British Athletics League National Division One, Match 3, Copthall Stadium, Barnet

Chasing every extra point

Full results | Photos by Emanuelis Stasaitis

Match 3 provided a nostalgic chance to see the tired Copthall stadium for the last time. Building works behind the back straight have already started as part of a massive £20million re-build following the sale of the site to Saracens rugby club. Shaftesbury Barnet have negotiated a 30 year lease so athletics will be retained in the forseeable future thanks to an innovative design including retractable seating which will cover the ends of the track through the rugby season. Ground works meant that several events had to be held outside the track and your elderly team manager's fitness was tested as he scurried from event to event.

Transport delays

But this was not the only challenge. This match coincided with the Olympic road race which had closed many roads in Surrey and South London. The inevitable transport delays and the 11.00am start to this double fixture were bound to throw up problems. David Wellstead missed the 11.00 am long jump start and arrived just in time to record a modest third round effort. But Paul Ogun went some way to compensate by winning the A event with his last jump. Later in the triple jump both men responded well and David produced a season's best to get second spot in the B competition with Paul third in the A event. Alongside them in the pole vault junior Daniel Gardner won with a new pb of 5.10m and Andy Boudrie popped over a height for B points. Andy too had been delayed and missed the high jump where our sole competitor was Mark Allen. Mark buzzed from event to event gaining valuable points. In the 11.00am hammer he led specialist Matt Richards until the last round when Matt finally composed himself and powered out a winning effort just shy of 60m. With Mark winning the B we had maximum points in the hammer. The discus also produced good points with Leith Marar fourth in the A and again Mark winning the B. But the javelin suffered from the loss of Aaron Crawford while the shot yielded meagre points. Peter Mayfield responded to a last minute call and gained valuable points in the javelin and shot to back up Mark Allen.

Exciting races and times

The track produced some exciting races and times. But our early week hopes of a track points bonanza suffered a blow when on Friday night Wade Bennett Jackson reported unfit. On the day Pierre Walker stepped into the B100 and Cameron Webb the B200 both acquitting themselves well and gleaning more points. Greg Cackett saved the day by doubling the 100 and 200 finishing a close second in each high quality sprint. Interestingly the Division 1 sprints were faster than the Premiership ones which followed in this double match fixture. The middle distance races proved compelling with several men competing in the team for the first time this year. It was great to see Kris Gauson back. He has been in the States for four years and after a long collegiate season had already brought his season to a close. Thankfully he agreed to support the squad with one more competition and despite being clearly tired gained fourth in the A800 and third in the B 1500. Paskar Owor produced his usual clutch of points finishing third in the B800 and winning the B3000. Dan Mulhare too made a welcome return to the team and won the A3000 by just a whisker from a fast finishing Paskar. Both men had broken away from the field and battled each other over the last two laps. Dan finished with the bragging rights as previously he had also won the B1500. But it was the steeplechase that gladdened the eyes. New member Matthew Graham ran away from the field to win in impressive style. Matthew is just 22 years old and has a great future ahead. Will Cockerell again produced a solid effort for B race points despite his vertical drop with pike technique into the water. (Tom Daley eat your heart out!).

Once again JC was our only representative in the 400H and also doubling up in the B110H. Gary Wilson produced another solid effort to get fourth in the A sprint hurdles.

Belgrave were second ...

Coming into the final relays Belgrave were second. But a makeshift sprint squad couldn't overcome a poor start while ten minutes later the long relay boys lined up to find they numbered but three. Someone had gone home unexpectedly. Fortunately Pierre Walker who had warmed down from the sprint relay had enough time to get his spikes back on and took over the final leg to gain the 6 points which ensured we finished equal third with Cardiff AC. This was the second match this year we had tied a place. Just one more point in each of these matches would have made a big difference to Belgrave's League standing . If ever proof was needed that "chasing for every extra point" remains the name of the game this was it.

Harrow AC are doomed for the drop and Gateshead have only a slender chance of staying in Division 1. HHH on the other hand are going to experience the joys of next year’s Premiership. As a fellow SLAN club we wish them well. So on to the final match at Eton on the 18th August where matters will be decided.

100m: 2 G Cackett 10.54/0.4; 6 P Walker 11.32/1.9; n/s 7r1 C Webb 11.40/-0.8; 4r2 P Walker 11.49/-1.8. 200m: 2 G Cackett 21.30w/2.9; 5 C Webb 22.79/-0.3. 400m: 7 A Boudrie 49.7; 5 M Anukam 50.52. 800m: 4 K Gauson 1:53.25; 3 P Owor 1:56.27. 1500m: 3 K Gauson 3:57.40; 1 D Mulhare 3:59.08. 3000m: 1 D Mulhare 8:28.51; 1 P Owor 8:28.58. 110mH: 4 G Wilson 14.78/-1.0; 6 J-C Roghi 16.23/1.2. 400mH: 5 J-C Roghi 55.45. 3000mSC: 1 M Graham 9:07.33; 5 W Cockerell 10:26.14. HJ: 8 M Allen 1.50. LJ: 1 P Ogun 7.09/1.8; 7 D Wellstead 5.65/0.9. TJ: 3 P Ogun 14.58/1.2; 2 D Wellstead 14.19/1.5. PV: 1 D Gardner 5.10; 6 A Boudrie 2.20. SP: 6 M Allen 13.50; 7 P Mayfield 10.60. DT: 4 L Marar M40 48.43; 1 M Allen 45.00. JT: 7 M Allen 42.35; 6 P Mayfield 38.18. HT: 1 M Richards 59.59; 1 M Allen 52.64. 4x100m: 6 Belgrave 43.54 (P Walker, G Cackett, C Webb, G Wilson). 4x400m: 6 Belgrave 3.26.26. (C Collins 51.5, C Webb 52.7, A Boudrie 49.9, P Walker 52.2).

Match result: 1 Enfield & Haringey 330; 2 Herne Hill H 304; 3= Belgrave H & Cardiff AAC 296; 5 Thames Valley H 274; 6 Windsor, Slough Eton & Hounslow 242; 7 Gateshead H & AC 231; 8 Harrow AC 214.

League positions after three matches: 1 Herne Hill H 21; 2 Enfield & Haringey 18; 3 Thames Valley H 15.5; 4 Cardiff AAC 14.5; 5 Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow 14; 6 Belgrave H 13; 7 Gateshead H & AC 8; 8 Harrow AC 4.

Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.