Well we set out to Wakefield with promotion within our grasp. The top two teams go up and we were in 2nd with 2 match points on the only other team that could catch us which was Doncaster. But with Doncaster only 20 miles away (half the distance to Middleborough) from Wakefield, we knew this was virtually a home fixture for them. They had won at Doncaster and Leeds came second so nothing was in the bag yet – we needed a great day.
It started at 07:15 with two buses turning up at the Stadium, but we actually did not have enough people (including parents etc) to fill one bus so one was sent away. Hopefully this saved Edwin some money but it did not feel like the best of starts!
As we looked at the blanks on the team sheet we had a few worries but set off down the bus to see who would volunteer for additional events. Well it was a great morning, people not only took their events but asked for more, told us what they could and could not do and a lot of blanks went away. For this competition you have 66 events (A+B) for the women to compete in and we had just over 40 of them covered. Now with no pole vaulters or steeplechasers, averaging 5 points an event gave the girls 200 points, the men had a few more so 500 points on the day was expected and you needed about 550 to make second this season.
When we got to Wakefield I am sure it started raining and a cold wind picked up, it was definitely not a day for PB’s or ice creams… so how did we do – well we had fifteen women and eighteen men, all stars and here’s how they shone…
U20 Women :
Stephanie Addison had four wins and a pb in the discus
Sophie Bronze (came even tho injured) had one win; one second and good point in two more events
Jane Feenan had three wins; one second and a third
Rachel Highfield had four wins
Beth Pringle had three wins and one second, with a pb in the 400H
U17 Women :
Olivia Bateman had two wins and a second,
with a pb in the 1500m (4:50:3 a UK top 100 performance) and the long jump
Layla Bell had two wins and a second
Rebecca Browne had two wins and two seconds
Isobel Care had three wins and a third
Callie Conway had two wins; pb in the 100, and a second
Mya Crowder got a third and a fourth with a pb in the long jump
Hannah Kelly had two wins; a second and a pb in the shot
Beth Leckie had two wins (pb in the 300Hurdles); a second and a pb in the hammer
Lucy McCarthy had a third in the steeplechase and a pb in the Javelin
Elisha Tait had two wins (a pb in the 1500); a second and a pb in the shot
U20 Men
Ben Todd up against great opposition has 2 x 3rd places in the sprints and led the 4x100m relay to 2nd
George Wilson, coming back from injury had a win in the 400m and a great run in the 4x400m
Miles McGrady had 3 wins plus 4x100m relay spot
Ben Mitchell had 4 wins plus 4x400m relay win
Callum Simpson and Reuben Cole both had pbs in the 800m taking max points in both the A and B race
Callum also had a win in the 2k steeplechase, and the 400m Hurdles and
Reuben had a win in the 400m Hurdles A race, a 2nd in the Shot and a 4x400m relay win
Chris Robinson had 2 wins in the middle distances
Jed Marshall had a win and a 2nd in the middle distance races and a fast leg on the winning 4x400m relay team
Fraser Wright had 3 wins in the throws
Zac Haddon had a win, a 3rd and a 4th in the jumps and backed that up with a 2nd in the 200m and a relay spot
U17 Men
Matthew Lynn had a 2nd, two 3rds and a win in the relay
Tom Craig had two wins, a 2nd and a win in the relay
Adam Ridley had a 2nd, a 5th and a win in the relay
Elliot Birss had a win, two 2nds and a win in the relay
Aleck Haddon had a 4th and a 5th in the middle distance events
Andrew Nugent had a win and two 3rds in the throws
Charlie Blackett had a win, a 3rd and a 4th in the jumps
Will Curtis came along to support the team as he was recovering from an injury but competed for points in the Javelin, 3k and triple jump (in Will’s case – standing triple jump).
The day was full of moments, and to share just one of the gems… in the U20 4 x 400 Steph on last leg got the baton with about a five yard margin from Trafford who had put their fastest girl in. Well by the two hundred the Trafford girl had caught her up and challenged Steph on the bend. Unfortunately she did not know that this was probably Steph’s last run as a junior athlete for Gateshead, so by the end of the bend the race was won and Steph finished the race comfortably in front. The determination on her face was a picture that I will remember for a while – tho I don’t think she’d want it posted on Facebook 🙂
And at the end – how did we do? Well the girls entered 43 events and got 301 points… that is 7 points an event on average (ie better than second in everything we entered). The Men entered a further 52 events and added another 358 points (a further average 7 points) and we finished a glorious first on the day, 2nd in the league and gained promotion to Division 1 North.
May we say a special thank you and a farewell to Steph and Rachel and to Jed and Frazer who next year move up to the seniors. Both the girls have been with the club since 2011 and have supported the club events whenever they could make it. Between them over the years they have contributed 310 points to the Junior teams cause (have not added in the relays) and have been great ambassadors for the team. We wish them all the luck in their future endeavors.
But Wakefield was all about the team, every athlete did great, everyone was a Star, and we would like to say a big, big thank you from the team managers and the club. WELL DONE
Back to Premier One next season…..
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