North of England league match 2 results and report
Results can be found on the 2009 fixtures & results page.
Newark Athletic Club took part in match 2 of the North of England Track & Field League on Saturday 6th June which was held for the second time this season at Costello Stadium in Hull. Having secured a second place finish in match 1, Newark were confident that match 2 would yield a similar result. Although first place finishes were hard to come by on the day, consistent performances across the board in almost all events ensured that Newark were successful. A real feature of this season’s team is the willingness of team members to compete in unfamiliar events to help fill gaps and gain valuable points.
Despite the absence of Tom Beaumont, the men’s team performed strongly with Tim Bagguley and Simon Langley filling the gaps. Bagguley finished 5th in the A-string 400m, 2nd in the B-string shot (8.47m) and 1st in the A-string triple jump (10.86m – personal best). Simon Langley competed in 7 individual events, gaining 1st place in the A-string 110m hurdles (22.2s – personal best), 2nd in the A-string hammer, 2nd in the A-string discus (34.28m – personal best), 4th in the A-string javelin, 4th in the A-string long jump, 1st in the B-string triple jump and 3rd in the A-string high jump. Richard Peach proved his ever increasing levels of fitness by gaining 4th place in the B-string 100m (13.0s), 6th in the A-string 200m, 2nd in the B-string 400m and 2nd place in the B-string 1500m all in quick succession.
Arguably the performance of the day came from 15-year old Daniel Barrie who won the B-string 110m hurdles in 22.6s, there can’t be many boys of 15 who can clear ten flights of 3”6’ barriers and win the event to boot! Barrie also won the B-string high jump and gained 2nd place in the 400m hurdles A-string, showing maturity beyond his years. Another youngster, Nicky Lynch gained 6th place in the 100m despite suffering with injury.
Paul Smith was his usual consistent self, gaining 2nd place in the B-string hammer, 3rd in the B-string discus, 3rd in the B-string javelin and 2nd in the A-string shot. Grahame Kelley, Gareth Bagguley and youngster Oliver Carrington tackled the remaining distance events on the track gaining valuable points in the process. The men also fielded two relay teams, with the 4x100m team gaining 6th place and the 4x400m team gaining 3rd.
For the women, Jen Rossall placed 4th and 3rd in the A-string 100m and 200m, with Holly Ward finishing 2nd in the B-string 100m and under-17 debutant Vanessa Huberry finishing 3rd in the B-sting 200m. Despite still suffering with a hamstring injury, Amy Fendley took 3rd place in the A-string 400m, 2nd place in the A-string javelin, 2nd place in the A-string shot and 2nd place in the A-string long jump, hopefully Amy will be fully recovered for match 3 in early July. Holly Ward had a busy day, competing in a further 3 track events and gained valuable points by finishing 2nd in the B-string 800m, 5th in the A-string 1500m and 3rd in the A-string 3000m. Vanessa Huberry completed the Newark presence on the track with a well-earned 5th place in the A-string 800m and 3rd in the B-string 200m.
Trish Hill and Ann Kitchen along with Fendley tackled the field events. Hill gained two 5th places in the A-string hammer and discus with kitchen picking up two 3rd places in the B events. However it was in the shot that Hill performed at her best, taking the B-string with a useful 6.44m and also gained 3rd place in the B-string javelin. Jen Rossall won the B-string long jump (4.42m) and Ann Kitchen took 3rd place in the A-string high jump, completing the individual events. To round off the day Newark placed 3rd in the 4x100m relay and a well-earned 2nd in the 4x400m event.
At the end of the match after the scores were totalled, Newark (for the second time this season) finished second behind Derby (356 to Newark’s 306), meaning that Newark are residing in second place in the overall standings, 2 points ahead of 3rd placed Hull Achillies & Goole AC and 2 points behind Derby AC. If Newark were able to produce a full strength side for the remaining two fixtures of the season, there is little doubt that a league win would be possible.