In a week of notable performances by the Harriers, both at individual and team level, it is more than worth mentioning achievements at both ends of the age scale to demonstrate that perhaps you are never to young and never too old to compete and to succeed.
Matt Ramsden was selected to run for the North West in the London Mini-Marathon for the second year running. In 2016 he posted a time of 16.14. This year he finished 35th out of 235 five young athletes in a massively improved time of 15.53 over the three mile course and was 2nd counter for the North West – Matthew McKay being first (15.20). Matt told the Club “I had a good race in London today. I came 35th with a time of 15:53, that is 1 minute and 21 seconds faster than last year”.
In the World Masters T & F Championships, V70 Mike Hazlewood – still wearing the Blue & White – took on the challenge of competing against the best there is in the world in his age category and he came away with a World Championship Silver Medal in the Javelin (31.24m) and also finished 6th in the Hammer Final (31.36m) before he had to pull out with a hamstring injury. Mike told the Club that this injury and subsequent surgery “probably puts an end to this season” but he will back again next year. A fantastic attitude and inspirational for all those ‘younger’ athletes who think their athletic career is over. Brilliant achievements by both Matt and Mike.
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Trafford Open Meeting – April 25th
Three Blackburn Harriers took part in the ‘A’ 3000m Race at Trafford which featured 25 athletes. First athlete in for the Harriers was Ben Fish who is having a fine year, finishing 3rd on the night in a time of 8.31.85 and in his first 3000m Race since 2009. Second in came Joe Monk who won the Blackpool 10k at the weekend. On the night, Joe set a new PB of 8.45.29, an improvement of 6 seconds from his previous best time over the distance. Third home came Tim Raynes in only his third ever trip over the distance and he too posted a new PB of 8.46.91 knocking nearly three seconds off his previous personal best.
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The first fixture of this years Mid Lancs at Blackpool saw two Club Records broken by the Throwers which saw Anna Peers take the old record from Holly Bleasdale in the Javelin (37.60m) when she placed 2nd with a distance of 39.05m. The second Club Record of the day had lasted fourteen years and that was in the U17 Men’s Shot Putt which stood at 12.30m (Adam Lovick). Anthony Kent added 37cm to that when he placed 2nd in the Shot Putt with a throw of 12.67m so congratulations to both of them. It is often said that young athletes find it easy to get new PB’s and it is true. As they progress they get quicker and stronger, but they still have to go out and perform and today was such a day as the youngsters set thirty two new personal bests.
In addition, one of the delights of the Mid Lancs League is to see young athletes having a go at competition for literally the first time, some for the first time in a new event and others who are in their first full year of competition after perhaps having a cross country season behind them. Yesterday saw a number of young athletes from Trawden – Paige and Ellie Singleton, Sophie Stanworth, Hannah Eccles, Abigail Stratton, Holly Crook, Isabel Hartley and Joe Sims – who have joined the Harriers to compete in Track & Field and it was great to seen them getting stuck in and enjoying the day.
Continuing with the Throws Events, overall, it wasn’t a bad day for them. In the U17 Men – Lucas Davies took a hat-trick of new PB’s, firstly adding a metre in the Shot Putt (6th) with 8.61m, extended his Discus best by over a metre and a half with 25.05m (5th) and topped the day off by adding over two metres to his Javelin PB, coming 2nd with a distance of 29.00m. Anthony Kent added to his new Club Record with a win in the Discus (40.05m) and a 2nd placed throw of 43.91 in the Hammer. Sam Gaskell won the U17 Men’s Hammer with a throw of 49.60m which was well within his compass as he has already thrown over 58m in April. Anna Peers added to her new Club Record with a win in the Discus (34.53m).
In the U15 Girls Myah Booth took 2nd spot in the Shot Putt with 9.41m which was just short of her personal best and came 3rd in the Javelin with a big new PB of 27.08m which was over three metres further than her previous best. Izzy Thompson also had a very good day in her U15 Throws events setting a new PB in the Discus by over three metres (23.31m) and winning the event, came 9th in the Javelin with 19.97m and set another new PB in the Hammer (4th) with 21.94m. (U15) Sophie Stanworth 9th with 5.96m, (U13’s) Hannah Eccles (6th) with 4.70m and Paige Singleton (11th) with 3.42m all had a go at the Shot Putt for the first time which was good to see.
In the U15 Boys George Whittaker placed 4th with 19.24m in the Javelin whilst Kyle Taylor-Pomfret fell just short of his PB in the Hammer, finishing 2nd with a throw of 16.04m and this with the heavier weight. U17 Abigail Brown was another athlete who set a hat-trick of new PB’s on the day when she placed 3rd in the Shot Putt with 7.15m, 3rd in the Discus (17.55m) and 5th in the Javelin with a throw of 18.88m. Abigail added a metre in her Shot Putt, a metre and a half in her Discus and a whopping five metres in her Javelin.
In the Jumps competitions U15 Jonathan Gough got his season off to a great start with a new PB of 5.06m in the Long Jump to win the competition whilst bottom of age U13 Codie Dewhurst had his first effort at the event and cleared 3.00m (16th) and U17 Chloe Bleeks set a new PB of 4.43 in her long Jump (6th). In the High Jump Jamie Teare cleared 1.50m in the U15’s for 4th spot, brother Rory Teare cleared 1.30m in the U13’s whilst Emma Love set a new PB of 1.33m – equaling the U13 Club Record – when she won the U13 High Jump. Holly Crook (4th) with a clearance of 1.20m and Abigail Stratton (9th) clearing 1.00m also tried there hand at the High Jump for the first time.
In the Senior Men’s Sprints Dominic Bretherton ran 11.5 in the 100m (3rd) and 23.90 in the 200m with Paul Coffey running 11.80 in the 100m and 25.30 in the 200m. Daniel Hamilton in his first ever competitive race ran 13.30 (5th) in the 100m whilst V50 Tony Balko powered his way to a 13.90 clocking.
Bottom of age U17 Ben Whittaker had a good day setting two news PB’s, firstly in the 100m with 12.50 (5th) which was three tenths quicker than his previous best and taking 4th spot in the 200m (25.90) four tenths faster than his previous outdoor time. U15 Jonathan Gough destroyed his 100m PB when finishing 4th in 12.80, his previous best being 14.60. U15 Ben Branton decided to have a go at the Sprints which was his first ever race on the Track – Ben had a good start to take 5th spot in 14.20 and in the 200m George Whittaker posted a time of 29.40 in 6th place.
There were also new PB’s for both U13’s Rory Teare who ran 30.80 (5th) in the 200m and Kyle Taylor-Pomfret winning the second Heat in a time of 32.00. Joe Sims had a go at his first ever track race in the U13 Boys 100m and ran 18.70, later taking on the 1500m running a time of 5.59.30 which wasn’t bad for a young lad – bottom of age – who had never done the events before. In the U13 Girls Leah Hoole decided to have a go at the 100m and set a new PB by four tenths running 15.50 (6th) in Heat One as did Abigail Stratton in her Heat cutting half a second off her previous best when she placed 3rd in 15.30 whilst in Heat 4, Holly Crook ran her first ever track race in the 100m coming home in 5th place (16.00). In the U13 200m Keira Haxton in her first ever track race ran 34.20 (7th), Hannah Eccles, also in her first ever track competition posted a time of 32.50 and Paige Singleton who hadn’t run a 200m previously set a time of 37.60 in 7th spot.
On to the U15 Sprints which saw Bailey Madden cut four tenths off her 100m time for a new PB of 13.50 (3rd) and took 2nd position in the 200m (28.20). Myah Booth also set a new 100m PB shaving three tenths off her previous time for a new PB of 13.80 (3rd) followed by another new 100m PB for Christie Sturgess with a time of 14.20 (4th), down by a tenth and a new PB for Liberty Thompson cutting three tenths off her 100m time for a new PB of 14.90 (4th), following that up with 32.30 in the 200m (4th). U17 Emily Warren ran two second placed races, firstly in the 100m with 13.40 and then in the 200m with 28.10. There was also a new PB for Chloe Bleeks in the 100m (13.50) in 4th spot and then a 3rd place in the 200m with a time of 28.70.
Eleesha Charnley and Sophie Stanworth tackled the 300m for the first time with Eleesha posting a time of 46.00 (2nd ) and Sophie 47.70 for 5th place. Both were back in action in the 800m which saw both girls set new PB’s. Firstly Sophie had a great battle with Abigail Earnshaw to edge her out and win the race, cutting 16 seconds off her previous best in a time of 2.27.30. Eleesha came home in 3rd place, two seconds faster than she had run before in 2.30.30 for another new PB. Maia Bowman ran 3.14.20 (16th) and Ella Hardman 3.21.50 in 17th place.
In the U17 Women’s 800m it was a repeat with a hell of a tussle between Maddie Elliott (2nd) in 2.22.40 and Lydia Wilcox who won the Race. In her first ever 800m Race, Freya Black ran well in 4th place to set a time of 2.37.90.
Good battles all the way in the Middle Distance events and none more so than in the U15 Girls 1500m which saw Amy Davies just get pipped on the line (2nd) in a time 5.15.80 by Annie Duffy. U13 Leah Hoole was another who had a great run in the 800m setting a new PB of 2.36.80 to place 2nd over four seconds faster than her previous best. Hannah Eccles who is new to Track racing finished really well to place 6th in 2.50.7 with Molly Nicholls in 10th (2.53.20) which was her first ever 800m race as it was for Keira Haxton who finished 15th in 3.01.20. Just one athlete in the 3000m which saw a distance debut for Isabel Hartley who came home in 6th place with a time of 12.32.70.
The U13 Boys 800m produced a cracking race too between James Bowman (Kendal) and Dexta Thompson. Dexta’s previous 800m PB was 2.43.3 and his recent 1500m PB’s showed that he his in good form. Just four tenths of a second separated the two lads at the end with Dexta setting a new PB of 2.26.90 – over 16 seconds better than his previous best – to finish 2nd. A good day and a very good run also for U15 Jamie Teare who won the 1500m in a new PB time of 4.38.40. The new PB’s were flying in and there was another in the U13 Girls for Hollie Cubbon who chopped over five seconds off her previous best with a 2nd placed new PB time of 5.26.60 and she was followed by another big new PB for Abigail Stratton in 3rd with 5.28.20, some 13 seconds faster than her best to-date. It was a track debut over 1500m for Holly Crook placing 5th in 5.49.7 as it was for sisters Paige Singleton – 7th in 6.02.20 and Ellie Singleton – 8th in 6.06.80. Final new PB of the day for the Middle Distance athletes came for George Whittaker who really deserves his new best time of 2.34.50 in the U15 Boys 800m – a new PB by seventeen seconds.
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