27 June 2009: Boys win Mid Lancs Round 3

The 3rd round of this season's Mid Lancs T&F League took clubs to Blackburn's Witton Park, a re-arranged venue after Bolton's hammer cage netting was stolen. Bolton should now host the next match on 25th July.
There was a reasonably good turn-out of 24 Southport Waterloo athletes, but as 17 of them were males and several of the girls only competed in one event, we were never going to make any headway in the female division. However, a winning score from the boys / men confirms them as Division 2 leaders and they should be promoted back to Division 1 next year.
The best performance on the day was by Niall Cullen who dropped down to 800m and won in a grade 2 time of 2:09.8. Ellon Hart's 43.1 for 300m was just 1/10th sec off a grade 2 and another excellent result.
The weather deserves a quick mention as we enjoyed a warm Summer's afternoon; well at least until about 5 o'clock! A thunderstorm was always a possibility and when it stuck it did so with such ferocity that there was little time for anyone to seek shelter. Very quickly the track and grass surround at Witton Park were flooded and the match had to be abandonded with only the first couple of relays having been run. The 3rd relay was already on the track but flippers would have been more use than spikes in the conditions. I can recall only one previous occasion when the weather was so bad a match had to be cancelled; and that was at Bebington Oval in the '90s.
Ellie Roberts and Lucy Hunter were our only Under 13 Girls. Ellie tried her hand at 1500m and 5:40.3 was a graded standard performance. Lucy Hunter was involved in three events and achieved a new personal best of 3m 75 in the shot.
In the Under 15 Girls, usually our biggest squad, Sally Wareing settled for some speed work, running 13.5 for 100m. After running a 2:38 800m, a season's best, Patsy Irizar joined Ellon Hart in the 300m. In the first race, Ellon Hart came off the bend in the lead and stormed home to win in 43.1 secs, an excellent new PB. In the 2nd race, Patsy came through in 3rd place in 48.7, also a PB for her.
Catherine Hulme was our only Under 17 Woman and dropped a '0' today to compete in the 300m. A time of 46.7 secs brought her home in 2nd place, just half a second behind the winner.
Under 20 Stephanie James has missed a lot of training recently but came along to get some competitive races under her belt. She started with the 800m, finishing 2nd in 2:28.2, before going on to the 400m, 4th in 65.8, and the 200m, 4th again in 29.6.
In the Under 13 Boys' events, both Michael Panes and Andrew Kershaw were just short of grade 2 standard performances. Michael ran in the 800m, a fast race with the first 3 finishers all recording grade 1 times. Michael was 5th in 2:28.6, just a tenth off his PB. We had both Andrew Kershaw and Adam Cullen in the 1500m race. Andrew achieved a really strong finish in 5:01.8 for 2nd place and Adam ran 5:19.4, both graded performances. Andrew time was a new PB by over 10 secs! Adam also threw a PB in the shot with 5m 49. Matthew Lawson scored maximum divisional points with a best throw of 5m 59.
Both Daniel Winkle and George Sutton featured in both the 100m and the long jump. Daniel ran 15.3 and George 17.9 and Daniel Daniel had the better long jump of 3m 68.
Niall Cullen was a winner over both Under 15 Boys' 800m (2:09.8) and 400m (57.5) showing a talent over distances from 400m to 1500m. In the 800m, George Ingram improved on his previous best time with a good run in 2:20.8. His times are gradually coming down as the year progresses.
In today's 1500m race, both Gary Clark and Liam Ellis achieved new personal bests. Garry in particular has impressed his coach in training in recent weeks and a time of 4:50.9 knocked 4 secs off his previous best. Liam Ellis had a fine run too, and made that significant jump to a sub-5 mins time - 4:57.8.
New member Ben Blackburn had his first run in a club vest and ran a 13.3 100m today and 62.9 for 400m. George Ingram's 14.3 was a PB for him in the 100m. In the 200m, Graham Boreham ran 29.7 and Patrick Cullen ran 30.3. With a 66.3 400m, that gave Patrick two on the day.
Earlier in the field events, Graham threw the discus 16m 90, another new PB, and Chris Lawson achieved 15m 23. Patrick, George and Graham teamed up in the long jump, Patrick having the best jump of 4m 09. Finally, Liam Ellis had another PB in the javelin with a best throw of 21m 61 and Niall Cullen was 2nd in the hammer with 22m 24. Incidentally, Niall scored a maximum 21 points for his team today!
Under 20 David Gough appeared in the senior events, running a 1500m, in 4:59.4, and a 200m in 28.1.
In the Senior Men's events, new member Michael McLean ran in both sprints, running 12.4 and 25.7. And field eventer Peter Miles throw a 5m 99 shot and a best discus of 19m 72.
Thanks to everyone who took part today, to team manager Sarah Lawson and to Dave Whitehead, Lesley Scott and Steve Boreham who officiated for the club today - and who got very wet!
Full results. Results for club athletes.

24 June 2009: SWAC win team award again at Harrock Hill (by Rick Bowker)

There was a great turn out of SWAC runners at the 2nd of the Harrock Hill race series, once again Richard Shearer dominated the race until he went off course. Eventual winner Phil Bolton of Rossendale was very sporting in calling Richard back but the damage was done and he had to settle for 2nd place this time.
Rob Ashworth put in an excellent performance for 6th place. I found myself battling it out with Steve McLean yet again. This time Steve got the better of me in the closing stages, finishing 8th in yet another p.b. For the second time running SWAC won the team prize with Richard, Rob and Steve.
I crossed the line in 10th, and then came Gary Kenny gradually getting back to race fitness with 16th place, Andy Hudson out sprinted John Sprackland for 24th and Mark Ashby, who had travelled all the way down from Glasgow to race, finished close behind in 28th.
Harrock Hill virgin Simon Tobin really enjoyed the new challenge and after finishing in 37th place, he smiled he’d be back for more. Likewise Paul Cain.
Vicky Harvey was the first of our ladies back, in an impressive time of 45.55. Rachel Thomas powered through in 48.55 and Christine Cutner finished in 52.23 and 100th place.
This was my 28th Harrock Hill race and I’m hoping to reach 30 races by the last race in the series in August. Has anyone run more!
The next Harrock race is on the 22nd of July and is a G.P. race, so please support the event and also help win another team award.

24 June 2009: Sefton award for Steve James

At tonight's prestigious Sefton Sports Awards ceremony at the Floral Hall in Southport, Southport Waterloo's President Steve James was once again recognised for his outstanding career in athletics.
Celebrating his 70th birthday in 2008, Steve was once again winning Vet 70 age group titles, including the British Masters Cross Country Championships, the British Masters 5K Road Running Championships (in 20:43) and the 5000m European Veterans Athletic Championships in Slovenia, in 20:32.36.
As well as continuing his running career long after many have retired, Steve has been a stalwart of the club, regularly contributing to the management of the club, providing inspirational support and advice for many aspiring and established runners of all ages and, as senior men's team manager, encouraging runners to participate in and enjoy the benefits of cross country running.
Steve won the Veteran Sports Personality of 2009 award. Many congratulations!

24 June 2009: Merseyside team for English Schools announced

Once again, Southport Waterloo athletes are well represented in the Merseyside squad going to English Schools. The team includes:
Junior Girls: Sally Wareing (200m)
Inter Girls: Beth McBride (200m), Eleanor Newton (80m hurdles)
Senior Girls: Lauren Brennan (400m)
Inter Boys: Josh Hughes (200m), Andrew Starkey (400m), Danny Driver (100m hurdles), Jordan Kelly (triple jump)
James Armstrong was also selected but after discussion with him and his physio it was agreed he shouldn't run.
So what a great result and a massive credit to both the athletes, 6 of whom are first year in their age group, and to their coaches! We wish them every success at the Don Valley Stadium in July.

23 June 2009: PB for J Tartt at Stretford

Five club runners attended the popular Stretford open meeting on Tuesday evening. With electronic timing, this series of open graded races attracts athletes from around the country, including BMC runners, keen to take on the best to improve their PBs.
James Tartt did just that. 2nd in the BMC 'C' race, he clocked 1:55.87 for 800m; an impressive time indeed! In the open 800m race, Steve McLean ran 2:14.78, improving on the 2:19 he ran at Stretford in May.
In the open 3000m race, Rob Berry won in 9:22.41 and Amanda Crook was 10:08.21.
These meetings are not just for middle and distances runners, however, and Jordan Kelly came along to try for a good 100m time. Although not a PB, 12.16 was a seasons best for Jordan!
Full results.

20/21 June 2009: 2 Athletes at Northern U20 Champs: 2 Bronze medals; 2 club records

This year's Northern Senior and Under 20 T&F Champs were held at Manchester's Sportcity and two athletes were there in Southport Waterloo colours.
On the Saturday, Lauren Brennan, the Northern Indoor silver medallist in 57.46, was competing in the 400m. After a less than perfect start, she finished 3rd in her heat in 59.47. The final was a much better race and Lauren came though to take 3rd place and a Northern Bronze medal in a new PB time and new club Under 20 record of 57.34. Today's medal is Lauren 6th Northern medal - 2 gold, 3 silver and a bronze. And 57.34 is well inside the English Schools' entry standard of 58.8!
On Sunday, Lauren, also the Northern indoor 200m silver medallist, was back to compete in the 200m. Here, she qualified in the heats with a time of 26.43. In the final the girls came across the line very close but when the dust settled Lauren was 5th in 25.75, a very respectable time and just 17 hundreths off the bronze!
On Sunday, Adam Davies was also competing in the Under 20 hammer. Adam was up against some tough competition with Peter Smith from Kingston throwing an incredible 75m, but he kept his concentration and was rewarded with a new PB, replacing his own club record, with a best throw of 53m 32 for a 3rd place bronze medal. That performance gives Adam Northern medals in the hammer at Under 15, Under 17 and Under 20 age groups.
Northern results

21 June 2009: YAL team faces relegation

The writing may have been on the wall for some time but with just 1 league point from Round 4 of the Young Athlete's League, we need to face the prospect that we will not be in the Northern Premier Division next year.
Sunday's match was our 2nd home fixture of the season in this league and that was helpful in getting additional athletes out. But it was not enough!
After 10 events, the scoreboard had us in 2nd position but that didn't last long and we finished 4th. The scores were Blackpool Wyre & Fylde 512 points, Chesterfield 373, Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton 353 and Southport Waterloo 309. Up against Liverpool, Doncaster and Kingston in round 5, I expect we can pick up 2 league points; but 8 in total will not move us out of the relegation zone.
Despite the result, there were some great performances on the day and lots of PBs. The best performance was by Under 17 Jordan Kelly with a grade 1 long jump of 6m 37, just 3 cms off the English Schools qualifying standard. Jordan already has a qualifyer in the triple jump. Eleanor Newton was once again the highest performing girl with another grade 1 time of 12.2 secs in the 80m hurdles.
YAL club athlete-of-the-match t-shirts go to Jordan Kelly, for his long jump; and to Beth McBride for her grade 2 performance of 12.7 secs in the Under 17 women's 100m.
It seems that once again the YAL results software has used last year's grading standards. Correct standards can be seen on the Reference page and on the Results for Club Athletes
There were several new athletes in Southport Waterloo colours today and these, including Abby Sutton, Megan Crewe, Yve Knowles and Luca Ginelli, showed considerable potential.
In the Under 13 Girls' events, Abby Sutton had her first run out for the club and her 10.9 secs for 75m - a time only beaten by Sally Wareing in recent years - put her on top of the club under 13 rankings. Becky Sinclair also featured in the sprints and was rewarded with a season's best of 11.5 in the 75m and a PB in the 150m of 22.9. Ellie Roberts also ran 22.9.
Erin Donagh shifted to the 800m today and was 2nd in 2:35.8, Alice Cribb taking 2nd 'B' with a PB 2:51.2. Ellie Roberts took over the 1200m duty and she too was 2nd, in 4:17.9, Lucy Hunter also running here, finishing in 5:25.9.
In the 70m hurdles, both our girls responded with good runs, achieving PBs for Becky Sinclair (13.8) and sister Amy (15.1). Becky's time knocked nearly a second off her previous best. Olivia Croft was in the shot and the high jump where her 1m 30 was a new PB.
Finally, the girls ran a season's best in the 4 x 100m relay getting the baton round in 61.3. In fact, all our girls' teams ran SBs in the 4 x 100m today!
Amongst our Under 15 Girls, Sally Wareing had the best performance with 26.9 in the 200m, just missing the 26.8 Grade 2 standard although her thoughts would have been more focussed on the 26.4 Junior Girls' entry standard for English Schools. Sally also equalled her best high jump with 1m 40.
Back in the sprints, new athletes Megan Crewe and Yve Knowles were making a mark for themselves. In their first appearance in club colours, both girls achieved graded standard performances in the 100m, Megan running 13.3 and Yve 13.6; an excellent start!
Katy Hurley had a good day with PBs in both the long jump (3m 70) and the 75m hurdles (13.4) where our 'B' runner, Emma Dryden, also recorded a PB with 17.9 secs.
In the middle distance events, Patsy Irizar ran a season's best 1500m in 5:27 ahead of Ellon Hart running 5:35. Ellon would have been happier with her 27.8 in the 200m. In the 800m, Vicky Mawer ran 2:41 and Lydia McGill 2:53. Lydia had a better long jump, clearing 3m 79.
Amy Aitchison concentrated on field events, with a 13m 49 discus throw.
Finally, the girls were 2nd in their relay, in 53.2 secs.
For an event win by our girls, you have to go to the Under 17 women, and in particular Eleanor Newton. She is proving to be a good hurdler and won both the 300m event, in 49 secs, and the sprint 80m hurdles in 12.2, equalling her previous best mark set at the Merseyside Schools championships earlier this month.
In the flat sprints, Beth McBride was on fire, with an excellent new personal best of 12.7 secs in the 100m - a grade 2 standard - and a 2nd place in the 200m in 26.4. Louise Kelly's 14.2 for 100m was a season's best and Megan Woodburn recorded a PB in the 200m with 29.1 secs for 2nd 'B' spot.
In the middle distance races, we again had no runners in the 800m and 1500m races but Catherine Hulme and Jenny Girdler went in the 3000m. A better run from Catherine brought her home in 12:03 and Jenny took maximum points in the 'B' race in 12:17. With a suspected groin injury, Katie Morris was not running today but helped out in the javelin (11m 22) and the discus (a PB 12m 90). Ruth Doran was our main thrower and she will be pleased with a PB in the shot, 8m 31 for a 2nd place. She was also 2nd in the hammer with a best throw of 20m 86.
Jane Ingram appeared for us in the long jump, clearing a best of 4m 38 ahead of Catherine Hulme's 3m 85. Lucy Whitehead started her day with a 'B' win in the 300m hurdles in 53.6 and teamed up with Catherine in the triple jump where both girls recorded PBs; Lucy with a best of 9m 31 and Catherine 8m 86.
The girls' 4 x 100m time of 56.1 was a season's best but it only gave them 4th place today. In the 4 x 300m, Lucy, Megan, Louise and Jenny finished 2nd in 3:12.
Turning to the boys, Luke Tyson was again the star attraction in the Under 13 Boys, running a grade 2 4:56.6 1500m, a new PB, although that was only good enough for a 2nd place today. Michael Panes was 2nd 'B' in 5:02.5. And in the 800m, Tom Lodge was a winner again, in 2:35.7, with Andrew Kershaw shadowing him to win the 'B' race in 2:36.7.
More surprisingly, Luke Tyson had his event win in the 75m hurdles, winning that in 15.3, with Michael Panes taking maximum 'B' points in 15.8 secs.
There were a number of other PBs too. In the 100m, Adam Laughton equalled his best with 13.8 secs. Adam Cullen had a PB in both the 100m (15.0) and 200m (31.1). In the high jump, Greg Cooke equalled his previous best with 1m 10 and Matthew Lawson pushed out his best shot put to 5m 77.
Finally, Luke Gravell ran 34.2 and helped to get the baton around in the 4 x 100m relay in 59.4.
In the Under 15 Boys' events, team manager Tina Pilkington unveiled new recruit Luca Anelli, a very promising athlete indeed! He ran a 12.6 100m race, just ahead of Thomas Neal in 12.7, a new personal best for him. And was faster again than Thomas Neal in the 200m running 26.6. His speed served him well in the long jump too, where his 4m 75 was the best jump this year by any of our under 15 boys!
But perhaps the best performance in this age group was by Niall Cullen in the 1500m. Having run 4:26 at the County Schools championships, he was still looking for the English Schools qualifying time of 4:22. Today, he won his race in 4:25.9. Having run a PB last week and having improved on that again at Litherland you can't ask more; but its still short of the Schools' target.
Liam Ellis ran 5:01.3 in the same race and, in the 800m, George Ingram ran a PB 2:24.3 ahead of Gary Clark in 2:33.1. Gary trained extremely hard on Thursday and may still have had some of it still in his legs.
Owen Williams and Jake Hogg ran the 400m but it was 'B' runner Jake who ran fastest, in 59.6 for a 2nd place in his race.
In the 80m hurdles, George Ingram and Patrick Clark both recorded PBs, George running 15.4 and Patrick 15.6.
In the field events, Adam Mackie put the shot 7m 15 and Thomas Neal had a PB in the hammer with a best throw of 17m 18. Graham Boreham is still sticking to throws and threw his hammer 10m 48, a new PB, and had a discus throw of 14m 74. Chris Lawson just got the better of him with a throw of 15m 17.
In the relays, the 4 x 100m and the 4 x 400m were season's bests, although they were 4th of 4 teams in each race. The 4 x 100m was run in 52.0 secs and the 4 x 400m in 4:21.3
Finally, in the Under 17 Men's events, Jordan Kelly produced the best performance with his 6m 37 long jump - a grade 1 standard but that got him only 2nd place today! He was also 2nd in the triple with 11m 92.
For event wins we have to look at the sprinters. Josh Hughes keeps on improving although his running style looks almost casual. He ran a PB 100m in 11.3 - equalling James Armstrong's best time this year - but it was the 200m he won, in an excellent 23.1. Back in the 100m, Danny Driver produced a massive improvement in his PB, dropping it from 12.3 secs to 11.8! but his event win came in the 100m hurdles where his winning time of 14.4 equlled his previous best.
Although back in training, James Armstrong was still supporting the team from the field, throwing in the shot, discus and javelin. Thomas Atherton also supported in shot, discus and hammer but it was Josh Francis who produced the best throw, 38m in the javelin.
Josh also ran 400m, winning the 'B' race in 54.1 secs, a faster time than Andrew Starkey's 54.8 for 2nd place in the 'A' race. In the 800m, Jack Craig ran 2:08 and Dean Brown 2:43. Dean also cleared 1.50 in the high jump, Josh Francis going on to clear 1m 60.
Finally, Shaun Parker's 4m 24 long jump and Ryan Williams 24.9 200m time were new personal bests.
The boys were 2nd in both relays.
Overall, today's outcome is of course disappointing but that should not detract from the achievements of the athletes who took part as can be seen from the number of personal bests. The fact is that the number of juniors has dropped and we need to build up strength again before next year's challenge, returning to the Northern Premier as divisional champions. We have done it before and we can do it again!
Thanks to all today's club helpers and officials; to Robbie Clark, Chris Henders, Steve James, Louise Leek, Sue Gellett, Dave Whitehead, Paula Kelly, Dan Dalle Mulle, Sue Ingram, Mike Wardle, Norman Marshall, Sheila Marshal and David Gough; to Cralos Irizar for photos - see more at his album site; to Jean Carrington for results; to Brian Carrington our Chief Timekeeper; to our announcer Alex Anderson; and to everyone else who contributed.
Results for club athletes. Full results.

21 June 2009: Freckleton Half, Grand Prix race 7 (by Rick Bowker)

Five of us made the trip to the oldest half marathon in the country, the Freckleton Half. Ron Hill still holds the course record of 1 hour 4 mins set back in 1964 and he was here today to run his last ever half marathon. At 70 years of age, even legends have to ease up a bit!
Setting off from the playing fields, we sprinted off on a 1 mile hilly circuit of the village. I was in for a shock as I came up to the first mile marker; 5.39 on the watch was way too fast for my current fitness level! I would pay the price latter on!
The route heads out over the rolling countryside and by 5 miles I started to blow, dropping back from the group I was in. I had to back off, recover and slowly re find my rhythm. Up to 9 miles I was running on my own until a guy came alongside me. This was enough to spur me on and I went to the front and pushed on harder. He stayed with me until 12 miles when I pushed on and charged for home! I finished with my fastest time in 5 years -1:21.07, 13th place and 1st vet 45.
Simon Tobin knocked an impressive 4 mins off his p.b. to finish in 1:30.44 for 59th place. Carole James, running her first ever half marathon, looked relaxed and smooth crossing the line in 1:52.08 for 267th place. Richard Hughes said he was short on miles and hoped for the best before the start. He finished in 2:12.50 and 450th place. Jon Singleton decided to ran in the 2 mile fun run after knee problems during the week and was happy to finish pain free in about 11th place!
Results Updated Grand Prix table

Ed: Another senior runner was out today. Angela Delaney was running in the Horwich 5K and finished in 19:48 and 1st L40.

13 June 2009: English Schools qualifier for Jordan Kelly at County Schools

The cream of the club's junior athletes were at Bebington Oval on Saturday with more than a few dreaming of a place in the Merseyside team going to the English Schools Championships at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield next month. Yes, it was the Merseyside Schools Track & Field Championships and with only Lauren Brennan having an English Schools qualifying standard this year - and that was indoors in January - the focus was on that elusive time or distance.
Conditions at Bebington Oval were near perfect for good performances and Southport Waterloo athletes managed 25 personal bests and no fewer than 10 championship wins.
And these elusive English Schools qualifications? Well, Jordan Kelly was well recovered and on form to achieve a qualifying standard in the Inter Boys' triple jump. Others, including Lauren Brennan, Sally Wareing, Beth McBride, Niall Cullen, Josh Hughes, Andrew Starkey and Danny Driver were within a whisker.
The general standard of performance was high and both Jordan Kelly and Beth McBride achieved grade 1 standards, Jordan in the triple jump and Beth in the sprint hurdles, and there were 8 grade 2 standards. Compare that with the Young Athletes League this season!
Usually, the 1st and 2nd in each event goes forward to represent Merseyside at the Mason Owen Inter Counties match the following weekend at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium. I'm not sure if this competition is taking place this year but, if it is, I'm told Merseyside isn't taking part. In recent years this has become mainly another opportunity to get an English Schools qualification, and now clashes with a YAL weekend. I believe the Merseyside selectors will meet after the YAL so performances in that league will be considered.
In today's Year 7 girls' competition, Ellie Roberts, Erin Donagh and Alice Cribb, all from Sacred Heart, were in action. Erin Donagh was in excellent form and won the 1200m race in a new personal best time of 4:06.2, so far ahead of the rest of the field as to make it look easy. In a tight race, I'm sure she will go under 4 mins but needs to be challenged to bring out her best. Erin also improved her previous long jump best with 4m 03 for 3rd place. That takes her to the top of the club rankings this year.
Ellie Roberts ran an 800m in 2:42 and Alice Cribb had a season's best performance in the long jump, clearing 3m 63.
In the Year 7 Boys, more middle distance athletes were taking the limelight. The 1500m race was special with Southport Waterloo runners taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. On this occasion, Michael Panes was not to be beaten by Luke Tyson and Michael's winning 4:55.6 put him back on top of the club rankings. Luke was 2nd in 4:57.1 and Greg Cooke an excellent 3rd in 5:05.4. All three times were new personal bests, Greg knocking 12 secs off his previous best.
In the 800m, the winner was from the Wirral but Andrew Kershaw and Tom Lodge were up there, just fading a bit towards the end as the final placings were decided and Tom eased passed Andrew to take 2nd spot in 2:25.4 and Andrew 3rd in 2:26.5, both new best times.
Sprinter Adam Laughton ran in both the 100m and 200m, his 200m time of 28.5, a new personal best, giving him a 2nd spot in these championships.
Amongst the Junior Girls it was Sally Wareing whose performance shone through. Going into these championships with a best time of 26.8 secs, she had a real chance of achieving the 26.4 secs qualifying time in the 200m. In the heats she came through strongly to win in 26.5 secs and also won the final, but her time dropping back here to 26.8. With just a tenth of a second off the qualifying time, and such an improvement this year, Sally could well be selected, particularly as she has won the county championships in her first year as a Junior Girl. She also ran a PB 100m in 13.3 secs.
Lydia McGill ran in the 75m hurdles and 1500m races but her best performance was in the long jump where her 3m 93 knocked 20 cms off her previous best.
Amy Aitchison was also involved in field events taking 3rd in both the javelin and discus. Her discus throw of 16m 76 was a new personal best.
Going into these championships, Niall Cullen was the best prospect for a qualifying time in the Junior Boys, in the 1500m. Having run 4:28 two weeks ago at Bebington, he had some work to do to achieve the 4:22 standard, and although he didn't quite achieve it, he improved his time to 4:26.1, for 2nd place. He was so close!
Gary Clark was also in the 1500m and ran his first sub 5-minute time of 4:54.3, a great improvement on his best of 5:15 from last year. Jake Hogg also ran here and his time of 5:01.9 was another new personal best.
The other personal best in this group came from George Ingram in the 800m, running 2:25.4.
In the shorter distance races Thomas Neal ran 13.1 and 27.2 in the 100m and 200m and Owen Williams ran 64.4 in the 400m. In the field events, Gary Clark had his first competitive triple jump, 7m 93, and George Ingram long jumped 3m 75.
In the Inter Girls, Beth McBride and Eleanor Newton were chasing qualifying times. Eleanor's best in the 80m hurdles this year was 12.39 so to get the qualifying time of 12.1 she would need a massive improvement of 3 tenths of a second. She really gave it a go and finished 2nd in an excellent 12.2 secs. Again, so close!
Beth McBride equalled her PB with 13.0 in the 100m and improved her 200m time by 0.5 sec to 26.2. The Schools' entry standard here is 26.0, so again a close call but 1st and 2nd in this race achieved the standard today.
In this age group, Catherine Hulme ran the 3000m in 12:41.
In the Inter Boys' competition, Southport Waterloo athletes took 4 championship wins, two by Josh Hughes in new personal best times. In the 100m he won with 11.5 and in the 200m, with 23.1 - still a ways off the Schools' entry standard of 22.8.
Danny Driver won the 100m hurdles race, in a new best time of 14.4 (from 14.76) with a qualifying standard of 14.2.
And Jordan Kelly looks to have put his injury problems behind him. In the triple jump he achieved a massive 13m 11, a centimetre beyond the qualifying standard, but surely with so much more to come! He was also 2nd in the long jump with 6m 03.
Elsewhere in this age group, Andrew Starkey ran 51.8 in the 400m, for a 3rd place - entry standard here is 51.3. Jack Craig ran a PB 2:06.8 to finish 2nd in the 800m and Josh Francis cleared a best of 1m 50 in the high jump.
Our only Senior Girl at these championships was Lauren Brennan. Running with the boys, she clocked 58.9 to win, against an entry standard of 58.8. But Lauren has already run 57.46 indoors this year.
Finally, in the Senior Boys', Patrick Vis and David Gough ran the 2000m steeplechase, Patrick winning in a PB 6:47.9 and David finishing in 7:21.3. In the flat 3000m, Joe Vis gave the Vis family their 2nd championship win of the day, winning in 9:19.4, a new personal best time.
I'm not sure what was in the air today to spur our athletes on to so many new personal bests but the lure of English Schools is a great motivator and many appear to be peaking nicely.
Full results. Results for Southport Waterloo.

10 June 2009: Haigh Hall triumph for Richard Shearer (by Rick Bowker)

Richard Shearer once again showed his awesome power by winning the tough Haigh Hall 4 mile hill race in pouring rain!
He finished with a good 34 second advantage over Steve Nolan of Horwich RMI. Richard now has the honour of being the first SWAC runner to have ever won this race and looks likely to go on to win the series.
Steve Wilkinson also showed signs of coming into top form with a 5th place in 22.15, 45 sec faster than last month. Marathon runner Robbie ' the chicken' McGrath showed remarkable recovery powers after his epic gruelling marathon victory, setting a new course p.b.of 22.41 and finishing an excellent 8th. If only I could have run faster a team victory would have been on the cards. As it was I finished 18th and improved by 13 sec on last month. Our final runner was John Sprackland in 26th place, in 24.37, still not back to his best but trying hard!
We all really enjoyed the event and thanks once again go to Paul Carroll and all his helpers. I have to say I'm a bit surprised by the poor turn out by SWAC members here. We really should be supporting excellent events like this, so come on get off your butts and start racing!
Results

6 June 2009: 3rd place finish in Northern Senior League

In was our second hosted meeting of the year at Litherland and, yes, it was raining again! Not nearly as bad as forecast but surely we are due some balmy summer's days at Litherland later in the year?
The match was Round 2 of the Northern League, Division 2 West, and team manager Barbara May was somewhat dismayed by the 'phone calls - "sorry but ...". Nonetheless, the team did remarkably well and an under-strength squad managed a 3rd place.
The scores were West Cheshire, winning with 407 points, and Blackpool Wyre & Fylde 2nd with 379 points. These two teams are dominating the division and heading for promotion. 3rd were Southport Waterloo (336 points) ahead of local rivals St Helens Sutton (313) and Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton (302) with Manx Harriers a distant 6th with 201 points. That leaves us 4th in the division after 2 matches, with LPS and Manx occupying the bottom two slots. Interestingly, LPS won the men's match but were bottom-scoring in the women's. In the women's match, competition was close at the top with Blackpool on 189, West Cheshire on 179 and Southport Waterloo on 178!
We should be secure in this division - but it is all about getting the athletes out - both men and women!
In the Women's match, we had 4 event wins. Rachael Flynn got the meeting off to the best of starts with a win in the 400m hurdles in 70.7, improving her best time for the distance by 2 secs.
Lauren Brennan won the 400m in 59.4 secs - which I think might be her 1st outdoor sub 60 secs time, although she ran 57.46 indoors last winter.
In the middle distance races, Amanda Crook won both the 800m and the 1500m in 2:23.6 and 4:53.8, leading all the way. Both times are PBs, I think, although Amanda does not do a lot of track meetings.
Finally, in the 4 x 400m relay, the girls got the baton around in a winning 4:19.0, a little slower than at Warrington in Round 1 but they are certainly the team to beat in this event. Lauren Brennan ran the fastest leg of 61.8. Sarah Docherty ran a great 3rd leg to hold off a challenge but once she passed the baton to Stephanie May the outcome was never in doubt!
Stephanie's best result was a 'B' win in the 400m in 60.8, pulling a muscle in the final stages. She is such a competitor that she wasn't going to let that hold her back but common sense did prevail to some extent when she shifted to the 'B' runner in the 200m, just intendng to carefully stride out the half lap. She even did a standing start and ended up winning the race in 27.8 secs, a faster time than she ran in Warrington! Stephanie competed in 6 events, a great team player!
Louise Leek had a busy day too, running both middle distance races and putting the shot. In the longer 3000m race, Sue Cooper and Angela Delaney were our ladies, Sue finishing 3rd in 11:34 and Angela winning the 'B' race in 11:49.
We had two 2nd places in the 100m hurdles with Charlotte Buckingham running 19.9 in the 'A' and Lorna Graham 23.0 in the 'B'. Good to see Lorna back in competition.
In the field, Ann Dignan was the main thrower, in shot, discus javelin and hammer. In the jumps, Charlotte's 1m 40 is getting some way towards her PB of 1m 49 achieved back in 2006 and is already better than her best clearance last year. Charlotte also did well in the long and triple jump, 4m 30 and 9m 81, and in the triple Sarah Docherty's 7m 43 was a new personal best.
The Women's match was not without its surprises with Carole James appearing in the high jump, clearing 1m 15.
In the Men's match, there were no event wins but James Tartt had a great day finishing 2nd in the 800m, in 1:59.7, just 5 secs behind St Helens' David Forrester, and running 52.9 in the 400m, almost back to his best of 52.6 back in 2006.
The senior men were supported today by two under 17s. Jordan Kelly ran 12.6 in the 100m and was our only high jumper, clearing 1m 45. And Andrew Starkey ran 24.9 in the 200m, for 3rd in the 'B' race, and 54.0 in the 400m, 2nd in the 'B'.
Under 20 Rob Anderson ran a well-deserved PB in the 200m of 24.7 secs after running 12.4 in the 100m. 11m 72 in the triple jump was another good result.
Tony Hughes ran in the non-scoring 100m, stopping the watch in 16.9, a little slower than at Hyndburn the week before.
In the longer races Joe Vis ran 4:29 in the 1500 with Gerry Lenehan just behind in 4:36. Over 5000m it was Richard Shearer and Rob Ashworth who teamed up, Richard running 16:25 and Rob 17:33.
Steve Wilkinson who missed the first meeting at Warrington was thankfully back in the team today doing an incredible amount of work over 6 varied events. With Peter Mason absent, Steve Wilkinson was the main thrower, including a 25m 89 discus throw, and best over the hurdles in 110m (22.4), 400m (66.2 - the same time as Steve Marshall ran at Warrington) and 3K steeplechase (10:40.7). Patrick Vis ran a PB in the steeplechase of 10:49 and in the 400m hurdles David Gough 70.0 was another PB.
Another PB worth mentioning was achieved by Joe Vis in the Long Jump. Joe doesn't often compete in this event so it wasn't too hard to beat his previous best of 3m 50 set back in 2004 as an Under 13. His best today was 4m 38.
Finally, not satisfied with being meeting clerk of course and field judge, Chris Henders donned his club vest to support the team in shot and hammer.
Thanks to everyone who helped out today. It takes a lot more volunteers to host a match and the club is grateful to all who gave up their time. Thanks to team manager Barbara May, to Rob Clark on results, to Alex Anderson, our announcer, to Chris Henders, Ann Dignan, Sue Gellett, Gillian Brennan, Mike Wardle, Lesley Scott, Norman Marshal and Dave Whitehead our technical officials and to Sheila Marshal who kept our officials refreshed all afternoon. Apologies in advance to anyone I've missed.
Results for Southport Waterloo athletes. Full results.

3 June 2009: Return to Birkenhead Park (by Rick Bowker)

The last time I raced here was in 2002. The first thing I noticed was they have done a lot of work to restore the park to its former glory.
Birkenhead Park was designed by Sir Joseph Paxton. His concept was to create an idealised countryside landscape of open meadows and naturalistic woodland belts. And it is said that Central park in New York was modelled from the Birkenhead design!
Anyway back to the racing, I travelled down with Jon Singleton. The race didn't start on time due to cars parked on the course it was almost 8 pm by the time we got going. One interesting concept is they put on races for the juniors before the main race.
Conditions were almost ideal - sunny and no wind - but maybe a little too humid for Jon!
The race was over 3 laps of the lower park. It was really fast, just one short hill each lap. I went through one mile in 5.37 feeling ok, and 3 miles in 17.04. I was hoping for sub 29 mins. Maybe 28.30. I think I ran 28.18 some 7 years ago!
I was in a good group as we went into the final lap. I could now start to feel my energy draining away. Up the hill for the last time and I started to fade. Runners were starting to pass me by as I slipped back through the field helpless to do anything about it. Finally I reached the last endless 200 m. It was like one of those dreams where you're trying to run but feel like something is pulling you back. At last I crossed the line and glance at the watch -28.48 for 19th place!
I jogged back to wait for Jon who was having a bad time in the heat. After a long wait, he comes into view and I shout "200 to go" and he puts on a sprint, finishing in 43.27.
I was surprised no other SWAC members turned up. Its a great course in nice surroundings. See you at Haigh Hall next Wednesday!
Race results