CLUBNEWS

11^th MARCH, 2008

SPRINGING IN PARK LANE!

The major news item of the last fortnight – the agreement for financial sponsorship from Park Lane College – appears elsewhere on the website with the Press release from last Thursday’s official launch. This has been the result of a lot of hard behind-the-scenes work by several members of the Club – some Club officials, some not – who should be thanked for what they’ve put in. One of the major uses to which the money is likely to be put is to cover the expense of Club teams competing at the highest levels; anyone reading the Club’s accounts will soon see that travel is already a major source of expenditure, and the higher the Club flies, the more likely it is to have to travel further. The sponsorship deal shouldn’t be expected by anyone to solve all the Club’s problems, but it certainly gives a lot more scope for development. The Scribe looks forward to seeing our new sponsors represented at home fixtures this summer.

8^th March – English Schools’ Cross-Country Championships, Liverpool

BIG TEAM CONTRIBUTIONS AND BELATED MEDALS

With Leeds City members competing in five of the six age-groups at Sefton Park it might have been expected that some at least would do well, but hefty contributions to West Yorkshire’s two team wins was a very pleasant round-off to many of the youngsters’ winter campaigns. Not that the two wins were particularly easy ones; the Senior Boys’ team packed its six in 53, which is good going by any standards, and still just scraped it from Hertfordshire by two points. It seems that James Wilkinson always saves one up for the E.S.A.A., as for the second successive year he occupied third place to lead the squad home, while a sizeable chunk of the solid heart of the team was provided by Mike Salter in 46^th, at least as good a run as his National effort, and Geoff Belcher one place behind him (like James a great deal better than at Alton Towers.) Outside the count there was also a very reasonable effort from Eddie Mason, seventh man in 118^th out of a field of 325.

The other win, in the Junior Boys’ race (by a slightly more emphatic 28 points) was pleasurable from two viewpoints – the team edged North Yorkshire out, and three of the lads who missed a medal by the narrowest of margins a fortnight earlier went home with one this time. Again it was a Club member who led the team in; Elliot Todd put the icing on the winter’s cake in a fine 7^th place that nobody, not even himself, would have dreamt of in September. Gordon Benson, who’s been a bit up and down this year, was very much ‘up’ on this occasion, third counter in 17^th place; and whole Alex Hart actually had a bit of an off-day against his recent excellent runs in 109^th , he did enough to bring the team home. The only one who missed out was Mike Wood – because he’s a year older and was in the Inter. Boys’ race, and while 68^th against older and stronger opponents was a good run, the team was nowhere near the places.

The five girls who took part were split between two counties, and the teams weren’t near the front, but there were some worthy efforts. Sophie Waterhouse, the only Senior Girls’ representative, was third counter in 82^nd place in a County team that had three reasonably well up but a long ‘tail.’ Teamwise the two Junior Girls who represented North Yorkshire had the better of it, though Johanna Wilton in 80^th, and in a West Yorkshire vest, was the first of the Leeds City quartet home. Emily Robinson (149) went a great deal better than at Alton Towers, and Caitlin Regan (182) ran at least to form; however, in 279^th Chloe Harley probably by this stage of the year has half an eye on the track.

8/9^th March – EA Under-17 & Under-15 Combined Events Champs, Sheffield

DEAFENED BY SOUND OF SHATTERING RECORDS!

The Scribe recalls officialling at his first multi-event competition – in 1962, at Oxford – and being pleasantly surprised that the two Ancient Universities could muster a dozen decathletes. Had anyone at the time suggested his own Club turning out just short of a dozen in a competition with almost 100 competitors in four age-groups he would have been considered a candidate for the Funny Farm – but such it was at the EIS over the weekend. Moreover, of the ten who completed their full stint, one set an inaugural record in a new event, three more broke existing marks, one at least by a substantial amount, and just about all of them set best marks. Just to add spice to the mixture, there were two more cases of Leeds City multi-eventing being a ‘family business.’

In these circumstances The Poor Old Scribe has the invidious problem of deciding where to start – which was the most excellent performance among such a plethora. He selected the Under-15 Boys Pentathlon on the grounds that it provided the only National medal-winner in Jacob Gardiner, who finished third with a Club record score of 2438 – and yes, the record did stand to big brother Dan! He also took the Northern title run in conjunction. Moreover, Jake’s probably kicking himself, after starting by cracking his PB in the Hurdles (9.57) and shattering his Long Jump out of sight with 5.77, for a 1.47 High Jump which according to Dad Kevin he was “lucky to clear – third attempt at opening height”; somewhere near his best might just have got him Silver. However, after “sitting with heard in hands” for a spell he went on to chuck the Shot about six feet further than anyone else (12.17) and run a sound multi-man’s 2.32.59 800.

He was pushed reasonably hard most of the way by Matt Wagner; who finished only a place behind him (2285) and took Northern Silver; needless to say Matt’s hurdles was quick (9.31), and he had a good Long Jump (5.10) and High Jump (1.53) and ran a quicker 800 (2.30.80) than Jake; but although his Shot is improving with advancing size, and at 9.90 was the second-best of the competition, it’s a huge difference. Chris Rushton had a sound debut with 1497, opening up by shaving four-hundredths off his PB in the Hurdles (9.92) and following with 4.29, 1.35, 6.98 (a best by over a metre) and 2.53.14; and while Connor Morley was last of the 17 finishers with 987 points, this was his first ‘multi,’ and at 13 years and three months he was probably the youngest in there. Looked at from that perspective, and with marks that murdered his PBs as an Under-13 (12.74, 4.20, 1.38, 6.14 and 3.02.94) it wasn’t a bad day’s work. Dylan Bradley also started, but injured himself in the Long Jump and wisely pulled out.

Whether Jake’s effort was more meritorious than Amy Marchant robbing Alice Simpson of her Under-17 Ladies’ Pentathlon record with 3283 points could be argued about while awaiting bovine returns; it would have been all that much harder to decide if Amy had managed the fifty or so extra points to get into the National medal places (she took the Northern title), but 4^th was no mean effort – and she needed it to keep ahead of sister Katy, who with 3171 was one place behind her in both events. Indeed it was Katy who started the record-breaking in the first event with a fulminous 8.82 hurdles – and anybody who can consign Hannah Francis-Smithson to second place has been going a bit! Amy (9.28) didn’t do badly either –opening with a PB’s always nice. Both did good Long Jumps just below their best marks – 5.02 for Amy, 4.76 for Katy – but after that Amy really cut loose, adding a centimetre to her already prodigious High Jump (1.68) and a good bit more to her Shot (9.08). Not to be left out, Katy produced 1.59 and 8.22 – the latter a Best – before both girls ran quite passable 800s, with Katy slightly quicker (2.38.53 to 2.40.47).

Moreover, like Jake and Matt, the girls had company. Rosie Trudgen placed 20^th of 34 with a very satisfactory 2598, and again would probably think that 1.50 in the High Jump left a bit to be desired she’s done 1.60); however, combined with a 10.06 PB Hurdles, 4.37, 6.93 and 2.42.14, she’d cause to be satisfied. Lauren Cahill, like Connor inexperienced in multi-events, did herself credit by just managing to get over 2000 (by three); there’s probably a bit to come off or go on some of her marks (10.56, 4.21, 1.29, 6.75 and 3.05.20) before the season’s out, and she’s only just moved up an age as well.

One competitor was bound to come home with a record; in their wisdom (and for once it probably is) the EA has modified the Under-17 Men’s competition to a Heptathlon, which meant that Tobin Carey-Williams’ 3418 is now the target to beat. It was a good, consistent set of marks; his first day consisted of 60m in 8.07, a useful 5.67 Long Jump and 1.56 High Jump and 8.57 with the Shot; on the second day he produced 9.55 over Hurdles, vaulted a Best 2.60 in only (the Scribe thinks) his second competition, and wound up with 2.59.14 for 1000m – another good multi-eventer’s run. There was also only one participant in the Under-15 Girls’ Pentathlon, but Fran Coldwell had an excellent day, adding 600-plus points to her last year’s efforts (2693) and bettering every mark (9.80, 1.42, 7.79 and 2.41.23) except her Long Jump, which was only eight centimetres down with 4.61.

NO MAJOR CLUB COMPETITIONS TO REPORT, BUT…

…This doesn’t mean that because there’s been a quiet spell on the team front Club members have been inactive for the last fortnight – indeed, anything but, if the cullings of the various websites recently perused have been anything to go by. There may be plenty that the Scribe has missed (or not been told about, in which case get in touch and keep in touch), but below are all the items he’s gathered in:-

Another international – not too high-key but nonetheless welcome for both Club and individual – fell to Adam Grice on March 2^nd when he represented England in an Under-23 road international match in conjunction with the Welsh 5k Road Championship in Cardiff. Adam was first Englishman home in 5^th place (14.04), seven seconds down on winner Tom Russell; in fact it looks a bit of a hairy finish, as the first six were separated by only eight seconds. Road times are deceptive, as the ups and downs of the course may contribute, and Adam, being an honest lad, pointed out in an e-mail that the course was a bit short (seems to be a lot of it about at the moment!); but there could be some serious assaults on the upped end of the All-Time Lists this summer if that run’s an indication.

When the team selected by Leeds City Council’s Sport Development Unit goes for its annual visit to the Dortmund Inter-City Indoor Meeting several Club members usually come back with something – on March 1sst and 2^nd it ranged from Alan Childs bringing a sore back from sleeping on floors (he reckons he’s getting a bit old for that game!) to Elliot Hurley coming home with the season’s sixth Club record – a fiery 8.1 for the Under-13 60 metres to replace Matt Wagner on that list. (Still, Matt’s been picking up a few recently as well!) There was quite a bit of excellent sprinting, in fact; both Jack Mosley (7.6) and Stephen Coles (7.9) improved their recent Under-15 Bests at the same distance, and Stephen added to his laurels with a 1.63 High Jump which surprised The Scribe – but not Pat Childs, who remembered him first coming to the Club to do that event. There was a similar double for Alyssia Carr in the Under-13 Girls’ events with 8.5 and 1.35, both PBs and the former making her one of the youngest ever to rank on a Senior List – at eleven years and four months! Lauren Cahill also ran a very sound 8.3, while Fran Coldwell long-jumped 4.81 and in the Under-13 age-group a new name just made the rankings when Amena Abdelaziz jumped 3.67.

In the longer events Gemma Kier set a PB 800 (2.45.8), but now she’s an Old Lady of 11 it doesn’t make the Lists (It never gets any easier, Kid!), so she got on the High Jump sheet instead (1.14); Chloe Harley opened her season’s account with 2.32.4, and will be looking to go a bit quicker soon. Jack Gape, also just moving into the Under-13s, was only asked to do 50 metres, but did it quickly (7.4), while Harry Ansell-Wood, who’s not made it yet, had a good Saturday in 800 (3.36.1) and Long Jump (3.69). Millie Parkinson also brought back a couple of PBs – 1.25.High Jump and 3.74 Long Jump; and though Dylan Bradley might be a bit disappointed with 1.30, he certainly wasn’t with a PB 4.54. A further new name, James Hurst, did enough with a 1.46 High Jump and over nine metres with an underweight Shot to suggest he could be a useful team member.

The fact that Chris Birchall (48.15) was 80 seconds adrift of Otley’s Ian Fisher when finishing second in the Norton 9 on the same day, just over a week after he’d been fifteen places in front of him in the national, seems to indicate one of four things - Chris had a bit of an off-day, Ian ran a blinder, Chris goes better on mud and Ian on tarmac, or Chris is more committed when there’s a team contest involved. Readers can speculate at leisure. The only other Leeds City competitor in the race was Scott Mitchell, apparently back to once-a-week racing (how long before it’s x races in y days?), who won’t have been displeased with 7^th place in 50.36.

The trio of members who nipped across to Sport City on March 2nd for the Reebok Indoor Open had quite a good day out. Pick of the bunch was Naana Adusei, who’d managed to avoid recording a 60-Metres time up to then, but hit the Lists running with 8.12. Joe Walker, who’s had a couple of shots at the distance at Sheffield, went quicker across the Pennines (7.76); while Tom Lindsay, who’s in the process of changing University courses, had a very sound jumper’s double of 1.70 and 5.84 for a season’s first effort.

There was a bit of a warning for the Club in the Trafford 10k on March 9^th. A team, admittedly not the strongest that could have been fielded, of Chris Birchall (11^th in 31.08), Mike Burrett (17^th, 31.45) and Aidan Adams (21^st, 32.26) finished a good third; but the winning Belgrave team, who’d obviously come up on a major ‘pot-hunt,’ placed first, second and fourth! If that 12-Stage title is to come back, there’s work to be done!

On seeing that the official results of the Ed Prickett Memorial Relays at Nottingham University featured a Leeds City team in 6^th place consisting of Alan Buckley (9.41), James Walsh (9.50), Arthur Cooke (10.38) and Greg Hull (9.51) The Scribe immediately smelt at rat! Greg’s been on the injured list for most of this winter, so it seemed unlikely he should suddenly be up there with the big lads straight away; sure enough, a quick e-mail check with the Lad ‘Imself revealed that James had once more been exercising his penchant for multiple – and consistent – legs.

Who says Southerners have no sense of adventure? Gavin Chatterton, the Club’s second-claim refugee from Chelmsford, took to something on Sunday that they don’t have in Essex – fells! The Ian Roberts Race at Marsden may not be on the list of hardened fell-runners’ ‘toughies,’ but it’s no soft option, with 1000 feet of climb in its (officially – Gavin reckoned it was short) seven miles of terrain. He finished 6^th in 44.17 (possible indication that it was), and learned two things – “There’s no shame whatsoever in walking up the steep bits given that the winner (Dave Watson of Holmfirth) was doing it as well,” and that fell courses aren’t always well marked (“Lost about a minute {when} I missed a poorly-marked corner.”)

A HISTORICAL CORRECTION – AND A FUTURE CHALLENGE

The Scribe was fed duff information last week. He blithely stated that no club had taken the Senior men’s title in the National Cross-Country Championships three times in a row since 1965; he should have looked on the trophy first, because the engraving reveals that the feat has in fact been achieved five times since the Second World War. In 1947-9 Sutton Harriers of St. Helens won it with a team including the McMinnis brothers and Norman Ashcroft; Gateshead Harriers won in 1975-7 in Brendan Foster’s day (The Scribe should have known that!); Tipton won in 1979-81; and Aldershot, led by Bernie Ford, in 1982-4, including once at Roundhay Park when Ford won it. However, they all had one thing in common – none of them won it a fourth successive year. So now, lads, you’ve a chance to really make a name for yourself next year on two counts – a unique post-war effort, and a third successive win on Parliament Hill Fields after 2003 and 2006!

(And, Yes, The Scribe knows that before the War Birchfield won it seven times on the trot; but in those days fields were limited and clubs had to qualify through the Area Championships, so it’s not quite the same thing.)

THE CHANGING FACE OF RANKING

In the next few weeks, as the Honourboard appears at South Leeds (and on the website, if Webmaster Pop can find room for it) people may observe strange sights – people being ranked 28^th or 30^th, for instance. This is not an aberration or descent into senility on the part of The Ranker; he’s been planning for some time to change the system from a norm-referenced basis (i.e., the best 25 performances) to a criterion-referenced one based on the Club’s forty years of competitive history. To put it simply, a Table of Standards has been set up, and any performance which betters the standards gets ranked – permanently. However, not all the Standards are permanent; some events (e.g., Women’s Hammer) are developing, some (e.g., Under-20 Shot) have changed specification over the years, and some, like the ‘odd distances,’ aren’t competed often enough. In those cases there is a ‘temporary standard,’ which The Ranker expects eventually to move upwards.

The new Lists will be appearing at South Leeds in the next week or so; they’ll take a bit longer to get on the website, as Pop has a lot of work to put in, and by the time he’s done it they’ll all be changed anyway (there were 49 new marks set in the last fortnight!) The Ranker is also sieving his own and other people’s various historical records to make sure he hasn’t missed anything, so they could change rapidly at any time. He hopes to be ‘in control’ again by the end of the season; meanwhile he asks people to bear with him while he adjusts. (A full explanation of the reasons behind the move will be exhibited at South Leeds, and hopefully on the website.)