30 June 2007: Rain affects performances at Mid Lancs

With the wet weather we have all endured over the past few weeks it came as no surprise that Preston was wet for Round 3 of the Mid Lancs League.  At least the grass surround at Preston soaks up the water - unlike at Litherland - and so clubs were able to camp out around the track and get some shelter from the incessant rain.
Numbers from the Club were poor - only the brave some might say - and performances generally down on what might have been expected.  Jai Vernon-McGuigan ran a grade 2 1500m in 4:36.4 but he has run a lot faster than that this year.  Patricia Irizar also ran a grade 2 time in the 800m with 2:36.4 and that is close to her best so a good result on such a difficult day.
Again not surprisingly, there were very few PBs.  Normally at this time of year we might expect a rash of PBs as the benefits of hard training start to pay off but today there were only four new personal bests in total!
Patsy Irizar and Sally Wareing were our only Under 13 Girls.  Both girls ran the 800m, Patsy coming home 1st of 13 girls in 2:36.4.  Sally was 3rd in 2:41.6 which was a really good effort considering she picked up three event wins at the Sefton Primary Schools T&F event at Litherland the day before, having to run (and win) both a heat and a final of the 600m.
In the Under 15 Girls, Emma Lyons was the best performer.  In her first outing over 300m, she ran 43.7, just 0.4 secs off a grade 2 time.  Emma could do very well over the longer sprints but even over 100m her time of 13.4 today was a season's best.
Katie Morris ran 2:30.2 to finish 4th of 14 runners in the 800m race and middle distance team mates Jenny Girdler and Catherine Hulme ran in the 1500m, Jenny finishing 3rd in 5:16.3 and Catherine 4th in 5:45.0.
Maria Stanfield was in good form despite the conditions.  Her 200m time of 29.6 brought her PB down under 30 secs for the first time and in the high jump she cleared a season's best 1m 37.
Back in the sprints, Lucy Whitehead ran 14.2 and 28.7, ahead of Beth McBride who ran 14.4 and 29.5 in the 100m and 200m.  The sprints also saw new members Rosie and Laura Hart in the 100m, Rosie running 14.7 in her first outing for the Club and sister Laura just behind in 14.8 secs.
Louise Leek was our only Under 17 Woman competitor today.  Louise settled for a 1500m in 5:37.2.
In the Senior Women, Stephanie May ran a season's best 2:21.5 to win the 800m race.  She also won both the 200m and the 400m races in 27.0 and 59.3.
We had a few more Under 13 Boys than under 13 girls competing today.  Whilst competing in both the 100m and the 1500m, it was the long jump that gave Graham Boreham the only PB from this age group, clearing 3m 60.  Also in the long jump, Chris Lawson cleared a season's best 3m 90.
All times were rain-affected in the 800m with Chris Lawson first home for the club in 2:34.7 ahead of George Ingram in 2:49.4 and Gary Clark 2:51.4.
Chris Lawson was also our fastest sprinter, 14.7 ahead of Graham's 14.8 and George's 15.2. Only Gary ran in the 200m race in a time of 35.1.
Amongst the Under 15 Boys, Jai Vernon-Mcguigan was outstanding to win the 1500m race in 4:36.4.  Jordan Kelly impressed, however, with a high standard in everything he did.  He won his 100m time trial in 12.4, was the 2nd fastest of 13 runners in the 200m, stopping the clock in a new personal best time of 25.6 secs and he won the high jump competition with a jump of 1m 60.
Apart from Jai, all our under 15s were sprinters.  Joshua Hughes equalled his best time for 100m of 12.4 and ran 26.7 in the 200m.  Elliot Barron ran 13.4 in the 100m, 27.6 in the 200m and 63.6 in the 400m.  The lads won the 4 x 100m relay, getting the baton round in 53.2.
In the Under 17 Men, Sam Reynolds' 12.0 for 100m equalled his PB from last year so we could be looking at an improvement in the weeks ahead.  Over 200m he was 3rd with a run of 24.7 secs.
Middle distance runners Paul Gavan and David Gough competed at Preston, Paul running 2:13.5 for 800m and David 4:48.1 for 1500m.
Finally, our only Senior Man competitor was Chris Henders who managed to get off officiating on the high jump long enough to run a 1500m in 5:14.1.
On such a miserable day, special thanks to those who officiated for us: Chris Henders and friend, Sue Ingram and Dave Whitehead.  And thanks too to Carlos Irizar and his camera.  I never managed to get out of the registration / results cabin to encourage athletes, watch any of the races or take any photos- and it wasn't in an attempt to stay dry!
Results for Club athletes.  Full results

27 June 2007: Team win at Harrock Hill (by Rick Bowker)

Southport Waterloo showed true team spirit with a magnificent team win at the very challenging Harrock Hill race,set in the picturesque parbold countryside.
12 swac members made it to the start of race no 2.  After a week of heavy rain conditions turned out OK, but maybe a little slower than last month.
Very talented Steve Wilkinson showed ever-increasing form with 4th place in 33.09, less than a minute off winner Russell Maddams [Horich] 32.11, and I think Steve could be in winning form by next month.[ Put your bets on now! ].
John Sprackland stayed on course this time! 35.08 and 8th place and first vet 45.  Just behind was team mate Rob Ashworth in 35.16, good enough to clinch the team award for us.
Next in was me in 15th place 36.26, some 2 mins of my best!
Rob McGrath, a Harrock Hill virgin, said he was slowed by stepping in country pancakes, did well to finish 29th in 37.54.
Team coach Brian Davey did a solid run to finish in 39.31
Fence jumping legend !!! Andy Hudson, who has raced here more times than any other SWAC member, did 40.37 and 43rd place.  Andy Bowker, fresh from his house buying trip in Scotland, did 41.31, 50th place.  Just behind was Joanne Wilson.  With the Blackpool marathon still in her legs, she did very well to win the ladies vet 40 prize,53rd 41.39.
Ever smiling dispite a cold, Vicky Harvey ran well to finish 87th in 46.19.
This weeks ding dong battle was between Margot Bowker, 105th 50.16, and marathon runner Christine Cutner, 106th 50.19, Margot just coming out the better.
With 123 finishers, this race is getting more and more popular, so if you are getting bored with the road race scene make sure you make it to next months race.
On a final note, the outside prize presentation was delayed by 30 mins when an almighty downpour threatened to drown us al.  Anyway, it was a good excuse to go back inside the very friendly pub for another pint !!!

25 June 2007: 9 Club athletes selected for English Schools

In another reflection of the major strides Southport Waterloo, its coaches and its athletes have taken over recent years, nine of our juniors have been selected to represent Merseyside Schools at the English Schools T&F Championships next month.  They are:
Steph James (800m), Rachael Flynn (800m), Lauren Brennan (300m), Katie MacHale (100m hurdles);
James Armstrong (200m), Rico Dalle Mulle (80m hurdles), Jordan Kelly (triple jump), Adam Davies (hammer), Eddie Simpkins (200m).
Congratulations and good luck to them all.

24 June 2007: Steve James BMAF Road Champion

Steve James won the M65 race in the BMAF 5K road race championships at Horwich on Sunday in a time of 18.48, just 9 seconds ahead of John Bachelor of Ilford AC. Steve last won this event 2 years ago, but was beaten into 2nd place last year.
With Sue Cooper away on holiday, the only other runners from the club were Karen Faloon (4th lady 55 in 22.00) and
Reg Black (17th M60 in 20 50); both were representing Barnet & District.

24 June 2007: 3rd place at YAL home fixture

A home fixture in the Young Athletes League isn't always an advantage as team managers have to rely on athletes getting to the match without the advantage of being picked up by a coach. Nonetheless, we had a good turnout, including a number of new faces.  Up against Liverpool Harriers, Wirral and Cleethorpes, I was foolish enough to predict a 2nd place finish behind the Harriers.  In the event, Cleethorpes fielded a weak team on the day and but Wirral  - 2nd bottom in the Northern Premier Division going into this match - had clearly decided to try and reverse their fall into the lower divisions by bringing a strong team across the Mersey.  Early on, Southport Waterloo and Wirral were neck and neck but Wirral's strength in the field proved decisive, edging us back into 3rd spot.
The final scores were Liverpool 486, Wirral 397, Southport Waterloo 372 and Cleethorpes 255.   Nonetheless, that should keep us in the top half of the league table, the best we have achieved since the boys and girls divisions were combined.  Today's result also says something about the strength of athletics in Merseyside where such a small county can sustain 4 clubs in the Northern Premier Division.
A major home fixture on the new Litherland facility presented its own problems and the weather forecast for the day was not inspiring.  Fortunately the large waterlogged areas around the track proved a popular 'water feature' with some of the youngsters and spirits were high even as the heavens opened just before the start of the match.  To be fair, however, most of the afternoon's athletics were conducted in gloriously warm sunshine and the advancing black clouds held off until the match was finished, visiting teams had gone home and the Club BBQ got under way.  I am only surprised that the torrential rains that then followed didn't put out the coals!
There were four grade 1 standard performances, 2 by James Armstrong as he improved his Club Record times for the 100m and 200m on his home track, 1 by Rico Dalle Mulle in the 80m hurdles and 1 by Lauren Brennan in the 300m.  Emma Lyons, Andrew Starkey, Jai Vernon-McGuigan, Jordan Kelly, Steph James, Rachael Flynn, Lauren Brennan and Alex Martland also achieved grade 2 standard performances in their events.
In the under 13 girls, newcomers Jessica Brady, Charlotte Scarisbrick and Lizzie Hillston must have delighted team managers Chris Ellis and Gillian Brennan.  Charlotte and Jessica both high jumped to the top of the club rankings with 1m 30 and 1m 25.  Jessica also did very well indeed in the long jump, coming 2nd with a best of 3m 95.  Lizzie Hillston was the 'B' runner in the 70m hurdles and took 2nd spot in 14.4 secs - faster than the 'A' runner Annabelle Wickstead.  In fact, in her first outing, Lizzie's 14.4 secs is the fastest time by a Southport Waterloo under 13 girl this season!
Amongst the more experienced team members, there were just three new personal bests.  Sally Wareing ran a PB 11.0 in the 75m sprint, ahead of Emily Martland's 11.6 which was also a PB.  In the 1200m, our two girls were Ellon Hart and Lauren Clarehugh.  Ellon ran an excellent race in 4:14.5 but Lauren's time of 4:28.6 knocked a massive 15 secs off her previous best for the distance.
The girls' 150m was one of many exciting races of the day.  Ellon Hart was just pushed into 2nd place by Beth Tynan of Liverpool Harriers, both girls given the same time of 21.2 secs.  And Nell Vitty had another good race to finish in 24.0.  Interestingly, both girls equalled their previous best times for the distance.
Over 800m, Sally was given the 'B' race but her 2:38.4 was faster that Patsy Irizar's 'A' race time of 2:39.0.  Both girls are running very well this year. Sally teamed up with Charlotte, Emily and Lizzie to bring the baton home in 2nd place in the relay in a season's best time of 58.1 secs.
The under 13 boys produced fewer graded performances but they achieved more PBs than the girls - and you can't ask more of anyone!
Both Sean Vis and Danny Cannon ran 14.7 in the 100m, Sean's time being a new PB.  In the 800m, Gary Clarke is noted for regularly running a PB but it was James Farrington who claimed a new best time of 3:03.3 behind Gary's 2:49.4.  Both Danny and Gary featured in the 75m hurdles and this time it was Danny who got a PB, 15.1 secs, with Gary running 16.7.
There were 2 more PBs in the field events where, in the shot, Adam Mackie's 6m 44 pushed out his previous best and Danny Cannon earned his 2nd PB of the day with a put of 5m 85.
It was tough in the 1500m race with an excellent young Wirral lad - Nick Jones - front running 4:49.4.  Liam Ellis and Graham Boreham were our runners, Liam the first back in 5:18.2 and Graham 5:37.2.
Amongst the under 15 girls, Emma Lyons was the stand-out athlete - and our only age group winner.  In an even closer race than Ellon Hart's 150m, Emma came from behind to win the 200m race on the line.  It was so close I couldn't tell who had won - both girls again given the same time - but it was Emma who got the majority decision.  An excellent run by Emma and a grade 2 standard time.  Emma was also 2nd in the 75m hurdles in 12.9 secs, Eleanor Newton running the same time in the 'B' race, a new personal best for her.  Louise Kelly ran a PB in both the 100m and 200m races with 13.8 and 27.9.
In the 800m race, Katie Morris once again found herself behind Zoe Woodward, the 2007 Northern champion and one of today's 'athlete-of-the-match' award winners so a 2nd place in 2:29.5 was a good result and shows a great deal of consistency.  Jane Ingram was not at her best in the race, running 2:39.2, and below par too in the long jump with 4m 42.
In the 1500m race, it seems that Jenny Girdler and Sophie Kelly take turns to be our first girl home.  It was Jenny's turn today and she ran 5:15.6 in a strong field.  Sophie was off the pace, in 5:29.5, after running 5:11 at Kingston last month and 5:12 at Merseyside Schools.
In the field, Maria Stanfield had a good day.  She was 2nd in the long jump with a new best jump of 4m 63 and her 1m 35 clearance in the high jump was a season's best.
In the throws, newcomer Hannah Brown threw the javelin 10m 65 and put the shot out 6m 22.  Shot specialist Jayne Dickinson got a PB with an excellent put of 7m 48.  Although Amelia Peacock is not fit to run at the moment she came along to throw for her club and achieved a best distance of 12m 39 in the discus.
And finally, the girls achieved a good relay result, finishing 2nd in 54.3.
Our Under 15 boys' squad was the strongest of the four teams and, with James Armstrong once again improving on 2 of his Club records, that is hardly surprising.  James won both sprints in new Club record times of 11.3 and 22.7. Joshua Hughes, another excellent sprinter if always in James' shadow, won the 'B' 200m in 25.4 but 13.1 in the 100m was an easy run..  In the 400m, Andrew Starkey was 2nd in a grade 2 and new personal best time of 55.1 with newcomer Ryan ? winning the 'B' race in 56.7.
Both the boys in the 800m race achieved PBs; Will Morris running 2:33.7 and Joe Flemming 2:39.5.  Jai Vernon-McGuigan won the 1500m race in a grade 2 time of 4:30.3 with David Meehan running 5:01.2.
Other winners were Rico Dalle Mulle, who can almost be guaranteed to run a good hurdles race - in 12.0 today - and Jordan Kelly winning the high jump with 1m 60.  Jordan was also 2nd in the long jump and may have been more impressed with his 5m 62 - a grade 2 standard and a new personal best.  Elliot Barron also jumped a new personal best of 4m 19.
One new name here was Daniel Driver who was 2nd in the 'B' 80m hurdles; a good first result!
Other newcomers featured in the field events with John Francis (9m 16) and Connor Wilson (8m 57) covering the shot, Joshua Francis throwing the javelin 33m 09 and Tom Johnson throwing the hammer 19m 70 and winning the 'B' discus competition with 19m 57.
With some great sprinters here, the boys finished their day with a win in both relays; 47.1 in the 4 x 100m and dipping under 4 minutes (3:59.0) in the 4 x 400m where Rico brought the baton home in the fastest split time of 56.6 secs.
There were some good wins too by our under 17 women.  Best of a great bunch was Lauren Brennan who easily won the 200m in 26.1 and the 300m in a grade 1 time of 40.8.  (Her PB is 40.79.)  She helped the 4 x 300m girls to a 2nd place but her racing abilities are best seen in the final leg of the 4 x 100m relay.  She fairly flew down the last 100m today and got the verdict just on the line, both teams given the same time of 53.6.  That's our best time this season.
Giving priority to her GCSEs, Steph James hasn't raced since winning the Northern 800m championship last month but has kept up her training and came out today to run a middle distance double - 800m and 1500m; and she won them both.  In both races she had to hold off a challenge from Liverpool Harriers' Emma Wakefield in the 800m and Megan Davies who faded into 3rd in the 1500m.  2:17.5 and 4:55.8 shows good speed endurance.  Rachael Flynn ran in the 'B' 800m and won that from the front, in 2:27.1.  In the 300m she was flying and finished 2nd in the 'B' competition in a grade 2 time of 42.2.   In the 1500m, Steph was joined by Fran Edgerton, running around in 6:17.8.
Finally, in the middle and distance races, Louise Leek was our only runner in the 3000m.  A time of 12:07.4 was a new personal best by a massive 30 secs!
Back in the sprints, Alys Alasu ran a PB in the 100m with a time of 13.7.  New runner Sarah Spencer was in the 'A' race and crossed the line in 13.5, an excellent first race for the Club.  With Steph and Rachael filling the 800m slots, Sarah Docherty ran a 200m in 29.2.
Charlotte Buckingham was 3rd in the 300m hurdles in 50.1, 2nd in the high jump clearing a season's best 1m 45 and 2nd in the triple jump with 10m 13. Multi-eventers like Charlotte are a real team asset and team managers will be pleased she chose the YAL over the North West Combined Events this weekend.
Elsewhere in the field events, Jacqueline Parry and Rachael Gibbons shared many of the throws.
Team manager Tina Pilkington tells me "that was certainly the strongest boys team we've ever had - I think I had about 18 under 17 men! "  Actually, I make it 19; Lewis Armer, Rob Anderson, Sam Reynolds, Hayden Rutter, James Kay, Paul Gavan, Steven Wilson, Harry Boyd, David Gough, Joe Vis, Patrick Vis, Josh Gamble, John Cunningham, Scott McDermott, Nick Giles, Leon Jacob, Alex Martland, Adam Davies and Mark Hughes!
Joe Vis, Sam Reynolds and Alex Martland all won their events; Joe in the 3000m, equalling his best time of 9:36.7 (bet you couldn't do that if you tried!), Sam in the long jump with a season's best 5m 55 and Alex Martland winning the javelin competition with a grade 2 throw and new PB of 47m 41.  Adam Davies was 2nd in the hammer with a single qualifying throw of 43m 53 despite a niggling neck injury. Again in the field, Josh Gamble was 2nd in the high jump where his 1m 70 was a new best clearance.
On the track, Harry Boyd focussed on the 1500m and finished 2nd in 4:23.9 and Rob Anderson was 2nd in the 100m hurdles in a PB 16.4.
In the Sprints, both 100m runners achieved personal bests, Lewis Armer in 11.9 and Rob Anderson in 12.0.  And both 400m runners did likewise; Hayden Rutter running 54.7 and James Kay 57.4.  Both 400m hurdlers also recorded PBs, Scott McDermott running 67.5 and John Cunningham 68.8.  Scott also had a good triple jump of 11m 45 ahead of Sam Reynolds with 11m 39.
So another great match with so many of our talented youngsters on display!  Thanks to Tina Pilkington, Chris Ellis and Gillian Brennan for getting their teams there and giving all the support and encouragement they need.  Thanks too to all those who helped out on the track, in the field or behind the scenes.  With apologies for anyone missed, thanks to Sam Moran, Sheila Marshall, Norman Marshall, Malcolm Ingram, Sandra Waters, Danny Dalle Mulle, Catherine Hulme, Emma Jones, Alex Anderson, Steve Boreham, Dave Whitehead, Lesley Scott, Chris Henders, Gordon Evans, Ann Dignan, Jackie Lyons, Sue Gellett, Paul Davies, Graham Martland, Greg Owen, Mark Brennan, Paul Brennan and all our visiting officials.  Yes, it takes a lot of people and we thank them for their time and expertise.  Thanks, too, to Carlos Irizar for the photos used with this report.
After the athletics, there was a Club BBQ to enjoy. Team managers would like to especially thank the Martlands for being the only ones with the sense to bring a gazebo. As Gillian said "They saved the day. Never was so much fun had by so many in such torrential rain."
The final League fixture is at Wavertree, hosted by Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton, on Sunday 22nd July.
Results for Club athletes.  Full results.

22 June 2007: Tough in Chorley Park series (by Richard Cary)

This was race 3 out of 4 in this series on tough courses of 1 mile for juniors and 5k for seniors. Heavy rain showers throughout the day and during previous days made the going tricky underfoot especially for the juniors who raced mostly on grass. Young Ashleigh Jackson was our sole representative, clocking a highly commendable 7:25 for 13th place. Fastest girl, 3rd overall, although some years older than Ashleigh, was the impressive Lucie Patry in 6:08. But as Ashleigh grows older and stronger no doubt she too will be up there.
In the seniors, Sheila Marshall improved on previous outings clocking 28:47 for 62nd place, and winning her age category. Just ahead was Sarah Reynolds with 28:41. Sarah seemed quite happy about the evening but doubtless would have clocked a quicker time had her batteries not run out.... on the MP3 player that she says helps with her pace. Her race was further muddled by getting ensnared with an extended dog lead and missing the tight turn into the last gate. Carole James had a torrid time, being extremely nervous beforehand and then stopping 3 times having 'run out of gas' (maybe she started too fast?). Anyway, cajoled by Clive she got to the finish in 25:26 for 48th shortly ahead of Clive, 25:45. I too, had a bit of a nightmare - an Achilles tendon injury having stopped my training altogether for the past month - 'blowing out' in the final kilometre (I didn't think that was possible in such a short race) and slipping down to 13th place with 19:38. A good deal slower than I would have liked but not bad, all things considered.
The final race is in just two weeks time, on Friday 6th July. 6:30pm for Juniors, 7:00pm for Seniors.
Senior results. Junior results

20 June 2007: James Armstrong; Sefton Junior Sports Personality of the Year

Sprinter James Armstrong has had an incredible start to his athletics career.  As an under 13 he was regularly exceeding grade 1 standards but increased training has raised his performances as an under 15 to a new level that was recognised on Wednesday evening when James was awarded the Male Junior Sports Personality of the Year at the annual Sefton Sports Achievement Awards at the Floral Hall in Southport.
Here are just a few highlights from the last eighteen months.  As a 1st year under 15,
January 2006 - Northern Indoors Champion over 200m and runner up in the 60m;
March 2006 - AAA's Indoors bronze medallist over both 200m and 60m;
May 2006 - Northern outdoors silver medallist in both 100m and 200m; and
July 2006 - English Schools finalist over 200m and bronze medallist in 4 x 100m relay.
As a 2nd year under 15,
January 2007 - Northern Indoors Champion over 60m and 200m, running a championship best performance in the 200m and equalling the championship best in the 60m;
February 2007 - AAA's Indoor silver medallist over 60m and 200m, his 200m time of 22.80 secs believed to be the 7th fastest time run indoors by any British junior athlete; and
May 2007 - Northern outdoors Champion over both 100m and 200m.
I think James has also won a Young Athletes League 'Athlete of the Match' award in every year he has competed.  He was an English Schools medallist last year and this year he has remarkably achieved an English Schools entry standard in no less than 4 events - 100m, 200m, 400m and the long jump.
Is it any surprise that Sefton has recognised his achievements to date with the Junior Sports Personality of the Year award?  Who knows how far this young man can go in athletics.  Many of us will watch his career with interest and congratulate James on this well deserved award.

20 June 2007: Ann Eggington wins Firefighters 5K

Just two Southport Waterloo runners were amongst the 130 finishers in the Merseyside Firefighter 5K held on the paths in Croxteth Park.  Alan Gray got around in 22:30 but Ann Eggington was 1st lady in 20:31, a good time on this fast, flat course.  The men's winner was Mark Keeley of Liverpool Harriers in 15:39.
Full results

17 June 2007:  Freckleton voyage of discovery (by Rick Bowker)

They say only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.  Well two Southport Waterloo runners braved the afternoon start of the Freckleton Half Marathon, said to be the oldest half marathon in the UK.
Rob McGrath has been putting some serious training in over the last 6 months.  15 years ago, Rob was running the sort of times that would have pushed Rob Berry hard and now since joining SWAC in the winter Rob is on the comeback trail.
Rob [one-time school boys' champion over 1500m] and fellow SWAC member Lee Durkin set off into the sun on a 13 mile voyage of self discovery!
First back overall was Ben Fish [Blackburn Harriers] in 1.09.44.  In 6th place looking more like a rock star than a 50 year old runner was ever-green Paul Muller [Horwich RMI Harriers] in a very impressive 1.15.17.
Rob McGrath finished in 1.23.47 and 21st place, not fast enough to scare rob berry yet but showing that his training is starting to pay off.
First lady was Ann Sweeney in 1.28.00m, 44th place.  Some way back Lee Durkin [SWAC] finished in 2.10.31.
Almost 500 runners finished the oldest half marathon in the uk on a warm sunny day in June.
Results

16/17 June 2007: Katie McHale improves Club Record at Northern Senior Champs

Several of our Under 20 and Senior Track & Field athletes didn't have far to travel this weekend to the Northern Senior Championships held at Wavertree.  Apart from a torrential downpour just as competition started on the Saturday, the championships were held in good conditions and provide spectators with some excellent competition.
Stephanie May set the standard on the Saturday running a PB in her heat of the 400m; 58.60 for a 3rd place and qualification for the final.  The effort required some physiotherapy to settle down an old injury and although still niggling she ran 59.48 in the final.
Katie McHale also had a good weekend.  Despite my surprise to hear Katie McHale announced as running the 1500m on Saturday - in fact this proved her namesake from Wakefield. - our Katie ran the 100m hurdles in a good quality field, finishing 5th but improving her own Club Record to 15.06 secs.  On the Sunday, Katie was again in action, this time in the triple jump where she finished just outside the medals with an excellent jump of 11m 31.  That's a new PB for Katie, by 8 cms - and just 1 cm off the club record set by Helen Taylor in 2002.
Sprinter Katy Hooton was also running on both Saturday and Sunday.  In the 100m she ran 13.60 and, on Sunday, the 200m in 27.88.
Finally, Michael Evans kept his options open by entering both the 1500m and the 800m.  He opted for the 800m on Sunday where, in the third of three heats, he ran 2:05.64.
Some good results, then, and good to see some of our under 20s and seniors progressing to these senior championships.
Full results

16 June 2007: Jordan Kelly dislodges 19-year old TJ Club Record

Ten of the Club's junior athletes were up at the crack of dawn on Saturday to catch the school bus, not to school but to Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, the venue for the annual Mason Trophy meeting - the Schools Inter Counties.  All ten qualified to represent Merseyside Schools by being placed 1st or 2nd at the county schools T&F championships last weekend.  The meeting gave them another opportunity to try for an entry standard for the English Schools T&F Championships next month but only Adam Davies and Rico Dalle Mulle achieved that and both did better at the county championships.
In the Inter Boys, both Merseyside throwers achieved an entry standard, Adam Davies throwing a best of 48m 15 to win the 'B' competition with Liverpool Harriers' Adam Reynolds just keeping his nose in front with a best of 48m 66.  The two Adams are ranking 1 and 2 in the North West on the Power of 10 rankings.  Adam Davies also had a good shot put of 10m 45.  In the triple jump Scott McDermott had a best of 11m 13.
On the track, both Harry Boyd and Joe Vis were in the 3000m.  Both produced good runs but times were down just a little on their County Schools' performances with Harry running 9:20.1 and Joe 9:43.3.  The Entry standard here is 9:03.
In the Junior Boys, four of the Merseyside team were from Southport Waterloo.  Rico Dalle Mulle's 12.2 for 80m hurdles was a Schools' entry standard but he ran 11.9 the weekend before.  Two athletes did improve their performances - but not quite to Schools entry standard.  In the triple jump, Jordan Kelly went into this competition with a PB of 11m 16 and achieved a best on the day of 11m 98, just 2 cms short of the Entry standard but a new PB and a new Club Record replacing Dave Eastwood's jump of 11m 83 that has been in the record book since 1988!  Jordan also had a very respectable long jump best of 5m 57.   Back on the track, Jai Vernon-McGuigan took advantage of a better field to pull him along to a new best time for 1500m of 4:27.9.  And Adam Starkey ran a closely contested 400m race, finishing 2nd 'B' in 56.2 secs.
Just two of our girls were in the Merseyside team.  Inter Girl Charlotte Buckingham was in the triple jump.  Charlotte won the Merseyside championship with 10m 22 but her best today was 10m 04.
Finally, Junior Girl Katie Morris ran the 800m.  After 2:26 in the county championships, it was hoped the better quality field would ease that time down a little but she finished in 2:33.0.  Still, she and the others will have learned a lot from competing at this level and can look forward to continuing success.
Full results

13 June 2007: SWAC does battle at Haigh Hall (by Rick Bowker)

8 SWAC members made it to the start of the classic Haigh Hall 5 mile hill race.   After a day of heavy downpours, the rain stopped just long enough to leave good conditions to race in, apart from some big puddles on part of the course.
Steve Wilkinson showed true class with his 4th place 27.59, only 52 sec behind winner Simon Burton [Radcliffe AC] 27.07.  With a few more races I am sure Steve can win races like this.  He has so much natural ability.
Anyway, behind I was havin a battle with Rob Ashworth.  I was surprised to be running in such good company.  Maybe I'm starting to get race fit?   I felt quite strong and even at times led Rob up the hill!!  On the last downhill to the finish Rob showed me his fell running skills and a muddy pair of heals by pulling away to a 15 sec advantage.  Rob Ashworth finished in 9th place in 29.00.   I finished in 11th place in 29.15 and picked up 1st vet 45 .
Just behind, Rob McGrath got past first lady Racheal Moore [Wigan Phoenix] 30.08 to finish in a very respectable 13th place in 29.39, good training for Rob's half marathon attempt at Freckleton this weekend.
Next in was Michael Cunningham in 32.13, 36th place.  Tracey Peters showed a liking for the hills and did one of the best runs of the day to finish 4th lady, 61st place in 35.36.
Some way back Sarah Reynolds and Jon Singleton had a real ding dong battle. There were no punches spared here with Sarah coming out the winner, 92nd in 45.40 to Jon's 93rd in 45.48.  Look out for Round 2 next month; this match could run and run!!
Results

9 June 2007: SWAC take on the Bendrigg 10K (by Mark Ashby)

The sun shone brightly for the annual fete at Bendrigg Lodge - ideal conditions for some but not for those of us who competed in the fun run and the gruelling 10k race.
We were well represented in both races this year.  Max Rothwell was first back in the fun run, finishing 17th in 14:15, Matt Ashby was one place and about 10 seconds behind with Hannah Ashby not far behind her brother.  In the 10k, Andy Hudson and I got off to our customary quick start to ensure we appear on the start photo and then settled into a more comfortable pace.   Paul Ashby making his debut at this event was warned about the tough last km but we forgot to tell him about the sprint start towards the photographer and so he was taken a little by surprise by the early pace!   Vicky Harvey and Beverly Rothwell completed our team for this year.
The high temperature and hilly course make time comparisons difficult but I always aim for a top ten finish and managed it (just) this year, completing the course in 39.31 for 10th overall and 3rd V45.  I just had time to jog back down the course to see Andy Hudson's impressive sprint finish - passing two runners in the last 10 yards to finish in 14th place and 42.18.   No amount of warning can prepare you for your first encounter with 'Heartbreak Hill' but Paul Ashby knows what to expect next year - he finished in 43.21 and 19th overall.  Vicky Harvey ran well to better her PB for this course and take home the V35 prize - finishing in 47.12.  Beverly Rothwell finished in 58.12.
Results

9 June 2007: Ten Merseyside Schools' Champions at Wavertree

The results show that nearly 40 Southport Waterloo athletes took part in today's Merseyside Schools T&F Championships at Wavertree.  That's more than last year but Club athletes did not appear to be as prominent as they were at the County Championships last month.  Ten of the County Schools' Champions were Southport Waterloo athletes, the same as last year, and with certain absences, that has to be a good result.
These championships attracted 570 entries, far more than in recent years and good news for athletics generally.
On the hottest day of the year so far, Lauren Brennan, James Armstrong, Rico Dalle Mulle and Adam Davies achieved English Schools entry standards and so can be pretty much assured of a place in the Merseyside team going to the Schools' championships in Birmingham in July.  Others will have to await the decision of the selectors but Katie McHale was so close in the 100m hurdles -just a tenth of a second off  today after being a tenth of a second inside at the county championships- she must be confident of selection.  And Steph James, the reigning North of England under 17 champion, and Rachael Flynn have both achieved the 800m entry standard earlier this season.  Steph was absent today, studying for GCSEs, and Rachael competed but had a poor run; so they will both need to wait to see if they are selected.  Other than the Year 7s, those placed 1st and 2nd today were invited to represent their county at Birmingham next weekend at the Mason Trophy meeting, the schools inter-counties meeting, giving them another chance to achieve entry standards.
In the Junior Girls we had Jenny Girdler, Catherine Hulme, Jane Ingram, Louise Kelly, Sophie Kelly, Emma Lyons, Beth McBride, Katie Morris, Laura Riley and Lucy Whitehead competing.  Jane Ingram emerged as champion in the long jump with a new personal best of 4m 78 - a grade 2 standard.  Katie Morris also achieved a grade 2 standard in the 800m, in another new best time of 2:26.0, finishing 2nd to Zoe Woodward the under 15 girls North of England champion.  Katie has really come on by leaps and bounds on the track this year and 2:26 is excellent for a 1st year under 15.
Laura Riley also ran in the 800m and 2:40.3 shows her racing form is returning.  In the 1500m, Sophie Kelly and Jenny Girdler ran well in a strong field of Merseyside girls in 5:12.3 and 5:16.0, with Catherine Hulme achieving a PB in 5:33.5.
Louise Kelly and Beth McBride both equalled their previous bests in the heats of the 100m. In the 200m, Beth improved her best time to 29.4 and Lucy Whitehead ran 28.8 but it was Emma Lyons and Louise Kelly who qualified for the final, Emma in a season's best 27.3 and Louise in 28.6.  Emma also impressed in the 75m hurdles where she ran 13.1 in the heat 12.8 in the final - a new personal best.
Amongst the Inter Girls, Lauren Brennan won the 300m in a grade 1 time of 40.8 - that's just a hundredth of a second off her PB.  In 3rd place was Rachael Flynn in a grade 2 time of 42.0, again very close to her PB of 41.9.   Charlotte Buckingham was the other winner in this group, winning the triple jump with 10m 22.
In the 800m, a below-par Rachael Flynn was 3rd in 2:23.9 and Rosanna Harison Pope was in the race, running 2:54.4.  In terms of selection, the race was won by Emma Wakefield in 2:17.5, inside the Schools qualifying time of 2:18 - so that's one of the places gone! - and the 2nd placed girl (Rachael Franklin from the Isle of Man) was just outside with 2:18.5.
Rhea Ellis was back running a 3000m race.  It was really too hot for distance running and Rhea was not at her best to finish 2nd in 11:21.5.
In the sprints, Alys Alasu ran 14.2 in the 100m and 28.8 in the 200m.
Our Senior Girls were Katy Hooton and Katie McHale.  Katy Hooton took a 2nd place in the 100m with 13.5 and she was 4th in the 200m with 28.2.  Katie McHale was just outside the Schools' entry standard of 15.2 when finishing 2nd in 15.3 today, the winner achieving the required selection standard.  Katie won the triple jump competition with a jump of 10m 77, just 23 cms off the qualifying standard - although Katie has already jumped 11m 23 this year indoors.
Amongst our Year 7 Boys, Chris Lawson probably had the best of it, achieving a grade 2 and new personal best time of 2:27.9 when finishing 2nd in the 800m.  Danny Cannon did well in the 100m sprint, running 14.8 to qualify for the final where he ran 15.1.  Danny was also 4th in the 75m hurdles in 15.6.  Sean Vis ran 15.2 in his heat of the 100m before going on to a best long jump of 3m 80.
Patrick Power ran in the 1500m in a time of 5:16.2.
In the Junior Boys, we had two grade 1, three grade 2 performances and four champions.  James Armstrong ran his heat of the 100m in 11.8 before emerging from the final as champion in 11.4.  What is remarkable is that James was fevered and probably should not have been running at all and yet he equalled his best time for the 100m.  Good sense prevailed, however, and he didn't feature in either the 200m, 400m or the long jump.
Rico Dalle Mulle was another winner, in the 80m hurdles in a new PB time of 11.9.  Rico went on to run his first, I think, 200m of the season and crossed the line clutching his hamstring.  He clocked 24.9 to qualify from his heat so a good time was achievable in the final but, after some first aid, he was sensibly withdrawn.  However, I understand it was more of a pull and it is not thought any serious damage has been done.
The third winner was Jordan Kelly who cleared 1m 60 in the high jump, ahead of Andrew Starkey, 4th with 1m 55. Jordan also achieved a grade 2 standard long jump of 5m 55.
The fourth winner was Jai Vernon-McGuigan who led the 1500m race from gun to finish in a grade 2 time of 2:32.7 although he would have been looking for sub-2:30.
Other Club sprinters running today were Joshua Hughes who equalled his 12.4 PB in the 100m and was 3rd in the final of the 200m in 24.7; Josh Murphy who ran 13.3 in his 100m heat; Elliot Barron, running 13.5 in his 100m heat and a PB 27.3 in his 200m heat; and Andrew Starkey who was 2nd in the 400m in 56.4.
Two of our Inter Boys emerged as County Schools champions; Harry Boyd and Adam Davies.  Adam was first on at 9.30 in the morning throwing the hammer an excellent 51m 21, just a little short of his PB of 51m 46 but comfortably inside the Schools' entry standard.  Although not ideal conditions for 3000m running, Harry Boyd was well fired up for this one and determined to improve on his time in the Northerns.  9:16.9 in very hot conditions was excellent, a grade 2 standard, a season's best and just outside his personal best of 9:11.  The Schools' entry standard is, however, 9:03 so Harry will be looking to achieve that before the selectors have their final say.
Joe Vis also ran a 3000m and came from the back of the field to finish 2nd in 9:35.4, another personal best in very difficult conditions.
Several other personal bests were achieved.  Stephen Wilson shaved a tenth of a second off with 2:08.9 in the 800m and Leon Jacob improved his long jump best by 1 cm to 5m 54.  Scott McDermott was also in the long jump with a best jump of 5m 38.
Both Patrick Vis and David Gough did the 1500m and 1500m steeplechase double; at least the water jump would be welcoming on a day like this!  Patrick ran 4:37.8 and 5:37.1 and David a PB 4:42.1 and 5:40.0.
Results for Club athletes.   full set of results

5 June 2007: Chorley attracts SWAC runners (by Rick Bowker)

Five SWAC members made the short trek to Chorley in search of fast times and race fitness.
Stuart Stokes [Sale Harriers] blazed round in 19.16 to win.  First lady was Katie Ingram [Horwich] 23.07.
Of the SWAC runners, Rick Bowker and Rob McGrath battled it out for the honour of first back for the club.  Rick finished in 25th place, 23.01, and 1st vet 45.  Rob seemed transfixed by a very attractive lady runner in front of him.  Rick pulled away as Rob seemed to lose his concentration.  Rob finished in 23.26, 29th, saying he enjoyed the veiws!!!
New club member Tracy Peters showed much promise with 28.19, her first time at this distance.  Niz Bowker finished in 31.37, improving her PB by almost 2 minutes.  Sarah Reynolds, 35.30, showed club coach norman that she means business with her 1 min improvement on her April Fools race.
Full results
Next wednesday is the Haigh Hall five.  See you there!

3 June 2007: Joanne Wilson 3rd in Blackpool Marathon (by Chris Cutner)

Joanne Wilson and Chris Cutner took part in the marathon, a two lap course along Blackpool seafront and promenade, starting at the Winter Gardens. Hopes of improving their times in London were dashed by another very warm day and headwind for half the course. However, Joanne ran well to finish 3rd lady in 3:32:52, 78th overall in a field of 439 runners. Chris was 3rd LV50 in 4:10:51. The winner was Cameron Brooks of Knavesmire Harriers in 2:29:34; first lady and LV50 was Jan Littler of Capenhurst RC in 3:21:07.
There were 1,040 finishers in the half marathon, one lap of the above course, which Colin Dryden completed in 1:54:12. The winner was Nicky McGuinness in 1:09:57; first lady, and 3rd overall, was Faye Elson, unattached, in 1:14:22.
Full results

3 June 2007: Two 'Athlete of Match' awards at YAL

The Young Athletes' team is enjoying its best season ever.  As the team builds in strength and depth, we are increasingly able to take on an the best in the North and give a good account of ourselves.
The 3rd round match was played out at Blackburn against Gateshead, Blackburn and Macclesfield.  In round 1, we beat the host club Rotherham.  In round 2, we very narrowly beat the host club Kingston.  Could we do it again against Blackburn?  Gateshead was the clear favourite to win.  I was confident we could beat Macclesfied so the real battle was against Blackburn.  And it proved very tight with the 2nd place swaying between the two clubs all afternoon.  In the end, Blackburn managed to hold us off, by just eleven and a half points!  The scores were Gateshead 482, Blackburn 384, Southport Waterloo 362.5 and Macclesfield 299.5.
3rd place isn't a bad result and, if my arithmetic is right, leaves us in 7th place overall with 7 match points and 1082 points.  The points earned are important for the league position and ours have been increasing with every match.  And we still have our home fixture to come!
Blackburn doesn't have a stand and rain was forecast for later in the afternoon.  Thankfully, the rain held off until we were on our way home and so we were able to enjoy another great day's athletics in the sun. With no stand and spectators lining the banks down the home straight, there was a good crowd watching the races and really getting behind their teams.  The atmosphere was the best this season and if we can do as well at Litherland later this month we will have an electric home fixture.
And, of course, there were the performances to top it all.  There were no fewer that four English Schools qualifying performances, by James Armstrong, Lauren Brennan and Adam Davies, and two Athlete of the Match awards to Adam Davies - for the hammer - and Lauren Brennan - for the 200m.  Indeed, if James Armstrong hadn't taken Athlete of the Match at Rotherham, his performance today in the 400m would almost certainly have given us three out of the four awards!
There are some real stars emerging in the Under 13 Girls who today achieved three grade 2 performances.  Ellon Hart had two of them with 21.2 secs to win the 150m and 4:08.0 in the 1200m, both new personal bests.  The other grade 2 standard was by Patsy Irizar in the 800m.  Patsy just gets better and better and ran 2:35.9 today to win the 'B' race. This was particularly impressive as Patsy ran this on her own, well ahead of the 2nd placed runner.   The 'A' race was easily won by Sally Wareing in a slower time of 2:43.0 on her first day back from holiday. Sally was 2nd in the long jump with 3m 64 where Ellon won the 'B' competition with 3m 62.  Not much between these two girls!
In the 75m sprint, Emily Martland ran a PB 12.2 ahead of Annabelle Harley with 13.1.  In the 150m, Laura McLoughlin was the B runner in 26.0 secs.  Laura was also the faster sprint hurdler, 16.9, with Emelia Lawless the 'A' runner in 17.4 secs.
Lauren Clarehugh made her YAL debut with a PB 4:43.4 in the 1200m and winning the 'B' shot competition with a good throw of 5m 16.
Despite some individual performances, it was actually quite difficult to produce best performances in the sultry conditions today.  In the Under 15 Girls, the best performances were by Jane Ingram and Katie Morris.  Both girls were in the 800m where Katie ran 2:27.0, just dipping under her previous best time.  Jane's run was a season's best 2:35.1 to win the 'B' race but her better performance was in the long jump which she won with a grade 3 jump of 4m 45.  We took maximum points from the long jump with Maria Stanfield winning the 'B' competition with 4m 34, improving her previous best jump by a metre!
Louise Kelly and Beth McBride were our sprinters in this age group, running 14.2 and 14.6 in the 100m and 28.4 - a PB - and 29.7 in the 200m.   Eleanor Newton was 2nd in the sprint hurdles, 13.4 for 75m, where Maria Stanfield ran 14.9.  Both girls appeared in the high jump, both clearing 1m 35; a season's best for Maria and equalling Eleanor's personal best.
In the 1500m, Jenny Girdler was joined today by Catherine Hulme.  Jenny was as competitive as ever and was rewarded with a new best time for the distance of 5:14.8.  Jenny started the season running around 5:40 so there has been some real improvement here.  Catherine's time was 5:37.8 in a good gutsy performance.
Amongst the Under 17 Women, both Lauren Brennan and Rachael Flynn recorded Grade 2 standard performances and Lauren's was an English Schools entry standard.  She won the 200m race in 25.8 secs, equalling her best time, and it was this performance that earned her an 'Athlete of the Match' award.
Rachael Flynn achieved her Grade 2 standard in the 300m race, winning it in 41.9, equalling the PB set at last weekend's Championships in Leeds.  Her time today is likely to be a faster time as Leeds was an electronic 41.90 and today's was rounded up to 41.9, ie anywhere between 41.81 and 41.90.  Rachael also won the 800m race, although in a slow time of 2:22.3.  Sarah Docherty was the other runner in both the 300m and the 800m, running 46.6 and 2:35.5.
Alys Alasu joined Lauren in both sprints today, her 28.7 for 200m a PB, I think, and a reward for all the effort she is putting into her training.
In the hurdles, Lucy Flynn ran 13.6 in the 80m and 51.2 in the 300m.  Hannah Riley had her introduction to the YAL with a run in the 300m hurdles - a first time for her - and did OK to finish in 53.7, almost as fast as Lucy.  Hannah was our best long jumper and 4m 34 takes her to the top of the Club rankings.
There are images that stick in the mind in most athletics matches and one to stick with me was Lauren Brennan racing down the home straight to try and catch the Blackburn runner in the 4 x 100m relay.  She couldn't quite catch her; but there was no doubting Lauren's commitment and determination which never wavered until the line was crossed.
Both Charlotte Roberts and Charlotte Buckingham cleared 1m 35 in the high jump and Charlotte B had a fine triple jump of 9m 46.
In the Throws, Charlotte Roberts threw a good 5m 33 in the shot.  Jacqueline Parry helped out in the shot discus and javelin, her best a javelin throw of 13m 10. In matches like this, athletes are often asked to take on other events and, without strong throwers available today, Louise Leek and Rachael Flynn were to be seen in the hammer cage and Louise also in the javelin competition.
Once again, the girls won the 4 x 300m relay with Sarah and Charlotte B teaming up with 300m specialists Lauren Brennan and Rachael Flynn.
Amongst the Under 13 Boys, it is hard to pick out anyone but they all gave good solid performances.  Gary Clarke seems to achieve a personal best in the 800m virtually every time he competes and he did it again today with 2:43.5.  In the 'B' race, James Farrington's 3:08.1 was also a personal best.
Sean Vis ran both sprints, in 15.1 and 30.7 and his long jump of 3m 88 was a good one.  Danny Cannon was the faster 100m runner, in 14.8, and he did well in the 75m hurdles to win the 'B' race in 15.5  Liam Ellis was 2nd in the high jump with 1m 20 and he ran another, more controlled, 1500m race in a good time of 5:16.3.  In the same event, Graham Boreham was just outside his personal best time with 5:25.6 to win the 'B' race.  In this combined 1500m it was good to see both Liam and Graham have the confidence to take the lead and set the pace for this race early on.
Finally, Adam Mackie improved his best shot put by over 60 cms to 6m 20 for a 2nd place and Rob Fleming cleared 1m 05 in the high jump.
Looking at the Under 15 Boys' section of the results for Club athletes, the stand out feature is the number of graded performances.  And, best of all, James Armstrong achieved another two English Schools standards.  In a break from the short sprints, James put in an appearance in the 400m and just blew the field apart, winning in 51.8 secs.  That's an English Schools National Standard, above the entry standard of 54.5.  He then went on to win the long jump with a new best jump of 5m 70; another English Schools qualifying distance.  That means James has already this season achieved the qualifying standard for English Schools in 4 events: 100m, 200m, 400m, and long jump.
There were another four Grade 2 standard performances in this age group!  In the sprints, Joshua Hughes ran a pb 24.6 to win the 200m and he also took the 'B' 100m in 12.6.  Rico Dalle Mulle won the 80m hurdles in 12.3 and clocked exactly the same time in the flat 100m, equalling his pb.  Jai Vernon-McGuigan won the 1500m in 4:35.6 and the final grade 2 was Jordan Kelly's 5m 39 in the long jump.  Jordan was also outstanding in the high jump, winning that competition with a 1m 60 clearance.
Another sprinter, Andrew Starkey, also had a good day, winning the 'B' 200m in 24.9 and the 'B' 400m in 56.2.
David Meehan and Joe Fleming ran the 800m in 2:33.2 and 2:47.9 and Joe recorded a PB of 6m 69 in the shot.  Will Morris backed up Jai in the 1500m and Les Owens picked up good points in the throws, including a 2nd place in the shot with 9m 51.
With such a great squad of sprinters, we won the 4 x 100m relay with 46.9 secs which must be close to a club record.
Finally, in the Under 17 Men, it was the throwers who produced the best results.  Adam Davies won the hammer with 48m 96, an English Schools qualifying standard and good enough for an Athlete of the Match award.  Adam and Alex Martland were rampant in the throws winning four 'A' competitions and two 'B's between them.  Alex Martland improved his personal best to 45m 82 for an excellent win in his specialist javelin event.  Both Adam and Alex were great in the discus, Alex winning the 'A' with a new best throw of 33m 52 and Adam wining the 'B' with 32m 86; and in the shot it was again Alex on top to win with 11m 38 and Adam with a PB 10m 95.  Great throwing lads!  And to top it off, both Adam and Alex featured in the 4 x 100m relay team!
Rob Anderson and John Cunningham covered the short sprints, Rob running 12.9 and a PB 25.6 and John running 13.3 for 100m.  Paul Gavan was in the 400m and the 800m, the 400 in a PB time of 58.3 and the 800m in 2:13.1
Harry Boyd had an unfortunate afternoon.  Looking to concentrate on the 1500m, he ran in the 800m for points but quickly fought through to take the lead.  With a win apparently in the bag, he slowed down in the home straight saving his energy for the 1500m.  Nonetheless, the time was not too slow at 2:14.7.  Fate then dealt its cruel blow as the track referee called him over.  The break line judge had ruled that he broke from lane too early and so he had to be disqualified.  In the 1500m he went on to win the race but he would have looked for a faster time than 4:32.5.
Patrick Vis won the 'B' 1500m in 4:35.6.  Brother Joe and David Gough have taken a fancy to the steeplechase and Joe won the race today in a PB 5:01.7.  David Gough won the 'B' race, sprinting passed a Blackburn Harrier for maximum points, again a a new best time of 5:32.0; not bad after running a 3000m in 10:25.2. And finally, Mark Hughes threw the 'B' hammer 15m 18.
This age group was affected by GCSE absences and team manager Tina Pilkington was delighted with the middle distance runners who were prepared to take on just about anything to fill gaps in the team sheet.
Thanks to everyone for today;  to team managers Tina, Chris and Gill; to our gallant and hard working officials - who remember contributed 25 points to today's total - Danny Dalle Mulle, Malcolm Ingram, Graham Morris, Lesley Scott, Chris Henders, Sue Gellett, Paul Davies, Graham Martland, Paul Brennan and Coco Alasu; and to Carlos Irizar for the photos.
Remember, the next fixture is at Litherland where we need a good turnout of athletes and additional helpers to run the match.
Results for Club athletes.  Full results are / will be on the YAL web site.

2 June 2007: Seniors take 2nd place in Northern T&F League

The battle is on for promotion this year for the seniors team in the Northern T&F League.  After a 3rd place without a full strength team in Round 1, team managers were keen to get seniors out for Round 2 at Preston Arena and will be reasonably pleased that their efforts paid off with a 2nd place.    Southport Waterloo scored 399 points, behind the combined Lancaster & Morecambe / Kendal team with 449 and ahead of an under strength Liverpool Harriers team with 345 points.  That leaves us in 3rd place overall in the League standings with both Liverpool Harriers and Lancaster & Morecambe still ahead.  That is a great start but there is clearly a lot more work to be done if we are to get up into Division 2.
It has to be said that the standard of competition was not great at Preston but it was a lovely summer's day with competitors and spectators enjoying the athletics in a relaxed atmosphere.
Southport Waterloo managed to field athletes in just about every event as the results sheet shows and produced some good results.  Our best athlete was probably Stephanie May who is developing into an excellent all round athlete.  After picking up points with a single pole vault, she recorded two PBs with a winning 400m time of 59.2 secs - a senior woman's grade 3 standard - and 26.4 secs winning the 200m.  Both these PBs shaved over half a second off previous best times.
Another winner was Sam Dean Howard, back on the track for the first time since she was a 16-year old.  In the 3000m, she ran almost the whole race a metre behind a Lancaster & Morecambe runner and then eased passed on the final lap to win in 10:46.7.  Sue Cooper won the 'B' race in 11:16.4.  Sam also surprisedus in the high jump where she cleared 1m 45.
Elsewhere, Katy Hooton's 13.3 in the 100m was a PB and in the 'B' race Lorna Graham's 14.2 was a season's best.  Lorna was probably more surprised to win the 'B' 400m hurdles race in 78.5.
In the middle distance events, Carole James joined Angela Delaney in the 800m, the girls recording 2:52.0 and 2:59.3, before Carole joined Sue Cooper in the 1500m.  Sue ran 5:36.5 and Carole improved on her last run with 6:02.1.
The sprint hurdles saw Charlotte Buckingham team up with Lydia Hurley.  Charlotte ran 17.1 and Lydia, making a welcome return to T&F, ran 21.9.  Both girls were also in the triple jump where Charlotte pushed out her PB to 10m 24.
Ann Dignan was our mainstay in the throws producing good results in the shot, discus, hammer and javelin.  Early birds would also have seen Ann in the long jump!
Barbara May does more than anyone to organise and manage the seniors and, like all good leaders, she was not afraid to get involved in the action.  All points are important and Barbara was contributing with an appearance in the discus and javelin.
On paper, the men's team looked strong with a welcome return by Steve Wilkinson, probably the strongest all round performer in the club.  Steve ran a 5000m in 17:34.2, a 3K steeplechase in 10:30.4 and cleared 1m 55 in the high jump.  But event wins were to be found elsewhere.
Rob Berry won the 1500m race in a closely fought contest with Lancaster & Morecambe Alisdair Russell.  Rob came home in 4:15.5 and Alisdair in 4:15.5.  And Stephen Marshall, in his first meeting of the season, won the 110m hurdles in 20.0 secs, ahead of Nathan Ouko who won the 'B' competition in 21.8.
In the sprints, Nathan's 12.0 was a season's best for 100m ahead of under 17 John  Cunningham's 13.0.  Chris Honess ran as a guest in the 100 and recorded a personal best of 13.1.  In the longer sprints, Steven Gellett ran 24.8 for 200m and 54.6 for 400m was a good result.  But it was in the long jump that Ste recorded a PB - 4m 60.
Mike Evans joined Rob Berry in the 800m and 1500m, in 2:06.6 and 4:43.1, Greg Owen secured valuable points in the pole vault and the steeplechase and Steve James ran the 5000m in 19:35.9 - not bad for a vet 65!
With some good runners out today, we won the 4 x 400m relay in 3:44.1 with both Michael Evans and Ste Gellett recording sub- 56 secs laps.
In the throws, Peter Mason and Sam Moran were quietly amassing points,  Peter had two season's bests with 9m 30 in the shot and 27m 58 in the discus.  Sam's 22m 17 hammer throw was a PB with a 6.25 kg hammer and his javelin throw of 32m 83 and shot of 8m 49 were both season's bests.  Interestingly, Sam tells me that, at 23m 85, he threw the 2 kg discus further than he threw the 1.75 kg discus last year!  Tom Leyland was also in action in the javelelin, throwing 33m 61.
So, another good day's athletics in the sun.  Thanks to team managers Barbara May, Sam Moran and to Norman Marshall who is still instrumental in attracting road runners to the track.  Thanks too to today's officials.  Lesley Scott, Chris Henders, Sue Gellett, Ann Dignan, Peter Mason and Norman Marshall.  And to Sam Moran who also found himself helping out with the computer results.  Roll on the next encounter at Stretford on 8th July.
Results for Club athletes.

Lost property: - A New Balance track suit top with some money in the pocket was handed to me after the match at Preston.  Contact me if you think it is yours.