Fish in 2nd.
This year, Ben ran 71.22 in 2nd place in conditions described as ‘warm and sunny, but windy’ which had a clear impact on the times for everyone in the race with only three other runners dipping under 75 minutes.
Ben Fish (Archive Photo)
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Weets Fell Race – Saturday June 8th
With the Series Leader – Jonathan Cleaver not contesting this race, Tom Corrigan took a convincing win by some two minutes. Three Harriers were included int he 206 strong field – John Horrocks, Calum Holmes and Victoria Mousley.
John Horrocks is running very well at the moment on the Fells and bagged himself another top ten placing as he came home in a time of 40.59 in 6th place. Next across the finishing line came Calum Holmes, clocking 44.37 in 18th spot with Victoria Mousley having a very solid race in a time of 47.59 (39th) and 3rd in the Women’s race.
John Horrocks (157)
Calum Holmes (180)
Victoria Mousely (194)
As always, great enthusiasm and spirited fields of youngsters took part in the Junior races covering age groups U7 through to U15’s.
Theo Robinson had a great run in the U11 Race finishing 4th out of 35 young runners – the race being won by Trawden’s Callum Singleton. Unfortunately there are only positions recorded and not times for most of the Junior Races.
Theo Robinson (47)
There were 41 runners in the U13 race – 21 Boys and 20 Girls won by Harry Smith which saw Matthew Smith come home in 4th spot followed by Oliver Gill in 6th, Imogen Robinson in 26th (10th Girl) and Alexander Brien in 31st. Again – no times, just please for the results.
Oliver Gill (55)
Imogen Robinson (48)
