International call up for Harrier Davies
AT the Rio Olympics local international Ross Millington was selected in the 10,000 metre event – and it’s the same scenario at the forthcoming World Athletics Championships for Stockport Harriers with international selection coming the local club’s way yet again.
This time the selectors’ eyes have favoured mid Wales based Andrew Davies who specialises in mountain running and is also as equal on the flat roads of the capital.
His London Marathon effort of last April, in a scintillating time of 2:15:11, has now enabled him to earn the third and final berth for the 26+ mile event around the sights of London along with Josh Griffiths of Swansea Harriers and Callum Hawkins of Kilbarchan AC.
There will be no time for sightseeing in this eagerly anticipated and hotly contested event which sets off from Tower Bridge on Sunday, 6th August at 10.55am and Davies’s coach Steve Vernon is ecstatic that his second charge after Millington has also been called up for the services of his country at the highest level. Vernon has certainly got the knack at the moment of turning out athletes of the highest possible calibre and at the right time too.
The track at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham saw an abundance of high end results for Stockportbased athletes at the annual English schools track and field championships held over two days.
Athletes were representing themselves at county level and in Stockport’s case, mostly from Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
There was a treble silver second placed situation for Abi Pawlett in the junior girls 75 metres hurdles. She PB’d in 11:21 and was closely followed by Emily Misantoni who covered the two laps of the track in the 800 metres also for the junior girls in 2:13:90 for yet another personal best.
Natasha Harrison pulled out all the stops for a well earned runner’s up spot in the inter girls 300 metres to stop the clock and dipping under the 40 second mark in the process in a magnificent time of 39:57.
Stockport’s Daisy Worthington also did her county proud in the under 15s 800 metres (2:17), Katie Waterworth made it a seventh in the inter girls triple jump (11:04) and there were also high up finishes for Bethan Murray (fifth in the inters long jump 5:58).
Emily Jarad achieved a 15th spot in the under 17s triple jump in 10:54, making it her third appearance in as many years at these high level championships.
At the youngest of the age groups, Team Stockport absolutely dominated the under 11s categories at the recent Cheshire track and field league at Wrexham. They will be going forward on a high to the penultimate match which be taking place at Richmond playing fields at Ashton under Lyne on the 30th of July.
At Woodbank Park the final fixture of the highly successful mid week TRI athletics series has now been accomplished.
A repeat of Rio is on the cards for selected Stockport area athletes at the world para athletics championships now taking place at the Olympic Stadium.
Dan Bramall, Carly Tait and latterly Andrew Small – who earned a bronze medal for his efforts at the Rio Olympics in the T33 wheelchair 100 metres event in a time of 17:96 seconds – are representing the town. All eyes will be on all of them to see if further medals can be returned to the Stockport area.
The annual young athletes outdoor Quadrathlon takes place at Woodbank Stadium next Saturday the 22nd of July with a start time of 11.30am. More than 100 entrants are expected with events for all age groups from under 9s to under 15s.
The next day, Sunday the 23rd, Stockport will be closing it’s account at the Youth development league, upper age group with a trip to the seaside at Stanley Park, Blackpool with the proceedings starting at 11.15am and at the moment Stockport top the leader board with a margin of three match points over their nearest rivals being joint second placed Lancaster and Morecambe AC and Leigh Harriers.