A battling team display by the National Junior League squad just fell short of winning promotion to the Southern Premiership, as the squad ended third in the Promotion Final at Hendon on Sunday.
The meeting quickly settled down into a three way-fight for the two promotion places between The Saxons (Chelmsford & Ipswich), Basildon Beagles (Newham & Essex Beagles and Basildon combined) and the Havering Mayesbrook outfit who flirted with the lead on occasions. But despite the men finishing runners up and the women third, crucially both trailed Beagles while the powerful Saxons' women's squad's huge points tally more than made up for their men's weak showing to give them overall victory and regain their Premiership place.
Richard Morrissey, in his final club appearance as an U20, did everything he could to bring the team promotion. He opened up with victory in the 100m, in a season's best and then took 400m honours in a race delayed by monsoon conditions which held up proceedings as the athletes were on their marks. The GB U20 international was unable to make it a hat-trick in the 200m despite dipping below 22 seconds for the first time as Beagles' 21.4s performer Rashid Kokoza led him home. Richard tackled both relays too.
Isaac Ogunlade finally nailed the club 110m hurdles record as he clocked 14.53s with legal wind to break Leo Barker's 13 year-old club best. However, he faded in the 400m hurdles event after a blistering start into the strong wind and finished second. Both his hurdles partners won their B string events. Adam McCarthy powered home in the 400m race and Jack Edgar-Hill saw off the challenge of former English Schools' champion Emmanuel Okpokiri in the 110m event. Jack was also third in B high jump & 100m competitions.
The men gained two other wins. Lewis Williams threw the hammer beyond 40m for only the second time to win the B event, as ring-rusty Bradley Reece, in his first competition for two months, had to settle for second in the A. In the shot Emmanuel Quarshie won the B event after Laurence Goodacre for once got the upper hand, and took A string third place. Laurence also threw a PB for discus runner up and was second in the B javelin. Brad Burr was third in the high standard A string javelin, and added good points for equal second in the B pole vault and fourth in the high jump.
Hoseah Gikungu and Callum Sutton were both second in the 3000m and Callum was also fifth in the 1500m. Massi Dendani had a busy afternoon with fourth place points in both 400m B & 1500m after being impeded in a tactical 800m event. Jamie Buckley-Stanton was fourth in the 'chase and fifth in the B 800m, and Adam Wileman added two more fourth places in both triple jump and 'chase. Andrew Kerr filled in for fourth in the B discus after fifth in his pole vault speciality. Terry Hughes was fourth in both the B long and triple jumps.
To round off the day Terry, Isaac, Jack and Richard were second in the sprint relay, before Adam McCarthy, Isaac, Massi and Richard again, in his fifth race of the day, were third in the 4x400m relay.
The ladies did well to finish third despite not being at full strength. Kike Oniwinde provided the only A string victory. Just twenty-four hours after extending her club record at the same venue she came out on top claiming a notable scalp in beating Freya Jones, who recently broke the UK U17 record and had just returned from the Youth Olympics in Singapore.
The hurdles events provided a good crop of points and the only track victory as Nicola Peachey won the 100m hurdles B race. Nicola had earlier placed second in the 400m hurdles and fourth in the long jump. Flic Clarke was second in the A 400m hurdles, and fourth in both 200m & 100m hurdles B races, and fifth in the high jump.
More good track points came from Ingrid Deane and Patsy McWeeney who doubled in the 1500m & 3000m, with Ingrid earning two thirds in the A event and Patsy third (1500m) and second (3000m) in the B.
Ellie Watson earned two third places in long & triple jumps and was seventh in the high jump, while Shannon Sullivan was third in the B triple jump after scoring in both 800m & 400m. Another third place came from Debbie Knight in the B javelin, after fifth & sixth in the sprints, while injured hurdler Holly Thomas rallied to the cause to earn third place in the B discus. Katherine Knight covered shot, discus and hammer with a return of fourth, fifth and seventh places and Rachel Kerr added more important points in 100m and 400m.
Both ladies relay teams were sixth as Rachel, Flic, Nicola and Debbie made up the 4x100m quartet and Ingrid, Shannon, Patsy and Rachel carried the baton round in the 4x400m event
But at the end of the day the club had to settle for third place, 24 points short of promotion so will again contest the Thames Division in 2011.
