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| 2011 - A Year in a Review | by: Croydon Harriers 27th Dec 2011 16:43:30 |
 The Croydon Harriers coat of Arms  Ben Savill falls to the ground after the start in his 400m heat in June but despite this put in a solid leg in the 4x400m Relay later Action comes from the National Young Athletes League Southern Area Final , Southern Athletics League , Ebbisham League and the National Junior League . With thanks to all the team managers, coaches, officials, members and athletes who have made this year so successful. Here's to 2012! NYAL Southern Area Final, Barnet Copthall, 17th July 2011 NATYAL 2011 Southern Final P1 by mjk05# NYAL Southern Area Final, Barnet Copthall, P2, 17/7/11 National Junior League, Erith, 10th July 2011 Southern Athletics League, Croydon Arena, 9th July 2011 Ebbisham League, Walton, 26th June 2011 World Championships, Daegu - South Korea, August 2011, 4x400m (Martyn Rooney on last leg) International Martyn Rooney reached the semi-finals of the World Championships in Daegu with a 45.30secs run over the 400m. He also ran the third fastest time out of all competitors in the 4x400m final where GB finished seventh. James Dasaolu ran 10.11secs (2nd in the UK) in Geneva, Switzerland, early in the summer but then injuries sidelined the 24 year-old for the remainder of 2011. Twinelle Hopeson (100m) and Tasha Danvers (400m hurdles) have also been sidelined due to injury, but the latter has retained her lottery funding. Elliot Safo won silver at the Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man in the long jump and took gold at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Turkey with a 7.41m leap. National Lawrence Okoye broke the British record for the discus thanks to a 67.63m throw at the McCain Jumps and Throws Festival at Hendon. Sadly he narrowly missed out on selection for team GB. Martyn Rooney won the Aviva Trials for the third time in the 400m. Paul Ogun (long jump) and Tunde Amuso (triple jump) both qualified for the McCain Challenge Final in Birmingham. England Championships : Tunde Amuso, 15.51m, silver medal. Ned Quiney , pole vault, 4.80m =3rd. Twinelle Hopeson , 100m, 12.12secs, 5th (heat). Paul Ogun, long jump, 7.17m NATYAL The Harriers reached the Southern Area Final for the second year running as a joint team this year. They finished 4th in their league to qualify, and went onto finish 8th in the final at Hendon against tough opposition. Teams of over 60 Harriers were a regular sight at all the fixtures. Thanks go to Paul Weston and Mike Fleet and all the officials. Surrey XC The senior men retained their Division 3 status after being promoted from the fourth division in the 09/10 season. They look set build on this in 2011/12 as the team continues to grow stronger. The women were 19th in the 2nd division. Thanks go to Miriam De Souza, Ken Crooke, Don Webb, Andy Del Nevo and Colin Oxlade for marshalling troops. There was also a regular group of young athletes at each fixture. Virgin London Marathon Colin Oxlade, David White, Mohsin Harhara, Louise Locke, Ian Statter and Isaac Butcher competed in this year’s race. 19 young athletes took part in the Virgin Mini-Marathon, one of the biggest totals we’ve ever had take part. Holly Haile led the charge in the U15 girl’s race finishing seventh in 19:10, a staggering 3:33 quicker than twelve months ago. She was closely followed by Stevie Lawrence in tenth in 19:32, exactly one minute faster than 2010. In the boy’s event, Peter Chambers made a solid debut in the U17 ranks, having won the race three years in a row, finishing tenth in 15:50, eleven seconds faster than last year. English Schools Championships Shirin Irving ripped up the record books and clinched English Schools gold this past weekend at Gateshead. The talented 14 year-old set a new championship record over the 75m hurdles in 10.85secs, well clear of her rivals. The club’s other medallists came in the same events – the IB discus. Nathan Carty (2010 winner) took silver in 43.44m, while Faraz Rafi was just 4cm behind to grab bronze. Aaron Adekoya leapt to 11.93m in the JB triple jump for 11.93m. In the middle-distance events, Peter Chambers safely negotiated the heats of the IB1500m in 4:04.92. The Trinity pupil went onto finish eighth in a tactical final. Harvey Stainthorpe JB 800m 2:06.74 / 7th in heat Taiwo Kamoju IB 200m 23.60secs / 6th in heat Joe Yarde SB 110m hurdles Eleanor Smith-Hahn JG 200m 25.94secs / 5th in heat Jordan Otu JB 12.33secs / 7th in heat Southern Athletics League The senior men and women combined forces to join the Southern Athletics League in its inaugural season. It is fair to say to say that the league has been a resounding success. The team finished ninth in the 16-team second division. Another 32 teams have signed up for 2012, meaning this could well represent the future of senior team athletics in the SEAA region. Surrey Championships Croydon Harrier Lawrence Okoye made an impressive start to his career as a senior with victory in the discus at the Surrey Athletics Championships. The 19-year-old from Waddon, who hopes to represent Great Britain at next year's Olympic Games, was throwing a 2kg discus for the first time in competition and blew the opposition away with a 63.25m effort that smashed the championship record. Babatunde Amosu equalled his personal best of 15.74m, another championship record, to win the triple jump and move up to fourth in this year's UK rankings. The club had a third gold medalist in the seniors thanks to Oweka Wanogho, who won the 200m men's final in 21.91 seconds, with club-mate Lee McLaughlin in fourth. Robbie Powell also claimed a silver in the 800m but Joscelynn Hopeson missed out on the medals in the senior women's 100m when she came fourth in the final. Plenty of the club's youngsters also enjoyed good days with wins for Elliot Safo (U20 long jump), Andre Gibbs (U20 100m), Omari Carr-Miller (U17 200m) Joshua Thompson (U17 triple jump), Nathan Carty (U17 discus), Jordan Otu (U15 80m hurdles) and Lynden Thomson (U13 long jump). BMAF Championships Indoors: The club struck gold thanks to Andy Del Nevo, who cleared 2.70m in the M40 pole vault. Mandy Rowley-Jones leapt to a new club record in the W45 triple jump with a 8.37m effort to earn silver, while there was also a silver and club record combination for M60 David Hayward in the 400m. He completed the two lap event in 61.23secs. M60 Tony Richards bagged three medals over the weekend in the discus (37.53m, 2nd), javelin (34.32m, 2nd) and shot putt (11.84m, 3rd). Colin Oxlade clocked an impressive 10:07.49 in the M50 3000m for bronze, while partner Linda Harrison grabbed silver in the weight throw of 8.38m. Outdoors: Colin Oxlade won the M50 3000m Steeplechase, while Linda Harrison picked up five W60 medals. Pentathlon: Mandy Rowley-Jones won the BMAF Heptathlon gold at Oxfordshire. Surrey Schools Championships SHIRIN Irving remained modest after breaking a 31-year-old Surrey Schools Championship record in the sprint hurdles. The 14-year-old Croydon Harrier, a pupil at Virgo Fidelis, equalled the record in her heats with 11.2 seconds, before breaking it with 11.15 in the final. Harvey Stainthorpe also struck gold in the JB 800m. Kamila Morgan (IB javelin), Trevina Medley (JG javelin), Surrey Road League The senior men finished 12th in the 29 strong league. This is our best result in a number of years. David White, David Brown (7th overall SM), Keith Brown (5th overall M50) and Colin Oxlade were amongst those that competed. Neil Aikman won bronze in the M40 category over the seven race series. Rosenheim League The Senior Men finished 4th in the cup final. This was an extremely good result as the three clubs above us were of BAL standard. Thanks go to Andy Del Nevo for arranging this. National Junior League The team (U20’s & U17’s) finished 8th out of 8 in the division. This acts as a good introduction to track and field athletics for athletes of this age group new to the sport. It also gives them a good opportunity for athletes to compete against others of their own age group. Ebbisham League The U15 and U13 Boys team finished third in the league. This is a good result as it means we don’t have to organise it in 2011! SCVAC League The Veteran Men finished 3rd and the Veteran Women finished 3rd. A great effort from everyone. All credit to Ken Crooke, Andy Del Nevo and Joy Catling for their team managerial prowess. Lily B League The team finished mid-table in their division. We couldn’t attend the last fixture as it clashed with the NATYAL Final. Again, all athletes enjoyed it, a good introduction to athletics for girls of this age group. Lexus Croydon 10k In a fine display, 21 Croydon Harriers dominated our home race at the Lexus Croydon 10K.In near-perfect conditions, it was one of the most talented contingents of Harriers in many years, with eleven making the top 50 (more than any other club) and were rewarded with the team prize after topping the standings. David White spearheaded the team’s challenge with a new lifetime best of 34.08 for runners-up spot. Andy Sims (5th, 35.25), Sam Clayton (8th, 36.11) and Alan Burn (11th, 36.31 – M40 winner) were all in close contention, with Sophie Bates (8th female finisher, 43.43) completing the team to secure the team prize. In the 3km Kartik Iyer’s hard work in training paid dividends, taking the win in 11.41, in what was his first victory for the club. Luke Baker (12.11) sneaked onto the podium in third, and was second U15B. Laurence Johnston (12.19) edged Omar Harhara (12.19) on the line for fourth, with Charlie Brackenborough just behind in sixth. Holly Haile (12.26, 7th) and Stevie Lawrence (12.59, 8th) continued their friendly rivalry with a one-two in the under-15 girl’s category. Croydon Half Marathon Croydon Harriers enjoyed a successful morning at the inaugural Croydon Half Marathon on Sunday morning, with two Harriers on the podium and six finishing inside the top 20. David White led the team home in runners-up spot, continuing his Virgin London Marathon preparations with a time of 75:30. James Buchanan, in his last race before moving away, bowed out in style following White 83 seconds later in 76:53 for third. The pair were well backed up by new member and Trinity XC teacher Andy Simms, who finished in 6th in 78:58. The trio’s efforts was enough to take the spoils in the team race in the process | |