Northern Track and Field League
Division East 1N
Fixture 2
Sunday 18th June 2023 at Spenborough AC, Cleckheaton
Holmfirth Harriers Track and Field Team headed to Cleckheaton with a point to prove. After a tough first fixture we were sat at the bottom of the division, in relegation position after the first fixture the previous month. After an appeal went out to the clubs’ athletes, we had a great response and the team that turned out stepped up to the challenge. There were loads of highlights throughout the day and it was good to see young athletes turning out for the first time as well as some more experienced athletes stepping in to represent and support their club.
Special mention goes to Helena Croft who established a new Club record in the Ladies 3000m steeplechase whilst winning her race. She then backed this up a short while later when winning the 3000m B Race. Katie Walshaw ran the 3000m A race and came second in a decent time given it’s been 10 years since she last raced on the track. Isabel Richardson, in her last race before leaving for college in America, ran a dominant 800m. She was effectively in her own race as she time trialled to a PB – knocking nearly 10 seconds off her previous best.
Eve Dutton had a good day, starting with a PB in the long jump to take 3rd place, this was followed by a season’s best when coming 3rd in the 100m A race and then a big PB when coming 3rd in the 200m A race. Shauna Edge backed up Eve in the sprints and in her first races of the season came 4th in the 100m B race and 3rd in the 200m B race. She also stepped up to help the team out by competing in the hammer where she came 2nd in the B event.
Daisy Hinchliffe had a good day in the throws competing in the A events, coming 2nd in the Shot, 2nd in the Javelin and 4th in the Discus. She was backed up by Lauren Hirst who came 2nd in the Shot and Discus B events. Lauren then achieved a personal best in the hammer when coming 2nd in the A event. She also showed her versatility by coming 3rd in the Long Jump B event.
We managed to put together 2 relay teams for the ladies. In the 4 x 100m Eve, Shauna, Lauren, and Isabel got the baton round safely in 3rd place. In the 4 x400 Isabel, Eve, Helena, and Katie all rans strong legs to come 2nd and earn more valuable points.
Will Lander was as dependable as ever, coming 2nd in the 100m A race, then winning his 200m A race as well as winning the 400m B race. Ted Chamberlain showed his versatility and great form by stepping down the distances and winning the 400m A race then coming 2nd in the 200m B race with a new PB. Lavell Pierre backed Will up in the 100m with a PB as well as coming 2nd in the Long Jump B event with a PB and then another PB in the Shot B event.
In the longer distances we had a good turnout of men. For the 800m Kai Sunman contested a close 800m A race coming 2nd then Jack Sunderland got a new PB in the B race again coming 2nd. Kai and Jack also showed they can jump as well with Kai coming 3rd in the triple Jump and Jack getting another PB in the Long Jump for 4th place.
In the 1500m Phil Hewitt and Adam Sunderland dropped down the distances to help the team out. Phil impressed with a run just a second shy of his PB set 5 years ago. Adam established a new PB for himself with his first race over the distance. Paul Sammonds and Damo McQueen ran the 5000m which was a challenge in the warm and humid conditions. Paul on his track debut ran a well-judged, even paced race to finish 2nd in the A race and establish anew PB. Damo, again, ran an even pace to come 2nd in the B race and earn more points.
Soljai Waterman and Oscion Waterman impressed everyone with how they competed against athletes more experienced than them. Soljai competed in all the throws and got a PB in every event and came 3rd place in the Javelin A event. He also tried his hand at the High Jump where he came a brilliant 3rd in the A event with a PB. Not bad considering he’s only just turned 18 and only practiced the events 3 days before! Not to be outdone his younger brother Oscion competed in the triple Jump B event with a 3rd place, threw the javelin and then came 3rd in the 400m hurdles A event. Also, John McFadzean rolled back the years, squeezed himself into a vest and threw in the discus B event during which he was also giving coaching tips to Soljai.
We turned out a team in both men’s relays. The 4 x100m (Kai, Oscion, Jack and Will) made sure they got the baton round to secure a few more points. Then, to finish the day on a high, the men’s 4x 400m team (Kai, Jack, Will and Ted) showed real class and strength by winning their race – well clear of the rest of the field.
As the points came in, we knew we were going to improve significantly on the first fixture result. At the final count we had come in a comfortable 3rd on the day. This was enough to climb a place in the overall league table – out of the relegation spot – after 2 fixtures. The day was a boost for all of us and sets us up nicely for the next two fixtures to see if we can climb the table further.
Thanks to the officials who attended from our club who gave up their time to help make the event happen. John Buckingham, Diane Baldwin, John McFadzean, Phil Sacarmuzza, Mike Hirst, and Neil Dutton. Officials also score points which go towards the team’s final score so if you are available and willing to lend a hand at future fixtures then please let me know (details below) and I’ll tell you what it entails – you won’t be asked to do anything you’re not comfortable with or qualified to do.
We are looking for more athletes to join us at the next fixtures. So, if you can run, jump, or throw, and you are interested in representing your club at these events then please let us know. You don’t have to be a superstar, this is a league where every competitor will score points for their club.
Note: To compete you need to be old enough – year 11 at school or older, and a member of Holmfirth harriers.
Please make yourself available for selection by contacting Neil Dutton by email: neil@physiohub.uk or by telephone on 07868 032076 or 07305 130132.
Full meeting results: Track and Field League | Northern Athletics
