Senior men also claim East Midlands Grand Prix crown with two races remaining
Rugby & Northampton’s youngsters maintained their unbeaten streak in the UK Youth Development League with a winning performance in Loughborough, while the senior men clinched the East Midlands Grand Prix title in another successful week for the club.
Abigail Ward was the star of the show for the under-13 girls, moving to the top of the UK rankings for her age group in the javelin. Ward threw a phenomenal distance of 31 metres and 80 centimetres, securing victory and setting a new club record.
The success of the girls didn’t end there though, with a number of wins and personal bests recorded as the club earned a 29-point triumph over hosts Charnwood.
Continuing the glory in the field events were Maia Reynolds and Fenella Downes, who grabbed respective success in the shot put and the high jump. Both competing for the ‘A’ string, Reynolds’ effort of 7.46m was 83cm ahead of her nearest competitor, while Fenella Downes sprung a personal-best 1.38m to take the honours.
For the ‘B’ string, there were wins for Ella and Millie Watford, Amelia Tutt and Jessica Roberts. Ella secured first in the high jump by clearing 1.30m, while Millie grabbed glory with a distance of 3.93m in the long jump. Tutt (7.16m) and Roberts (17.83) added to the honours with victory in the shot put and javelin respectively.
Tutt was also in good form on the track, crossing the line with a PB of 11.65 seconds to finish first in the 75-metre hurdles, with Holly Walker triumphing in the 800m courtesy of a time of 2:33.41 – also a substantial PB. Another record-breaking run came from Eloise Nowill, who set a PB of 20.01 on her way to 150m victory.
The winning trend continued with Lucy Laight recording her fastest time (44.09) over 300m, and Abigail Pearce and Lily May Pursey also triumphing. Pearce was victorious in the javelin (27.97m), while Pursey grabbed first in the shot put with a distance of 8.98m.
The under-15 boys were also in a winning mood, with ‘A’ string athlete Oliver Lambert setting the tone in the 80m hurdles by crossing the line first in 11.27, before securing another podium position after notching third in the 100-metre sprint (11.6). Adam Searle and Joe Musgrove also took track triumphs with wins in the 1500 and 800 metres respectively. Searle’s time of 4:20.25 earned him a comfortable victory, while a PB of 2:05.23 for Musgrove ensured he finished clear of the chasing pack.
Sam Tutt added sprint successes for the ‘B’ string, winning both the 100m (11.87) and the 80m hurdles (11.5). Tutt wasn’t finished there, also claiming victory in the ‘A’ shot put, launching a distance of 10.88m. Thomas Ball joined Tutt with two honours, sending the hammer 30.85m and the discus a PB of 24.61 to take ‘B’ string victories.
James Ball added another first place, this time in the ‘A’ hammer with a throw of 32.72m, prior to finishing second in the discus after throwing 31.75m – a personal best – while William Ballinger ended ahead of the pack in the ‘B’ shot put with an effort of 9.37m, and he added a second place in the ‘A’ javelin with 39.37m. Jack Carey rounded off the day with another victory; clearing 2.60m in the pole vault.
Elsewhere, the senior men claimed the East Midlands Grand Prix crown with two races remaining following their latest success in Harborough last Tuesday.
Daniel Mould climbed to the top of the senior rankings after another fine display – his time of 28:04 was enough for seventh place, and his fifth top-10 finish of the series makes him the first R&N athlete in 12 years to top the individual standings. Mould was followed home by Stephen Marks (11th – 28:18) and John Gercs (13th – 28:37), before Mike Andrews sealed the title with a 28th-placed time of 29:53, an effort which saw him cross as the quickest in the M40 category.
Mould’s father, Alan, ensured a good night for the family by securing his maiden victory for the club, winning the M55 section in 32:58, and Laurence Scott completed the five-mile course in 33:33 to hand the veteran team third place on the night to take them level with Wootton Road Runners at the summit of the standings.
In the ladies’ section, Vicky Nealon’s first appearance of the season was a successful one as she took seventh place in 34:07, and Angela Copson finished ninth, crossing the line just eight seconds later – the quickest competitor in the F65 age group.
