NAL Liverpool + End of Season Report
The Tonbridge Senior team travelled up to Liverpool for our final fixture of the NAL season. Going into the final match we were 2 points clear from our closest rivals, Belgrave. With Belgrave also at Liverpool victory against them would effectively seal the league title. 38 Athletes, 6 Officials and a few supporters made the journey up.
A damp start to the day set the tone. As the bulk of the team arrived from the hotel, Kirsty – Anne Ebbage was already hard at work sweeping the rising water level out of the hammer circle before launching it out to a 2nd place throw off 48.43m. This broke her own best performance in an NAL match by 3m and was one of 7 new Tonbridge NAL records. Harry Blake matched Kirsty’s 2nd place in the Hammer with a throw of 46.83m, just outside his outright PB. The only other record from the field was Matilda Secker in the High Jump (1.67m). A cold day meant sprint times were slightly down but the distance runners enjoyed more winter like conditions with Ben Murphy (1500m), Kieran Reilly (3000m) + Annabelle Hales (1500mSC) all setting new Tonbridge NAL records. The final record came from the women’s 4x400m relay team (Emily Bowart, Sam Stubbs, Kat Sutton + Asha Root) ran 3:58.42 to hold off a strong Belgrave team and record the first time a Tonbridge team have broken 4 minutes at an NAL fixture. The men matched the women with a 4x400m relay win of their own as Charlie Crick ran down Havering on the last leg. The women also won their 4x100m (Harriet Medlen, Maddison Illsley, Amelie Rabbidge, Lucy Tallon).
In total there were 11 A string wins: Sam Stubbs (Javelin), Kirsty-Anne Ebbage (Discus), Lewis Church (High Jump), Matilda Secker (High Jump), Kieran Reilly (3000m), Katie Goodge (3000m), Ben Murphy (1500m), Charlie Crick (800m). We had 15 B String wins: Lewis Church (Javelin), Freya Ridge (Javelin, High Jump), Paul Dawson (Hammer + Shot), Lucinda White (Discus), Sam Stubbs (Shot), Harry Paton (2000mSC), Ben Richardson (110mH), Amelie Rabbidge (100mH), Cameron Chambers (3000m), Jordan Chambers (1500m), Emily Bowart (400m) + Harriet Medlen (100m)
Despite this being our furthest away fixture it was our strongest team performance of the season. The final score showed a dominant result.
1st Tonbridge 651, 2nd Havering 484, 3rd Liverpool 466, 4th Belgrave 452 with Kingston, Herne Hill, Briston and Peterborough further back.
This result meant an unbeaten season and Tonbridge not only won the division but have secured promotion to the Premiership division, which represents the top flight of UK athletics.
58 different athletes and 10 officials contributed in some way to this result across the three matches. As team manager there are a few I’d like to highlight specially.
Top Points Male: Lewis Church 117 Points, Harry Kendall pushed Lewis this year by racking up 114 points but Lewis retains his top male points scorer position this season
Top Points Female: Freya Ridge 121. Freya was the top scorer man or woman, always willing to fill in events and not just fill them but also do well in them.
Top Performance Male: Harry Kendall 400m win at Chelmsford. On his way to 114 points Harry braved gale force winds at Chelmsford to decimate the opposition over 400m. His run of 48.32 was a win by over 2s.
Top Performance Female: Katie Goodge’s electric 3000m win at Liverpool. If you only watch one race from the NAL this year, watch this one. Katie’s tactical masterclass had the entire team on their feet and screaming. After biding her time in the early stages Katie surged into the lead and broke the field over the last 600m.
Team Manager’s Award: These go to individuals who I think have truly embraced the league and being part of the Tonbridge team.
Harry Blake: The world’s most versatile hammer thrower. Harry has not only excelled in his specialist event this year but has also developed a handy knack for the triple jump. Roared on by his fans at Liverpool he launched himself to a huge PB in the final round. He’s also handy as the last leg of a 4x100m team in a pinch!
Darian Moore: This is the first season Darian has competed for Tonbridge. He threw himself straight in with a 100m Victory at Basingstoke. Having borrowed a vest that match he immediately asked. “Can I buy one?” Darian has embraced being part of the Tonbridge team and never afraid to put himself forward for an event if there was a need.
Georgia Baker + Sam Stubbs: This is a joint award. These two enthusiastic combined eventers have been a staple of the team this season. Even if they had a mediocre performance in an event their ability to dust themselves off and bounce back for their next one was inspirational. Their enthusiasm was infectious, even if Georgia’s pre jump dance routine could use some work!
It’s been a pleasure managing this team. Bring on the next chapter of this journey in the Premiership!