Photo – Women’s 4x400m relay team at National League (Evie Dixon, Rae Le Fay, Asha Root, Anna Palmer)
Tonbridge Athletic Club won the National Athletics League Championship Division South, after the closest of finishes, following the final match at Portsmouth on Saturday. Tonbridge won the match convincingly, after placing third and second in the earlier matches this season. This gave them 15 points, equal to Crawley and one point ahead of Bournemouth. With Bournemouth finishing ahead of Crawley, in this last round, it came down to individual match scores, with Tonbridge amassing 1595.5 and Crawley just behind on 1590. Both clubs, however, qualified for the league promotion match, which takes place in mid-August and determines who competes in the National Premier Division next year.
The Tonbridge victory was built on the best mix of athletes contributing this season, with strong performances from both the men and women, on the track and in the field. The presence of some of the club’s top multi-eventers was a major contributory factor. Lewis Church won three A-string events (110m hurdles 14.55, Shot Put 14.14m and High Jump 1.88m). His training partners Steve Simmons and Dante McNicholl won the Long Jump with 6.96m and Discus with 42.92m, respectively, Georgia Baker won the women’s 100m hurdles in 14.66, her fastest ever time and Emma Cowell the Javelin with 37.07m, adding more than a metre to her personal best. Alex Stone was the final field event winner, with a Triple Jump of 12.43 metres.
On the track, Asha Root won the women’s 400m in 55.37, whilst Tonbridge secured maximum points in the men’s and women’s 800m and 1500m. Jordan Chambers won the men’s 800m in 1.56.27 and Rae Le Fay the women’s event over the same distance in 2.14.73. Le Fay returned later to capture a 1500m victory in 4.33.53, whilst Toby Bawtree won the men’s equivalent in 3.59.58. Katie Goodge won a very close finish in the 3000m in 9.54.03, having won the B-string 1500m earlier.
The Tonbridge final division victory wasn’t’ decided until Tonbridge won three of the four relays, at the end of the day. The women won the 4x100m in 49.46 and the men their 4x400m in 3.31.87. However, perhaps the highlight performance of the day came from the women’s 4x400m relay team, who won and broke the club record with 3.57.96. Rae Le Fay, Evie Dixon, Anna Palmer and Asha Root, made up the quartet, with Dixon running her first ever 400m relay leg, after performing so well in the sprints earlier in the day.
The Tonbridge under 13s and 15s secured their Premier Division status in the UK Youth Development League with a 4thplace finish, at Marlow on Sunday. A-string wins came from Luca Szumilewicz (u15 boys 1500m), Seren Field (u15 girls Javelin), Teddy Adkin (u13 boys 75m hurdles), Lili-Elle Addy (u13 girls 75m), Sophie Lawrence (u13 girls High Jump), Laura Wrigley (u13 girls Javelin) and the under 13 boys 4x100m relay team.
The Tonbridge veterans’ teams competed once again on Friday evening at Ashford, with the women continuing their unbeaten record this season. The men finished 4th and now have a battle with Dartford at the final fixture of the season, at the start of August.
Away from league athletics, Lucy Tallon ran in the Great Britain 4x100m B-team at the London Diamond League, on Saturday, in front of 60,000 spectators. Tallon will be aiming at further international representation in the coming weeks.
Amongst other Tonbridge AC highlights in the week were Ted Higgins finishing 2nd over 1500m at a World Athletics Continental Tour Meeting in Portugal in 3.40.87. Helen Gaunt placed 2nd in the Brighton Phoenix 10k road race on Wednesday, setting a new club record for the over 35,40 and 45 age categories of 34.00. Ben Cole set a new Tonbridge over 40 men’s record for 3000m of 8.31.06, at Winchester, also on Wednesday.
Above – The TAC veterans squad at Ashford