Nicholls claims British title in the Lake District
Tonbridge Athletic Club athletes produced a diverse range of national-class performances over the weekend. In the Lake District, Max Nicholls (photo centre) ran two races, as part of the British Mountain Racing Trials, for the World Championships, which take place in Thailand in November. On Friday, it was the ‘Uphill only’ event, where he placed 4th amongst a field that included established internationals. He then returned for the ‘Up and down’ race and had an outstanding performance to win. This guarantees Nicholls’ selection for the GB team.
Decathletes Lewis Church and Harry Kendall both produced excellent personal bests at the Kent Championships at Erith. Church scored 7545 points to add 134 to his best-ever score, which is the Tonbridge club record and Kendall recorded 7301, adding 48 points to his best. They are both inching closer to the England Commonwealth Games qualifying standard of 7750 and with slightly more favourable conditions for the 100m and Long Jump, Church thinks he could have been close to this total. He moves up one place in the UK rankings, for the year, to 2nd, with Kendall in 5th.
Church’s performances across the ten events were all very strong, in relation to his best marks, but there were two personal bests that came in the Shot Put with 14.63m and an equal pb in the High Jump with 2.05m. Kendall was similarly consistent, with one pb coming in the Discus with 42.77m. Lucinda White won the under 17 women’s Heptathlon and Sam Newton was 2nd in the under 15 Boys Pentathlon.
Kent Athletics also hosted their final championships of the track and field season, at Erith, with the under 13 and veterans’ championships, held alongside the multi-event competitions. Under 13 medals came from Charlie Warren and James Petrie in the Boys’ 800m, on Saturday, as they finished 2nd and 3rd in 2.23.24 and 2.24.29. Warren returned on Sunday to finish 2nd over 1500m in 4.51.22. Eva Harper was 3rd over 75m in 10.33 and Georgina Sweeting 2nd in the Long Jump with 4.04m.
Multi-eventer Ian Crawley won the over 50s Shot Put with 9.69m, was 2nd in the Discus (30.66m) and 3rd over 800m in 2.34.95. Diane Wright won the over 50s 100m (14.45) and took 2nd over 200m (30.60). Steve Daly finished 2nd in both the over 50s 100m (13.15) and 200m (26.85). Jay Smith was 2nd in the over 35s 5000m in 16.19.11. Peter Buxton finished 2nd in the over 50s Javelin (31.95m) and 3rd in the Discus (28.16m). Grazia Manzotti won the over 50 age group 2000m walk.
Anton Bachorski ran a personal best of 10.64 for 100 metres, when winning for his Polish club in the under 20 national team championships. This improved the fastest electronically recorded time ever run by a Tonbridge AC sprinter. Bachorski had set the previous mark of 10.67 a month ago.
The club had a good turnout at the traditional opening fixture of the cross-country season, on Saturday, at West Wickham. This was the Will Bolton memorial relays, hosted by Blackheath and Bromley AC. Tonbridge dominated the senior races, placing the first three teams in the men’s event and winning the women’s, over four legs, each of about four kilometres. The winning men’s team consisted of Steve Strange (12.55), Stuart Brown (12.58), Matthew Dubery (13.17) and Jamie Goodge (12.31). The women’s victory cane from Nicole Taylor (13.52), Maria Heslop (16.49), Imogen Amos (16.24) and Claire Day (16.28). Goodge and Taylor ran the fastest men’s and women’s laps of the entire race. In the junior races, Millie Watts ran the fastest under 13 girls’ time.
A few Tonbridge young athletes competed in the English Schools Combined Events Championships, at Bedford, over the weekend. Joe Stone scored 3142 points to finish 2nd in the Junior Boys Pentathlon. Stone set three personal bests across the five events, as he threw the Shot Put 12.05m, cleared 1.65m at High Jump and ran 800m in 2.07.36. Tom Hobbs finished 4th in the same competition and both boys will now represent England Schools in a home international fixture. Rebekah O’Brien and Samantha Stubbs finished 8th and 10th in the Senior Girls Heptathlon.