Photo – some of the UKYDL winners – Mark Bridger, Angus Currie, George Hopkins, Jamie Macdonald, Annabelle Hales
The Tonbridge Athletic Club over 35s squad continues to dominate the Southern Counties Veterans League, Kent Division, after wins on Friday evening. Both the men and women were victorious, at Bromley and each have now won all four of their matches this season.
The team managers, Mark McAllister and Grazia Manzotti, led from the front, by winning their events. McAllister won the over 50 men’s 200m in 25.5, the Shot Put with 10.47m and the Javelin with 33.57m, whilst Manzotti won the women’s 2000m walk in 10.03.8.
Tonbridge didn’t fare so well in the other league fixture of the weekend, when the under 17 and 20 squad finished fifth of seven teams in their UK Youth Development League match at Gillingham, on Sunday. There were too many gaps in the team sheet to achieve a better position, but there were plenty of good, individual victories, in the sweltering conditions.
On the track the under 20 men won the 800m, 1500m, 3000m and steeplechase through Angus Currie, Tom Claridge, George Hopkins and Jamie Macdonald, whilst in the same age group Edward Waters won the Triple Jump with a pb of 11.85m.
Lucy Tallon showed some of her best form of the season, when winning the under 20 women’s 100m and 200m, in 12.07 and 24.82, both being just a fraction outside her personal bests. Annabelle Hales won the 800m, plus the 1500m steeplechase and Jess Poland battled in the heat to win the 3000m, having earlier placed third in the 1500m. Freya Ridge was the only winner in the under 20 women’s field events, in the Javelin with 31.53m.
Under 17 wins were harder to come by, but maximum points were gained by Mark Bridger in the 3000m, Will Dadswell, with 5.64m, in the Long Jump and Harry Owen won the Pole Vault with 3.00m. Perhaps the best of the under 17 women’s results came from Evie Dixon, who ran pbs in both the 100m and 200m in 12.55 and 25.78, finishing 2nd and 3rd.
Also, in the extremely warm conditions on Sunday, a Tonbridge AC men’s team won the team title at the North Downs 30km Trail race, near Gravesend. Jay Smith was 7th, one place ahead of Julian Rendall, with Wayne Flanagan in 67th, as almost 500 runners finished.
Earlier in the week, there were a few wins on the track from Tonbridge athletes, on Wednesday evening, at various locations. At Loughborough, Will Beeston won an 800m, with a personal best of 1.55.89. Ben Pearce was impressive, when winning a 1500m at West London Stadium in 3.55.20, where Verity Hopkins also ran a pb of 4.28.48. At Eltham, there were wins and personal best 800m times for Angus Currie (u20, 1.57.51) and Lily Slack (u17, 2.19.27).
In the USA, on Saturday, Chris Olley finished 7th in the 5000 metres, at the Portland Stumptown Meeting, with a time of 13.57.06.