Author: Team Kennet Administrator

Team Kennet travelled to Exeter for the first match of the Season in the Southern Athletics League Division 3 south West match, hoping to get of with a good start to the season which they did.

City of Salisbury  241.5
Team Kennet         192
Exeter City              178
Poole                         35.5

16 wins came on the day, with many more being second places, the mens long jump being a great competition saw Joe Osler break the clubs long jump record and winning with 6.55m and Peter Saunders  had to take second in the B string with 6.33 in a very strong competition. Both teamed up in the Triple Jump, to take  a Double win with Saunders leaping 12.47 and Osler 12.32.
The Mens Throws secured a great amount of points for once, In the Shot James Hills throwing 9.84 and Steve MacLean 8.66 saw the first double win of the day, both on a high teamed up again later in the Discus to do it again MacLean 28.86 and Hills 28.73 for their second Double. The Hammer saw two second places from MacLean and Graham Chambers, while in the Javelin two third places from Saunders and MacLean. The high Jump in the mens saw Osler take 2^nd place with Stuart Bladon winning the B string, Bladon took part in the Pole Vault later to come 2^nd.

On the Track the day started with the 400m hurdles both Sam Randall and Nick Bull took good second places in their Strings, Josh Willock came so unlucky to within a whisker in both 100m and 200m A strings to settle for second places clocking 11.7 and 24.1, Tom Hills taking fourth B in the 100m and Randall taking same spot in the 200m B. Two second places came in the 400m Randall 54.7 and Bladon 55.4, while the middle distance races club athletes Bull, Simon Hockaday and Ben Schiffer – Harte had to tackle all these events from 800m upwards scoring mainly third places.

The Womens section faired better, Sunita Sisodiya winning the 100m on the line in 13.6, and she won the 200m as a non scorer. Anna Montagne came 2^nd in the 400m 64.4 with Cailtlin Nowell 3^rd B string. Two good second places came in the 800m with Bethan Philp 2.36 and Rosa Lawrence, better came in the later 1500m Emily Faulkner coming 2^nd and Lawrence taking the B string win. Faulkner had to settle with third place In the 3000m, but in the 2000m steeplechase Philp came home in 3^rd place, Kira Angell came a good 2^nd in the 100m hurdles in a new best time of 18.9, on the field, maximum points came from the High Jump Angell clearing 1.45 and Philp taking the B string. The Triple Jump both Anais Taank and Georgina Bradford came 2^nd places, while the Long Jump Montagne had to settle for 3^rd place and Nowell 2^nd B string, again it was the throws that scored high, a double win in the Discus Alisha Bradford 26.89 and Charlotte Booker 21.44, Another Double win in the Hammer Deborah Montgomery 28.10 and Booker 27.84, Shot Montgomery came 2^nd 9.01 and Bradford 3^rd B, in a strong Javelin competition Montgomery came 3^rd A string.

The relays at the end of the day faired well, in the Womens 4×100 it was a close affair, Girls coming 2^nd with 54.0 while in the 4x400m they had to settle for 3^rd place.
The Mens, Both teams came 2^nd in their races clocking 48.57 and 4.01.69

In the Oxford League Quadkids for the under 9s and 11s at Oxford, Team Kennet’s Under 11 Boys and Girls teams both finished in 1^st place. The boys scoring 816 points and the girls 710.

Individually, Harry Fenner  was 2nd Under 9 boy overall on 157 points with Hannah Bosley (76) and Georgie Ryan (58) 4^th and 5^th in the Under 9 girls. Theo Campbell was 2^nd overall Under 11 boy on 227 points with Ollie Tozer 4^th on 210with James Fenner 206 and Henry Waters 173 the other point scorers for the team.Zoe Allen was also 2^nd overall in the Under 11 girls on 205 points with Clare McGonnell 3^rd on 194 points. Bethany MacLean (159) and Emma Davies (152) were the other point scorers.

For the Under 11 boys, Theo was fastest (3^rd overall) over 75m in 12.1 with Ollie 12.2 and James 12.7. Over 600m Ollie 2.02.7 (2nd overall) just pipped Henry 2.08.9 with Jonathon Patrionis 2.10.2. The long jump saw Theo 3.67 (2nd overall), Ollie 3.42 and James 3.20 jump furthest and in the Vortex James was the overall winner with 35.20 with Theo (overall 2^nd) 31.47 and Ollie 22.58.

For the girls, Zoe 11.9 was 2^nd fastest overall with Clare 12.6 and Emma 12.7 in the 75m. In the 600m Zoe was 3^rd overall in 2.05.4 with Bethany 2.14.5 and Clare 2.15.3 while in the long jump Zoe 3.24, Clare 3.22 and Emma 2.85 jumped furthest and in the vortex Clare 26.46 was another overall winner with Zoe 23.20 and Bethany 23.00 not far behind in 2^nd and 3^rd overall.

In the Under 9s, Harry’s vortex throw of 23.50 was just the overall winner with his 75m time of 13.2 equal 1^st.

Ben East threw himself in to History at the weekend, in his first outdoor meeting of the season at Bournemouth Ben in the under 15 age group threw the Javelin to an amazing 63.88, not only smashing his own club record, he threw the fourth longest throw in the uk ever for his age group, but one of the longest in 10 years. Ben went straight in to UK number one spot which he should hold for the  rest of the season

Team Kennet’s Stuart Bladon took part in the UK multi Sports Events Championships over the weekend at Sheffield, in the under 17s Heptathlon. Comprising seven events day 1 saw Stuart finish the day in eight place, clocking 7.55 in the 60m sprint for a new personnel best, leaping 1.86 in the high jump and 5.85 in the long Jump later saw him clear 3.46 for a new club u17 indoor record in the pole vault, Day 2 lifted Stuart up with a fast 8.79 in the 60m hurdles, throwing the shot 11.11 and then running the 1000m in 2.52.47 to earn Stuart a 4^th place overall out of 26 athletes, setting a new personnel best and club record points tally of 4488.

Team Kennet coach and athlete Deborah Montgomery added more silverware to this years tally, in the UK Masters Championships held at Lee Valley Deborah came 2^nd in the veteran 50 age group in the Shot throwing 10.22 and the came Third in the Hammer with 32.52.

Club coach Simon travelled to Lisbon to do the Lisbon half marathon over weekend coming home in 1.58 with some 40000 taking part.

Club chairman Nick Bull was Seaton in Devon’s 10000th park run finisher since November 2016. Nick came 22nd in the event on the day.

Stuart Bladon took part in the UK u17 Championships in Sheffield at the weekend, clearing 1.85 in the High Jump he managed to finish 4th just missing out of the medals. Winner of the event Dominic Ogbechie leapt 2.22 to break the World age group record.

Several club athletes took part in the under 17 London Games Indoor Track and Field competition over the weekend.

Stuart Bladon broke two club records for indoors, firstly in his favoured event the high jump  clearing 1.90 to take third place and a personnel best, then threw a best in the Shot 11.47 setting another  best achievement, and at the end of the day in the 60m clocking 7.59 for another personnel best.

Anna Montagne won her 300m heat in a superb 44.27 and then came 5th in the Long Jump 4.76.

Oliver Bazin took part in three events the Triple Jump being his best 11.27, he leapt 5.12 in the long jump and clocked 8.02 in the 60m sprint