County Schools Championships (Sat. 8th June)
Saturday saw many of the club’s juniors striving to make it to the coveted English Schools’ Championships by competing in either the London or Kent events, writes Mick Bond. In London generally a top three placing plus an English Schools entry standard will get you in the team whereas Kent is more competitive and the higher national standard and a top three is the bench mark for selection,
Kent, Medway Park, Gillingham: Daniel Obike raised his game and the high jump bar clearing a PB of 1.94m to win the Under 17 men’s event. On the track Lily Gayle comfortably won the Under 17 women’s 80m hurdles in 11.57s just outside her PB whilst Hans Nmaju had a rare defeat in the Under 17 boys 100m hurdles taking silver with a time of 11.69s into a 3.4m/s headwind. All three now have national standard performances to their name.
London, Battersea Park: Battersea Park was the setting for the London Championships and there was much to shout about from a club perspective.
Sprints - Emily Cadman stormed to victory in the Under 17 women’s 200m running a big PB of 24.38s whilst training partner Danielle Agyemang-Talbot showed she is ready to go sub-25 as well with a clocking of 25.06s for bronze in the same event. Jovanni Lyndsay won both the Under 15 boys 100m and 200m despite being a “year young” with times of 11.57s and 24.03s.
Hurdles – Club athletes won three out of the four sprint hurdles titles. Gabby Noyce retained her title in the under 17 women’s event, Nia Thomas won the Under 15 girls event in a dip finish and Elijah Olaleye eventually won the Under 17 men’s event after giving everyone else a head start for some reason!
Middle Distance - Olly Buck and Sam Scrase-Field won the 3000m and 1500m easily but now have to chase times over the next week to try and get the qualifying times to get in the London team with final selection due next Monday.
Throws - Michael Bridge won both the Under 17 shot and discus with PBs 15.90m and 41.97m. Nkemka Agulanna followed up with second in the shot and 3rd in the discus. Cian Whelan won the Under 15 boys javelin with 33.95m
Jumps - Gabby Noyce added a silver to her collection taking second in the high jump with 1.50m
Junior Inter-Counties Fell Running Championship, Rossendale (Sun. 9th June)
The average age of Cambridge Harriers fell running took a big tumble on Sunday, writes Jon Wilson, as Amelia Lawrence (Bib 745) and Delilah Lester (Bib 643) represented the club and county of Kent in the UK Junior Inter-Counties Championship in Rossendale, Lancashire. It was both girls’ first proper fell race. They began their fell-running careers with a tough, muddy course, involving a 6.5km / 380m of climbing for U17, 8.6 / 470m for U19, many steep climbs culminating in the savage ascent of Whittle Hill which needed hands at the top before the return. Amelia was 7th/18, Delilah 21st/35 (but 7th in the younger half of the U17 age category). These were fantastic results, requiring Amelia and Delilah to beat girls competitively selected for the teams of counties with hills many times higher than the North Downs. This is only the start of Cambridge Harriers junior fell running, with the girls hoping to enter this and other races in the junior championship next year, and hoping they’ll be joined by others.
Southend Half Marathon (Sun. 9th June)
Christian Poulton finished 78th overall in a time of 1:27:21.