Harriers clinch promotion despite having small team

exeter harriers

EXETER Harriers' women's team will compete in the UK Women's League next season after finishing second in the qualifying meeting.

After teams from Hull and Wakefield failed to turn up at Abingdon, Exeter were left to battle it out with Basildon, Bristol and Brighton for one of the two places available.

After a number of Harriers athletes pulled out prior to the competition, team manager Dave Robinson took a squad of 10 to the competition and they all took part in the maximum three events each.

Despite having a below-strength team, especially in the throwing events, the Harriers and Bristol were clear after five of the 19 disciplines and maintained that advantage to seal promotion.

Katherine Humphreys led the way with three wins in the B string 800m in 2mins 25.5secs, the A 1,500m in 4.58.6 and the B triple jump with 9.54m.

Rosie Chamberlain had two A string wins, with a personal best of 57.3secs in the 400m and a time of 2.20.7 in the 800m.

Michelle Ellis ran a personal best of 11.11.7 to finish third in the 3,000m and she was second in the 1,500m with 5.27.8.

Becca Chapman gained two valuable wins in the long jump with 5.34m and a tense javelin competition, snatching victory by just 19cm with the penultimate throw of the competition with 31.19m. Chapman was also second in the high jump with a leap of 1.50m.

With no throwing specialist in the team, it was left to athletes to fill in and gain as many points as possible. Sophie Skinner, limited to throws due to injury, competed in the hammer, discus and the shot, with her best place of third in the shot.

The two youngest athletes in the team, both under 17, scored good wins. Kerry Angila won the B long jump with 4.30m, was second in the B 100m with 14.4secs and third in the triple jump with 10.26m. Taylor Cleave won the B high jump with 1.45m and was third in the 100m.

Anna Rust was second in the B 3,000m in 11.15.8 and third in both the 400m hurdles and the 2,000m steeplechase. Emily Weeks took maximum points in the B 400m in 1.01.4 and was second in the A 200m in 28.4secs.

Emily Bliss was third in both the 400m hurdles and the javelin. She also ran a personal best of 19.9secs in the 100m.

The competition was rounded off with Humphries, Ellis, Weeks and Chamberlain convincingly winning the 4x400m relay. Weeks stormed through her leg to turn a 30-metre deficit into a 30-metre lead and Chamberlain increased the advantage further on the final leg.

Match result: 1 Bristol 244pts, 2 Exeter Harriers 226, 3 Basildon 183, 4 Brighton 161

axe valley runners

Amy Greenhalgh won the 18-mile race of the Highways and Skyways event at Charmouth on Sunday.

She finished in 3hrs 17mins, with clubmates Phil and Simon Bayliss running together and finishing joint ninth in 3:33.

John Larcombe was 11th in 4:02 and Geoff Woodward and Steve Reynolds were joint 15th along with Richard Dodge.

The AVR team of Ethan, Gill and Jon Day and Janet Woodward were first in the eight-mile version in 2:16. James and Tim Sibley were fifth in the 13-mile edition in 2:33.

Tim Lenton finished just 13 seconds behind the winner of the eight-mile Charmouth Challenge fell race. He crossed the line in 54.49.

Other AVR finishers were: Ian Apps 16th in 1:05.28, Myrtle Croad 17th in 1:05.34, Eleanor Wood second lady and 26th overall in 1:10.21, Chris Driver 35th in 1:14.50, Ian Clements 44th in 1:17.08, Dave Thomas 46th in 1:17.38, Sam Wickins 52nd in 1:19.40, Richard Hale in 1:20.14, Siobhan Reddy 59th in 1:21.48 and Dave Mutter 66th in 1:23.58

William Blackledge was 12th in the Charmouth 2.5-mile fun run in 14:52, with Liz Thomas 94th in 26.45.

Luke Reed finished fourth in round three of the Votwo evening sprint triathlon series at Eton Dorney rowing lakes last Wednesday.

He did the 750m lake swim in 12.27, the 20k bike section in 32.07 and the 5k run in 18.46 for an overall time of 1:04.16.

On Sunday he was 12th in the Votwo standard distance triathlon in Padstow.

He finished the 1,500m sea swim in 31.45, the 40k cycle in 1:11.30 and the 10k off-road run in 43.40 for a total time of 2.28.34.

On Saturday, Liam Roberts won the 5k Cannon Hill Parkrun in Birmingham in 15.42, slicing six seconds off of his PB.

exmouth harriers

Exmouth Harriers claimed a one-two in Sunday's Jurassic Coast 10k at Budleigh Salterton.

Mike Musgrove was pushed hard by Marc Cox but won in 37.35, with Cox second in 38.14.

Jon Garrity was second male over-40, behind Musgrove, and sixth overall in 39.31.

Ellie Sutcliffe was eighth overall and the first woman in a new female course record of 40.26. Scott Jordan was 34th in 46.27.

Ethiopian guest runner Berihu Tesfay won the Yeovilton 5k last Wednesday in 14.46.

He is staying with Pete and Cathy Newman and Cathy, an over-50 veteran, was the second female in 18.42.

Roger Rowe ran a season's best of 20.52 to win the male over-65 category.

Richard Hawes finished fourth male over-45 at the Devon 10,000m championships in a new personal best of 40.31.75.

He was also fourth in the B race, with Andy Johnson ninth in 43.07.41.

Scott Jordan was 35th in the Ivybridge Beacon Challenge in 1:07.14, with Terry Oldham 55th overall and second male over-55 in 1:10.40 and Lisa Hatchard 89th in 1:18.14.

haldon trail runners

Emma Hitchins was the first lady and third overall in the 13-mile Highways and Skyways race at Charmouth in 1:56.

The race was won by fellow HTR Gareth Hurst in 1:55.35.

Tom Bates was 16th in the Jurassic Coast 10k in his first race for the club in 42.55.

Anthea Whitaker was 57th in 48.23 and Steve O'Donoghue 63rd in 50.06.