Written by Mark Hall
Kinnaird and Sward 2nd April 2016 Kingsmeadow
The outdoor season at Kingston kicked off with the Kinnaird and Sward a few weeks earlier than normal, and this led it to be a subdued affair as many had committed to family holidays away, whilst many of the K&P athletes were engaged in Warm Weather activities in Portugal.
A call to arms was needed for any athlete available to compete for the club, but it also gave the opportunity for those up and coming youngsters to experience first-hand senior competition.
All those debuting in the competition did the club proud, and the Club won the Sward (Field) trophy and came a close second in the Kinnaird (Track) to Epsom.
The majority of athletes competed in more than one event and this was welcomed by the team managers who put together a healthy challenge in the competition.
All the usual suspects in the Men’s team put in a fair stint to cover most of the events and establish an early season work out in preparation for the BAL, but this competition was more about bringing the young talent through to experience Senior competition and a special mention must go to those young people that put their heads above the parapet and found they had nothing to worry about in their future ventures.
Katy Lord and Charlotte Davies excelled in the women’s sprints against difficult opposition and gutsy performances from Alex Parkinson and William Stapleton were rewarded in the men’s sprints, whilst also appearing in both winning relay teams.
Sam Shaw won the B string 1500 and looked commanding, and Chris Cecil had a fantastic effort in the 800m.
The Meaklim twins made their senior debuts with Darren showing great aptitude for competition in the 400H before crashing through a hurdle, and grazing his knees before recovering to a dead heat finish on the line. First aid advice was sought but fell short of the suggested knee transplant, instead settling for a dab of savlon cream.
Alex Meaklim also made a great debut jumping out to 13.44m in the triple jump to show that he also has the potential to make a huge impact in future ventures
Isabella Busa fought every inch as the lone 400m runner and must be pleased as she was well amongst the pack at the finish, whilst Annabel Hobday decided to change her name in the 800m to ‘Unknown Athlete’ just in case the paparazzi knew she was competing to produce an excellent performance in the 800m
Pippa Wingate took the mantle in many of the field events, delivering many points and excellent performances for the team in a very busy but fruitful day.
The surprise package of the day however came in the form of Jessica Westley, who having competed in the Pole Vault and getting a PB in the Hammer turned to have a go at the Womens Triple Jump.
A five metre board was requested but after two practice jumps it was apparent that Jess could try from the 7m official one, and a 8.94m result ensued, a terrific outcome for the youngster, who will now target the 13m board on the next outing.
Congratulations must go to all the athletes that attended but as many of you have had too much attention in the past, we will let other take well deserved accolades for the day, due to the fact they were not afraid step up and compete at senior level.
A huge thank you must go to Dominique Blaize, her supporting family and team who put in a fair old stint in an official capacity, to deliver a very well run affair and without whom this event would not have been possible.
One last thing to add is the support by all the officials and Camilla Thrush who grafted throughout the day to provide the club with an event to be proud of.
The only downside in the end was I found out that the Sward Glass Trophy for 2016 does not bounce off paving slabs very well and a replacement has now been sent for.
The results are on Power of 10 but for those who want a nice little chart of performances the following will help.
Event
First Name
Surname
Pos
Result
First Name
Surname
Pos
Result
Hammer
Gareth
Cook
1
48.78
Andrew
Wheble
1
36.64
Pole Vault
Bilen
Ahmet
1
3.51
Gordon
Lester
1
3.51
Long Jump
Chris
Hall
1
6.71
Humphrey
Waddington
1
6.54
100 m
Alex
Parkinson
3
11.7
William
Stapleton
3
12.1
200 m
Alex
Parkinson
3
24.1
William
Stapleton
3
24.4
400 m
Jamie
McCullaugh
2
53.1
Chris
Hall
2
55.3
800 m
Jamie
McCullaugh
3
02:01:06
Chris
Cecil
2
1500 m
Jonathan
Darby
3
04:20.5
Sam
Shaw
1
04:34.5
2000 m s/c
Danny
Eckersley
1
06:09.4
Bilen
Ahmet
1
07:59.7
3000m
Andy
Robinson
4
09:47.1
Matt
Hyett
3
10:30.4
110 m Hurdles
Chris
Hall
1
17
Bilen
Ahmet
1
19.2
400 m Hurdles
Darren
Meaklim
2
61.7
Bilen
Ahmet
1
71.4
Triple Jump
Humphrey
Waddington
1
13.87
Alex
Meaklim
1
13.44
High Jump
Humphrey
Waddington
2
1.7
Bilen
Ahmet
1
1.65
Discus
Chris
Dack
1
42.85
Andrew
Wheble
1
33.77
Javelin
Humphrey
Waddington
1
42.58
Andrew
Wheble
1
40.04
4 x100m
Parkinson,Hall, Waddington, Stapleton
1
46.8
4 x400m
Parkinson,Hall, Waddington, Stapleton
1
Women
Event
First Name
Surname
Pos
result
First Name
Surname
pos
result
Hammer
Pippa
Wingate
1
56.11
Jessica
Westley
1
30.68
Pole Vault
Jessica
Westley
1
2.15
Long Jump
100 m
Katy
Lord
3
13.3
Charlotte
Davies
2
13.9
200 m
Katy
Lord
2
27.1
Charlote
Davies
1
28.5
400 m
Isabella
Busa
3
63
800 m
Annabel
Hobday
3
02:26.7
1500 m
3000 m s/c
3000m
100 m Hurdles
400 m Hurdles
Triple Jump
Jessica
Westley
3
8.94
High Jump
Pippa
Wingate
2
1.3
Discus
Pippa
Wingate
2
39.7
Shot
Pippa
Wingate
1
12.21
4 x100m
4 x400m
