Below are two reports from the weekend's athletics.
RECORD BREAKING SATURDAY IN ATHLETICS
The four athletes from Banbury Harriers that performed at major meetings on Saturday all came home with distinguished achievements. The quartet being Kyle Ennis on duty for his first claim club Newham and Essex Beagles at Glasgow in the British Athletics Premier League fixture and the other three Emily Thompson, Zoe Pollock and Michael Dawes at Gateshead in the English Schools Championships.
Ennis appearance at Glasgow was his debut for the London club and he took the opportunity to establish his mark in the major league. His day started with finishing fourth in the 100metres in 10.89seconds.
The 200metres followed later and against the same line up as the 100m, which included Andre Wright and Omololu Abiodan who the previous week had eclipsed him in the British Championships at Birmingham. Ennis this time produced his second fastest ever time over 200metres to win in 21.23seconds. He later helped the club finish third in the 4x100metres relay.
Thompson again lowered her overall club 800metres record but just failed to gain a medal in the Championships. In her heat she posted the fastest time and moved to the final lined up against UK’s number one ranking Katy-Ann McDonald, number three Isobelle Boffey and number four Khahisa Mhlango under seventeen girls.
The race started at a fast pace with Thompson in her trade mark style leading alongside McDonald. The two hit the bell at 61seconds, this only slightly slower that the Birmingham senior woman’s race and on course for an age group record. Thompson took to the front at 500metres and would stay there until the 650metre mark. Boffey and Mhlango slipped past her both chasing the title, Thompson attempted to hang on for bronze. This would not be as race favourite Mcdonald passed in the last 30metres leaving Thompson in the agonising fourth place. The plus for her only two strides separated the first four a new club record of 2minutes 8.55seconds and fifth place in the UK rankings.
Pollock lined up in her heat against Amber Anning the number one ranked under fifteen girl. She just failed to make the final but posted a personal best of 26.28seconds this being a club record and also topped the clubs overall female 200metre times this season.
Dawes also can be proud of his achievement finishing 12th place in the under seventeen boys hammer with a best of 51metres 77cm
Thanks to Mike for the report above .
Below is Richard Thompson's report from the schools event and the photo is by "RWT Photography" .
Banbury Harriers' Emily Thompson achieved
a new lifetime best of 2min08.55secs finishing 4th in the 800m at this year's prestigious English Schools' Track and Field Championships, staged in Gateshead last weekend. Her outstanding performance broke club and county all-time records for Under-17 Women and placed her 5th in the UK rankings. It has also earned her a deserved call-up for the Midlands team to represent the region in the Sainsbury's School Games to be held in Manchester in September.
The English Schools' Track and Field Championships, now in its 85th year, is the country's top Athletics events for schools and is the 4th largest athletics event in the world, with nearly all UK Olympic Athletes having taken part in the championships as juniors. This year more than 1,700 athletes took part; each selected by their county having won their county schools' event and reached a national entry standard.
The Oxfordshire team of 24 athletes featured 2 from Banbury Harriers, with Thompson joined by Michael Dawes, selected for the Intermediate Boys Hammer event. Zoe Pollock, also of Banbury Harriers, was selected by Buckinghamshire schools for the Junior Girls 200m.
Thompson joined 33 other athletes in the Intermediate Girls' 800m heats on Friday afternoon, with the first two in each of the three heats qualifying automatically for Saturday's final. Thompson took control of her heat from the gun, dominating the rest of the field with an impressive display of front running to win by a clear margin, in 2min11secs and so secure a central lane for Saturday's final. The final featured 10 of the UK's top 800m talents including Katie-Ann McDonald, ranked number 1 in the world for Under-15 girls in 2014, Isabelle Boffey, the UK Indoor 800m champion 2015, and Khahisa Mhlanga, last year's English Schools' Junior champion.
McDonald set a fast pace from the gun but was matched by Thompson, who showed speed and endurance to stay on her shoulder throughout the first 600m. With 200m to go, Boffey surged to the front and across Thompson, who lost crucial momentum. Mhlanga followed but couldn't catch Boffey, who claimed Gold, whilst McDonald edged past Thompson just before the line to snatch Bronze. Thompson's time of 2min08.55 knocked over 1.5 seconds off her previous lifetime best and puts her just 0.55secs outside the World Under-18 qualification standard. The disappointment of just missing a medal was offset by the huge step forward in her personal performance and her subsequent selection by the Midland region to take on Scotland, Northern Ireland and the other English regions in the Sainsbury's School Games at the beginning of September.
Banbury Harriers' other athletes also put in impressive performances.
Michael Dawes threw a distance of 51.77metres to achieve a creditable 12th position in the Intermediate Boys Hammer competition, whilst Zoe Pollock ran a new Personal Best time of 26.28secs raising her game to take 5th place in her heat of the Junior Girls 200m.
Thank you to Richard for his account of the event.
