M&M hit the ground running in season opener

Medway and Maidstone AC made a winning start to the new Southern Athletic League season on Saturday.

In the sprints, Andre Wright clocked 11.2sec to win the 100m A race before running the 200m in 22.1 for second place.

Rory Kuypers ran a personal best of 11.3 for second in the 100m B and went one better to win the 200m B in 23.1.

Joe Burton was just pipped for victory in the 400m A with a time of 51.0 while Ben Blake recorded a PB 52.7 for second in his B race.

The 800m was another close race, with Jacques Cunningham Marsh second in the A race in a time of 1min59.5sec. Reegan Archer was third in the B race.

Ben Hughes was a runaway winner in the 1,500m A race in 4.14.5 and Marley Godden made it a winning double in the B event. Simon Habtom and Lee McMeekin were another winning double in the men’s 5,000m, teaming up again later in the 2,000m steeplechase.

Habtom was second in the A and McMeekin won the B, producing a great performance after being drafted in at the last minute.

Lewis Heffernan, despite producing a PB of 55.5, was just beaten into second in the 400m hurdles A race. Andrejs Safars had a comfortable B race victory in 1.04.0.

The same two were again comfortable victors in the 110m hurdles A and B races.

Safars also won the A triple jump with Jacques Cunningham Marsh the B victor.

Lewis Heffernan stepped up with a long jump of 5.78m for second place, as did Reegan Archer in the B.

Brothers George and Ben Blake teamed up in the pole vault for a double victory. George won the A with a leap of 3.30 and Ben was first in the B event.

They doubled up again for two second places in the high jump with Ben equalling his 1.70 PB.

With no rest, George was competing in the javelin, securing B victory in 40.58.

Sonny Nash produced an excellent early-season throw of 56.23 to secure A success.

George’s elder brother Will Blake was another in PB form with 9.91 in the shot and 26.50 in the discus B, while George also had a 30.29 PB for third in the A.

Stuart Earl was third in the B shot and Andejs Safars threw a fine 28.26 hammer.

M&M were second in the 4x100m relay with a time of 45.5 for Lewis Heffernan, Andre Wright, Ben Blake and Rory Kuypers.

In the 4x400m, the team of George Blake, Joe Burton, Lewis Heffernan and Andre Wright went one better to claim victory in 3.35.1.

The next match takes place in Croydon on May 20.

n There were more than 400 finishers at the Chatham Maritime 10km road race, with five of the top 10 coming from Medway & Maidstone.

Ben Hughes won in a courserecord 33min25sec, followed by Simon Habtom (34.08) with Simon Jones (M40) of Canterbury Harriers third in 34.14.

He was closely followed by other M&M runners with Mark Wilkins fourth (34.29), Marley Godden fifth (35.18) and Quinn Austin seventh in a PB of 36.22.

More top spots from the club were claimed by Luke Stringer (16th, 39.16), Alex Donnelly (20th, 41.17), Mark Rothery (M40 21st, 41.34), Reece Perkins (22nd, 42.09) and Adrian Donnelly (M45 34th, 43.29).

Charlotte Young was the first female runner from the club to finish, taking 46th overall and sixth in the women’s race (44.59) in her first trial at this distance.

Gary Hughes (45.02) and Claire Wilkins (46.24) completed the team’s entry.