Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow Athletic Club

The top of the table clash at Eton on Sunday saw WSEH fend off the challenge of 2nd placed Enfield & Haringey AC to maintain their unbeaten tag in their defence of the league title. The icing on the cake for the local club was a new league record in the final girls relay, the Under 17 4x300m where the squad of Laura Burke, Georgia Taylor, Leah Barrow and Georgie Lamothe scorched around the track to beat the old league record by a massive 3 seconds with a time of 2m43.1 secs. There was also a club record for George Butler in the Under 13 200m getting inside the old mark set nearly two decades ago by some 0.6 secs with his time of 25.3 secs.

The Enfield club have always proved hard to beat in the sprint events, with WSEH usually having the edge in the middle distance races. Not so this year and there was little between either on the track. It was the WSEH throwers that eventually provided the turning point in a nine point victory in the match.

Match result: WSEH AC 450 pts
Enfield & Haringey AC 441pts
Team Dorset AC 347pts
Bedford & County AC 343pts

Under 17 Men
The best of the short sprints came in the 200m where Seamus Burke was 2nd in 23.2 secs. 800m specialist Rikki Letch, proved his form in the shorter 400m in a new pb of 50.1 secs, just failing to break the magical 50 sec barrier. The WSEH middle distance athletes piled in the points with double successes both in the 800m and 1500m. Elliot Woolmer (1m57.2) and Gari Brown(2m8.2) completed the double in the 800m and Connor Vine(4m18.3) and James Bennington(4m21.9) did likewise in the 1500m. Nathan Ditton was the best of the WSEH 300m runners with 2nd place in 9m52.7.
Maximum points were accrued in the Discus from Ryan Barrett(41m84) and Alistair Webber(28m24) and the same pairing repeated the feat in the Shot, this time Webber having the edge with 12m25 to Barrett’s 11m24. Mark White had earlier set a pb of 51m42 to win the Hammer. The WSEH Javelin throwers also were high point earners. Leigh Bosson finishing 2nd with 37m04 and Ryan Horner winning the B string with 30m00. There were more maximum points in the Long Jump with David Harvey(6m37) and Alex Peden (6m20) producing the goods. Peden went on to take equal 1st in the High Jump with 1m75. Charlie Smith improved his best in the Pole Vault by a superb 40cm to 3m80 and then went on to win the B Triple jump with 11m62 with Ethan Welch on 11m83 to take 2nd in the A string.

Under 15 Boys
It was much more difficult to rack up the points in this age group, with the middle distance athletes having the most success on the track. Jay Fieldmartin was pulled to a new pb in the 800m in taking 2nd in 2m7.3. Rickie Harvey was also run out of it in the 1500m, settling for 2nd in 4m25.6 but with Cameron Todd- Ferguson winning the B string in 4m27.3. The WSEH throwers proved on form, with Cameron Crawford(30m25pb) and Gurlal Randhawa(24m68pb) scoring the double in the Discus. Randhawa went on to take 2nd in the Hammer B in 19m94 behind Taylor Campbell’s winning effort of 29m94.

Under 13 boys
George Butler led the way in this age group. Besides his club record in the 200m he also won the 100m in a pb of 12.8 secs but found his pb in the Long Jump of 5m12 still did not carry him to victory. He was well supported by Giles Robinson in the 100m where he placed 2nd in the B race in 13.9 secs.
The middle distance athletes also scored well. Will Brennan was 2nd in the 800m in 2m27.9 secs, with Tom Coe winning the B in 2m33.9. There were 2nd places for Gus Cockle(4m53.0) and Max Bennett(5m08.5) in the 1500m.

Best of the relay results came from the Under 17 Age Group. The quartet of Rikki Letch, Connor Vine, Elliott Woolmer and Seamus Burke won in 3m27.4, getting close to the club record. Burke also played his part in the 2nd place in the 4x100m relay alongside Sam Maguire, Alex Peden and David Harvey, recovering from a standstill change on the last leg to still take 2nd in 46.3 secs. There was also a 2nd place for Dereece Green, Jay Fieldmartin, Ricky Harvie and Callum Todd Ferguson in the U15 Boys 4x400m in 3m54.6

The young athletes of Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow Athletic Club were again in action on Sunday, when they played host in the fourth of the series of UKA National Young Athletes League matches. The home team emerging as eventual winners in this very closely fought match by a margin of just 9 points from Enfield & Haringey.

Along with some very exciting performances from athletes in all age groups, two big stories dominate the day’s events.

• The U17 4x300m Relay Team of Leah Barrow, Georgia Taylor, Laura Burke and Georgia Lamothe smashes league record by 3 secs with a time of 2m43.1 Leading from the start, they continued to stretch out the lead with each successful changeover to run in close to 100m ahead of second placed Bedford.

• U13 Becca Croft’s spirited run breaks the 1200m club record by 2.6 secs with a time of 3m49.9

Under 17 Ladies
WSEH sprinters dominated here which sprint specialists Enfield found impossible to penetrate. The local team’s strength resulted in 6 wins out of 6. In the 200m came the pairing of Georgia Lamothe (25.4s) and Leah Barrow(25.5s PB). This was followed by Laura Burke(40.7sPB) and Emily Barrett (42.1sPB) in the 300m with finally the 100m duo of Georgia Lamothe(12.4s) once more and Shalisha Patrick(12.6sPB) securing the clean sweep.
Another area of dominance came in the throws. Ellie Norris found success in the Discus with 24m83 along with Jenny Yoxall(22m20PB), both notching up maximum points. Norris also partnered Kathryn Wallace in the Hammer, earlier in the day, when she threw a new PB of 29m97. Wallace’s mark of 22m18 ably supporting. Yoxall then partnered Tara Barrett, both placing 2nd in the Shot.
Other notable performances came in the 300m Hurdles. Both Georgia Taylor(47.0sPB) and Aimee Partridge(49.1sPB) running in respectable 2nd placings with both improving their own marks.
The middle distance debut at 3000m, saw Hannah Widgington complete in 13m0.9. Widgingtons training partner, Verity Kyley, stepped into the 800m at short notice to record a PB of 2m43.4. Naomi Barbour, selected to contest the 800m(2m31.3), further supported the team effort, by competing in the 1500m, achieving a time of 5m19.7.
Multi-eventer Letisha Richardson, showed her worth to the team, by covering three events. Possibly compromising her High Jump effort, she broke away from this event to compete the 80m hurdles achieving a time of 13.2s supporting Charlotte Banks(12.9s). She then returned to the High Jump, but was unable to improve on her performance here. She did, however record a 1st in the Long Jump earlier in the day with 4m54.
Further points where achieved with Claire Hing(Long & Triple Jump), Sarah Phelps and Sarah Taplin(Javelin), Hannah Kirby(Triple Jump), Emma English(High Jump), Sarah Spears(1500m) and Alyssa Spitzer(3000m) all gaining valuable points. Finally, improving on her best performance, Lily Guerin rounded off her day with a clearance of 2m20 in the Pole Vault, placing first.
The 4x100 relay team of Kirby, Patrick, Phelps and Mohammad failed to complete.

Under 15 Girls
As the season progresses, so this age group grows stronger. Olivia Caesar was dominant in the sprints, recording 13.1s in the 100m and 26.8s for the 200m. She then stepped in to cover the shot(5m41PB), when training partner Steph Clitheroe suffered an injury competing in the 100m(13.4s). Fellow sprinter, Cressida Millar, achieved a best of 26.8s in the 200m finishing a creditable 2nd. New signing, Eleanor Duck, along with multi-eventer Demi Barrance, acquitted themselves admirably by securing top spots in the 75m Hurdles. Duck achieving 12.1sPB and Barrance 12.7sPB. Barrance also featured in the Long Jump achieving another PB of 4m63. Harriet Walters, covering the other Long Jump spot, claimed a 1st with 4m54.
Further new signings of Emma Ford and Sophie Jenkins showed what they might be capable of in future competitions, both clearing 1m50 in the High Jump and both securing maximum points.
In the middle-distance events, points were harder to achieve, however, individual personal improvements were to be had for Joanne Fallon(2m28.6) and Christina Hall(2m31.7) in the 800m. The 1500m fared a little better, with two 2nd placings for Ruth Bourne(4m53.4) and Emma Croft(5m20.5SB). With support from Gabriela Zivanovic(Shot and Discus), Imogen Eddings(Discus and Javelin) and Alice Simmonds(Javelin), this section of the team looks set to continue to improve.
The 4x100 relay team of Barrance, Croft, Caesar and Millar came in 3rd in 54.3s

Under 13 Girls
Achieving a new club record for the 1200m, Becca Croft was in a league of her own finishing nearly the complete length of the home straight from the second placed athlete. She dominated, and showed no sign of easing up as she broke the old record of Ruth Bourne by 2.6 seconds to record 3m49.9. Supporting Croft, Emily Hancock ran the other 1200m string recording a new PB in 4m22.7. Morgan Lake continued to record new PB’s in the 150m(20.1s) and 70m Hurdles(11.5s), completing the day with the Long Jump(5m04). Aleksia Zivanovic impressed in her debut 800m recording 2m42.4PB while Tilly Compton-Stewart ran in with 2m47.8. Ellie Boatman ran a solid 75m sprint with 11.3s She had earlier landed awkwardly coming off a hurdle in the 70m Hurdles. Being team spirited, she continued and completed the race in 13.6s, recording a 1st place erning valuble points. In the Shot, two more 1st places were achieved with Alejandra Gomez(8m32) and Josslyn Stotter(8m01). Stotter also competed the 75m in 11.2s. The High Jump saw Sasha Hollenbeck(1.25m) and Hope White(1m25=SB) score valuable points.
A new signing, competing in her debut club competition, Ellie Rayer scored a brace of 2nd places. She took on the 150m(20.8s) and the Long Jump(4m00). The 4x100 relay team of Boatman, Hollenbeck, Stottor and Lake successfully completed in 55.1s

Thanks to all the parents and volunteers who contributed to making the day the success it was. A great day of athletics.

Authors: Dennis Daly & Les Phelps