When second place feels like first
Southern Athletics League Match 1 – Bedford
Saturday 16th April 2016
[ezcol_1half]Despite our triumphant undefeated season in 2015 the Belgrave Harriers Southern Athletics team knew we were in for a tough time in our opening match in Division One at Bedford. Taking on the might of Bedford at home, the strength of Thames Valley Harriers and 2015 Div1 title contenders Crawley we knew this was going to be no mean feat.
The rain was belting down upon our arrival so we all sought refuge in a corner of the indoor canteen area to gather ourselves before braving the cold and windy conditions that awaited us. The weather was not to be the only trying part of the day as delayed starts and timetable changes in the field wreaked havoc with our athletes but as ever the Belgrave Harriers pushed through and soldiered on.[/ezcol_1half][ezcol_1half_end]Video compilation by Jon Goodall[/ezcol_1half_end]Winning only 12 out of the 72 events on offer we knew it was going to be a day about numbers and team spirit as the small but elite 28 person team rallied together to cover all but 2 events and prove the mantra “you’ve gotta be in it to win it” has never been more apt.
Women’s Team
A dozen lovely ladies were in the mix to cover off the 36 events on offer and 35 of them were met with a dose of Belles power as we kicked off in solidarity with our ladies off at the Nationals in Birmingham to show what our ladies team can really do.
Southern League veterans Jessica Case and Rose O’Brien led the charge with the unenviable task of covering off the hurdles and 400s in the ice storm that was Bedford. It wasn’t so much “#thisgirlcan” as it was “#thisgirlhastobecausenoonelikeshurdlesand400sareroughatbedford”. Covering off 15 events between them there was no threat of PBs being broken but the love of all that is Belgrave and track meant that the ladies cracked on in showing everyone what true team spirit is about.
It was a truly triumphant day for our U17 ladies as Ayse Hussein kick started her SAL debut with a brilliant win in the long jump A string showing no sign of nerves at her first senior event for the club before a solid run in the 200m A string. She was joined by Milla McKenzie who as second highest points scorer for the ladies returned to the squad for yet another successful turn in the jumps with a win in the B string long jump and a second place in the high jump A string adding to her tally.
As per usual it was The Charlie’s Runner Training Group that took care of the middle and long distance events and they didn’t disappoint. A cheeky win from a knee-niggled Fiona Maddocks in the 800m B string was accompanied by a gutsy performance from Nicole Toft in the A string. The ladies then paired off with SAL debutants Megan Bailey and Keri Mackenzie with Fiona leading out Megan in the 3000m and Nicole joining Keri in the 1500m with her return to track competition providing a handy second in the A string.
Two of the coveted winning performances of the day came from throws partners in crime Leanne Bettis and Vilma Thompson with both ladies taking top points in the discus A and B respectively. A good showing across the javelin and shot put along with assistance from Ellen Hunter in the hammer meant the ladies kept us in the mix throughout the day with their brilliant throwing.
Men’s Team
For the men’s team it was a tough day with little room to move amongst the forces of Bedford, Crawley and TVH. Undeterred our men went at it head on and whilst only managing three individual victories the battles for second and third places proved the difference overall.
It was Sam Shore who took the first win for the men’s team with a solid run in the 400m hurdles A before he was joined by Mark Silvester in the 400m where both were just pipped to second place in the A and B respectively. The 400m pair managed to take one back from their rivals however as they combined to make up the opening half of the victorious men’s 4x400 relay team with training partner Adam Cameron, who ran a gutsy first 800m A race to take second place, safely anchoring them home.
Matt Threadgold and Pierre Walker had a tough task in the sprints against a strong field and trying conditions. Much like the sun at Bedford, it was not the day for our sprints duo to shine as niggles and tentative runs added to their frustrations. However an epic third leg from Threadgold in the men’s 4x400m salvaged his day and we’re sure the best is yet to come from both athletes at the upcoming matches.
Making his SAL debut the extremely talented Matthew De Rossi managed a second in the high jump and long jump B, before a maiden 200m against a rapid field. He was guided around by fellow multi-eventer AJ Bennetts who had a busy day rushing from high jump to 100m to long jump before eventually having a crack at the pole vault for the first time and racking up a handy five points in the process.
Following on from his success in 2015 and proving he is a steeplechase star in the making Nick Smallwood returned to the event with a brilliant second place considering he had jogged straight to the start line after having only completed the 1500m mere minutes before. He was joined by 2015 Team Player of the year recipient JC Doukrou who made a heroic effort in the B race after a long spell out in the pastures of first year university life, and of course not before having already done the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles and triple jump prior.
Ever the true Belgrave gentleman, Richard McMillan had put himself forward to help the team out in whatever way he could, unfortunately for him this entailed the 1500m B. Sporting the vintage Tilda Rice Belgrave vest Richard put in a fine show to secure another point for the team before anchoring home the men’s B 4x400m relay later in the day. Not to be outdone, Jon Goodall, who was on media duties for the day, and just happened to pack his vest and shorts despite doctor’s orders, simply couldn’t resist jumping in to do the 110m hurdles and nabbed a handy three points for the team in the meantime.
Meanwhile in the field Chris Privett and Tom Ikeda partnered up to take on the throws against some fierce competition from Bedford and County and Thames Valley with the consistent duo ensuring 18 points were slotted away and nearest rivals Crawley were 4 points adrift of them in their own undertakings. The victory for Tom in the shot put B boosted his individual tally to 11 to make him the highest point scorer for the men’s team for the day.
The highlight of the day was most certainly from Zekeriyas Abery who put in a masterclass in how to destroy the souls of men as he managed to lap the entire A and B field of the men’s 5000m. Putting in a metronome performance of 73” laps to the bemusement of the 400m boys he managed to take victory and warm down before the last man had even finished. One of these men was none other than his own teammate and fellow training group member Robert Norville who put in a brave run as he returns to fitness whilst safeguarding that we were always covered off and another point for the team was in the bag.
Finishing on a high with the continued success of the men’s 4x400 relay team the legacy of the 2015 SAL team was alive and well. Finishing second to a strong Bedford home team and holding of Crawley and TVH as we made our debut in division one, a second place finish has never felt so much like a victory. It was truly great team effort from everyone as we rallied with limited numbers to show that our resilient team spirit still gets us across the line.
Many Thanks...
A massive thank you to Tony Fairclough who stood in to Track Referee the day at the last minute, to Gillian Fairclough and John Hall who braved the cold to measure and officiate; and to our support crew of coaches, friends and family in particular Dave Lucas and Aziz Hussein who cheered and encouraged us in the most gloomy of days. Last but not least, to the amazing team of athletes that showed up and got stuck in for what is a notoriously tricky fixture, thanks for showing up! We hope to see an even bigger and better turnout at the next fixture and ideally some better weather…
Full Results to come...
Southern League Points Tally 2016
Next match: Saturday 21st May, Walton-on-Thames
