Places in next month’s qualifying match were up for grabs as we bring you our latest NAL round-up
With the Premiership teams having a day off, it was the pretenders who battled things out in the mini-area leagues to decide who competes in the qualifying match next month.
However, if any of the eight who have qualified want to make an impression in the Premiership next summer they will need to up their game.
CHAMPIONSHIP EAST, Round 3, Bromley, Kent, July 19
The Norman Park Track was again in service and with heavy rain and thunderstorms from the start of the match as pre-match favourites Herts Phoenix and Chelmsford tried to hold off the challenge from Blackheath & Bromley to progress to the qualifying match. However, the sun came out later.
It was good in the end for Herts Phoenix and Chelmsford as Blackheath just lost out despite the south east London outfit finishing the match at a gallop for a big win.
Once again, they lost out thanks to the addition of officials points which helped Chelmsford sneak ahead of Herts, who did not have a full complement, in the match.
The pre-match leaders had both got off to the best possible starts on the track as Chelmsford’s Ony Okoh took the men’s 400m hurdles in 52.74 and junior Louise Grenfell the women’s race, for Herts, in 61.36.
After six events, Chelmsford led but Herts Phoenix were hot on their heels thanks to 18-year-old Tiana Rizzo’s women’s 100m win in 11.91.
Despite not winning any early A strings, Blackheath & Bromley were also in the mix after losing out on a win in the previous match thanks to not having a full complement of officials and losing points.
After nine events, the pair were 11 points ahead of their rivals and after Helene Ingvaldsen had won the women’s hammer for Chelmsford with 59.06m.
Finally, Blackheath notched up an individual victory as Oscar Whitcombe took the men’s pole vault with 4.22m as his club then went ahead of Chelmsford after 12 events. They then went further ahead after 15, as Chloe Sharp won the women’s 2000m steeplechase in 7:15.40 to lead a club double and Ben Sutton won the long jump with 6.79m.
The Heathens then continued their last-ditch effort for league advancement as Louis Palmer led a club double in the men’s 400m with 48.58 to go 14 points clear of Chelmsford and Herts Phoenix but if things stayed in this order to the end of the match they could not advance to the knock out.
Georgia Tombs boosted Chelmsford’s chances with a women’s 400m victory in 56.72 so that after 18 events, Blackheath led with 277 points to 255 and 244 for Chelmsford and Herts Phoenix.
Jade Oni then took Blackheath even further clear after a 11.65m triple jump win as Jess Hopkins kept up Chelmsford’s challenge in the women’s discus, with a 38.99m throw and, after 20 events, led by 54 points from their rivals who were almost neck and neck.
Then junior Joseph Grange won the men’s 1500m for Chelmsford in 3:55.92 and Kai Mhlanga the women’s event for Herts in 4:24.48 to keep up the pressure on Blackheath, whose lead was 46 points after 23 events.
It increased after 25 thanks to Dillon Claydon’s 52.01m men’s discus, junior Madeline Dodd’s 3.22m pole vault and Lauren Farley’s 51.57m women’s javelin wins.
Belgrave had been having a thin time but Sam Ige posted a men’s sprint double but they were well out of contention for good match points. Behind him in both the 200m and 100m in second spot was Chelmsford’s 17-year-old James Becker whose 21.75 and 10.90 were adjudged the second and fourth best age graded performances of the meeting.
Fifth best in the age grading was 16-year-old Findlay McClaren, whose 1:57.29 in the 800m took third spot whilst 46-year-old Paul Grange’s 51.97, for third, in the B string 400m was sixth best.
After 30 events Blackheath led Herts by 62 points with Chelmsford 12 points down. They had Aryan Padaruth dominate the men’s javelin with a 66.27m best for a club double as Chelmsford responded with a 13.29m Jess Hollins led double in the women’s shot put.
Herts Phoenix’s Tabitha Woodhouse just got the drop on Havering’s Kate O’Neill in a close-run women’s 3000m, in 9:28.15. with W50 team mate Sally Judd in third, with 10:10.46, the age graded third best of the day.
As the later results began to trickle in, Jack Kavanagh boosted Blackheath with a league record in the 3000m at 7:58.23, a time judged as the best performance of the match, after a solo run. His club also won the women’s sprint relay and both 4x400s as they piled up points.
Blackheath had, in the end, run away with the match after a slow start, but they never recovered from that second match defeat and lost out to Chelmsford and Herts Phoenix, who both go to the qualifier, on match points.
Match: 1 Blackheath & Bromley 639; 2 Chelmsford 559; 3 Herts Phoenix 533; 4 Belgrave 444; 5 Havering 439; 6 Herne Hill 342
Final standings: 1 Chelmsford 15 (1677); 2 Herts Phoenix 15 (1659); 3 B&B 14 (1708); 4 Havering 9 (1409); 5 Belgrave 7 (1232); 6 Herne Hill 4 (1104)
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP NORTH, Round 3, Nottingham, July 19
Rain was forecast throughout the afternoon at the Harvey Hadden track, where City of York and Sale duly progressed, despite fielding much weaker teams, to the Premiership knock-out match.
However, it was a close-run thing for Sale. despite three early A string wins but, after nine events it was Notts AC who led the match ahead of York with Sale back in fifth.
Notts had seen Amelia Briggs-Goode win the women’s 400m hurdles in 60.51 and Annabelle Crossdale the women’s hammer with a fifth round 56.91m effort.
Notts had little chance of making the playoffs but they took a 26-point lead over York after 11 events
Trafford had been having a thin time but Bethany Reid won the women’s 2000m steeplechase with 7:15.31 but there were only two of a possible 10 who took part.
Also without a chance of advancement were Liverpool but they did have Meg Corker take the 100m hurdles against a breeze in 14.03 but here, there were only three of a possible ten takers for the event and they lay second behind Notts after 14 events had been scored.
York won their second event when 17-year-old Luke Shacklock won the 3000m steeplechase in a personal best 9:56.91.
Notts and Liverpool still headed the probable qualifiers after 20 events as Jack McLoughlin won the men’s 400m and Emma Alderson’s 56.00 took the women’s for Liverpool. Notts had Isabelle Haworth win the women’s triple jump, but there were only two out of a possible 10 takers here.
After 22 events had been totalled Sale were last in the match but could still gain a slot in the Qualifier if they boosted their points total as they would then tie with Notts on match points and they did just that in the men’s 200m through Marcus McLean’s 21.37.
Trafford lay third coming into this match and their Freya Dooner led a double in the women’s discus with a 42.22m best and were ten points up on Sale in fourth place after 24 events.
In the standings, Notts still led Liverpool, whose Jade Morgan added the women’s 3000m, in 10:11.57 and, after 30 events had their M45 distance record holder. 47-year-old Alastair Watson, win the men’s 3000m with a 8:33.01 in run-away victory, that was adjudged the best age graded effort of the day. Behind him, Notts team mate 57-year-old Tim Hartley ran 9:40.41 for fourth age graded best.
Two teenage sprinters were second and third best in the age graded stakes; 15-year-old Gabriel Oguagwu’s 22.35 in the B string 200m was second and 17-year-old Alec Williamson third after a 10.79 for second in the A string 100m.
Then Notts women took the sprint relay but, finally Sale eased themselves off of the bottom of the standings with a men’s sprint relay win and this after failing to field a team in the women’s race.
Then their Shauna Thompson threw 14.54m to win the women’s shot put and Remi Livesey the men’s javelin with 53.68m and they were now well off of the bottom of the table, with just one event and officials points to be added.
However, Notts were home and dry in the match after, earlier, Harry Whyley’s 2.07m high jump had been added to the scores, but they would be biting their fingernails to see if they had done enough in the match to oust Sale from the qualifying match position. It was not to be as Sale staged a late rally to join City of York in the qualifier.
Match: 1 Notts 526; 2 Liverpool 465; 3 City of York 462; 4 Sale 380; 5 Trafford 325
Officials points yet to be added
Final standings: 1 York 12 (1699.33); 2 Sale 11 (1525.33); 3 Notts 10 (1526); 4 Liverpool 8 (1328); Trafford 6 (1351)
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH, Round 3, Portsmouth, Hampshire, July 19
After a damp start at The Mountbatten Centre track, the sun eventually appeared by the end of the meeting as Crawley confirmed their leading position in the league and took the women’s 400m hurdles, but it was Tonbridge who led after four events and they continued to lead until close of play.
They had taken both 800m races, as junior Rae Le Fay took the women’s in 2:14.73 but there were only seven of a possible 12 takers.
After eight events it was all pretty close in the team stakes as Tonbridge led by five points over Crawley who had seen Adeline Preston take the women’s 100m in 11.97.
There were following winds in the sprints and 17-year-olds Charlie Fisher and Scott Harris ran 10.85 and 10.94, for second and fourth in the 100m to be adjudged the best age graded performances of the meeting.
There was a nearly unique performance in the men’s 3000m steeplechase when M60 Phil York, running here for Bournemouth, won the event in 10:39.13. There is no specifically recognised mark for the distance for men over 60 but the British best for the M55 age group is 10:35.13 and York now sits second on the all-time list for that younger age group.
His win put his club equal first in the match with Tonbridge after 13 events as Crawley slipped down to fourth. Tonbridge then went 20 points clear after 16 events thanks to Georgie Baker’s sprint hurdles win
Crawley, who led this mini-league coming into the match, then saw Matthew Overall notch up his third straight league win in the 400m with a 47.62 personal best and fourth rated performance of the day. However, Tonbridge led overall after 19 events as Asha Root won the women’s 400m with 55.37.
Juniors Toby Bawtree and Rae Le Fay posted Tonbridge’s seventh and eighth A string wins, in the 1500m, so that their margin was 36 points over Bournemouth after 21 events.
Crawley responded with Adeline Preston’s 24.88 200m leading a double, as the cross wind got up to plus 4.5m/sec.
However, Tonbridge notched up their ninth A string win in the men’s discus with Dante McNichol, after 25 events had been scored. That included a good women’s triple jump win for K&P’s Kuria Kemochi, who twice leapt 12.34-metres with wind speeds of 0.7 and 1.7m/sec on her back. This was after the Japanese had jumped 12.89m at the BIG-ish jumps fest back in May.
After 31 events Tonbridge still led Bournemouth, who had Abdi Elmi again win, this time over 3000m, in 8:19.31 and Crawley by 47 points, thanks to a men’s sprint relay win. Then Katie Goodge added the women’s 3000m in 9:54.03 for Tonbridge.
The men’s 200m saw Harris win the 200m outright in 21.95 for the third best age grading of the meeting.
By 33 events, Tonbridge added their 11th A string win in the Men’s triple jump through Alex Stone, but third placed Crawley were just half an event point down on Bournemouth, but 61 points adrift of Tonbridge. One event later and Crawley went second as Tonbridge won the 4×400 relay from Crawley as placings down the field in the men’s shot saw Bournemouth back in second by half-a-point.
Tonbridge increased their lead further after a 4x400m relay double to confirm winning the match and. with just officials points to be added Crawley were behind Bournemouth’s second spot but it was Tonbridge who definitely go to the Premiership qualifier with Crawley as both await the award of those points.
Match: 1 Tonbridge 546; 2 Bournemouth 463.5; 3 Crawley 457; 4 Portsmouth 374; 5 Kingston & Poly 346.5; 6 Southampton 247
Officials points still to be added
Final standings: 1 Tonbridge 15 (1595.5); 2 Crawley 15 (1590); 3 Bournemouth 14 (1484); 4 Portsmouth 8 (1106); 5 K&P 7 (1103.5)’ 6 Southampton 5 (915)
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP WEST, Round 3, Cardiff, South Wales, July 19
League leaders Swansea were already certain to proceed to the Premiership qualifying match but third placed Cardiff had hoped that home advantage would enable them to join their Welsh cousins as Wales enjoyed the best of the weekend weather, but it was not to be.
Cardiff got off to a good start with wins in the men’s 400m hurdles and 800m, albeit in modest times but, after seven events, it was Swansea who led 113 points to 78, thanks to wins in the women’s hammer and men’s 100m, with Eniola Adedotun. Behind, second placed 17-year-old Bamie Goldsmith of Basingstoke ran 10.92, a performance that was not only judged the best of the day on the age gradings but his later 200m in 22.21, behind Yate’s Dan Brooks, was the day’s second-best performance.
The 800m went to Basingstoke’s 20-year-old Oscar Harvey-Nash in 1:54.06 for the third best age graded effort of the meeting
After ten events, Cardiff were still pressing their case, but rivals Swansea led 160 to 136 as Emily Thomas took the women’s long jump with 5.97m as the rest of the clubs trailed, but this then changed after 14 as the two Welsh clubs were locked together on 236 points as Toks Akanbi-Mortimer’s long jump win, with a 7.01m last round effort, boosted Cardiff. Yeovil who lay second in the league coming in to the match were just third ahead of Basingstoke.
Swansea then hit back to retake the lead in the match after 16 events 258 to 246 and went 34 points clear after 19 thanks to junior Lucy Harris’ 40.86-metre discus win and this was despite a Cardiff double led by Lauren Evans’ 14.09, against a wind, in the sprint hurdles.
Another junior winner for Swansea was Charlie Shuall with 4.52m in the men’s pole vault as Adam Lane gave Cardiff a win in the men’s 1500m.
As the results poured in, Swansea were 48 points clear of Cardiff after 25 events as Basingstoke were next, meaning that the second qualifier from this West mini-league could well be decided on event points.
The order remained the same after 31 events, despite Cardiff taking the women’s 200m with Charlotte Wingfield’s 24.65 against a 1.8m/sec wind and Nahbi Odeh the men’s triple jump with a 14.40m best. Junior Rhys Pladdy kept up Cardiff’s challenge with a 3000m win in 8:50.28.
Swansea’s Sam Davies then scored a repeat win in the men’s high jump with 2.07m in a club double and this followed team mate Carys Jones’ 3.52m pole vault victory.
Winchester & District were last coming into this match but won the women’s 2000m steeplechase with under-17 Ellie Jepson and the women’s javelin through junior Jessica Howells’ 43.97m.
Cardiff were still pushing and added the men’s sprint relay but with just 4 events left to complete, the two Welsh clubs’ gap to third place Basingstoke yawned to well over 100 points. Swansea still had a lead of 57 points despite Cardiff winning both sprint relays and the women’s shot through Olu Oduwaiye’s 12.41m shot.
Then Joe Parker threw 63.17m to win the men’s javelin and it was all over. His Cardiff club finished second to Swansea with Yeovil just heading Basingstoke for third. This all meant that it was Yeovil who joined Swansea in the qualifying match
Match: 1 Swansea 608; 2 Cardiff 559; 3 Yeovil 421.5; 4 BMH 417; 5 Winchester & D 345.5; 6 Yate 241
Final standings: 1 Swansea 18 (1834); 2 Yeovil 13 (1376.5); 3 Cardiff 12 (1392); 4 BMH 7 (1321.5); 5 Yate 4 (993); 6 Winchester & D 4 (950)