THE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO BASILDON ATHLETICS CLUB
BASMAG SPRING 2018 | ISSUE 04
PLAN YOUR SEASON
The not to be missed guide to track fixtures
READY FOR BATTLE
Who to watch in the Southern Athletics League
MEDAL RUSH!
Basildon athletes clean up at County Indoor Champs
PODIUM PRIDE
SEAA glory in multis and middle distance
Lee Valley Open Meetings 2018 SUMMER PROGRAMME
Saturday 7 April 2018
100m, 200m, 400m, Sprint/400m Hurdles, 800m, SP, PV, LJ, HJ, Javelin
Wednesday 25 April 2018
100m, 200m”
Wednesday 6 June 2018
100m, 200m”
Wednesday 1 August 2018
100m, 200m”
Wednesday 29 August 2018
100m, 200m
REGULARS
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NEWS
Coverage of the Ayo Falola Open, British Universities Indoor Championships, British Masters Pentathlon all the other news from around the club.
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TALK OF THE TOWN
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Basildon athletes were ‘papped’ at the BMC Sheffield meeting, Vault London, England Athletics National Cross Country Championships, Southern England Student Indoor Championships and the Active Basildon Awards.
2018 LEAGUE PREVIEW
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READY TO GO
Can the New Towners finally return to Division 2 of the Southern Athletics League? BasMag spies on the competition...
FIXTURES
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HOLD THE DATES!
A diary of forthcoming track and field, indoor and road running events, covering local, regional, national and international competitions.
CONTENTS Spring 2018
HIGHLIGHTS REVIEW
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07
14
KINGS OF THE SOUTH
BasMag looks at all of the performances from this year’s South of England Athletics Association Indoor Championships.
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ESSEX & EASTERN SPECIAL
18
PRIDE OF ESSEX
Basildon athletes celebrated one of their most successful championships in February, taking home more than 20 medals at the Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships.
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News
Results / Achievements / Performances / Club Events / Training Updates / Gossip / Developments / Success
AYO FALOLA OPEN
PAYNE UPS HIS GAME AT LEE VALLEY 3K OPEN LONG distance runner Joe Payne (pictured, right) shaved another three seconds off of his lifetime best for 3,000m at the Ayo Falola 3000m Open at Lee Valley on 7 February. His new best of 10:23.8 is part of a wider trend of improving form for the Basildonian. His best 5,000m on the track, last season, was 19:07, but he dipped under the magic 19-minute marker shortly after the end of the season at the Shoeburyness parkrun, according to Power of 10. Payne has had a busy start to the year, finishing 15th at the Essex County Cross Country Championships and competing at the Lee Valley Middle Distance Open. Last summer, he collected gold at the Essex County Championships and at the Eastern Counties Championship for the Under 20 age group. He first joined the club in 2013 as an Under 17 and, during the winter, was part of Basildon's Cross-Country team in the Essex League. • Check out some more of the team who took to the track at this year’s Lee Valley Open meetings on pages 8/9.
GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE AT INDOOR MASTERS' CHAMPS CLINT Nicholls was unlucky not to retain
his British Masters Pentathlon title at the national championships in Lee Valley at the end of February. His points score of 3,059 was slightly lower than last year’s 3,123, but he set a new lifetime best in the 1,000m (3:06.96) to ensure he took silver. Harrow’s Noel Reid took gold with a total of 3,232 points. This year’s fight for the title was contested between six of the country’s very best multieventers in the M35 age group. Nicholls thrived in the pressured environment, fending off a challenge from Nene Valley’s Sean Reidy, who took bronze with 2,988 points. Those finishing in the minor places included reigning BMAF champions and area medallists. 4 B A SM AG / S P R I N G 2 018
The South of England Masters’ Championship, which was held at the same venue, saw Basildon’s Heidi Nicholas take the title in the Long Jump, winning gold in the V35 age category, with a jump of 4.59m. She also put on a show in the High Jump
competition, jumping 1.47m. Completing the line-up for Basildon at this year’s Southern Masters’ Indoor Championships was Jan Barnard who added to his recent County Championship title, with a bronze in the 60m sprint, running 7.78 seconds.
BUCS NATIONALS 2018
UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIP OFFERS BASILDON'S BOFFINS CHANCE TO SHINE FOUR of Basildon’s academically-inclined athletes lined up for another fiercely contested meet at the British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) Indoor Championships in February. The club’s students were always going to be pushed to beat last year’s performances, which had resulted in a medal and multiple qualifiers for finals. While this year’s visit to the English Institute of Sport didn’t result in any medal contenders, there
live with this pace (her PB is 4:25), she was truly beaten on the day and had to settle for 5th place, running 4:33.21 – her quickest time since 2016. In the sprints, Jack Avery impressed in the qualifying rounds. Last year, Avery’s 52.06 seconds wasn’t enough to see him through the next round, but this year he stepped up a gear and was rewarded with a qualifying time of 51.84. The performance was even more impressive, given the size of the field in this year’s event. His heat was one of 13. In the
Sheffield. She wouldn’t be disappointed. Her 11.54m jump in qualifying was nearly 40cm longer than her best jump at the Southerns and consequently sent her through to the final, alongside some of the very best women in England. Lia Stephenson (Middlesex University), who is 58th on the all time Triple Jump rankings, across all age groups, took gold in the final, with a jump of 12.54m. While Oshunremi was a little way back from the winning mark, she would again increase her
News in brief
Snippets from around the club and country across all disciplines
VESPA SECOND AT MASTERS' INTER COUNTIES
Coach Vespa Ellis took silver in the V60 Shot Put at this year's England Masters Inter Area Championships, with a throw of 9.02m
ESSEX COUNTY CHAMPS CONFIRMED
This year's Essex County Championships will take place at Chelmsford on 12 and 13 May. Online entry is open.
were still several performances of note. Having taken bronze in the 800m last year, Isobel Ives was perhaps the favourite to bring further glory back from Sheffield. This year, she decided to contest the 1500m title and sailed through her opening heat with a comfortable second place, in 4:39.12, wearing the colours of Bath University. Her hopes of another year on the podium, however, were to be dashed in a competitive final, won by Havering’s Lydia Hallam (Birmingham University) in 4:29.82. While Ives can certainly
semi-final, he was unable to reproduce his earlier performance from the heats, finishing in 52.41, but left knowing that his time in the heats was the fastest he has run over the distance since July 2016. A promising outdoor season beckons for the Brighton University athlete who has a lifetime best of 50.66 over the 400m flat. In the Triple Jump, there were promising signs for Victoria Oshunremi in the heats. Having started her indoor season with a frustrating fourth place at the South of England Championships, she was looking for improvement in
distance from the heats, jumping 11.57m in the final to secure seventh spot. In the Shot Put, there was no Archie Leeming this year, which meant Aaron York would be carrying the Basildon flag in the throws. York’s form had been good in the early indoor season, taking bronze at the Southern England Indoor Students’ Championships with a new personal best of 8.70m. Sadly, there was to be no repeat of this performance in Sheffield and York struggled to regain his past form, finishing in 12th spot in the qualifying pool with a throw of 7.94m.
MARATHON PREP
This year's London Marathon will take place on 22 April. Final arrangements for runners are being sent out by post throughout March.
COMBINED EVENTS SET
The National U20/Senior Combined Events Champs will take place in Beford on 26 and 27 May 2018. Online entry opens on the England Athletics website from 1 April.
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STRAINS PAINS BLISTERS BLOOD TEARS SNOT SLOG MAKE IT COUNT.
THE ESSEX COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018 Melbourne Park Stadium, Chelmsford 12 + 13 May
Enter Online @ bit.ly/2tecP1H
NEWS ESSEX COUNTY XC CHAMPS
KERSEY LEADS TEAM TO WINTER GLORY AT COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS GLOUCESTER Park’s Senior
Women took the overall title at this year’s Essex Cross Country Championships, hosted at Braintree on 6 January, with Gemma Kersey also bagging an individual silver. Distance dynamo Kersey finished less than a minute behind Springfield Striders’ Elizabeth Davis who completed the 8km course in 28:49. Kersey’s run of 29:24 was sufficient to take silver and hold off the challenge from Thurrock’s Gemma Holloway who finished ten seconds behind her. Basildon’s ladies very nearly captured another medal in the individual standings, with Emma Houchell finishing
fourth, just two seconds behind the Thurrock athlete. Excellent performances from Rachel Wiseman (5th, 30:11) and Charlotte Bishop (17th, 32:37) meant the team were victorious, with Chelmsford in second and Victoria Park in third. Kersey’s silver was the only individual medal on the day, but Harrison Smith was unlucky not to make the podium in the Under 20 Men’s race, having finished 4th over the same 8km distance. His time of 27:02 was so close to a bronze medal, but Herts Phoenix’s Afewerk Rossom edged ahead by just six seconds. Pictured: Kersey with the triumphant team
CROWN TO CROWN 5K
DOUBLE VICTORY AT WINTER CROWN RACE
TRIO LAY DOWN METASWITCH MARK
BASILDON secured
MIDDLE distance duo
bragging rights over local rivals with a double win at this year’s Boxing Day Crown to Crown race. Race winner Tom Richardson took the Senior Men’s win with a time of 16:59, some fifty seconds ahead of the next athlete. Under 15 Megan Harris was the first woman home in a time of 19:40, ahead of club mate Emily Bullis, who was just 20 seconds behind. More than 260 athletes turned out to contest the 5 kilometre multi-terrain course at Westley Heights Country Park in Langdon Hills, with runners from plenty of local rivals, eager for a late Christmas present. Thurrock were well represented overall, with
seven of the top 20 finishers, according to the provisional results sheet, published a day after the event. However, Basildon were able to boast a strong turnout of 19 runners, across all age groups and genders. Among the runners were some of the Gloucester Park coaching team. Nick Wetheridge rolled back the years to claim 16th spot at the festive event, while Dave Findlay – arguably better suited to far longer distances – finished in 58th. More unexpected representation came from 400m Hurdler Sophie Davis, who decided to bolster the team’s numbers while getting some endurance under her belt during the off season period.
Isaac Brown and Stephen Strange started the road towards the 2018 season with strong opening performances at the Metaswitch Games at the end of December. Brown ran his 800m race in a time just a second outside of his lifetime best. His time of 2:00.75 was sufficient to win the B race at the event at Lee Valley, ahead of Bedford’s Jamie Webster (2:01.58) and Harrow’s Sam Bickerstaff (2:01.82). In the A race, Stephen Strange’s best would have been sufficient to take the gold, but he was a fraction slower than the
1:54 he ran at the same track in February 2017. This time of asking, he finished third in 1:58.3, behind Victoria Park’s Yusuf Bizimana (1:55.22) and Basingstoke’s Dave Ragan (1:56.02). Away from the 800m, Basildon had representation in the 60m Hurdles from the recently crowned Commonwealth Youth Champion, Sam Bennett. Racing over the senior men’s height, Bennett raced twice, with his quickest performance a new best of 8.23, ahead of Blackheath’s Josh Watson (8.78) and Victoria Park’s David Shortridge in 12.19. B A S M A G / S P R I N G 2 018 7
2018 has started with a bang for young pole vaulter Zowie Dodge. The U13 girl has already picked up medals at Under 15 level at the Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships and cleared a new PB of 1.91m at Vault London. Go Zo!
TALK OF THE TOWN A brief round up of Basildon athletes in action around the country over the past three months
Reasons to be cheerful Basildon’s squad members have seen no shortage of success this winter: 1/ Hotshot hurdler Sam Bennett picked up the accolade of Young Sports Personality of the Year at the 2017 Active Basildon awards. 2 / A gob-smacked Nicole Harvey found herself on the podium at the Essex County Indoor Championships 3 / Basildon’s U13 Freya Seymour (no. 1334) gave a stunning performance at this year’s National Cross Country Championships, finishing the course in 53rd place.
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Basildon’s students make the podium at Southern varsity
Middle distance specialist Stephen Strange (above) has been picking up the pace since this 1500m, in Sheffield, in January. He clocked 1:58.16 for an 800m in February, just four seconds off his best. Team mate Max Jones (left) is pushing him all the way, however, with a season’s best of 1:59.63 so far this year.
Several Basildon athletes, currently studying at university, secured podium positions at the first indoor meeting of the varsity athletics calendar. Shot putter Aaron York took bronze at the Southern England Student Sports Championships, held at Lee Valley, in December, with a new personal best of 8.70m York was just 19cm behind Worthing’s Josh Midgley who also threw a new best of 8.89 to take silver. Brighton University’s Joey Watson took gold with an impressive 15.05m throw. Brighton’s co-captain Jack Avery (pictured below, on the right, with some of his team at BUCS) opened his indoor season with an early win in the 400 metre heats, sufficient to make the A-string final. Avery won his opening heat over the quarter mile in a time of 52.91 to progress to the final. A competitive final was eventually won by Chad Miller of Hercules Wimbledon (49.90), followed by Crawley’s Matthew Overall (50.15) and Southampton’s Jack Higgins (50.48). Avery ran 52.88 to finish sixth in the final. In an interview given to the Brighton University website, Avery said his team’s performances on the day were “a good stepping stone” which would allow the Brighton Panthers team to prepare for the British Universities and Colleges championships in 2018.
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Sweatshop Southern Athletics League 2018 Division Three North
Saturday 14 April @ Perivale Competing clubs: Ealing Southall and Middlesex,Highgate Harriers and Mornington Chasers, Barnet & District, Biggleswade, Basildon
Sunday 20 May @ Lee Valley Competing clubs: Basildon, Enfield, Huntingdonshire, Serpentine, Chiltern and Bedford B
Saturday 23 June @ Ilford Competing clubs: Woodford Green & Essex Ladies, West Suffolk, Basildon, Wycombe Phoenix, Peterborough, Ilford
Saturday 14 July @ Braintree Competing clubs: Harlow, Braintree & District,Loughton, Basildon, Watford
Saturday 18 August @ Hemel Competing clubs: Dacorum & Tring, Luton, Basildon, Vale of Aylesbury, Newham & Essex Beagles, Loughton
PREVIEW / Southern Athletics League
Ready to go Having just lost out on an immediate return to Division 2 in 2017, Basildon will again do battle in Southern England’s third tier, but has the chance for promotion finally arrived? The early signs are promising...
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ast year’s Southern Athletics League ended in bitter disappointment for Basildon. Having been relegated to Division 3 in the 2016 season, the club had hoped to bounce back the very next year. Sadly, it was not to be. The squad were cruelly denied a return to Division 2 by match difference points, which separated them from Orion Harriers, who achieved promotion with the same number of league points.
LESSONS LEARNT
Last year’s fourth place may have been disappointing, but the team learnt many lessons. None more so than the importance of ensuring that all events are covered, to protect against losing unnecessary points. The 2018 season presents the Basildon team with a huge opportunity, as the squad will see several strong athletes coming up into the Under 17 age group, permitting them to compete in the league for the first time. This should take the pressure off of those older athletes who have traditionally spread themselves thinly across multiple events to protect against point losses. This year’s competition sees Basildon facing some new faces, from the very first match of the season. Match one, at Perivale Park, on 14 April, sees the New Towners head to head with Ealing, Southall and Middlesex, who were relegated from division two last season. On paper, Basildon have a similar
squad to Ealing, with the West London club’s strengths in the middle and longer distance disciplines. According to the Power of 10 website, Ealing’s top male 100m sprinter in 2017 was an Under 15 – Brandon Rochester, who clocked 11.2 seconds on home turf. Rochester rises to the Under 17 age group in 2018 and will be eligible to race in the SAL. Ealing have three male athletes who can run 100m in 11.5 or less, compared to Basildon’s five – all of which ran 11.38 or less in 2017.
DISTANCE DUELS
In the 800m and 1500m, however, the tables are reversed. Ealing had two male 800m runners under 1:50 last year, while Basildon had none. They also had three 1500m runners
who ran 3:53 or less while Basildon had none. In the men’s field events, Basildon has the advantage, with 16 athletes who long jumped more than 5.50m in 2017, compared to nobody at Ealing. But looking at a comparison of Senior Women, Basildon have a much stronger advantage on the track and in most of the field events.
BROADER CHALLENGE
The challenge, therefore, in the first match, will likely come from Biggleswade AC, who have a strong men’s team with some great individual performers in the field events. Included in their men’s team is a nippy sprint hurdler in Euan Dickson-Earle, who runs 110m Hurdles in 14.42 seconds plus High Jumper Joshua Watson, who boasts a best of 2 metres. Multi-eventer Daniel Steel has been rapidly improving in recent years and has a Long Jump best of 6.34m and a Triple Jump of 12.36m. Then, there is Javelin thrower Alex Ingham who holds a best of 58.89m, having thrown 58.36m last year. While Biggleswade’s women’s team has a broader mix of performances, there are lots of them. Leonie Brunning, an Under 15 last year, was already high jumping 1.67m and becomes eligible to compete in the SAL this season as an Under 17. In the Shot Put, Sarah Ridley boasts a PB of 10.51m and a Discus of 29.87m. The club also has some strong distance runners, including Elaine Livera, who has a 3,000m best of 10:37. S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 / B A S M A G 11
PREVIEW / Southern Athletics League
This year, Highgate Harriers will join with Mornington Chasers. Last season, Basildon’s lack of competition against Mornington was, arguably, a reason why the team failed to pick up as many match points as their rivals. Realising their weakness, Mornington this year have formed a composite team with Highgate. This should significantly improve Highgate’s prospects and even offer up the possibility of a promotion push for both clubs, when combined.
Pictured: Basildon’s Janine Phillips prepares for the 400m hurdles, while carrying an extra passenger, while distance dynamo Meg Rapley looks on, in awe.
NEW STRENGTHS
Highgate have a very strong men’s team. The club’s best sprinter is Isayah Bowers, who runs 100m in 10.71 seconds. They also have another five athletes who can run the event in 11.44 seconds or less. The club’s middle-distance squad
“Highgate have a very strong men’s team. The club’s best sprinter is Isayah Bowers, who runs 100m in 10.71 seconds.” are not dissimilar to Basildon’s, but they have some excellent field eventers. Jumps specialist Dominic Ogbechie is still an Under 17 but has a High Jump best of 2.12m and a Long Jump of 7.22m. Highgate has two other Long Jumpers with bests of over six metres. Their best Javelin thrower is also impressive. Jonny Payne threw a best of 49.14 last year to top the club’s best performance table. The final challenge in match one, comes from Barnet & District, who, on paper, don’t appear to offer much of a challenge to Basildon, although a season can make a world of difference. Last year, their senior women’s squad were a mix of Masters and Under 15 athletes with no women running lower than 14.8 seconds for 100m. The club’s fastest woman over 1500m was an Under 15 who ran 5:35. In the men’s team Thomas Butler was Barnet’s best 800m runner, with a solid best of 1:57.83 and a 1500m of 3:57.5. The squad had no 110m Hurdlers last year and just one Pole Vaulter with a best of 1.80m. 12 B A SM AG / S P R I N G 2 018
SWEATSHOP SOUTHERN ATHLETICS LEAGUE 2018 DIVISION 3 NORTH BASILDON AC FIXTURE LIST Match 1 @ Perivale Park Ealing Southall and Middlesex Highgate Harriers and Mornington Chasers (newly merged) Barnet & District Biggleswade Match 2 @ Lee Valley Enfield Huntingdonshire Serpentine Chiltern and Bedford B Match 3 @ Ilford Stadium Woodford Green & Essex Ladies West Suffolk
Wycombe Phoenix Peterborough Ilford Match 4 @ Braintree Track Harlow Braintree & District Loughton Watford Match 5 @ Hemel Hempstead Dacorum & Tring Luton Vale of Aylesbury Newham & Essex Beagles Loughton
Pictured: Basildon decathlete Chris Hastings (far left) lines up for the 2,000m steeplechase in Luton, alongside Biggleswade’s Charles Arnold, Basildon team-mate Joe McGrath and Braintree’s Conor Culham.
Havering AC Spring Warm Up Meeting Sunday 8 April 2018
Hornchurch Stadium, Bridge Avenue, Upminster, Essex, RM14 2LX
Online Entry at bit.ly/2F81HsP
Online entries close Wednesday 4 April 2018 £7 first event, £4 subsequent events. On the day entries: £8 first event, £5 subsequent events
ACTION / SEAA Indoor Champs 2018
Kings of the South Basildon’s men’s squad showed exceptional quality at this year’s South of England Indoor Championships, with multiple medals and three podium topping performances...
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asildon athletes took home three titles at this year’s South of England Indoor Championships, held over three weekends in December and January. Jack Broadbent, Oli Lill and Joseph Harding became Basildon’s first area gold medallists of the year, at the Championships held at London’s Lee Valley Athletics Centre.
COMBINED CROWN
In the first meeting of this year’s indoor championship, on Saturday and Sunday 16/17 December, Broadbent brought home the Under 20’s South of England Combined Events crown. Broadbent set a new club record in the Indoor Heptathlon, with a score of 4,092 in a fiercely fought battle with Harlow’s
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Leo Chaschin. The fight for the gold came right down to the final event, the 1,000m. Having collected his Essex Schools vest in the summer, Broadbent was high on confidence and had been going well in the early stages of winter training. However, he initially voiced concerns that the championships might be “too early” in the season for him to perform at his best. These concerns were soon swept aside when his day one score left him leading the pack. He extended his lead after the 60m Hurdles on day two but saw this cut back after his arch rival scored a huge PB in the pole vault, while Broadbent was down on his best from the summer. This meant he was going to have to keep close watch on the Harlow athlete in the final event. He need not had worried, however as his race tactics were superb.
A cleanly executed 1,000m saw him track Chaschin for the first three laps (of five) before accelerating with 400m to go, only to find one gear higher at the bell and obliterate any challenge from the Harlow athlete. While he has won county and regional medals previously, the South of England title is Broadbent’s first at area level. There was very nearly a second medal at the end of proceedings, too. In his first competition in the Under 20 age group, Christopher Hastings was in silver medal position at the end of day one, having belted out an impressive 11.63m in the Shot. His 60m Hurdles was his first test at Under 20 height and spacing, which he passed with flying colours, finishing second to Broadbent at the beginning of day two. His pole vault was strong at 3.10m, albeit some 21cm down on his personal best. This was understandable, though, in a combined events championship. After six events, Hastings was in bronze medal position, meaning it was also going to come down to the 1,000m. However, the challenge from Ben Taylor of St Mary’s Richmond AC proved too much in the final event, leaving Hastings out of the medals by 206 points.
HARDING RETURNS
The second set of SEAA medals were decided on the weekend of 6 and 7 January 2018, where combined eventer Joseph Harding was seeking two medals in the 60 metres and the 60m Hurdles, having just gone up to the Under 17 age group, while Isobel Ives was seeking gold in the Senior Women’s 1,500m. Having won his first 60m Hurdles heat, Harding was looking good heading into the final, but knew that athletes in the other heat had run quicker in the first race. A competitive final ensued and Enfield & Haringey’s Daniel Knight snatched the 60m title in 8.16 seconds, ahead of Harding (8.23 secs) and Blackheath’s Rico Cottell (8.53 secs). In the Senior Women’s 1,500m, Isobel Ives was looking to kick start her 2018 competition year with her first indoor title, but had to settle for silver behind West Suffolk’s Holly Archer in an exciting battle between the top three. Archer took gold in 4:37.32, Ives clocked 4:38.54 and Dani Chattenton of the Milton Keynes Distance Project took bronze in 4:39.17. Basildon’s Oli Lill would claim his first title of 2018, however, with a convincing
Action pictures: Steve O’Sullivan. Top: Mitchel Cox on his way to bronze in the U20 800m. Left: Silver medallist Max Jones (85) in qualifying with Isaac Brown (76). Right: Jack Broadbent (40) takes the SEAA Heptathlon title. victory in the 1500m over Reading’s Matthew Raynor in the Under 17 Men’s category. Lill’s time of 4:20.06 gave him plenty of daylight behind Raynor in second, with 4:27.87. In the 60m flat sprints, Harding was looking to go one better and was joined by team mate Cameron Ellis who had shown promising form in training. Both athletes made the semi-final. Harding won his heat in 7.31 seconds
and Ellis progressed as a fastest loser in 7.52 seconds. The result meant that the pair would line up together in the second semi final. Harding qualified in the second automatic spot (7.21 secs) while Ellis ran a new personal best of 7.47 seconds but failed to progress further. The final was a speedy affair, with Harding finishing in 4th in the same time as he produced in the semis. The title was taken by Bedford’s Raphael Bouju in 6.96 seconds. S P R I N G 2 018 / B A SM AG 15
ACTION / SEAA Indoor Champs 2018
MIDDLE DISTANCE MAGIC
The third and final weekend of this year’s indoor championships took place on 13 and 14 January, where the last of the seniors and Under 20 athletes would do battle. The middle distance races saw some stellar performances from Gloucester Park athletes. In the Under 20 Men’s category Isaac Brown set an impressive new personal best in the 800m, running 1:59.51 to win the first heat ahead of team mate Max Jones (1:59.63). In the third heat Mitchel Cox would also dip below two minutes to secure his place in the final, running 1:59.90. Despite setting impressive performances in the qualifying rounds, Orion Harriers’ Joseph Owen would spoil the party in the final, taking gold in 2:01.33. With only two medals remaining, there was a scrap for the remaining medals. Max Jones secured silver in 2.01.56
just a hair ahead of Mitchel Cox, who took bronze, in 2:01.71. Issac Brown, who had looked so strong in the heats finished in a heart-breaking fourth place in 2:05.52. In the Senior Men’s race, one of Basildon’s most reliable competitors,
Stephen Strange, stepped on to the track looking to secure his place in the final. His run of 2:00.14 was ultimately insufficient to see him progress in a fast heat won by the eventual bronze medallist Nzimah Akpan of Liverpool Harriers.
BENNETT TAKES BRONZE
Also taking to the track on 13 January was Commonwealth Youth Games champion Sam Bennett. Gloucester Park’s number one Hurdler was to do battle in the Under 20 age group at area level for the first time. A convincing win in the heats sent him through to the final in 8.02. He very nearly grabbed the gold in the final, setting a personal best of 7.97, but was edged out by Bexley’s Ethan Akanni (7.82) and Bracknell’s Joshua Zeller in second place (7.96). In the field, Victoria Oshunremi lined up against some highly experienced ladies in the Triple Jump, including reigning Inter Counties Champion Angela Barrett and former British Indoor Bronze Medallist Zara Asante. Barrett would take gold (12.98m) ahead of Asante (12.28m) and Oshunremi was nudged out of the medals by Shaftesbury Barnett’s Eavion Richardshon who jumped 12.07m. Oshunremi finished fourth, with 11.16m. • The South of England Athletics Association’s Outdoor Championships begin on 9 and 10 June 2018 with the Senior and Under 20 age groups, in Bedford. 16 B A SM AG / S P R I N G 2 018
We train to win...
Multiple County Track & Field Champions.
Multiple Essex Schools
Track & Field Champions.
Multiple Eastern Counties Track
& Field Champions. British Masters
Indoor Pentathlon Champion. British
Universities Indoor Bronze Medallist.
National Indoor Combined Events Bronze
Medallist. Essex County Cross Country Relay
Champions. National Record Holder, Pentathlon.
World Mas ter s Bronze Medallis t and the
C o m m o n w e a l t h Yo u t h C h a m p i o n
Basildon We are
www.basildonathleticsclub.com
Review / Essex Indoor Championships
CLASS OF THEIR OWN Basildon athletes celebrated one of their most successful championships in February, taking home more than 20 medals at the Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships.
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HE 60m programme gave a glimpse of things to come, on day one of this year’s Essex County and Eastern Indoor Championships, when Jan Barnard successfully defended his indoor Masters’ title to secure it for the third successive year. The rivalry with Braintree’s Amr Ziko lived up to its pre-race billing with a photo finish required to decide placings. Barnard’s sheer determination secured him the win as he was judged to have finished marginally ahead of Ziko despite both having run the same time of 7.61 seconds. Team mate Clint Nicholls (pictured, top right with Barnard and Ziko) had also qualified for the 60m final for consecutive years and was looking for a spot on the podium. Having progressed through the heats with ease, he finished fourth in the final, but was the third athlete home to secure an Essex County bronze in 7.89 seconds. In the Under 17 Men’s heats, Emmanuel Ogunmola and Joey Awala-Shaw set new personal bests of 7.82 and 7.56 respectively, while Cameron Ellis qualified for the semi final, but couldn’t find the performance that would take him through to the final. He need not have worried, as this wasn’t to be the last we saw of Ellis. He returned on day two to record a new personal best of 1.75m in the high jump and take silver medals for the Essex County and Eastern Counties championship behind Thurrock’s Theo Adesina (1.80m). 18 B A SM AG / S P R I N G 2 018
Back in Saturday’s 60 metre battles, U15 girls Paige Stephens and Madi Poppy set new personal bests of 8.68 and 8.95 in the heats, ahead of another medal winning performance from Masters’ athlete Amanda Dodge. Her third place finish in the regional race also meant she was the first Essex Master home, securing County Gold in 10.02 ahead of Colchester and Tendring’s Carey Hollick (11.25). Elsewhere in the sprints, there was a new PB for U13 girl Theresa Ogunyemi in 31.73 before three time champion Jan Barnard returned to the track in search of more glory. This time, in the 300m, there was to be no challenge from rival Ziko and Barnard progressed through the heats with ease, along with middle distance runner Andy Coleman. The final would bring Barnard his sought-after double county title, winning the final race in 40.24 ahead of Southend’s Graham Eastty in 41 seconds dead. Thomas Grimes of East London finished third in 41.28. In the 400m, U17 Man William Rean took county and regional silver behind Braintree’s Adam Reid (53.28) in 53.40, while the middle distance runners were preparing to take to the track. Steve Strange produced an exemplary piece of running in the initial heat of the 800m, beating eventual winner Daniel Mees (Peterborough) in a time of 1:58.1 seconds. Sadly, he was unable to reproduce in the final as his body gave out. But, he was still able to console himself with a medal in the Essex Championship for his efforts.
Pictured: Clint Nicholls jumped 5.90m to take bronze in both the county and regional indoor championship
Under 20 Mitchel Cox, nailed a solid race to take gold in 1:58.3 ahead of Colchester’s Oscar Dawson who finished some three seconds behind. In the Senior Women’s event Charlotte Bishop took third spot behind Alex Hill of Herts Phoenix and Deborah Willis of Enfield. The 1500m would also highlight Basildon’s broad strength in the middle distance category. Isaac Brown gave an impressive performance in the U20 men’s category to take second place in 4.16.99 behind Orion’s Lewis Harknett just over a second in front. Then came the breathtaking performance of Gemma Kersey and Isobel Ives who completely outclassed the competition to take county and regional gold and silver respectively. Kersey clocked a season’s best
of 4:30.76 and Ives 4:41.22. Third place went to Chloe Pavey of Nene Valley in 5:32.57. In the Hurdles, Clint Nicholls took silver in the Essex County Championship in the Senior Men’s event (9.22). Under 15 Boy Jonny Rouse and Under 15 Girl Chloe Dornan clocked new bests of 9.39 and 10.45 respectively. In the field events, there was even more glory to come. Nicholls, the outdoor County Champion last year, was perhaps a little tired from his other medal winning performances and had to settle for
silver this time around, jumping 1.70m in the Senior Men’s High Jump. He was beaten by Thurrock’s Regan Cuthbert (1.75m). In the Pole Vault, Under 13 Zowie Dodge stepped up an age category to compete as an Under 15 and was rewarded with a double silver for her efforts, vaulting 1.80m. In the Triple Jump, Nicole Harvey had an excellent performance, jumping 10.65 to take double silver behind Thurrock’s Kendrea Nwaelene. S P R I N G 2 0 18 / B A SM AG 19
FIXTURES
TRACK & FIELD
2 April 2018 Tonbridge AC Easter Open Tonbridge 2 April 2018 Lee Valley Easter Open Picketts Lock 4 April 2018 City of London Open Parliament Hill 4 April 2018 Watford Open Watford 7 April 2018 Basingstoke + Mid Hants Open Basingstoke 7 April 2018 Ipswich Early Bird Open Ipswich
14 April 2018 World Ultra Indoor Combined Event Championships Helsinki, Finland 15 April 2018 Eastern Young Athletes’ League Various 25 April 2018 Lee Valley Sprint Open Picketts Lock 26 April 2018 Haywards Heath Open Crawley 28 April 2018 Essex County Pentathlon Championships Thurrock
9 May 2018 Lee Valley 5K Open Picketts Lock 12 – 13 May 2018 Essex County Championships Chelmsford 19 May 2018 Southern Athletics League Lee Valley 20 May 2018 Loughborough International Loughborough 20 May 2018 British Athletics Race Walking Championships Coventry 26 May 2018 London Universities & Colleges Series Battersea
7 April 2018 Lee Valley Open Picketts Lock
28 – 29 April 2018 Somerset County Schools Decathlon Street
8 April 2018 Havering Spring Open Hornchurch
28 – 29 April 2018 Somerset Open Decathlon Street
26 - 27 May 2018 England Athletics U20/Senior Combined Events Championships Bedford
8 April 2018 Hercules Wimbledon Young Athletes Open Wimbledon
2 May 2018 Watford Open Watford
28 – 29 May 2018 UK Javelin Carnival Loughborough
5 - 7 May 2018 British Universities & Colleges Championships Bedford
30 May 2018 Watford Open Watford
14 April 2018 Southern Athletics League Perivale Park
6 May 2018 Eastern Young Athletes’ League 2 0 B A S M A G / S P R I N G 2 018
3 June 2018 British Masters’ Pentathlon Championships Oxford
3 June 2018 Eastern Young Athletes’ League Various 6 June 2018 Lee Valley Sprint Open Picketts Lock 9 - 10 June 2018 South of England U20/Senior Championships Bedford 16 - 17 June 2018 England Athletics U23/U20 Championships Bedford 17 June 2018 Watford Minors’ Open Watford 23 June 2018 Southern Athletics League Ilford 29 June 2018 Essex County Relays Basildon 30 June - 1 July 2018 British Athletics Championships (including European Trials) Birmingham 4 July 2018 Lee Valley Sprint Open Picketts Lock 8 July 2018 Eastern Young Athletes’ League
FIXTURES 10 July 2018 Woodford Green Open Woodford 11 July 2018 Watford Open Watford 13 – 14 July 2018 New Balance English Schools Championships Birmingham 14 – 15 July 2018 British Masters’ Combined Events Championships Sheffield 14 July 2018 Southern Athletics League Braintree 18 July 2018 Lee Valley Sprint Open Picketts Lock 25 July 2018 Crawley Open Series Crawley 25 July 2018 Watford Open Watford 28 – 29 July 2018 CAU Inter Counties and England Senior Championships Sportcity ROAD
11 March 2018 Dartford Half Marathon Dartford 11 March 2018 Milton Keynes Festival of Running Milton Keynes 14 March 2018 Chase the Moon 5k / 10K Stratford, London 18 March 2018 Brentwood Half Marathon Brentwood 18 March 2018 Colchester 15 Colchester
18 March 2018 Bannockburn Fun Run 5K / 10k Greenwich Park 24 March 2018 North London Spring 5K / 10K Enfield 24 March 2018 Run Through 5K / 10K London (Hyde Park) 24 March 2018 Self Transcendence 10K London (Battersea Park) 25 March 2018 Hyde Park 10K London 30 March 2018 Run Through 5K / 10K London (Victoria Park) 1 April 2018 Great Barrow Challenge Half Marathon Bury St Edmunds 1 April 2018 Great Barrow Challenge Marathon Bury St Edmunds 1 April 2018 Regents Park 10k Regents Park 1 April 2018 London Easter 10K Regents Park 7 April 2018 QEOP 10K Series Stratford, London 8 April 2018 Essex 10K Championships Little Bromley 8 April 2018 Paddock Wood Half Paddock Wood
Sweatshop Southern Athletics League 2018 Division Three North
Saturday 14 April @ Perivale Competing clubs:
Ealing Southall and Middlesex Highgate Harriers and Mornington Chasers (newly merged) Barnet & District Biggleswade Basildon
Sunday 20 May @ Lee Valley Competing clubs:
Basildon Enfield Huntingdonshire Serpentine Chiltern and Bedford B
Saturday 23 June @ Ilford Competing clubs:
Woodford Green & Essex Ladies West Suffolk Basildon Wycombe Phoenix Peterborough Ilford
Saturday 14 July @ Braintree Competing clubs:
Harlow Braintree & District Loughton Basildon Watford
Saturday 18 August @ Hemel Competing clubs
Dacorum & Tring Luton Basildon Vale of Aylesbury Newham & Essex Beagles Loughton
11 April 2018 RunThrough Chase the Sun 5K / 10K Stratford, London 14 April 2018 ERRA National 6 / 12 Stage Relays Sutton Coldfield B A S M A G / S P R I N G 2 018 21
FIXTURES 22 April 2018 Virgin London Marathon London
7 May 2018 MK Marathon & Half Marathon Milton Keynes
20 May 2018 Hyde Park 10K London
28 April 2018 British Masters’ Open Road Relay Championships Sutton Coldfield
8 May 2018 Harwich 5K Series Harwich
20 May 2018 Richmond Park Marathon London
29 April 2018 RunThrough Olympic 10K Stratford, London
9 May 2018 RunThrough Chase the Sun 5K / 10K Stratford, London
25 May 2018 Harbour Club Last Friday of the Month 5K London Hyde Park
4 May 2018 Ealing Mile London
13 May 2018 Colchester 10K Colchester
5 May 2018 QEOP Summer Series 10K Stratford, London
13 May 2018 Royal Parks 10K Greenwich, London
26 May 2018 RunThrough VeloPark 5K / 10K / 10M / Half Marathon Lee Valley
6 May 2018 MK Rocket 5K Milton Keynes
13 May 2018 RunThrough Alexandra Palace 5/10K London
6 May 2018 Regent’s Park Summer 10K London
29 May 2018 Harwich 5K Series Harwich 10 June 2018 Southend Half Marathon Southend
16 June 2018 North London Summer 5k / 10k Enfield 17 June 2018 British Masters 5K Horwich 1 July 2018 Regents Park Summer 10K London 1 July 2018 Leamington Spa Half Leamington 7 July 2018 QEOP Summer 10K Series Stratford, London 8 July 2018 RunThrough Olympic Park 5K Stratford, London 22 July 2018 BMAF HM Championships Redhill
National Under 20 & Senior Combined Events Championships Bedford Stadium 26/27 May 2018
www.englandathletics.org 2 2 B A S M A G / S P R I N G 2 018
ESSEX COUNTY MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP ‘18 Sunday 13 May Halstead Leisure Centre Colne Road Halstead, Essex CO9 2HR
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