National Young Athletes’ Girls' League, National Final, Birmingham, 1^st September 2002  

Havering Mayesbrook’s Under 17 girls team brought back a 19 medal haul, 10 of them gold, from the National Young Athletes’ Final at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium on Sunday.  The team’s sixth place finish was one place better than their debut placing on the national stage in the same event last year.

The under 17 age group contributed eight medals, four if them gold.  Mel Harrison and Lynsey Clark finished one and two in the discus, each striking gold in the A & B stream competitions. Lynsey took the lead in the second round but Mel bounced back with her third and final throw to claim the overall honours. Both later returned to take two more podium places and Mel took bronze in the A shot, while Lynsey won the B shot bronze.

There was another medals double in the u17 high jump. Katie O’Sullivan cleared 1.60m to claim silver, losing out on count back as the winner cleared the same height on the first attempt to Katie’s second attempt clearance. Katie almost snatched gold when she seemed to go clear at her second attempt at a new PB of 1.63m before the bar fell off after she’d landed. Sara Luck’s 1.55m clearance was good enough for B string gold.

On the track Claire Sargent improved one place on last year’s runners up spot to come home in front for 80m hurdles gold in a fast 11.85 secs. The eighth medal in this age group went to Carmel Munson with her third place finish for bronze in the 3000m B event.

In the under 15 category there were also eight medals, three gold, three silver and two bronze. Megan Foley and Katie Richardson made it double gold in the 1500m with a one-two finish in the combined A & B string race.  Megan showed no ill effects from her holiday, tracking the leaders before unleashing a tremendous kick on the last lap to take her almost ten seconds clear, while Katie, returning after injury, came from way back to place second overall, to take B string gold.

There was another double medal tally in the high jumper.  Hurdles specialist Chloe van Wulven turned in a stunning performance in her second string event, the high jump, to clear a new PB and club record of 1.60m to take gold, breaking the previous record set in 1984, three years before she was born. For good measure Helen McDonnell took B string silver. Lucy Sargent and Cherelle Westlake both claimed B string sprint silver medals in the 100m and 200m respectively, while track B string bronzes went to Carley Mottram (800m) and Lisa Schofield (75m hurdles).

Sprint find Natasha White excelled on the national stage with double gold in the under 13 age group. The novice – who uses a standing start as she has yet to learn a sprint start – scorched to a three-tenths victory in the 75m event before recording a win in the 150m event by a massive seven-tenths margin. The third under 13 medal went to high jumper Bethan Siddons whose 1.35m clearance placed her equal first for gold.

Final result:

National Young Athletes’ Girls' League, National Final, Birmingham, 1^st September 2002  

UNDER 17
Caroline Smith - 300m hurdles	Laura Jones & Robyn Matson in parade
Claire Sargent - 80m hurdles gold	Katie O'Sullivan - high jump silver
Katie O'Sullivan - high jump	Sara Luck - high jump B gold
Sara Luck - 800m	Caroline Smith (left) - 800m B
Lynsey Clark & Mel Harrison, discus golds	Danielle Ross, Caroline Smith & Ria Lyons
Carmel Munson, 3000m	Laura Moore, 3000m
UNDER 15
Carley Mottram - 800m	Lucy Sargent - 100m
Chloe van Wulven	Chloe van Wulven & Lisa Schofield
Lisa Schofield (left)
UNDER 13
Alex Watkins - 800m	Amie Adams - 800m
Natasha White - 75m gold	Natasha White - 75m & 150m golds