Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow Athletic Club

WSE & Hounslow Ladies victorious despite adversity

With three 3 matches of a 5 match series completed, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow (WSEH) A.C. ladies are the only team to have been victorious in every match.
This weekend’s win was by the smallest of margins against local revivals, Reading and the host club, Chelmsford, but it could have been a much larger win, had the team not been dogged by unusual pre-match and match day problems.
Having already lost several of their top athletes to the lucrative Throws and Jumps Fest in Birmingham over this weekend and being further affected by the clash with the National Junior league match, the team was further depleted by injury and illness in the run up to the weekend.
This was further compounded by the rare loss of 2 good class sprinters on the morning of the match, too late to find replacements. However, worse was to come, when devastating news arrived that one of the senior athletes had been side-swiped and spun by a lorry on the M25 on her way to the match. Although not injured, a severely shocked Lauren Betts-Bucke was taken home by her partner.
For WSEH, it almost became more about those who did not make it to the match than those who did. However, the athletes present rallied round to make the best of the day and with the support of fellow team managers, Geoff Bayles & Les Phelps, Irene Speller made continual adjustments to the team in order to get the best from it and the evidence speaks for itself.
In the senior sprints, Helen Pryer marked her return from injury with a double victory in 100m & 200m “A” strings. The “B” strings were ably contested by Sarah Phelps (under 17) & Shelayna Oskan, who added the races to their original events and both placed 2nd.
Another under 17 athlete, Sophie Purkis, bravely added the 400m race to her 800m and was rewarded with a new personal best (PB), whilst her 400m partner, Charlotte Brunton gained a seasons best, despite a knee problem flaring up during the race.
The middle distance athletes, Jane Sheard, Lucy Roe & Leigh James either did two races or added the 4x400 relay to their key event, whilst Caroline Heaney & Harriet Shurley contested both the sprint and 400m hurdles and each gained two victories.
The same team spirit was evident on field, with almost every athlete doing additional events. For thrower, Jo Wade, it was adding the Triple jump to the Shot & Javelin, whilst Janet Smith and Jo Botwright did both the Hammer & Discus, in which she gained a new best.
The jumps saw Claire Hing & Steph Brown doubling up and a new best for Maxine Clarke in the Pole Vault, in which Dorothy McLennan equalled her seasons best.
Whilst the girls section of the team was less affected by on the days problems, Sarah Hing and Charlotte Banks added the sprints to their key events to join Shalisha Patrick, who had to move into the “A” string.
Whilst there was a mixed bag of results from Rosie Adams, Jo-Ling Chew, Naomi Barbour and Christina Hall in the U15 middle distance races, Adams did gain a new best in the 800m.
It was a similarly mixed bag of results on the field, but personal bests abounded. New signing, Jenna Grant achieved a best to win the “B” Shot and also won the Discus. Fellow thrower, Ellie Norris also gained a victory and a PB in the Discus and another best in the Javelin.
Further PBs came to Harriet Daniels and Sophie Tudge in the High Jump, Ana Gomez in the Long Jump, whilst Faye Williams and Sarah Phelps totally dominated the U17 Hurdles events.
If proof were required, that every point counts, this match shows it. The team victory was by just one point! But the real point was that the victory was by a team that really pulled together in immense adversity.