Match report for the recent Northerns match. There were some excellent performances on the day from a small team. We do need to fill events in the future to ensure that we fulfil our potential in the league.
GACs Throwers Set an Excellent Standard in the Northern Athletics League
Grantham Athletic Club hosted the first of this season’s four Northern Athletics League meetings on Saturday 7 May with clubs from Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. At the South Kesteven Stadium fifteen athletes competing for the club and valiantly secured a fourth place of seven clubs competing on the day.
There were a set of debut performances for athletes George Hatton, William Tucker and Malcolm Fenton who on the day, covered an age range from fourteen years to sixty.
The throwers set an excellent standard with a series of results of firsts and seconds across the men’s and women’s throws. Notable performances were from Chris Bainbridge who broke two club records in the men’s hammer and discus; the latter being a long-standing record last set back in 1998. On the day Malcolm Fenton set a men’s veteran age 60 years best distance throw, narrowly missing a veteran’s British record for his age group.
Young sprinters Jordan Stokes and Abbie Byron set early season fast times for the 100m and 200m.
With so few sprinters available on the day the men’s throws team stepped up to bravely run the relays, remarkably achieving a third placing in the 4x100m.
The next league meeting of Northern’ s Division Four is on the 5 June back at the South Kesteven Stadium; hopefully with more track athletes available the club will compete for promotion this year.
Results:
Men
100m 2. Jordan Stokes 11.3s
200m 3. Jordan Stokes 23.0s
1500m A 5. Will Tucker 4m.29.7s 1500m B 2. George Hatton 4m 55.9s
5,000m A 2. Arthur Short 18m 14.5s 5,000m B 2. Mark Tucker 22m 48.8s
Hammer A 1.Chris Bainbridge 46.69m (CR) Hammer B 1. Malcolm Fenton 39.79m (MVB)
Discus A 1. Chris Bainbridge 35.73m (CR) Discus B 1. Mark Atkin 30.72m
Javelin A 1. Hayden Richards 46.38m Javelin B 2. Chris Bainbridge 37.27m
Shot A 2. Chris Bainbridge 10.62m Shot B 2. Mark Atkin 8.34m
High Jump A 4. Chris Bainbridge 1.40m
4x100m 3. 55.2s Atkin, Bainbridge, Richards, P. Garner
4x400m 5. 5m 13.5s Atkin, Bainbridge, Richards, Garner
Women
100m A 2. Abbie Byron 12.8s 100m B 1. Amelia Wood 13.7s
200m A 2. Abbie Byron 26.1s
400m A 4. Saskia Hunt 76.8s
1500m A Saskia Hunt 6m 14.1s
Hammer A 1. Helen Gilbert 38.41m Hammer B 1. Gabbie Lord 25.52m
Javelin A 1. Helen Gilbert 31.23m Javelin B 1. Laura Evans 21.59m
Shot A 1. Helen Gilbert 9.96m Shot B 2. Laura Evans 6.85m
High Jump A 3. Amelia Wood 1.35m