Small squad pull together for third spot
Team Bath AC took a fairly small team to the third YDL LAG match at Neath on Sunday and still managed to come third.
They scored 365 points to fend off Blaenau Gwent’s challenge, but could not haul in the totals of Rhymney Valley and North Somerset.
Dominic Murray was again foremost in scoring lots of points for the club, winning the under-15 boys 80m hurdles in 13.71secs, the high jump with a new PB of 1.65m and finishing third in the long jump with a new best of 5.11m, plus anchoring the 4x100m relay team to victory in 52.66.
Other A winners were Sam Walker in the U15 boys’ javelin with 33.53m, Caitlin Mander in the U15 girls’ 75m hurdles in 13.07, Eleni Francis in the U15 girls’ long jump with 4.98m, Joshy Newton in the U13 boys’ 1,500m in 5mins14.85, also finishing second in the high jump on countback with 1.35m.
B winners were Maria Thorne in the U15 girls’ long jump with 4.18, Israel Miles in the U13 boys’ 800m in 2:50.41, and Ciara Galvin in the U13 girls’ high jump with 1.25m.
Second A places went to Alex Knight in the U15 boys’ 300m in 41.0, Caitlin Mander in the U15 girls’ discus with 19.72, Yusuf Qazi in the U13 boys’ 800m in 2:33.66, Alannah Heneghan in the U13 girls’ high jump with 1.35 and Jorja Tucker in the U13 girls’ javelin with 17.78.
Second place B athletes were Alex Knight in the U15 boys’ shot with 6.50, Thomas Hobbs in the U15 boys’ javelin with 21.02, and Caitlin Mander in the U15 girls’ 100m in 14.45.
■ Brothers Cameron and Alistair Chalmers, University of Bath sporting scholars past and present respectively, struck gold within hours of each other at the England Athletics age-group trials to earn selection for next month’s European Under-23 and U20 Championships.
There was also a silver medal for Lauren Williams in Bedford, as well as bronze for fellow students Isobel Ives and Georgia Silcox, while Team Bath Athletics Club’s two medals included a brilliant gold for Tom Gale.
King Sporting Scholar Alistair, who has just completed the first year of a sports performance course, set a national age-group record of 50.58secs as he won the U20 men’s 400m hurdles title for a third year running.
Older brother Cameron, who was supported by a Thompson Education Trust Scholarship while also studying sports performance from 2015 to 2018, then claimed the U23 men’s 400m title after clocking 46.34 in a highly-competitive race.
“It was always going to be a really good race, with a lot of guys running well,” said Cameron who, like his brother, is coached by James Hillier at the University’s Sports Training Village.
“It’ll be a very tired household. Both of us will go into a block of training ahead of the Europeans. Alistair is running really well, training really well.”
Management with marketing student Williams, supported by a Santander Scholarship and coached at the University by Colin Bovell, ran a season’s best time of 59.13 as she finished U23 women’s 400m hurdles runner-up in her first year in the age group.
Ives, a Civil engineering masters student, took women’s U23 800m bronze in 2:08.92 and sport & exercise science student Silcox placed third in both the women’s U23 long jump and triple jump with clearances of 5.64 and 12.44 respectively.
Team Bath Athletics Club high jumper Gale, who is coached by Dennis Doyle at the University, earned an automatic European U23 qualification spot as he sailed clear at 2.25m, notching a season’s best mark in the process.
Club colleague Anna Burt placed third in the U20 women’s 1500m in a time of 4:31.56.
■ The Chronicle’s athletics coverage is sponsored by Running Bath, the city’s premier running shop.
Visit Running Bath at 18 High Street, or call 01225 462555 for more info.