Written by Cathy Arnfield
The deadly combination a trip to Poole and public exam left K&P with only 7 athletes for the second round match on 16th May. However the seven we had were truly magnificent and gathered an average of 24 points each. With parents pitching in to make sure K&P garnered the full 35 points for providing officials, the team ended the day in fifth position - a very good result in the circumstances. Although we have slipped down the league from second to fourth, we remain very much in touch with the teams in third and second. We hope that the end of exams and the fact that next match is at Kingsmeadow on 28th June will mean we can get a bigger team out and place better.
Although we were not the only team to struggle to fill events, particularly for the U20 age group, Team Dorset, Southampton, Brighton and Camberley & Woking were notably better represented than the rest and the results on the day reflect that.
Results from Match 2, Poole 16th May
Team
Match 2 Points
Match 2 League Points
1 Team Dorset
589
7
2 Camberley & Woking
385
6
3 Southampton AC
380
5
4 Brighton & Hove AC
354
4
5 Kingston & Poly
204
3
6 Guildford & Godalming
168
2
7 Team Sussex
163
1
League standings after 2 matches
Team
Cummulative Match Points
Total League Points
1 Team Dorset
1209
14
2 Southampton AC
872
10
3 Camberley & Woking
835
9
4 Kingston & Poly
718.5
9
5 Brighton & Hove AC
725
6
6 Team Sussex
654.5
5
7 Guildford & Godalming
421
3
All the athletes who competed in Poole deserve a special mention. It was Aaron Bruce’s first upper age-group YDL match and he got a PB in U17M 400 M. Max Perez-Diaz earned 23 points across 5 events and landed excellent PBs in both U20M 200M and 400M. He then ran very respectable 800M straight off the back of his storming 200M.
Mica Powell ran wonderful PBs in the U17W 200M and 300M, while Rebecca Keddie definitely took one for the team doubling up to do both 800M and 1500M for the U17W. Sophie Dimbleby added the discus and hammer throws to her favoured javelin and performed very well in all three. These three athletes then joined with Ellie Arnfield to run the 4 x 400M relay at the end of the day, in a time of 4.24.3, which would have beaten the U20W K&P quartet that won the event in the last YDL match.
Our two U20W athletes both gathered large numbers of points for the team. Laura Darcey showed great team spirit to come do all the throws despite an injury that prevented her from running or jumping. She ended up jogging the 400M to get 6 points, even though the time was probably not one she wants up on Power of Ten! Meanwhile Ellie Arnfield competed in all the hurdles events from 100M up to 1500M steeplechase, plus the 400M flat and the 4 x 400M relay, ensuring that she not only ran further than any other athlete on the day, but also gained most points for the team.
Performance of the day goes to Max Perez-Diaz for the men, for his PBs in 200M and 400M. While for the women, we would single out Mica Powell for her performances in the 200M and 300M. However congratulations are due to all seven athletes who seemed to enjoy the day not-withstanding the size of the team and the scale of the task in hand.
The Magnificent Seven in Poole
Many thanks also to all those who helped with officiating ensuring we got the crucial full officials points: Susanne Dietrich, Maurice Joyce, Mary Dimbleby, Susanne Mischke and Pierre Powell. A big thank you also to Harriet Lester for driving the minibus all the way to Poole.
The team was:
U17 Women: Mica Powell, Rebecca Keddie, Sophie Dimbleby.
U20 Women: Laura Darcey, Ellie Arnfield.
U17 Men: Aaron Bruce.
U20 Men: Max Perez-Diaz.
Team managers: Frank Schubert & Cathy Arnfield
