Essex
Schools
Championships
-
Southend,
Saturday
11th
June
2005
Club athletes reaped a rich harvest in the Essex
Schools Champs at Southend on Saturday collecting nine golds and at least six other medals.
| The Intermediate
boys led the way with five medals - three gold and two silver. Ross Clarke
was forced to make the pace in the longest track event, the 3000m and was
unable to shrug off the dogged challenge of Castle Point's Ben Hunter who
attacked on the final circuit and seemed set for victory. But Ross
responded superbly and in the final 100m established a winning lead.
His winning time of 8m 55.4s was just outside his recent club record and
should be good enough to win Essex team selection for the English Schools
Championships in four weeks.
Another competitive race came in the Inter
Boys 100m hurdles where training partners Richard Demko, representing
Havering, and Anthony Williams, in the green vest of Thurrock went head to
head. Both won their heats, with Anthony the faster and in the final there
was nothing to separate them throughout until the last barrier which they
crossed together. Richard came off the hurdle better and his superior flat
speed gave him the edge as he won gold in a new PB of 14.2s, with Anthony
a fraction behind. |
|
Eugene Ayanful was the third to
claim victory in this age group. He was a comfortable heat winner, clocking the
fastest time of the eight qualifiers and came through powerfully in the final to
put daylight between himself and the rest of the field, and having the time to
raise his fist in triumph as he crossed the line well clear. A fourth gold medal
did not materialise as Bonne Buwembo had an off day failed to reach his usual
distances in the javelin, finishing second. Matt Watkins and Paul Adair ran well
in the middle distance events in this age group, both finishing fifth in the
1500m and 800m respectively.
The powerful junior girls also
contributed three golds & a silver to the tally for club athletes. South of
England high jump champion Bethan Siddons booked her spot for the national
Schools' event but not before a fright. She had been told that her event started
at 11.15am and had not boarded the first coaches to leave. But she discovered on
the coach that her event in fact started two hours earlier at 9.15am and by the
time the late running coach she was on arrived at Southend the competition was
in full flow. Entering the competition when only a handful of girls were still
jumping Bethan soon got into her stride and was eventually a comfortable winner
with a clearance at the national standard on 1.61m which will virtually
guarantee Schools' selection.
Nicola Hill improved her best time
without wind assistance in the 75m hurdles with a classy heat win in 11.7s but
was disappointed to run a tenth slower when winning old a few hours later and
must now sweat on the selectors' verdict. Another junior girl to run faster in
heat than final was Frankie Calder who powered to 200m victory in 26.3s, after
running two-tenths faster when winning her heat.
Another junior girl to mount the
medal podium was Catrina McAuliffe who was selected by Mid-Essex for the discus,
rather than her preferred hurdles event. She rose to the challenge admirably,
improving her PB three times to finish third & winning bronze. Ingrid Deane
put up a good defence of her junior girls' 800m title but was run out of it in
the last 200m, finishing fourth. Emma Fox in contrast started cautiously
in the 1500m and came through late on for fifth.
The Intermediate Girls won three
medals, although junior international Lucy Sargent gave the occasion a miss, as
she was competing in the Bedford International Games the next day. Katie
Richardson was an untroubled winner in the 1500m but was unhappy about her time,
although earlier performances inside the national standard should ensure her
selection for the national event. The second gold went to Lauren Clark who was
also well ahead of the field in the 300m, coming home in a new PB of 42.7s.
Lisa Schofield also seemed to be on
her way to gold after leading her arch-rival Nicola Gaisford at half way but she
hit the fifth hurdle and lost her rhythm and had to settle for silver.
The junior boys also gained three medals. Matt Bloy
was always the favourite in the 800m after his South of England victory and he
made no mistake with a powerful run for home. completed the medal roll with an 800m victory. Behind
him Grant Twist ran well to win bronze, and in the 1500m Steve McLachlan also
came through for bronze.
With the Essex team restricted to
just 60 places competition for places is always fierce and many athletes who
reach the challenging entry standard will be unlucky.
Known
-results
- please advise any others
- particularly field events!
|
Junior
Girls
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 200m |
Frankie Calder |
1st |
26.3 secs |
|
(Heat: 26.1 secs) |
|
|
Rachel Kerr |
? |
? |
|
(Heat: 28.3 secs) |
|
| 800m |
Ingrid Deane |
4th |
2m ??.? secs |
|
(Heat: 2m 26.8s) |
|
|
Georgia Davies |
?8th |
|
|
(Heat: 2m 29.6s) |
|
|
| 1500m |
Emma Fox |
5th |
5m 13.3s
|
|
|
|
|
| 75m hurdles |
Nicola Hill |
1st |
11.8 secs |
|
(Heat: 11.7 secs legal
PB) |
|
| Discus |
Catrina McAuliffe |
3rd |
25.97m PB |
|
|
|
| High Jump |
Bethan Siddons |
1st |
1.61m |
|
|
|
| Javelin |
Georgie-Lou Sales |
5th? |
20.20m ? |
|
|
|
|
Inter
Girls |
|
|
|
|
|
| 300m |
Lauren Clark |
1st |
42.7 PB
|
|
(Heat 43.3s) |
|
| 800m |
Charlotte Humpheryes |
5th |
2m 30.0s
|
|
|
|
|
| 1500m |
Katie Richardson |
1st |
4m 47.4 secs
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clare Robinson |
7th |
5m 17.3 secs |
|
|
|
|
| 80m H |
Lisa Schofield |
2nd
|
11.9 secs
|
|
(Heat: 11.9s) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Junior
Boys |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 800m |
Matt Bloy |
1st |
2m 03.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grant Twist |
3rd |
2m 11.5 secs |
|
|
|
|
| 1500m |
Steve McLachlan |
3rd |
4m 32.6 secs |
|
|
|
|
|
Inter
Boys |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 100m |
Eugene Ayanful |
1st |
11.4 secs |
|
|
|
|
| 800m |
Paul Adair |
5th |
2m ???
|
|
(Heat: 2m 7.2s) |
|
|
| 1500m |
Matthew Watkins |
5th |
4m 20.0s
|
|
|
|
|
| 3000m |
Ross Clarke |
1st |
8m 55.4 secs |
|
|
|
|
| 100m hurdles |
Richard Demko |
1st |
14.2 secs (PB) |
|
|
|
|
|
Anthony Williams |
2nd |
14.3 secs
|
|
(Heat 14.3 secs) |
|
|
| Javelin |
Bonne Buwembo |
2nd |
??
|
|
|
|
|
| High Jump |
Nat Senior |
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Known
-results
- please advise any others
- particularly field events!
