Tewelde sets new personal best
him fourth M60 at the event. M&M competed in their first Division 1 Ladies and Men Southern Athletic League fixture on Saturday. In a strong six-team match at Bracknell, and lacking in numbers, they took fourth place overall.
In the sprint events, two great performances in the 200m saw Lucy Hope take first A (25.49) and team-mate Oluwadamitan Showemimo first B (25.57). Hope also contested the 400m, finishing third A (58.36), and Erin Hughes was also third (B, 1.03.64). Nia Thomas had a strong run in the 100m hurdles A (19.18) for third.
Abigail Walters ran a strong 100m A for fourth (12.79) and Zara Edeleanu was third B (13.37).
Abigail Hawkes was fourth in the 800m A (2.28.14) and fifth in the 1,500m A (5.19.14). Bernadette Harrop was fourth B 800m (3.03.80) but had to withdraw from the 1,500m due to injury.
In the field events, Jessica Blake had a busy day covering the hammer A (third, 33.89m), discus (20.43) and shot (fourth, 8.05). Zara Edeleanu was fourth B in the discus (17.28) and fifth A in the javelin (15.58). Catherine Rodwell was third B in both the javelin (14.38) and hammer (21.42). The team were fifth in the 4x100m relay and fourth in the 4x400m.
The men saw George Blake begin the day with a win in the 400m hurdles A with 55.65. In the sprints, Andre Wright was second in the 100m A (11.28) and third in the 200m A (22.28).
In the 400m, Callum Featherstone was sixth A (52.32). Cameron Featherstone took third B (53.17) and then second in the 800m B (1.59.19). Teammate Jamie Walsh was fourth in both the 800m A (1.58.77) and the 1,500m A (4.11.15).
Jordan Howes took 1,500m B second (4.15.71) and then competed for the first time in the 3,000m steeplechase B
(10.49.81) while team-mate Tom Collins was third A (10.43.37). Collins then finished fourth in the 3,000m A (9.38.47) with
Sean Barwick third B (9.41.32).
Kent captain Sam Billings has explained the reasoning behind giving wicketkeeper duties to Jordan Cox.
Billings passed the task of standing behind the stumps to Cox for their home County Championship Division 1 draw against Hampshire and Cox wore the gloves for last week’s 10-wicket loss at Surrey.
The 31-year-old says skippering the side and keeping wicket was taking its toll as he’s endured a slow start to the summer in the red-ball game. Billings said: “I’d batted at eight, seven and six this year and, obviously, not scored the runs I’d have liked. “Captaining, keeping and batting, it was taking its toll.
“In terms of Coxy’s development,
Harry Blake threw a PB in the hammer A (44.90) and B shot (10.02).
Charlie Shingleton won the triple jump A (12.16) and was third in both long jump A (6.06) and high jump B (1.70). Decathlete Lewis Church won the pole vault A (4.81) and the discus A (40.12).
He was second in both the shot A (13.81) and javelin A (48.71) and third in the high jump A (1.70) before finishing with a leg of the 4x 400m where the team came in third. as well, because we value him hugely as - hopefully - a future England player, it gave him a great opportunity to keep wicket.
“We know what a great player he is with the bat. But we’ve dropped him down because, as a young player, you know you’re going to go through peaks and troughs.”
The tinkering has done little to improve Billings’ batting displays since, though. He contributed 31 in two innings against Hampshire and got a pair against Surrey. He has scored only 92 runs from 10 Championship innings in 2023. The Spitfires were due to start their T20 Blast campaign last night (Wednesday) at home to Gloucestershire. They face Surrey at the Oval on Friday before Tuesday's Canterbury clash against Somerset.