Photo – Jordan Chambers after 800m win at South of England Championships
Lucy Tallon, from Tonbridge Athletic Club, competed for a Great Britain under 20s team, in the Bauhaus Junior Gala, at Mannheim, Germany, over the weekend in both the 200 metres and the 4x100m relay, which the team won. Tallon won the 200 metres in 23.54, a personal best, Tonbridge AC club record and inside the qualifying team required for consideration for the European under 20 championships. Tallon is the UK’s current number two in the UK rankings.
Tonbridge AC hosted their second annual Midsummer Relay, at Penshurst Place, on Wednesday, which attracted 138 teams from Kent and surrounding counties. The race was run on a warm and sunny evening, over three legs of four kilometres, starting with a mainly uphill, cross-country section and finishing downhill on road.
There were three competition categories for men, women and mixed teams. The Tonbridge men’s A team of Isaac Arnott (12.47), Steve Strange (12.40) and Sean Molloy (12.34) won from Cambridge Harriers, whilst also having the three fastest laps of the entire race. Tunbridge Wells Harriers had the first women’s team home, whilst Sevenoaks AC the first mixed team, with two men and a woman. Ashley Fennell of Tunbridge Wells ran the fastest overall women’s leg of 14.19.
The South of England Championships, for under 20s and seniors, took place at Chelmsford, over two very warm weekend days. There were three Tonbridge medallists, as Jordan Chambers won the men’s 800m in 1.54.37, whilst Katie Goodge was third in the women’s 5000m in 17.38.80. Just three days earlier, Goodge had set a 3000m personal best of 9.47.06, whilst competing at Aldershot. Asha Root ran a personal best of 54.55 in her heat of the women’s 400m and then finished 2nd in the final with 54.63.
Outside of the medal winners, there were a variety of good performances. Evie Dixon placed 4th in the under 20 women’s 200m, with a pb of 25.42 and Harry Owen was also 4th in the under 20 men’s Pole Vault with 4.10m. The Tonbridge men’s 400m squad had five competitors in the event, with Kieran Eland 5th in 47.95 and Henry Marshall 6th in 48.03, making the final on Sunday. Both Eland and Marshall ran quicker in their semi-finals with 47.68 and 47.83, respectively. Both are close enough to hope to challenge Eland’s club record at some point this Summer.
There were two league fixtures at the weekend, with Tonbridge teams competing in the Southern Counties Veterans League, on Friday evening, at Dartford and the under 13 and 15 squad competing in the UK Youth Development League, at Bromley on Sunday. At the former, the women’s team won, whilst the men were 2nd to Dartford, whilst the youth team finished 4th of the six teams competing and look well placed to secure continued Premier Division status.
Victor Watling won both the under 15 Boys’ High Jump and Discus, with 1.63m and 31.01m at Bromley, whilst in the same age group Luca Szumilewicz won the 1500m in 4.26.99. At under 13 level, Sophie Lawrence had an excellent win the High Jump with 1.47m and Freddie Keem the 150m, with a new Tonbridge age record of 19.07. Keem was also in the winning 4x100m relay team alongside Teddy Adkin, Pierre Esprit-Tabiowo and Etienne Menardi-Jones, who broke the club record that had stood since 2014, with 51.10. Although she didn’t win, Lilli-Elle Addy ran 150m in 19.47 to improve her own Tonbridge under 13 girls’ record.
Ben Cole, who turned 40 years old recently, set about setting some new Tonbridge veterans’ records starting on Saturday, where he ran 14.43.73 for 5000 metres, at Milton Keynes. Another, Tonbridge veteran runner, Julian Rendall, placed 8thoverall at the North Downs 30km multi-terrain race, on Sunday.
Results received late from SE Regional Combined Events at Sutton:
Senior/U20
Sam Newton 100 11.41, Long 6.93, Shot 12.46, High 1.94, 400m 51.12, 110H 15.34, Discus 36.11, PV 4.10, Jav 52.46, 1500 4.46.37
7021 points. Championship best performance 1st overall
Joe Stone 5777 pnts 3rd overall
Inter/U17
Toby Gwinnell 5135 pnts 2nd overall
Junior/U15
Guy Bowers 2172pnts 14th overall
Senior/U20
Matilda Secker 4843 pnts 1st overall
Ella Thomas 4551 3rd overall
Junior/U15
Tiffany Oyewale 2698 pnts 8th overall