In the first match of the Youth Development League on Saturday, we won 22 events and finished fourth overall – just four points behind the combined team of Bournemouth, Poole & New Forest Juniors. The temperature remained slightly above the seasonal average but the strong swirling breeze represented a challenge, especially to athletes in the throws and the distance races.
For the U20 men, Reuben Fleary faced tough competition in the 100m. He finished fifth in the A string, but Tom Newton ran a PB to win the B. Non-scorer Will Lord actually notched up the fastest time of the day, with his PB of 11.3. Reuben also finished fifth in the 200m A, and Will scored maximum points to take the B race with another PB. Raunak Mainali was the only middle distance representative in the club’s U20 squad, but he was rewarded with a PB in the 800m. In the throws, U17 Jack Kirk won the javelin convincingly and came fourth in the discus. He was supported in the javelin by U17 Karolis Narvilas, making his debut at this event.
In the U17 events, Phoenix Lyon dominated the sprints, winning both the 100m and the 200m A string, with PBs at both distances, and anchoring the sprint relay team. He was supported in the 100m by Reade Owen and in the 200m by debutant Kamau Muhammed. Reef Hook ran his first 400m race, while Luke Adar did likewise in the 800m, both finishing third. Alex Sungtong won the B string 800m with a PB. Oliver Way and John Fielding (pictured above) made a winning partnership in the 1500m, John making a strong return to competition after a period of illness. In the field, Karolis Narvilas won the hammer convincingly, though Reade Owen’s win in the long jump was a much closer affair. Luke Miller was second in his javelin debut, while Reef Hook was third in his first shot competition. Towards the end of the schedule, Desmond Ofasi helped Phoenix, Reef and Kamau to victory in an exciting sprint relay.For the U20 women, Eldrika Edwards was majestic in winning both the 100m and 200m by a wide margin, achieving a PB in the former, and she also anchored the sprint relay team home. She was supported by second-placed Besirat Tesfu in the 100m B, while U17 Amber Henry won the 200m B with a PB. Maximum points were scored in the triple jump by Kamile Bykovaite in the A and Besirat Tesfu in the B. The pair competed again in the long jump, with Kamile third and Besirat second. The sprint relay team of Laura Davies, Besirat, Amber and Eldrika rounded off the day with a clear win.
In the U17 women’s events, Laura Davies and Amber Henry won both strings of the 100m, Amber clocking a PB with a competitive performance. In the 800m A and B, Laura Stewart and Roisin Lynch both finished second respectively. Both made their debut in the 300m hurdles, which Laura won by a wide margin, while Roisin was second in the B string. Erica Wallace also had a busy afternoon, dominating the 1500m, finishing second in the 300m, and then fifth in the javelin. Keisha Juggan-Tull won the triple jump with a PB and placed fifth in the long jump, while Roisin Lynch was fourth in the high jump.
Hosts Hillingdon won this first match comfortably, ahead of Winchester & District. However, there were numerous gaps in our team, including the middle distances, the men’s jumps and the female throws, and some of our strong athletes were missing. If we can address at least some of these areas, the club has a good prospect of taking third place at the next match.Match scores: 1 Hillingdon 551; 2 Winchester 515; 3 Bournemouth, Poole & NFJ 423; 4 ESM 419; 5 Havant & Isle of Wight 224; 6 St Mary’s Richmond 147; 7 Chichester 143; 8 Team Hounslow 9
ESM Results summary
U20 Men
100m: A: 5 Reuben Fleary 11.5; B: 1 Tom Newton 11.9; NS: William Lord 11.3; 200m: A: 5 Reuben Fleary 23.4; B: 1 William Lord 22.9; 800m: A: 3 Raunak Mainali 2.15.2; DT: A: 4 Jack Kirk 20.31; JT: A: 1 Jack Kirk 32.45; B: 2 Karolis Narvilas 26.15
U17 Men
100m: A: 1 Phoenix Lyon 11.5; B: 3 Reade Owen 12.6; 200m: A: 1 Phoenix Lyon 22.8; B: 3 Kamau Muhammed 24.9; 400m: A: 3 Reef Hook 54.0; 800m: A: 3 Luke Adar 2:31.9; B: 1 Alex Sungtong 2.35.9; 1500m: A: 1 Oliver Way 4.33.9; B: 1 John Fielding 4.41.7; SP: 3 Reef Hook 8.19; HT: 1 Karolis Narvilas 39.77; JT: 2 Luke Miller 45.84; LJ: 1 Reade Owen 5.65; 4x100m Relay: 1 ESM (Phoenix Lyon, Reef Hooke, Desmond Ofasi, Kamau Muhammed) 46.5
U20 Women
100m: A: 1 Eldika Edwards 12.2; B: 2 Besirat Tesfu 13.7; 200m: A: 1 Eldika Edwards 25.7; B: 1 Amber Henry 28.6; LJ: A: 3 Kamile Bykovaite 4.59; B: 2 Besirat Tesfu 4.49; TJ: A: 1 Kamile Bykovaite 10.68; B: 1 Besirat Tesfu 9.97; 4x100m Relay: 1 ESM (Laura Davies, Besirat Tesfu, Amber Henry, Eldrika Edwards) 52.8
U17 Women
100m: A: 1 Laura Davies 13.0; B: 1 Amber Henry 13.7; 300m: A: 2 Erica Wallace 47.1; 800m: A: 2 Laura Stewart 2.35.6; B: 2 Roisin Lynch 2.54.0; 1500m: 1 Erica Wallace 5:08.5; 300mH: A: 1 Laura Stewart 51.6; B: 2 Roisin Lynch 58.0; HJ: 4 Roisin Lynch 1.30; LJ: 5 Keisha Juggan-Tull 3.18; TJ: A: 1 Keisha Juggan-Tull 7.71; JT: 5 Erica Wallace 14.69
Full results here