YDL Upper – Winchester – Sun 28 Jun 2015

Our U20/U17 squad travelled to Winchester for the third match of the Youth Development League, on a day which started wet but brightened as the afternoon went on. As ever, there was a great team spirit and a healthy sprinkling of good performances. The afternoon finished on a high note with winning performances in the sprint relays from both U17 squads, and in the 4 x 300m from the U17 women.

For the U20 men, there was a win for Kamau Muhammad in the 100m B string, while Tom Sanders made a promising debut in the non-scoring race. Rowan Board ran a PB in the 400m B, while Raunak Mainali ran close to his best over 800m. Mukhtar Farah scored maximum points by winning both the 1500m and 3000m.

Revalda Hoyte made a useful debut for the U17 men’s team, winning the B string 100m with a sub-12 clocking, and also putting in a swift run over 200m. Reef Hook and Kamau Muhammad took maximum points in the 400m. (This was sprinter Kamau’s debut over the ‘dash’, and he sportingly did the double when later drafted into the 4 x 400m relay). Alex Suntong notched up a significant PB when winning the 800m B string. In the longer distances, Oliver Way won the 1500m B, while George Kerry took victory in the 3000m. Luke Adar made a significant improvement in his second outing over the 400m hurdles. Out in the field, Karolis Narvilas threw a PB in the shot. Dante Blackwood did likewise in the long jump, also making a debut in the triple.

The women’s squad had no U20s, which adversely affected our overall position. The only score in these events came from U17 Keisha Juggen-Tull in the triple jump. Keisha has shown steady improvement, achieving a PB in this and the long jump. She also stepped up to ensure the club could field a team in the 4 x 300m relay.

In the U17 events, Laura Davies and Amber Henry took victory in the 100m A and B strings. Nicola Ravenhill won the 800m, and placed second in her debut over 300m. There were two good hurdles performances from Laura Stewart, with a win over the 300m and a debut over the 80m sprint event. In the field, Roisin Lynch won the high jump again with a 10cm PB, while Zoya Styles threw a PB in the shot.

The club was ranked fourth in the League on arrival, finished fourth on the day and remain fourth in the League. Can we change the score in the fourth and final match? It’s at Perivale on July 26th, and it would be great to finish the season with a full turnout and a strong team score.

Thanks are due to a number of parents who stepped in on the day to help with varying officiating roles. This can make a huge difference to the smooth-running of an athletics match, so please do offer if you are there spectating. No prior experience is required for certain roles, and you gain a real appreciation of the technical aspects of the sport.