Trio win gold as club top the league’s final event
A series of stellar performances saw Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club win the final round of the Heart of England Athletics League – with the under-11 girls almost bagging a complete clean sweep of event victories.
Zoe Gardner, Claudia Searle and Megan Burge were the multiple gold medal winners to take their age group to a resounding team triumph at Saturday’s Division One event in Banbury.
Gardner won the 600m B race in 2:00.2, long jump A with a distance of 3.71m and the howler event with 27.25m. Searle triumphed in 600m A by running a time of 1:58.7 while Burge won howler B with 25.30m, long jump B with 3.7m and 75m A in 11.3.
The only event that the under-11s didn’t win was the 75m B race but they still picked up third place thanks to Meghan Lawes’ time of 12 seconds.
R&N’s under-13 girls were also team winners thanks to several outstanding personal displays that included a number of personal-best results.
Amelia Tutt smashed her previous individual record with 6.79m to finish third in shot put A while Victoria Merrey posted her new best to win the B throw with 5.96m. Also breaking new ground for themselves were Mary Beetham-Green (first in 100m B, 14.0) and Iola Grant (third in long jump B, 3.88m).
There were club competition debuts for twin sisters Sophia and Anna Ivanova, with Sophia winning javelin B (17.12m) and Anna coming second in the high jump (1.30m).
R&N’s other points for the under-13 girls team came from Holly Walker (third in 1500m A, 5:28.7), Zoe Mortling (second in 1500m B, 5:41.6), Fenella Downes (fourth in 70m hurdles A, 13.8; sixth in 200m A, 30.9), Iola Grant (second in 70m hurdles B, 14.2), Abigail Ward (third in 800m A, 2:42.3; third in javelin A, 19.33m), Alice Jackson (third in 800m B, 2:45.7), Adele Blenkinsop (second in 100m A, 14.1), Sophie Ivanova (sixth in long jump A, 3.89m), Mary Beetham-Green (fifth in 200m B, 30.5), and the 4x100m relay team of Merrey, Tutt, Grant and Blenkinsop who finished fifth in 59.3.
The club’s under-15 girls came fourth in their standings with Amy Walker, Olivia White and Alice Grocott providing the individual highlights. Walker and White made it a double in the 1500m A and B races respectively with their times of 5:06.8 and 5:11.3, while Grocott won 100m B in 13.7.
Other points for the team were scored by Anousha Salehi (fifth in 75m hurdles A, 13.2), Ellie Cox (second in 75m B, 13.5), Lucy Laight (seventh in high jump, 1.10m; fourth in javelin A, 17.89m), Alice Grocott (fifth in long jump A, 4.05m; fourth in 300m A, 44.1), Freya Cole (sixth in long jump B, 3.53m; fifth in javelin B, 12.85m; fifth in shot put B, 6.54m), Phoenix Hitchcock (fifth in 800m B, 2:50.7; second in 300m B, 44.7), Laurone Ager (third in 100m A, 13.3; third in 200m A, 27.5), Milan Clues (third in shot put A, 9.16m), and the third-placed 4x100m relay team of Grocott, Laight, Cole and Ager who posted 53.7.
Kirsty Goddard and Tia Clues were both double winners for R&N’s under-17 girls team, who finished second in the team list. Goddard’s two victories came on the track in the 1500m A (4:56.7) and 800m B (2:23.1) while Clues triumphed twice in the field, winning the javelin B with 24.72m and long jump A with 4.91m. Kiona McLennon added a victory in shot put A (12.27m), as did Brittany Wood in the B throw (9.62m).
Other points for the under-17s came from Evie Harris-Jenkins (second in javelin A, 31.88m; sixth in high jump, 1.20m), Brittany Wood (third in 80m hurdles A, 12.9), Emma Bond (second in 800m A, 2:30.5), Simone Ager (second in 100m A, 12.6), Charlotte Norman (second in 100m B, 13.7), Laura Simpson (fourth in 300m A, 44.7; fifth in 200m A, 28.2), Lauren Byrd (fifth in 300m B, 47.1; eighth in 200m B, 29.7), and the 4x100m relay quartet of McLennon, Byrd, Norman and Tia Clues who were third in 53.7.
With the club’s female athletes winning their section, the males came second in theirs to help R&N to their overall event victory.
For the under-11 boys, Ollie Scott was a winner in the 600m with a time of 2:08.0. Scott also came third in the 75m (11.9), fifth in the howler A event with 27.91m and sixth in long jump A with 3.7m, and the other points came from Lewis Gurney (third in howler B, 18.31m; third in 600m A, 1:59.6; fifth in 75m B, 11.6), Jake Hope (second in 600m B, 1:57.7) and Sachin Tethy (fourth in long jump B, 3.6m; second in 75m A (10.9).
Ed Faulds stepped up to the mark for the under-13 boys by coming in as a last-minute replacement and running a 1500m race for the first time – and winning the B event with a time of 5:11.8.
Cian Hutton was a winner in 800m B (2:37.4), as were Ben Gidley in javelin A (13.59m) and Mac Ryder in 1500m A (5:06.9).
Eddie Baker posted a pair of personal-bests in finishing third in 100m A and fourth in 200m B respectively with times of 14.1 and 28.8. Kane Burgess added a personal best of 2:36.6 to finish third in 800m A and Josh Lambert’s time of 29.8 in 200m B was also an individual record.
The under-13 boys team’s other points were scored by Bradley Whitehead (fourth in high jump, 1.25m; second in shot put B, 5.25m), Alfie Bowers (third in 75m hurdles A, 13.7; third in shot put A, 5.78m), Ben Gidley (third in 75m hurdles B, 15.3), Ed Faulds (third in javelin B, 18.40m), Christopher Mayes (fourth in 100m B, 14.8), Archie Jackson (third in long jump A, 4.13m), Will Dean (fourth in long jump B, 3.68m), Josh Lambert (third in 200m B, 29.8), and the 4x100m relay team of Mayes, Dean, Lambert and Jackson who came third in 58.9.
For the under-15 boys, Tom Jasper moved to first place in the country’s 400m rankings in his age group by taking a massive four seconds off his previous personal best in winning the 400m A race with a time of 52.4.
Adam Searle’s second place in 800m A was also a huge personal best with three seconds taken off his previous record in a run of 2:10.8. Individual wins came from Rhys James in 800m B (2:19.2), Matthew Rushton in 1500m A (4:46.9) and Ethan Kent Whittaker in 1500m B (4:53.5.
The team’s other points were scored by Josh Faulds (fifth in long jump A, 4.59m; fifth in 80m hurdles, 13.9; sixth in 200m, 26.5), Harrison Reeves (fourth in long jump B, 4.31m), William Ballinger (eighth in shot put A, 8.15m; fourth in javelin A, 29.47m), George Bowers (eighth in shot put B, 6.71m; fourth in javelin B, 20.80m), Oliver Lambert (second in 100m A, 12.4; third in 200m A, 24.5), Connor Ryan (seventh in 100m B, 14.0), Jack Carey (fifth in high jump, 1.30m; fifth in 400m B, 61.1), and the 4x100m relay team of Lambert, Connor Ryan, Carey and Jasper who came fourth in 50.2.
Zachary Stapleton was the under-17 male team’s only winner, coming first in the 100m A race with a time of 11.1. The group’s other points came from Jonjo Fanning (second in shot put A, 10.24m; second in javelin A, 40.32m), Jack Bond (third in 800m A, 2:05.8), Alex Hinds (second in 100m B, 12.3; eighth in 200m A, 24.9), and Emile De Melo (sixth in 1500m A, 4:51.8).
