Senior League - 17/07

25 July 2022

The 3rd Midland League of the season took place in Yate last weekend with a team focused on staying on the path to promotion.

One athlete who has continued to impress this year is Brendon Chirisah, new to the sport he continues to get faster and faster clocking his first ever sub 11 100m in Yate with a time of 10.91 for 2nd in the A race, the quickest time by a Harrier since 2016. Alastair Klemz took the win in the B race in a time of 11.27 and then placed 4th in the A 200m in 23.70. In the B 200m Ralph Nicklin ran 24.34 for 2nd, he also ran a 100m PB in the non-scoring race of 11.63. Two other Harriers competed in the non-scoring 100m, Pablo Cox-Sonora ran a PB of 11.85 and Harry Boswell ran 12.10 and 24.70 in the 200m. M50 Michael Gardiner took to the track to compete in the A 400m, a good run saw Gardiner finish 4th A in 56.43. Jamie Bell competed in the B 400m running 69.82 for 4th. Bell later competed over his more preferred distance, the 3000m, where he ran 10:26.99 for 5th A. Matt Evans competed in the B 3000m running 11:05.26 for 2nd. Evans had a busy day, doing a huge amount for the club, he also competed in the 2000m steeplechase coming 2nd B in 8:27.40, 110m hurdles winning the B race in 27.82 and 400m hurdles where he placed 4th A in 96.58.

Harrison Miles completed the 800m/1500m double placing 6th A in the 800m in 2:12.58 and 3rd B in the 1500m in 4:48.60. Andrew Kaighin was 5th B in the 800m in 2:48.11. Isaac Henderson was a phenomenal winner of the men’s A 1500m, the U17 athlete fresh off a big 3000m PB at English Schools Champs timed his kick perfectly to pull clear of his older rivals. Henderson’s time of 4:08.42 knocked 12 seconds off his previous PB. 

Bexley Turbard has taken to steeplechase with ease this season and looked strong over the 2000m distance in Yate. Turbard finished 3rd A in 7:29.69. On the field Turbard also won the A pole vault with a best of 3.30. 

Sulaiman Ouiles had a successful day with PBs in three events. Ouiles began by winning the A 110m hurdles in 17.04, he then placed 4th in the A triple jump with 11.36 and ended with 3rd in the A high jump adding 9cm to his PB with a clearance of 1.80. Barnabas Shaw made his senior league debut with a best of 5.49 in the long jump for 5th A. 

Tom Samuel and Mike Curneen competed in all four throwing events, scoring valuable points for the team throughout. Samuel was 3rd A in the shot put with 9.12, 2nd B in the javelin with 21.22, 5th A in the hammer with 19.57 and 5th A in the discus with 17.03. Curneen was 3rd B in the shot with 9.05, 5th A in the javelin with 32.80, 3rd B in the hammer with 14.17 and 5th B in the discus with 14.57.

In the women’s events U17 Jess Duncton impressed, pulling away from the field in both the 100m and 200m, achieving A string victories in both events as well as the long jump. In the 100m Duncton ran 12.02 a PB by 0.28 seconds and in the 200m Duncton ran 24.71 her 2nd fastest time ever. Her best of 5.33 in the long jump was also far further than any jump she had managed before the 2022 season. 

Zoe Thorogood ran a PB in the non-scoring 100m, clocking a time of 13.91. In the B 200m Lydia Baldwin was just 0.04 shy of her PB taking 1st in 27.62. Baldwin then made her 400m hurdles debut, a tough event for an U17 to take part in, running 73.57 for 1st B. Abigail Williams' time of 69.45 won her the A race by over 6 seconds. Rebecca Hoadley took victory in the 400m in a similar style, 5 seconds clear of 2nd place Hoadley won the A race in 58.21. Nitara Jose, competing in 400m for the first time in just her 2nd ever event, won the B race in 74.77.

Jo Wilkie and Ella Burfitt made up the senior women distance team. Burfitt competed in the 1500m coming in 3rd A in 5:04.23 and Wilkie was 3rd B in 6:11.42. Wilkie then competed in the 3000m as well, running 13:20.07 for 3rd A. 

On the field our Jodie Burnett-Hockey competed in the long jump and high jump. In the long jump Burnett-Hockey jumped a best of 4.24 for 3rd B and in the high jump she cleared a best of 1.40 for 3rd A. Annabel Moloney is beginning to achieve some consistency over 12metres as the season progresses, in Yate Moloney threw a best of 12.30 winning the A event by close to 2 metres. Moloney also threw 30.14 for 2nd in the B hammer. Mimi Davies impressed in the javelin throwing a PB of 41.04 to win the A event and moving her up to 12th in the UK U20 rankings. Ruth Bird was the winner in the B shot put with 8.01, 2nd in the A hammer with 30.79 and 3rd in the A discus with 22.04. Bird also competed in the non-scoring javelin with a best of 23.88. Linsey Hutchins threw 18.37 for 3rd B in the javelin and 14.67 for 6th in the A discus. Hutchins then competed in the non-scoring hammer and shot put, throwing 17.93 and 6.16 respectively. Cicely Courtenay Moore competed in the non-scoring javelin and shot put with bests of 19.93 and 6.56. 

In the relays the women’s 4x100m team of Hoadley, Baldwin, Duncton and Lily Marchant showed they were a class apart, winning by 4 seconds in a time of 50.76. The 4x400m team was 2nd in 4:31.53. The men’s 4x100m team also ran well coming 2nd in 46.67 thanks to the efforts of Boswell, Nicklin, Klemz and Chirisah. The 4x400m team of Gardiner, Bell, Lancett and Kaighin were 5th in 4:22.31

Overall the team finished in 2nd place, keeping them on course to promotion with just one fixture left to go.