Upper YDL Round 3 - 2/7/23
04 July 2023
ON ROUTE TO RUGBY!!
In the last round of the Upper Age Group YDL, Cheltenham & County Harriers travelled to a windy Aberdare. This match was to decide which teams progressed to the Regional Finals at the end of the month, and with 8 points in the bag we were looking strong.
The ESAA Nationals on the same weekend and a few injuries meant our team was depleted, with just 6 Under 17 men and no U20 women, so we needed everyone to pull together to ensure we progressed.
Once again they did, with several athletes bagging maximum events and achieving some fantastic PBs.
On the track 3 of the men secured double PBs in the 100m & 200m; Pablo Cox-Sonora with 11:29 / 23:56; Harry Vale with 12:12 / 25:53 and Barney Shaw with 11:95 / 23:79. Max Lancett also enjoyed a double PB in the 200m (24:84) and 400m (56:56). This, despite arriving just 5 minutes before his first event due to road closures en-route, so definitely more to come there! Joseph Smithsecured 2nd place and a PB in the 800m of 2:30:38.
In the women's track events, Ilsa Tomkins ran a 100m PB of 14:45 and Ellis Woolley secured a photo-finish win and 43:79 PB in the 300m. Abi Thornley ran a secure 400m to claim another PB in the U20 race with 67:89 and Amelie Paul finished 2nd with a 5:35:59 PB in the 1500.
The girls also pulled ranks to put together a 4x400m team - which won!
Over in the field the wind was challenging us but that didn't stop Mark Nasilasila earning 2 PBs - 9.05 in the Shot and 26.71 in the discus, with Billy Buxton winning his Discus comfortably in 34.09. Zoe Arrenberg & Skyla Turbard came up trumps in the discus too, with 15.02 and 15.01 - both PBs - and Kate Mills threw a javelin PB of 19.91.
Finally, in the jumps Ben Meech jumped a 10cm PB of 1.50m in the High Jump, James Pound jumped a great maiden Triple Jump of 10.27m and Isobel Burfitt equalled her PB with 8.48m in the same event.
Disappointingly the Pole Vault was cancelled mid-event due to the unforgiving wind landing a few vaulters on the bed, and there was a late decision to cancel the Steeplechase on account of a water leak (!!). These events would have scored highly for us, but - undeterred - 4 of those athletes jumped into the 800 to score some extra points.
With a great team spirit once again, a constantly evolving team sheet and a full team of officials - overall we finished 3rd on the day and comfortably 2nd in the league, qualifying for the Regional Finals in Rugby on 30 July.
A brilliant result and a massive THANK YOU to every single one of you, it was such an enjoyable day. :-)
