Heroic stories as youth team earn promotion
IT was high fives all round at Longford park, Stretford for the final youth development track and field lower age group meeting and team Stockport did themselves proud in all departments – especially towards the conclusion of the afternoon’s proceedings.
Stockport became champions of division one West and will now proceed to the ultimate level by taking their place in the premier league for next season and hats off to manager Carl Doodson, his assistant Maxine Benson and all the many athletes who were the real stars and ensured huge success came the way of the Woodbank Park based outfit.
There were stories of heroism too, when sprint and field athlete Maija Dunne came to the rescue and participated in the under 15 girls’ 1,500 event with just two minutes notice, the time didn’t particularly matter, it was the team points which were up for grabs and it was a battle royal with team Isle of Man throughout the afternoon with both organisations neck and neck all the time from 11:30 in the morning till the close of business at 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon.
Team manager Carl Doodson exuded enthusiasm and said: “This kind of team spirit, given that Maija is normally a sprint/jump athlete and has never ever done this event before, is exactly what we require given that the youth development league is all about teamwork and she deserves great praise for her efforts”.
Personal bests came by the hat-full and in particular the manager’s son Jack exceeded his expectations by breaching the 5 metre distance for the first time in the long jump to square off the ‘A’ team results with an easy first position and a personal best of 5:03 to go with it.
Other results of note came with Evie Wild winning the “A” team pool in the under 15 girls’ high jump with a magnificent leap of faith of 1:56, Emily Misantoni made it an easy win in the under 15 girls’ 300 metres in 41:70 but surely the event of the afternoon was Amy Battle’s showing in the 300 metres in the same age group when many thought she was settling for a second place only to re- overhaul Isle of Man’s Kate Cashin on the home straight to finish in 44.4 to Cashin’s 45.2.
Meanwhile down at the Olympic park in London the Stockport trio of Dan Bramhall, Andy Small and Carly Tait are all making supreme efforts in the world para athletics competition with Tait making it a splendid fifth finish in the women’s T34 wheelchair 100 metre event in a time of 19:58 but no one could catch eventual winner Hannah Cockcroft who achieved a new world record in a scintillating time of 17:18.
Also on international duty was Stockport’s Natasha Harrison but this time over the sea to Ireland having been selected to compete for England at the home countries’ schools international board (SIBA) promotion at the Santry stadium in Dublin.
Harrison, a student at Longendale high school gave a good account of herself with the runner’sup spot in the under 17 girls’ 300 metres individual event and subbed 40 seconds to record 39:61 but she went one better in the relays and assisted team England to a memorable victory in the 4 x 300 metres relay, stopping the clock in 2:40:45 to second placed Wales in 2:43:36.
With the holiday season upon us there are still plenty of athletics opportunities to be had, for track and field there is the penultimate Cheshire league club competition this coming Sunday at Victoria Park, Warrington with a start time of 12:00 midday whilst in the hills, fell race aficionados need look no further than the three peaks of Chinley event over 9.5 miles with an obligation to summit South head, Chinley Churn and Eccles Pike which commences with a staggered start between 8:15am and 10am also on Sunday and it departs from the paper mill at Whitehough.