Photo – Jordan Chambers wins the 1500m at the National League
Despite putting up a battle in the hot conditions at Derby, Tonbridge Athletic Club could only manage to finish eighth in their first ever match in the National Athletics League Premier Division. The strength in depth from the other seven clubs was too much on the day, but Tonbridge hope to have a stronger squad out for the other two fixtures this season.
Across the 38 track and field events, covering both the men and the women, Tonbridge managed just two A-string wins, which came from Ted Higgins in the 800 metres and Jordan Chambers over 1500 metres. However, there were still some other impressive performers, who gained second places.
Asha Root trimmed her week-old women’s 400 metres club record by 0.02 seconds to 53.72. Her training colleague Henry Marshall ran 46.97 for the men’s 400 metres, his first sub 47 clocking. This would have been a Tonbridge club record, except that Dylan Purton ran 46.95 a few hours earlier, in Belgium. Lewis Church, was not far away from his personal best over 110m hurdles in 14.57. Siblings Will and Amelia Beeston finished second in their respective 5000 metres races, whilst both making their debuts on the track at this distance. Their times were 14.56.70 and 17.54.24, respectively. In the last race of the day Henry Marshall, Jordan Chambers, Tom Daly and Ted Higgins ran 3.16.91, to finish close to Windsor in the 4×400 metres relay.
One of the field event highlights came from Georgia Baker, who Long Jumped 5.82 metres to finish third, which was a significant personal best. She, along with the likes of Samantha Stubbs, added valuable points to the team score across multiple events.
Also, on Saturday at Gillingham, the Tonbridge under 14s and 16s placed 4th of 8 clubs in the Kent Young Athletes League. The team secured eight individual wins, plus one from the under 14 boys 4×100 metres relay. Probably the most impressive victory came in the under 16 men’s Hammer Throw where Osarode Oviawe improved his personal best to 56.80 metres, which puts him 6th on the UK age group rankings for the year.
Another young thrower impressed, on Sunday, at the UK Youth Development League, where Will Law threw the Javelin 62.15 metres, in the under 18 men’s age group. The throw added more than eight metres to his previous best and moved him to 4th in the UK. Lewis Jessup won both the under 20 men’s 400 metres and 800 metres in 49.18 and 1.57.60, the former being a pb. The other individual track wins came in the under 18 age group from Lucas Bowen (200m), Sebby Reynolds (400m), Neve Raymond (400m) and Oscar Graffin (3000m). Tonbridge finished third of the six clubs in this second match of the season.
Away from league athletics Jamie Macdonald won the Great West 10km road race, in Exeter, for the third year in a row in 32.05, in very warm conditions. Jack Higgins ran 3.37.03 when finishing 9th over 1500 metres in Rehlingen, Germany, on Sunday, which was an outdoor personal best.
On Wednesday evening, the Tonbridge men’s and women’s teams both finished third in their respective events at the Beckenham Road Relays, which comprised three legs of four kilometres.