With the first two meetings going so well for the Darlington/Allerton composite team, thoughts had already turned to the possibility of promotion to Division 1. It’s safe to say the joint venture between the two clubs has been a tremendous success with the increase in the number of athletes making a huge difference. Last season, as far as DHAC were concerned, it was a case of having plenty of talent, but the lack of numbers made it difficult to compete against the bigger clubs. But with two wins out of two, things were looking good so lets see if we could make it three out of three……
Under 13 Boys Four of our regulars were competing today and it was a busy day for them all. It was certainly a successful one for Elwood Kelley, taking part in three events, and doing well in them all. First up was the long jump where he jumped an impressive 4.02m to take 2nd place. In the 800m he put in a tremendous effort, so much so he produced a new PB and a AAA Grade 3 time of 2:28.2, finishing in 2nd place. Then to top it all he was first across the line in the 200m in a time of 30.3s. Great job Elwood, well done! Our young multi-eventer, Ashton Harrison also took on three events today. He started off in great form, finishing 2nd in the shot with a new PB of 6.78m (getting ever closer to that 7m mark!) In the High Jump he looked comfortable; not his best ever but his improving technique helped him clear 1.1m. Then late in the day, even after the relays were complete, he finished things off in style with a win in the Discus, and a new PB of 15.71m! What a day, well done Ashton! Matthew Vest joined Elwood for the long jump and put in a great effort with a best of 3.41m. He followed this up later in the day with excellent performance in the 1500m where he was the 3rd U13 boy to cross the line. Nice one, Matthew, well done!
Finally we had Jack Johnson in his first year at U13. He too, took on three events, and wasn’t far off his PB in the shot with a best on the day of 4.01m. No messing in the 800m though where he beat his old PB by nearly 5 seconds, crossing the line in 3:12.7. Jack has also just taken up the javelin and is still learning how to master this tricky discipline. There’s nothing in the results so not sure how far he threw, but keep practicing, Jack, you’redoing great!
Under 13 Girls Another one of our keen muti-eventers was in action in one of the first track events of the day, the 70m Hurdles. Tori Buckley isn’t known for her hurdling but she produced an excellent performance today, beating several of the ‘A’ runners in a time of 15.3s to take 4th place. Next up, an event Tori works hard at and continues to improve, the Javelin. A mum from another team asked if she was a dancer as she watched Tori’s warm up routine of elegantly hopping around before, and in between throws. Tori’s mum swiftly replied “No, she’s a footballer!” ☺ A girl of many talents, our Tori! Her best throw looked like it might beat her PB but it measured just short with 19.77m, a AAA Grade 3 throw taking 3rd place. Finally, in the shot, another top performance, this time taking 1st place with a best of 6.55m, a AAA Grade 4 throw. A great day’s work, Tori, well done!
Emily Hornsby was in fine form and produced some excellent sprinting today. She was up against some tough competition which probably helped her produce a cracking PB of 14.4s, a AAA Grade 4 time to take 4th place. She continued along the same vein in the 200m, pushing hard and crossing the line in 3rd place with another PB of 30.5s, and another AAA grade 4 time! An excellent all round performance, well done Emily! The third and final member of our U13 girls team today was Savannah Tarn. She had an excellent start to the day in the long jump; a great effort resulted in a new PB with a best of 3.54m to take 3rd place. She followed that up with another strong run in the 800m and was so close to making it two PB’s today! A tremendous run though, finishing in 3rd place again with a time of 2:53.5, just a second off her PB. Top running, Savannah, well done!
Under 15 Boys As Nat was taking a well earned rest after his Inter-County Pentathlon the day before, there were just the two U15 boys in action today; Benedict Davies and Dylan Wilson. It was a busy day for Benedict which started early with the High Jump. He’s been trying out a new run up for the last few weeks so he’s still getting used to that – he’s not quite back to his best yet but he can still put in some excellent jumps, as he did here with a best of1.53m to finish in 2nd place.
Next, onto the sprinting and first up was the 100m. Even though he’s still in his first year at U15, he’s always one of the first across the line and he was there again today, tying for 2nd place and matching his PB of 12.3s – AAA Grade 4 time! In the afternoon it was time for the 200m; a tough draw in the outside lane. He ran a great bend and was cheered on by all the Harriers supporters down the straight (you know who you are – see photo!) to cross the line in 2nd place. All that support did the trick as he smashed his PB with a new time of 25.4s; another AAA Grade 4 time! A great day’s work, Benny, well done! It’s been a relatively quiet season for Dylan this year, but he ran a cracking 1500m today. It was a tough race against some tough competition, and the sun beating down didn’t make things any easier, but he worked hard and came away with a season’s best of 5:09.2, finishing in 4th place. A great effort, Dylan, well done!
Under 15 Girls There was a good turnout from our U15 girls today, with six of them competing. It was a busy day for sprinter, Kate Williams as she took on the 75m Hurdles, the 100m and the 200m. It was a confident performance in the 75m Hurdles with improving technique that brought her home in 1st place, matching her PB of 13.2s which she got on the same track at this season’s first NEYDL meeting. She continued with another PB in the 100m, this time with a fantastic Grade 3 time of 13.0s to take 1st place! Then to top it all she completed her individual events with yet another PB in the 200m; another Grade 3 time of 27.0s to secure her third win of the day. Well done, Kate, an outstanding performance!
Olivia Bell ran the 300m in the afternoon. She was a little slower than normal for the first 100m but made up for it with a cracking bend and a super sprint to the finish, crossing the line in 2nd place in 46.2s. A great effort Olivia, well done. Our two middle distance regulars were back again for the 1500m; Mia Wetherill and Emily Vest. Always a tough race, especially on a warm day like today, but both girls worked hard and Mia was rewarded with a new PB and Grade 4 time of 5:03.8 to take 2nd place. It was another solid performance from Emily who followed on in 6th place in a time of 5:54.8. A great effort from both girls, well done! In the field events we had throwing expert Lily Thompson who was on fire today.
To be quite honest the competition didn’t stand a chance and she was streets ahead of her nearest rival. Consequently she took 1st place in the Discus with 20.97m, 1st place in the Hammer with 24.25m, and finished the day off with another 1st and a nice PB of 10.01m in the Shot (which could have been more if it wasn’t for a foul throw!) Awesome! Nice one, Lily! Finally, we have our other Lily, Lily Large who took part in the long jump today. Another solid performance with a best jump of 3.85m, just 3cm off her PB to finish in an excellent 2nd place. Well done Lily!
Under17 Boys It was a welcome return to the track for endurance runner, Harry Wilson. He’s been out of action for a while, in fact this was his debut as an U17 Harrier. He was, perhaps, a little off his usual pace which is totally understandable, completing his 1500m in 5:18.08. But it was great to see him back again and hope it’s not too long before we see him running again. Well done Harry!
Under 17 Girls There were four of our U17 Girls in action today, with Logan Fawcett kicking things off in the 80m Hurdles. She continues to work hard at this new distance and it showed today as she took 1st place with a new PB of 14.5s. Later in the day she took on the 300m Hurdles as the only runner again. A difficult thing to do when all eyes are focussed on you, but once again she showed she can handle the pressure and produced another excellent performance, matching her PB of 54.3s. Great stuff, Logan, well done!
Sprinter, Leah Rutherford took on the 100m, 200m, as well as the long jump today. It was an excellent win in the 100m with a Season’s Best of 13.6m, followed by en equally impressive SB in the 200m, taking 1st place in 28.3s. After a great effort, she had to settle for 2nd place in the long jump after a best of 4.29m. Excellent all round performance, well done Leah!
Megan Noble was back again for two of her old favourites, the 800m and the 300m. There was some tough competition in the 800m, but she coped well finishing in 4th place in a time of 2:42.8. In the 300m, she showed her strength and experience, winning her race in 47.7s. Top running, Megan, well done! More throwing expertise came in the form of Lily’s big sister, Rosie Thompson. Surely Rosie couldn’t make it 3 wins out of 3 events as well? Wrong! After her double GOLD at the Air Cadet Nationals just the day before, Rosie was on top form. Which was excellent news for DHAC as she took 1st place in the Hammer with 34.38m, 1st place in the Discus with 25.31m and 1st place in the Shot with 9.75m! What a performance – what a Family! Well done Rosie!
For more photos click here https://www.flickr.com/photos/143839421@N02/sets/72157709423557141/