Team Kennet Battle to Fifth in Closely Contested Wessex League Match
Team Kennet travelled to Swindon on Sunday for the third round of the Wessex Young Athletes League, looking to strengthen their position inside the league’s top six. With several key athletes away competing at the South of England Championships and other events, the squad faced a difficult challenge but still produced a host of outstanding performances across the track and field.
Match Result
- Abingdon – 337
- Marlborough – 306
- Slough – 286
- Wimborne – 273
- Team Kennet – 237
- Poole AC – 63
Despite finishing fifth overall, Team Kennet remains well placed in the league standings, with several athletes unavailable for this fixture.
The club’s biggest success came from the girls’ squad, who continued their outstanding season by recording another team victory to remain unbeaten and maintain their position at the top of their league.
The day began with the 75m hurdles, where Ella Parsons finished third in 16.35, while Darcy Claridge produced an excellent run to finish second in the B string in 16.20. In the Long Jump, Orlagh Stratford cleared 4.08m for fourth place, while newcomer Karaleia Bamfield impressed with 3.80m to finish third in the B string.
The 1500m produced another strong performance from Maisie McCurtin, who finished second in 5:06.9, while Claridge claimed an excellent B-string victory in 5:50.78.
There were valuable points throughout the throwing events. Ella McDonald finished second with 27.52m, while Ayla Wyvill won the B string with 14.49m. Wyvill later added fifth place in the Discus with 10.99m, while Affra Bailey finished fourth in the B string with 9.04m. Bailey then claimed second place in the Shot Put with 6.34m, matched by Wyvill with second place in the B string thanks to 5.92m.
One of the performances of the meeting came in the High Jump, where Orlagh Stratford cleared an outstanding 1.50m to take victory. The jump moves her to UK No.1 for her age group and into the Top 20 Under-14 athletes nationally, despite still having another full season remaining in the age group. Quin Joyce also impressed, clearing 1.30m to finish third on countback.
The 800m produced a superb double victory for Team Kennet, with Joyce winning in 2:25.6 before Affra Bailey secured the B-string win in 2:39.06. On the track, Bamfield finished fourth in the 100m in 14.7, while Lottie Longhurst was fifth in the B string with 15.7. Stratford then added third place in the 200m in 29.1, with Longhurst again finishing fifth in the B string in 31.1. The relay quartet rounded off another excellent day with fourth place in the 4x100m relay.
The boys’ team faced a difficult task with several key throwers and jumpers unavailable, but still produced a number of excellent performances to finish third in their section. Oliver Young clocked 12.6 in the 100m and 25.4 in the 200m for two fourth-place finishes. Matias Manrique Hueglas finished fourth in the B-string 100m in 13.4, before taking third in the B-string 200m in 26.5. Young also finished fourth in the 300m with 43.2, while Josh Brain claimed second in the B string with 41.9.
Frank Edwards recorded 2:29.07 in the 800m before returning just twenty minutes later to compete again in the 300m. In the field events, Brain and Aron Titlow both finished second in their respective Long Jump competitions with 5.48m and 4.84m, while Brain also claimed third in the High Jump after clearing 1.40m.
Team Kennet dominated the Discus, with Oscar Hook winning with 26.67m and Josh Ladds taking the B-string victory with 22.93m. Valuable points also came from the Shot Put through Hueglas (7.21m) and Edwards (6.64m), while the relay team completed the day with fourth place.
Another third-place team finish came from the girls’ squad, highlighted by a superb double victory in the 300m. Olivia Bentley won the A string in 44.23, while Ella Cronk claimed the B string in 46.95.
Jess McCurtin finished second in the 1500m before matching that placing in the High Jump with 1.30m. In the Long Jump, Izzy Payne cleared 4.73m for third place, while Cronk jumped 4.06m to finish second in the B string.
One of Team Kennet’s most consistent performers once again was Catherine Wood, who collected second place in both the Discus (23.42m) and Javelin (23.52m), before adding third place in the Shot Put with 8.43m. Cronk also finished second in the B-string Shot Put with 5.45m.
Bentley later added third place in the 100m (13.95) and fourth in the 200m (28.34), while Payne finished third in both B-string sprint races, recording 14.66 for 100m and 29.37 for 200m. The relay team narrowly missed out on second place, finishing third in 56.7.
Elsewhere, Theo Nightingale was Team Kennet’s only Under-17 athlete in action and produced an excellent clearance of 1.90m to win the High Jump. Alfie Cronk competed across all three throwing events, taking third in the Discus (19.66m) and Shot Put (7.16m), while finishing sixth in the Javelin. Seb Lane also represented Team Kennet in the 100m, recording 14.42.
Although Team Kennet had to settle for fifth place overall, the club once again showed its strength across all disciplines despite missing a number of key athletes. With several competitors expected to return for the next fixture, the club will be aiming to climb back up the league standings while building on another weekend full of impressive individual performances.
