Photo – First leg at the Blackheath and Bromley Cross Country Relay
A Tonbridge Athletic Club men’s team won the Blackheath and Bromley Cross Country Relay, on Saturday, for the thirteenth occasion in a row, as unseasonably hot conditions challenged the runners on the four kilometres long course, at West Wickham.
With strength in depth, Tonbridge were able to pitch a couple of teams against each other and in the event, eventually had four teams in before the first from any other club, which was Blackheath in 5th. On the opening leg, George Marshall (13.28) led from Angus Currie (13.33) and Michael Ellis (13.40). James Kingston took over from Currie and ran 12.17, which was the fastest leg of the day, to take team-1 into the lead. Meanwhile, Corey De’Ath ran 13.05, taking over from Ellis. Joseph Hunt ran the next leg for team-1 with a 13.50 split and held a lead of about 100 metres over team-2, who closed up through Alex Beeston (13.14).
The race came down to the final leg and it was Matthew Taylor who overtook Toby Emm, as they ran 12.57 and 13.32, respectively, with Taylor clocking the second fastest time of the race. The Tonbridge women’s team of Lily Slack, Emily Geake, Maria Heslop and Jess Poland finished 2nd to Blackheath. In the Junior race, for under 13s and 15s, the Tonbridge under 15 boys won, with Peter Fitzmaurice running the fastest lap of the race, in 11.27, on the three kilometres long course.
The Kent Under 13, Veterans and Combined Events Championships took place at Gillingham over the weekend. In the under 13s Jacob McGeachy won silver and gold medals in the boys’ 100m and 200m, with 13.35 and 27.10. Seren Field won the girls’ Javelin with 32.24m, whilst Purdey Hutchings finished 2nd in both the girls’ 800m and 1200m.
There were gold medals and Tonbridge AC age records in the sprint hurdles for Sarah Westrap (w45, 80m hurdles 15.72) and Ian Crawley (m60m 100m hurdles, 19.42), with Crawley also picking up a silver medal over 800m. Mark McAllister broke three of his own club over 50 men’s records with 100m in 12.22, 200m in 25.03 and 400m in 58.51 and there were 5000m records for Graeme Saker (m60, 19.02.63) and Alan Newman (m70, 22.40.06). Grazia Manzotti won the 2000m walk in 10.33.59, which was a championship w50 record and in the same age group Diane Wright won the 100m. Araba Taylor won the under 15 girls’ Pentathlon and Ella Thomas was 2nd in the under 17 women’s Heptathlon, as was Alex Hookway in the men’s Decathlon.
On the roads, Ben Cole finished 2nd in the Friday Night Under the Lights 5km, at Battersea Park, London in 14.23, with Steve Strange and Cameron Chambers running 14.45. On Sunday, Dan Bradley (32.06) and Phoebe Barker (35.05) won at the Larkfield 10k, Angus Currie won the Hospice in the Weald 10k, at Tunbridge Wells, with Helen Gaunt winning the women’s half marathon at the same event. Michael Ellis was 2nd in the men’s half marathon distance. Phoebe Barker also finished as second female, on Friday evening at the Podium Underground event, a unique competition where heats and final were raced over a two kilometres long circuit around an underground car park, on Canary Wharf.
Mark McAllister and Purdey Hutchings with their medals from the Kent Championships