A warm day with really good conditions for endurance running yesterday at Sutton Park for this years National 6 & 4 Stage Road Relays and the National Yoiung Athletes Road Relays featuring 52 x U13 Boys teams, 49 x U13 Girls, 66 x U15 Boys, 64 x U15 Girls, 59 x U17 M, 46 x U17W, 74 x SenM and 71 x SenW – well over 1500 athletes. Add supporters, coaches, families and it made for a great atmosphere.
First up for Blackburn Harriers were our U15 Boys – Oliver Gill, Samuel Aspey and Matthew Smith. Having finished 5th in the Northern Road Relay Championships two weeks prior, the lads did themselves really proud by finishing 5th in the Nationals which was a great performance. Oliver set the tone on the first Leg clocking 12.44 in 4th spot – the 10th fastest Leg of the day overall – handing over to Sam who picked up a place to bring the team up to 3rd spot with a time of 12.47 – the 3rd fastest time on the Leg. Matthew then ran strong to hold on to a final position of 5th with his time of 13.10.
L-R Oliver Gill – Sam Aspey – Matthew Smith
Oliver Gill
Sam Aspey
Matthew Smith (C111)
Isabel Holt, Evie Taylor and Keira Haxton were the Harriers team in the U17 Women’s race who had been unable to compete at the Northerns after finishing first Lancashire Club and 4th overall at the North West Road Relays where they were given the exact same time as the Bronze Medal winners. Isabel got them off to a great start with a time of 13.34 and 7th which was also the 10th fastest Leg of the day overall. Evie went on Leg 2 making her debut both at the venue and in a National championships ran well to come home in 11th place with her time of 15.05, Handing over to Keira on the final Leg who maintained that position overall of 11th with another strong run clocking 15.01.
Isabel Holt (507)
Evie Taylor (B507)
Keira Haxton (C507)
Abigail Stratton, Jess Judd, Amy Davies and Eleesha Charnley were the four athletes in the Senior Women’s 4-Stage which saw Abigail lead off on Leg 1 finishing in 29th spot among a bunch of athletes with just 6 seconds separating seven places. On Leg 2 for the Club was Jess who had a great run coming home in 3rd place with the fastest time on the Leg and the third fastest time of the day – pulling back a massive 26 pleaces. Amy took over from Jess on the next Leg and ran solidly to hold on to 12th place with a time of 16.28 passing on to Eleesha on the final Leg who ran a time of 15.51 to bring the team home into 16th place overall.
L-R Eleesha Charnley – Abigail Stratton – Amy Davies – Jess Judd
Abigail Stratton (A113)
Amy Davies
Eleesha Charnley
Two Blackburn Harriers teams went in the Men’s 6-Stage Race after both qualified from the Northern Championships at Sportscity – the A team winning the Bronze Medal in 3rd spot behind Hallamshire and Leeds. The team in Leg order was Daniel Bebbington, Luke Betts, David Holman who stepped into the A Team at the last minute, Josh Birmingham, Ben Fish and Callum Davidson. Our B team consisted of Stephen Walter, Nick Gaskell, Chris Davies, Sam Hodkinson, Tom Blaney and Matt Nuttall.
Senior Men’s Team Manager – Karl Billington – was pleased with the days outcome telling us that it was a “Really good day out for the club, great to come away with another club best performance and plenty more to come from us.“
Leg 1 saw Daniel Bebbingon posting the fastest time for the Harriers on the day with a great time of 17.39, coming home in 19th place to hand over to Luke Betts clocking 18.09 in 24th spot. David Holman took over on Leg 3 ending his Leg in 30th spot in 19.03 and passed on to Josh Birmingham who pulled back 5 places to end his Leg with a time of 18.12 in 25th position, Ben Fish clawed back another four places on Leg 5 to bring the team up to 21st with a time of 18.04 and 10th fastest time of the Leg. Callum Davidson pulled back another 5 places on Leg 6 to bring the team up to 16th position overall running 18.05. The B Team finished in 68th spot with pretty consistent running – Stephen Walter running 19.56 and the second fastest for the team on the first Leg: Nick Gaskell clocking the fastest time on Leg 2 with 19.50; Chris Davies running 20.19 (Leg 3); Sam Hodkinson 20.45 (Leg 4); Tom Blaney running the same time as Chris on Leg 5 (20.19) and Matt Nuttall with 20.46 on Leg 6.
Daniel Bebbington (A11)
Luke Betts
David Holman
Joshua Birmingham
Ben Fish
Callum Davidson
Stephen Walter
Nick Gaskell
Sam Hodkinson
Tom Blaney
Matt Nuttall
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The Indoor season got off to a start at the weekend at the EIS Stadium in Sheffield with a few of the Harriers going over, competing in 800 and 1500m races at the Yorkshire County Athletics Association organised track & field fixture on Sunday October 9th. Three athletes from the Club took part – Dexta Thompson and Hayden Mercer in the 800m and Daniel Smith in the 1500m. U20’s Dexta and Hayden’s race featured seven athletes from Vale Royal, Kettering, Sheffield and Dearne, Lincoln Wellington, Blackburn and Doncaster. In only his second ever indoor race, Dexta won in a time of 1.55.93 – just 7 tenths outside his personal best which was run outdoors. Hayden came home with a time of 2.10.00 in 6th spot. U17 Daniel ran indoors for the very first time – taking on the 1500m against athletes from Stoke, Leeds, Sheffield and Worksop – winning the race in 4.23.69.
(Dexta’s & Hayden’s Race Video)
