News from South London Harriers
January 13th, 2008: Sportshall (3)
Posted by Ian Field at 10:44 pmSLH Young Athletes were in Guildford for this the 3rd and final Sporthall round. The keen and able Young Athletes who came along produced some excellent performances, and once again showed their spirit, talent and expertise to the crowd. The boys did excellently to finish 3rd. Unfortunately a severely depleted girls team finished lower than before, but we were a very young team, and have much to look forward to next year.
We managed to field 3 teams for the first time this season, which is very encouraging. The A team were an excellent 3rd, the B team 10th and the very young C team 13th out of 16 teams.
The A team were outstanding. Tyrie finished 3rd overall (62pts), having won the 4 lap race and been 3rd in the Triple Jump, an event he had never before tried. Saul Thompson was 8th overall (56.5pts), performing exceptionall well in the Vertical Jump, along with a good 2 lap. Ben Foreman (55pts) was 4th in the longer 6 lap race, and has found a new event, throwing the Shot well also. Lawrence Rook (43pts) ran very well in the 6 lap just behind Ben, and Aaron Wells (33pts) did well in the Paarlauf. Harry Wilson ran well in the 2 lap, and together with the others, finished an excellent 2nd in the Obstacle Relay. Well done boys.
The B team look good prospects. Two sets of brothers competing determinedly. Daniel Harrington (37.5pts) ran well and had an excellent Vertical Jump, with brother Thomas (37pts) showing good endurance in a really good 6 lap. Tom Aubertin (29pts) also had a good 6 lap, while brother Andrew ran an excellent relay leg. Our 2 youngest competitors, Roje Grant and Mitchell Scott ran a good 2 lap, and they combined with the others for a really exciting 4×2 lap relay heat victory.
In the C team, Creston Harrison (45pts) was superb in both the 4 lap and the Vertical Jump. Will Flook ran a very good 6 lap, while Alex Chung sprinted well, especially in a superb leg of the Obs Relay, where he stretched the team’s lead in their heat. Lewis Sullivan also ran good relay legs in both relays, as well as showing strength and good technique in the Shot. Well done all.
U13 Girls
The girls were somewhat depleted due to various circumstances, with 3 senior girls unable to compete. The girls who were there acquitted themselves very well. The A team were 11th and the B team 17th out of 18 teams.
In the A team, Vanessa La Fon (52pts) showed great speed in the 2 lap, as well as the relays. Nicholette Pollard-Odle (46pts) ran a very good 4 lap, as she had promised me beforehand she would. Vanessa and Nicholette also both putt the shot over 5 metres.Not bad ! The Billups girls were excellent in the longer 6 lap races, with Amy (41pts) also doing well in the new event, the Triple Jump. Sister Tessa (26pts) also ran very well, but did not master the difficult TJ quite as well. They combined well for a very good run in the Paarlauf scoring highly for the team. Alex Roberts (33pts) ran a very strong 4 lap race, managing to smile the whole way, and was excellent in the relays. Emma Smith also had good relay legs, and helped the team score well there. Good stuff girls.
The B team unfortunately, were reduced to 4 instead of the usual 6. Leanne Cooper (44pts) was outstanding in the 6 lap and the VJ. Issy Smith ran a very good 4 lap, and was good in the relays, as was Emma Doyle. Debutante, Tianne Gibson-Bartlett, our youngest runner, overcame her initial nerves to run a good 2 lap race, and do well in the relays. Well done.
U15 Girls
Our usually all-conquering older girls team was devastated by unavailability, but the 4 who were there performed excellently individually. They were 6th of the 7 teams, but not so many points away from 3rd as it was a close-fought contest in this age group.
Harriet Field (52pts) was 6th overall with 2nd in the 4 lap, and an excellent 7metre+ Shot. Shanice Harrison WON the 2 lap and anchored the relay team to 2nd place. Janet Foskett also ran an excellent 2 lap and relay. Debutante Monique Hayden ran a good 2 lap, and relay leg. Harriet and Shanice then combined to WIN the Paarlauf. Well done girls.
At the end of the event, the Surrey team mangers approached Anne And myself with requests for some athletes for possible inclusion in the Surrey Team. Vanessa La Fon (U13g) and Harriet Field (U15g) were initially considered, but only the following were selected :-
Jahisha Thomas (U13 girls)
Sophie Small (U15 girls)
Tyrie Obuks and Saul Thompson (U13 boys)
These 4 will represent Surrey in the South East Regional Final in February against the other S.E. Counties. If their teams are successful, they will go on the the National Finals at the NIA Brimingham in March which would be a tremendous experience for all of them. Fingers crossed for them all.
A very enjoyable series of events is now over, so it’s onwards and upwards. Hopefully some of the experience gained competing here will help these Young Athletes when it comes to the Track season in the Spring. Looking more closely at the results, it seems we have plenty of superb runners at all distances, which is great to see, but that maybe our field events could do with just a little more practice.
There is a big Open event at Crystal Palace on 6th April if anyone is interested in entering. Feel free to ask Anne or myself for details.
Finally, thanks to all the parents who have come to support during this Sportshall season. It helps enormously to contribute to a great atmosphere. Special thanks to Julia Thompson for helping with the Boys team when Anne was away, but I’m afraid that even Julia will agree, that the parent supporter of the season award must go to Vanessa’s Mum who almost brought the whole seating complex down every time she ran.
I’m off to open a bottle of wine…………..cheers !
Ian Field
Posted in Young Athletes, Sportshall
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