Tonbridge Athletic Club hosted their first league fixture of the season, on Sunday, with the under 17 and 20 age group team competing in the UK Youth Development League. After 76 events, involving the six clubs, Tonbridge finished equal top with Crawley, as both scored a total of 598.5 points. Havering, Croydon, Woodford and a Combined Kent Clubs team, finished behind them.
The under 20 women notched up six A-string wins through Amelia Beeston (1500m 5.22.55 pb), Samantha Stubbs (100m hurdles 15.59), Saskia Lean (Triple Jump 9.17m), Lucinda White (Pole Vault 3.00m), Caitlin Ebbage (Discus 30.08m) and the 4x400m relay team of Stubbs, Lean, plus Emily Bowart and Eliz O’Donnell who ran 4.15.98.
The under 17 men also scored six A-string victories, with two coming from Dante McNicholl (100m hurdles 14.44 pb and Discus 36.80m). The other wins were secured by Mark Bridger (3000m 10.34.52 debut), Charlie Ellison (1500m steeplechase 5.00.16 pb), Oliver Brooke (Long jump 5.99m pb) and Tom Walker (Pole Vault 3.65m pb).
There were three victories and a club record in the under 17 women’s age group. Sophie Slack won the 1500m steeplechase with a personal best of 5.47.44, whilst there were also pb wins from Matilda Secker (High Jump 1.65m) and Millie Lewis (Javelin 33.60m). The record came in the 4x100m relay, where the time of 50.46 shaved a fraction from the mark set in 2008. The team consisted of Ella Monk, Isabelle Bridgman, Harriet Medlen and Amelie Rabbidge.
Veterans team wins bronze at National Road Relay Championships
Tonbridge AC took teams to the British Masters Federation National Road Relay Championships, at Sutton Coldfield, on Saturday, where the over 45 women finished third in their race over three legs of a little longer than 5km. Sasha Humphries (19.59), Tina Oldershaw (20.22) and Maria Heslop (20.35) made up the bronze medal team.
Racing over the same course, the over 35 men’s team finished 6th through Nathan Chapman (16.55), Jay Smith (16.36), Julian Rendall (17.53), Dan Bradley (15.56), Dan Longhurst (18.07) and Tom Woolley (18.53). The over 45 men finished 16th and over 55 men were 28th.
Kingston sets new Tonbridge Parkrun record
James Kingston took two seconds from Charlie Joslin-Allen’s Tonbridge Parkrun record, on Saturday morning, when he ran 15.15 for the five kilometres long course. The 20-year old Kingston has been in fine form and recently ran the 7th fastest long leg at the National Road Relay Championships and has been a regular at the Tonbridge parkrun for many years. The record had survived since New Years Day 2015.
At the Oregon relays meeting in the USA, James West ran 1500m in 3.43.04 on Friday and came back on Saturday as part of a team based there, who were attempting to run the fastest ever time for 4 x 1 mile. They fell a three seconds short of that mark, set by an Irish team in 1985, but ran the second fastest time in history of 15.52.05
