Although late in the season, a host of Tonbridge Athletic Club members produced some standout performances in the last week. Kirsty-Anne Ebbage (photo) smashed her own club Hammer Throw record, with 44.07 metres, on Saturday, at the Southern Athletics League fixture, adding more than a metre to her previous mark. This is also a club under 20 record. Another under 20 age group athlete showed great form last week, as Anton Bachorski ran the fastest ever 100 metres time, recorded electronically, by a Tonbridge AC member. He ran 10.67, when winning at a meeting at Walcz, Poland, on Tuesday, to go 0.05 seconds quicker than Jack Lennard did in 2018. The hand-timed club record remains with Rob Lewis, at 10.5, set in 1990.
Nicole Taylor and Miles Weatherseed represented the England teams at a home international 5 x 2 miles road relay, at Leeds, on Sunday. Taylor ran 10.15 to help the England team to victory, taking over from Olympian Jess Judd, who ran the fastest time of the race, with Taylor second fastest. Weatherseed edged home in the lead, at the end of the opening leg of the men’s race, again helping England to the team win.
Amongst other notable individual performances, over the past week, Ewan Wood once again improved the best 400 metres mark from a Tonbridge athlete this season, when he won in 48.89, at Bromley, on Friday evening, having only dipped below 50 seconds, for the first time, the week before. At Watford, on Wednesday, Simon Coppard won a British Milers Club Gold Standard race, over 800 metres in 1.49.73, which was a personal best and underlines his place in the club’s top eight in the all-time rankings.
As far as the team aspect is concerned, Tonbridge hosted the latest Southern Athletics League match, on Saturday, winning convincingly from Ashford, Paddock Wood and Thanet. Kirsty-Anne Ebbage who had set the club record when winning the Hammer, also won the Discus (38.21m) and Javelin (27.02m). Sam Crick recorded a notable quadruple, as he won the 400m hurdles in 64.2, before winning the 800m (1.59.3) and 2000m steeplechase (6.16.7) plus helping the men’s 4x400m relay to victory.
Harry Kendall was another multi event winner, taking maximum points in the 400m (51.7), High Jump (1.95m) and Discus (40.95m). Freya Ridge won the 400m hurdles in 69.1 and High Jump with 1.65m, Harriet Woolley the 3000m (10.50.6) and 2000m steeplechase (8.08.8), whilst Lewis Church won the Pole Vault (4.20m) and Javelin (52.71m). Issy Fassnidge won the women’s 400m in 60.4 and returned later to also win the 200m in 26.3.
The remaining men’s wins came from James Kingston (1500m, 4.00.7), Alex Hookway (Shot Put 11.73m), Josh O’Brien (110m hurdles 19.4) and the 4x100m relay team in 46.0. The women’s squad added wins from Lucinda White (Pole Vault 3.40m), Ellie Baxter (800m 2.23.2 pb) and the 4x400m relay team in 4.18.6. Finally, an athlete to look out for will be Charlotte Alexander, who made her Tonbridge debut, winning the 1500m in 4.35.3, which is the eighth fastest ever time by a club member. Alexander previously represented the GB under 20 women’s cross-country team two years ago, at the World Championships and should help strengthen the Tonbridge women’s squad in the months to come.