Mid Lancs T&F League – Saturday April 28th
Seventy one Harriers competed at the first fixture in this years Mid Lancs T&F League held at Witton Park, this figure being exceeded in the second fixture at Preston yesterday when well over eighty Harriers turned out to represent the Club and setting over thirty new personal bests.
The day always starts off with the Hammer at 11.00am which saw Tony Balko win the Senior Men’s event with a seasons best throw of 35.25m followed up by a 9.66m effort in the Shot Putt (4th) and another season’s best 31.32m in the Discus for 3rd spot. U20 Anthony Kent took on three of the Senior Men’s Throws setting a new PB with the 7.26kg weight as he placed 2nd (10.95m), posted another new PB in the 2kg Discus with 33.75m to win the event and rounded it off in the Javelin with his third new PB of the day in 4th place with 34.27m. Also in the Senior Men’s Javelin was Lucas Davies who placed 7th overall with a new PB of 29.52m. U15 Matthew Heywood who has only been competing since July 2017, followed on from his hat-trick of wins in the UKYDL last week with a win in the Hammer (33.83m), set a new PB throw of 9.29m in the Shot Putt (3rd) before attempting the Javelin for the first time ever in competition placing 8th with 18.57m. Kyle Taylor-Pomfret was just 10cms outside his personal best in the Hammer finishing 2nd (24.58m). U15 Joe Sims threw 4.86m in the Shot Putt and 5.75m in the Javelin whilst Kieran Carroll came 3rd in the Discus (23.11m) and set a new PB in the Javelin in 3rd spot with 30.81m, over a metre further than he had thrown previously. Completing the U15 Boys throws for the Harriers was George Whittaker who just missed a new PB in the Javelin by a few cms placing 4th (28.87m) and then set a new PB in the Discus finishing 4th with 22.87m – three metres further than ever before. The U13 Boys Throws events saw Dexta Thompson set a new PB by over half a metre in the Javelin in 2nd place with 23.75m, as Codie Dewhurst placed 4th in the Discus with 10.81m at his first ever attempt in the event and Harrison Allcock set a new PB in the Shot Putt with 5.67m. U17 Abigail Brown set a new PB in the Hammer as she placed 4th with a a throw of 34.29m, an improvement of nearly a metre and then took a good 3rd place in the Discus with 23.09m alongside Millie Coy who took 2nd spot in the U17 Women’s Javelin, throwing 30.50m. U15 Myah Booth had a day off from the Hurdles and duly won the Shot Putt with 9.96m and came in 5th in the Javelin (22.12m). U15 Grace Bontoft made her debut for the Club coming 8th in the Shot Putt with 6.53m and 5th in the Discus (15.25m) with sister (U13) Madison Bontoft setting a new PB in the Discus with 12.63m (6th), coming 7th in the Shot Putt (4.59m) and 7th in the Javelin with 8.47m. Tilly Pollard in her first competitive season came 3rd in the U13 Girls Shot Putt with 6.23m – her first ever attempt at the event. U15 Nicky Saunders had a good day in the Throws winning the Discus with 25.71m, finished 3rd in the Javelin (24.66m) and 3rd in the Hammer (21.80m).
In the Jumps events – U17 Jonathan Gough was just 8 cms way from a new personal best as she finished 2nd int he Long Jump with 5.57m with Rory Teare also just missing out on a new best performance in the Long Jump placing 9th with 4.09m before going on to equal his personal best in the High Jump with 1.45m (7th). Three youngsters took on the U13 Boys Long Jump which saw Harrison Allcock finish 8th (3.79m) with debutants Stephen Alberts in 12th (2.50m) and Joshua Hudson – also 2.50m in 13th. Teigan Fawcett set a new PB in the Senior Women’s High Jump in 2nd place with a clearance of 1.45m as Liberty Thompson also placed 2nd in the U17 Women’s High Jump (1.30m). In the U13 Girls Molly Grimshaw leapt to a big new PB of 3.23m (19th) as Tilly Pollard placed 22nd out of the twenty six young athletes competing with 3.03m which was a new PB and Amelia Burton continued the run of new PB’s, clearing 1.10m in the High Jump in her first season of competitive athletics.
On to the Sprints which saw Dominic Bretherton run 11.70 (3rd) in the Senior Men’s 100m with Daniel Hamilton in 7th (13.30). Dominic went on to dip on the line as he won the 200m in 24.30. Long Hurdler Solomon Brown ran 12.2 in the U17 Men’s 100m (4th), his first attempt at the event since 2014 with Ben Whittaker clocking 12.50 (4th) in Heat 2 and new member Tope Oladipo finishing 5th in Heat 3 with 12.90. Ben Whittaker ran very solidly in the 200m to place 2nd in 25.40 whilst Solomon Brown ran 56.20 in the 400m. Ethan Downes who had won the 100m/200m double at the UKYDL fixture the week before, maintained his winning form, coming home first in the U15 Boys 100m in 12.50 (Heat 1). U13 Tobi Oladipo running his first race for the Harriers clocked 13.80 in the 100m for 2nd place in Heat 1 with Harrison Allcock coming in 3rd (14.60) and Stephen Alberts 5th in 16.50 (Heat 2): And it was another new PB for Codie Dewhurst in Heat 2 of the U13 Boys 200m as he won the race in 31.00.
The Women’s Sprints had Charlie Coy 3rd in the Senior Women’s 100m (13.60) with Chloe Bleeks in 5th (13.70), Chloe going on to place 2nd in the 200m (28.60) with Charlie 1st in the 400m won comfortably by five seconds in a time of 61.90. First year as an U17 for Bailey Madden and she has started out as she finished last year with a new PB of 12.80 in the 100m (2nd – same time as the winner) and a win in the 200m (26.70) in Heat 1. Megan Tippett equaled her personal best in Heat 1 of the 100m with a time of 13.80 – Millie Coy set a new PB by two tenths in Heat 1 of the U17 Girls 200m (27.00) whilst Hollie Oldham, in her first ever run over the distance, won Heat 2 of the 200m in a time of 28.90 and Aysha Karolia finished 3rd in the 300m with a time of 47.90. The U15 Girls 100m saw Amy Wiggans clock 13.70 in Heat 1 (5th) with Abigail Armas 6th in Heat 2 (14.00), Maia Bowman 6th in Heat 3 in a time of 14.30 and Abi Stratton in Heat 5 (15.80) in 4th place. Rebecca Ramsden entered the 200m for the first time and clocked 30.70 in Heat 2 of the U15 Girls race whilst in the 300m U15 Girls Race Heat 1 – Eleesha Charnley placed 2nd in 44.80 and Sophie Stanworth set a new PB by over a second of 46.60 in 3rd spot.
Amelia Burton ran her first ever 100m to place 7th in Heat 1 (15.60) as did Keira Haxton in Heat 2 (16.00) in 6th position and Eva Knowles in Heat 3 (15.90) – a new PB by a tenth. In Heat 4 Tilly Pollard came home in 4th spot (16.30) with Caitlin Clarkson in 5th (17.70) both girls attempting the distance for the first time. The new PB’s continued with Kate Cookson running 30.70 in 3rd place in the U13 Girls 200m with Lucy Ramsden 5th in the same Heat (32.40) and her first time over the distance as was the case with Amelia Burton who clocked 32.50 in Heat 2.
A huge new PB was posted by Rebecca Ramsden in Heat 2 of the U15 Girls 800m as she came home in 2nd place with a new personal best by over six seconds of 2.40.40 – the same time as the winner in a very exciting end to the race. In the same Heat, Hannah Eccles equaled her personal best of 2.50.70 in 9th with Ella Hardman placing 11th in 3.22.10. Abi Stratton chopped a whopping eight seconds off her previous best time to set a new PB of 5.18.80 in the U15 Girls 1500m (4th). The U13 Girls Heats of the 800m Race saw Keira Booth clock 2.51.60 in 8th, Isabelle Hartley (2.55.40) in 9th, Eva Knowles – a new PB of 3.01.20 in 11th and Kady Thompson (3.04.10) in 12th. Four Harriers in the U13 Girls 1500m Race, the first Harrier home being Kate Cookson in 2nd place who smashed her previous best time by fifteen seconds to set a new PB of 5.24.20 followed in by Keira Haxton in 3rd (5.31.90) – her first time over the distance. Molly Grimshaw was next across the line in 6.01.20 (10th) and again another massive new PB by nearly half a minute with Libby-Kate Neal in 11th clocking 6.45.20 and another youngster who was tackling this event for the first time.
U20 Joe Gebbie ran in the Senior Men’s 1500m winning it in a new PB by over three seconds of 4.23.50. It was 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th in the U17 men’s 800m with Bradley Meikleham setting a new PB by just a tenth in 2nd spot (2.06.20) with Matt Ramsden in 3rd (2.08.30) which was a massive new PB by seven seconds. In the same Race Findlay Sullivan got his rewards from his training, clocking a massive new PB by 13 seconds for 2.17.40 and Thomas Betty in his first ever race over the distance came 9th in 2.25.20 Sam Hodkinson ran 4.29.60 to take 2nd place in the U17 Men’s 1500m with Harry Wilkin coming home in 8th spot (5.52.90). Fourteen runners started in the U15 Boys 800m with three Harriers among them – first across the line with a new PB was George Whittaker (5th) in 2.27.60 followed by Ethan Barbarewicz in 6th with a massive new PB by ten seconds of 2.31.90 and Joe Sims with an ever bigger new PB of 3.02.50 in 14th spot – Joe’s previous best being 55 seconds slower, so great effort by Joe. Another big field in the U13 Boys 800m – 18 runners – saw Harry Sambrook clock 2.57.40 (14th).
Similar big field in the U13 Boys 1500m won by Isaac Butler in a time of 5.06.50 with Dexta Thompson in 4th (5.21.70), Codie Dewhurst in 5th with another new PB of 5.23.80, Ben Stratton in 6th (5.24.80), his first time over the distance, Saul Sharp in 11th with a time of 5.33.80 which was a massive new PB of over eighteen seconds and Daniel Smith (15th) in 5.42.50. U20 Hannah Cookson ran a time of 5.31.00 in the Senior Women’s 1500m whilst Amy Davies won the U17 Women’s 1500m in a time of 5.13.50. In the U17 800m Hollie Oldham came home 3rd in 2.46.50 with Liberty Thompson 4th (2.52.90). Eleesha Charnley was less than a second outsider her personal best as she clocked 2.25.70 in the U15 Girls 800m (4th in Heat 1) with Sophie Stanworth in 7th (2.28.30), Leah Hoole in 9th clocking 2.36.10 and Hollie Cubbon in 11th spot with a new PB of 2.36.80.
The 3000m is always the final endurance event of the day and features a mixture of age groups including men and women. Thomas Marchant who hadn’t run a track Race for something like three years made his return in his first Track Race for Blackburn Harriers since joining the Club recently. The first Lap was taken out too slowly forcing Thomas to the front to lift the pace as he won comfortably, clocking 9.43.70 from Nick Smith in 2nd place (10.07.80).
Final Track event of the day was the Hurdles which featured five athletes in the U13 Boys 75m Hurdles where Daniel Smith came in 5th (18.50) and Rory Teare winning the U15 Boys 80m Hurdles Heat 2 Race in 15.70. In Heat 2 of the U13 Girls Hurdles – Isabelle Hartley came 3rd in 15.80 with Kady Thompson 5th in 17.60.
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Trafford Grand Prix – Tuesday April 24th
First Grand Prix Race night at Trafford this year saw some of the Harriers have their first experience of competing on one of these nights.
U20 Nick Smith ran his first ever 800m race and came out the winner with a rapid finish in the home straight – Heat 5 – clocking a time of 2.10.75.
Harry Wilkin in his first year as an U17 posted a new PB time of 4.54.5 at the Blackburn Mid Lancs fixture three days before entering at Trafford. He knocked a further two seconds off his time to set two new PB’s in three days in 4.52.15 and 7th in the field of thirteen.
Joe Gebbie, also a first year U20 ran in Heat 4 and came home in 3rd spot with a time of 2.06.86 which followed his personal best time of 2.05.7 set at the Mid Lancs Meeting just three days before.
Twenty one athletes in Heat 2 of the 3000m which saw bottom of age U17 Matt Ramsden compete against U17, U20, U23 and Senior Men and set another PB for himself, clocking 9.22.31 – two seconds quicker than his previous best.
Joe Howe who is running the 3000m Steeplechase at Bucs this year had his first outing, winning the 3000m S/C on the night with a time of 10.16.72.
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Mid Cheshire 5k – Friday April 27th
Great run for the Harriers Ben Costello in this Race as he finished 74th out of a field of over five hundred and in a new PB time of 15.50. This was the first time under 16 minutes for Ben and represent a new PB by sixteen seconds. V45 Mat Nuttall also had a very good run taking 127th place overall on the night, was the 6th V45 and clocked a time of 16.42. This is obviously a race to target for athletes who want to improve their 5k Road times as can be seen by the results showing the first 25 all under 15.00 minutes.
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