British Athletics League 2005: Match 1, Sutton Arena
Is a ninth consecutive League win possible?
Bill Laws writes:- Another season; with our men’s squad going for a record-breaking, mind-boggling, earth-shattering, unbelievable ninth consecutive league win. And yet we were entering uncharted waters. Our first home match for nine years (had we lost the skills to manage such a prestigious event?). A new home track at Sutton Arena, and sadly our first match without the redoubtable team management skills of the late great John Jeffery.
Step up to the plate: Carl Lawton, our meeting manager, who pulled the whole exercise together including building a special elevated announcers box at the finish line, getting all data to team managers, officials and supporters, as well as arranging local hotels at concessionary rates for visiting teams. And on the day Alison Euridge from Partner club Sutton who provided all refreshments for officials and generally kept the back room staff content. And the verdict – a well-organised meeting- backed by the superb indoor facilities of Sutton Arena. No wonder BAL officials were talking of returning to this venue in 2 years time.
But the real action was outside. All teams were suffering from athletes still preparing for a long season and a Commonwealth Games in just nine months time. Just like last year the first fixture of the season was very much a case of who had returned from warm weather training and who had avoided injury. And for Belgrave the position was better than last year where a disastrous fourth spot in match 1 had put the league result in doubt.
A record single day points score from Scot Thompson ?
Scot Thompson once again opened events, this time with a pb in the hammer to back up a fine second place from the evergreen Mick Jones who has delayed his season to peak for Melbourne in 2006. Scot went on to amass 36 points from all four throws getting the statisticians scurrying for their record books to see if this was a single match points record by a Belgravian. A good start, followed by a hugely successful pole vault with Cameron Johnston getting silver and new member Joe Ive getting a B win and setting a new pb in the process and we were on our way. More near max points in the long jump with season’s bests from Bernard Yeboah and new member Adrian Philips who provided the second of our B string wins. Darragh O’Farrell guested to make it three 7m plus jumpers.
More good news as Kevin Brown made a cautious return after a season blighted by a torn patella tendon. Over 40, fluid drained off the knee the day before, knee locked in a brace and still this man flighted the disc to over 50m for more good points. But then, just as we were relaxing Samson Oni twinged a knee warming up for the high jump leading to the pairing of our young decathletes, Kevin Sempers and William Sharman who together were to amass big points as the day progressed. The trip became a stumble, as evergreen veteran Paul Beaumont was our sole fit 400 hurdler. Fortunately he managed a valuable 6 points to edge up his all time points tally.
Middle distance boys plundered 98 points
But after this the track took off as joint team manager Alan Mead (moving effortlessly from his road duties to track) assembled one of our strongest middle distance squads, which made a magnificent contribution to an eventual victory. From 800 to 3000 s/c and 5000 the middle distance boys plundered 98 of the 112 points on offer. A powerhouse if ever you needed one- with Paskar Owor (new member) and Stephen Sharp getting silvers in the 800. Sharpy also forced a bronze in the A 1500 with another B win in the 1500 for Jonathan Blackledge, David Anderson also gained a bronze spot in the A 5000 as he returns to form after injury with new man Phil Wicks close behind for 2nd in the B. But the piece de resistance was the double victory for Kevin Nash and Tim Watson in the chase. Tim’s result was noteworthy for his dive and complete immersion in the water jump, which put him at the back of the field, and from which position he fought to gain the B win.
We're wild about Harry
Sprint sensation and new member Harry A Aryeetey ran pb’s in both the 100 and 200 to put him well up the junior rankings. Both legal winds and a few shocks for other juniors yet to return from training in warmer climes. This man has shown it can be done early season and at home. More to come. The sprint relays turned out to be two of the best quality races of the day with good points for Dominic Girdler and William Sharman. Set Osho added to our B string winning tally in the 400 but suffered as the electric timing failed. Tim Bayley looked rusty in the A but made amends in the long relay where he got the fastest split. Laurence Oboh made a welcome return in the sprint relay where he ran the second leg in tracksuit bottoms to protect an old injury. And another blast from the past - Andrew Bennett - made a welcome but not entirely “bling” free return to our long relay team. The team will need adidas sunglasses for match 2 if this wanderer returns. He was dazzling in white - an impression bettered only by another stunning win. Match 2 looks a lot more inviting now.
Our gratitude to our friends at Newham & Essex Beagles
But at the end of the winning day it was John Jeffery who remained in our thoughts. He was sadly missed by all of us at Belgrave as well as the other teams. Newham and Essex Beagles team members competed with claret lapel ties in tribute to John, which says much for the high regard in which he was held but equally importantly showed once again the great camaraderie, compassion and fellowship in this great sport of ours. Words cannot express our gratitude to Tony Shiret, Bob Smith and our friends at Newham and Essex Beagles for their kind thoughts.
100m: 2 H Aikines Aryeetey 10.62/1.2; 4 W Sharman 11.2 (manual time); n/s 4 J Regis 11.60/-1.8. 200m: 3 H Aikines Aryeetey 21.25/0.5; 4 J Hussain 21.57w/2.2. 400m: 7 T Bayley 49.70; 1 S Osho 48.5 (mt). 800m: 2 P Owor 1:52.26; 2 S Sharp 1:55.32. 1500m: 3 S Sharp 3:53.16; 1 J Blackledge 3:53.81. 5000m: 3 D Anderson 14:36.1 (mt); 2 P Wicks 14:45.7 (mt). 110mH: 2 D Girdler 14.33/-2.6; 2 W Sharman 14.10/1.5. 400mH: 6 P Beaumont 61.05. 3000mSC: 1 K Nash 9:05.43; 1 T Watson 9:27.60. 4x100m: 4 Belgrave 42.42 (K Sempers, L Oboh, W Sharman, D Girdler). 4x400m: 4 Belgrave 3:17.93 (G Selway 50.0, J Hussain 50.0, A Bennett 49.0, T Bayley 48.9). HJ: =4 K Sempers 2.00; =5 W Sharman 1.80. LJ: 2 B Yeboah 7.32/-0.6; 1 A Phillips 7.19/0.7; gst D O'Farrell 7.08/1.1. TJ: 8 D O'Farrell 12.61/-0.9. 7 K Sempers 10.86/-1.5. PV: 2 C Johnston 4.80; 1 J Ive 4.60. SP: 3 C Gearing 16.15; 1 S Thompson 15.43. DT: 3 S Thompson 52.16; 2 K Brown 50.75. JT: 5 J Everard 55.45; 3 S Thompson 51.10. HT: 2 M Jones 69.90; 5 S Thompson 46.00.
1 Belgrave H 351; 2 Woodford Green wEL 322; 3 Shaftesbury Barnet H 272; 4 Birchfield H 271; 5 Enfield & Haringey AC 255; 6 Newham & Essex Beagles 254; 7 Border H 240; 8 Trafford AC 213.
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.