Athletes among the medals once again
Havering’s Lauren Deadman put the disappointment of missing out on the European Cross-Country action behind her to win the South of England Inter Counties title at Oxford on Saturday.
Deadman was pipped to selection for Bulgaria after winning team gold with Great Britain last year, but led from start to finish to win by a 200m margin from Surrey’s Georgie Bruinvels in 20 minutes 59 seconds.
Essex claimed team silver, while Deadman earned a place on the England team for an event in Brussels on Sunday.
Lydia Hallam was seventh in the under-20 women’s race in 22.59, while Bella Woods finished in 33rd place in 25.56.
Kate O’Neill (25th) and Sophie Rand (52nd) helped the under-15 girls finish in fourth place, while Molly Sweetman made her Essex debut at under-13 level and finished in 78th place.
Havering’s Tom Sheldrick (59th) and Lewis Debenham (72nd) competed in the under-15 boys’ race, with Oliver Woods 84th in the under-13 event.
Havering’s Michelle Hughes won a team gold with England at the Home Countries Schools Combined Events meeting in Glasgow.
Hughes smashed her indoor pentathlon best, but just missed out on winning an individual medal.
After improving her shot put best to 10.85 metres, Hughes suffered a fall while warming up for the hurdles, where she clocked a below-par 9.07 seconds.
Hughes could only manage a safe 4.91m in the long jump, after two no jumps, but she bounced back with her second best-ever high jump clearance of 1.68m.
That put the 16-year-old Hughes into fourth place in the individual standings, but despite running a personal best in the 800m of 2:29.96 she was 73 points short of a place on the podium.
Hornchurch’s Hughes still finished with a personal best tally of 3,538 points to cap an exceptional year, but her trip north of the border meant she missed out on the club’s Track & Field awards night at Ardleigh House.
Nonetheless, Hughes was awarded a best performance award for under-13 to under-17s for her achievements at regional and national level after winning three 300m hurdles titles, a heptathlon silver and England Schools recognition.
*Havering held their annual Track & Field awards night at Hornchurch’s Ardleigh House last Friday, with Georgie Taylor, Thomas Pitkin and Duane Jibunoh taking best performance prizes.
Discus thrower Taylor, ranked number two in the UK, claimed the under-20 to veteran women’s award, while Pitkin won the under-13 to under-17 male prize after 400m hurdles medals at the English Schools and English Championships.
Under-20 discus international Jibunoh claimed the under-20 to veteran male award, while the club also recognised athletes in each age category and presented chairman Doug Tierney with a Services to Coaching award.
Award winners – Under-13, girls: Millie Hodges, Charlotte Fransham, Chloe Morter; boys: Jairzinho Morris, Max Law, Joseph Hogan-O’Neill.
Under-15, girls: Kate O’Neill, Philippa Gill, Yinka Shokunbi; boys: Oliver Morter, Sonny Nash, Sam Atkins.
Under-17, girls: Modupe Shokunbi, Freya Gutteridge, Heidi Surman-Wells; boys: Lewis Bailey, Sonny Nash, Finn Hutton.
Under-20, women: Tayla Humm, Rachel Forder, Isabella Woods; men: Joshua Olawore, Ed Thompson, Karl Tucker.
Senior, women: Vicky Smith, Bethan Siddons, Zoe Young; men: Rob Warner, Laurence Goodacre, Paul Kavanagh.
Veteran, women: Tina Quinlivan; men: Jason Lendon, Aaron Bonning.
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