SATURDAY’S third round of the SAL, hosted by Colchester and Tendring AC, ended in
a deluge but before this a battling performance by the Harriers, particularly the men’s section, produced good wins and pbs and 3rd place out of 5 in the team match.
The 9 man men’s team had to cover 40 separate team spots and again they managed this. Ben Gibbs and Michael Shortall covered 18 of those places between them.
Best of Ben’s efforts was his win in the B high jump, B 110h and triple jump.
Best of Michael’s efforts, which included his usual domination of the hurdles events, was a long anticipated pb in the 400m.
A strong contribution came from Aiden Simpson who was 2nd in the high jump with a pb of 1.80m.
Another pleasing pb came from Nigel Instance whose 32m javelin throw also won the B events.
Glen Rawlinson in that event was second A string but was equally pleased with his win the B discus.
Mark Jenkins a V50 was delighted with his win in the B hammer throw while he also
took good points in the pole vault and shot.
The middle distance made a stronger contribution than usual. Alec Finch, back from Uni, wasn’t pleased with his main event, the 800m which he ran in 2.03 but can be very pleased with his runners-up spot in the 1500m. Adam Dowman filled 4 events.
He was most delighted with a pb in the 5000m and his time in 2000m matched his pb pace in the full 3000 distance.
Scott Rice also ran an excellent 5k, his best for some time and scored well in the steeplechase and 1500m.
A wedding of a club member meant that the turn out on the women’s side was reduced to 4!
Sue Lawrence toiled all afternoon in the throws but had to give best to Woodford’s
Hollie Redman. Nonetheless she contributed 20 points to the cause. Likewise B
string in these events Madeline Connell contributed another 15.
Natalie Le Beau had a busy afternoon in the sprints and jumps. She won both the jumps and finished runner up in the sprints for an invaluable 22 point contribution.
15 year old Libby Milne ran a good B 100m and 400m. Her long jump is also
progressing well.
Former goalkeeper Jason Syrett is now of an age where pbs are not expected or rarely produced – but last week in the Havering 90 10k he won the V45 section with a pb of 39.31, and finished 7th – a reflection of his recent increase in mileage and a performance that should inspire all his team mates.
This weekend the club endurance squad will aim to be out in force in the Horndon 10k held on Sunday in conjunction with the Feast and Fayre.
