Indoor track and field season takes off for Tonbridge athletes

Photo – Lewis Church wins the England Heptathlon at Sheffield

The indoor track and field season took centre stage for Tonbridge athletes, as they competed both at Sheffield and Lee Valley, over the weekend.

In Sheffield, the England Athletics Combined Events Championships, for seniors and under 20s were being held, across both days, whilst the British Milers Club also hosted a series of races, on Sunday afternoon, at the same venue.

It was the first time this year where the Tonbridge Athletic Club’s men’s multi-events squad were competing, with Lewis Church, Steve Simmons and Harry Kendall in the senior Heptathlon, plus Sam Newton in the under 20 equivalent competition.

There were twenty-six competitors in the senior men’s competition, with Church winning with 5767 points, Simmons 3^rd with 5349 and Kendall 4^th with 5298. Church’s series of events commenced with a personal best in the 60 metres of 7.22 and he followed up with a 6.95m Long Jump, 15.46m Shot Put, 2.02m High Jump, 8.19 for 60 metres hurdles, 4.50m Pole Vault and a 1000m in 2.41.52. This gave him a 299 points advantage over the runner-up Conrad Winter of Norwich.

Sam Newton finished 2^nd of sixteen starters in the under 20 men’s Heptathlon with 5084 points, which added two points to the previous club record, held by Lewis Church. Newton had an impressive four personal best events in the 60 metres with 7.43, 60m hurdles in 8.31, Pole Vault with 4.10m and 1000m in 2.52.66. He finished just 59 points behind the winner, Arthur Reilly, from Sheffield. Ella Thomas was just 24 points away from the medals in the under 20 women’s Heptathlon, where she scored 3433 and finished 5^th.

Also at Sheffield, there was an impressive display from Ted and Jack Higgins in the men’s 1500 metres A-race, as the former won from his twin brother, by just 0.03 seconds in 3.39.52. 

At Lee Valley, several of the 400m squad were in action for the first time this year. Asha Root ran 55.61, which is just 0.26 away from her own Tonbridge record, whilst Kieran Eland recorded 47.99, just ahead of training partner Henry Marshall, who ran 48.03. Both will have their sights on Eland’s record of 47.42 in the coming weeks.

The Kent Schools Cross Country Championships took place at Dartford, on Saturday with several Tonbridge AC runners to the fore in their races. The closest race of the day came from the Junior Boys, where Tonbridge athletes Guy Bowers and Sebbie Mottram sprinted alongside each other for the win, with Bowers being given the decision as the winner. Ewan Prendergast was 4^th home in the senior boys’ race and George Jacobs 3^rd in the Inter Boys. Aimee Watts was 2^nd in the Junior Girls, Purdey Hutchings 2^nd Inter Girl home and Leonie Pit was 3^rd in the year 7 girls’ race.