SAL team up to 4th
Woodford took 4 points out of 5 in the third SAL match to move up to 4th out of 18 teams in the division at Mile End on Sunday 14 July. Hosts Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets provisionally won the match ahead of Thurrock, against whom WGEL don't score in this fixture. VPTH had started the day dead last in the division but used home advantage to establish a commanding lead which they held on to even allowing for losing out on some officials points. For most of the match the next 4 teams were closely matched, but Huntingdonshire and Peterborough & Nene Valley dropped back late on to end on 2 league points each albeit well ahead of the final team Central Park.
Having been a weak spot in match 2 the women's throws were a particular area of strength, dropping just 1 point across the 4 events. Simbi Sikiru (48.65) and Kirsty Bateman Foley (41.19) comfortably won the hammer and javelin respectively, but they were backed up by 2 new SAL throwers. Lynette Tucker followed up her short notice NAL debut in taking the most points for the women's team as she won the B hammer (23.38PB), earned a full 5 points in the shot (10.31 despite an uphill sector) and then threw a significant PB of 35.73 to win the discus. 2nd claim athlete Erin Delea, who had 3 U20 wins at the venue in the YDL last month was not far behind with a 34.48PB in the discus and also picked up good points in the B javelin. Her 8.71PB in the SP would have been sufficient to win the B shot but U17W Rebecca Wright was the second scorer with 9.48.
The men's throws were almost as strong as the women: with double firsts in the hammer, Noah Wooding and Fergus Harford; shot, Aaron Edwards and Hugh Williams; and discus, Devon Douglas and Hugh Williams. Hugh was again the top male points scorer also picking up points in the B javelin and high jump. However, his were the only points gained in men's jumps, with gaps also expensive for the women. While a delay in their pole vault, which Amber Higgs-Smith and Giselle Moulton later won with 2.40 each, meant they could also score in the long jump, Zoe Hedges was the only other to pick up points in the high jump.
First up on track U17W Isabelle Kyson won the 400m hurdles in a 66.31PB, but she was to prove the only Woodford A string winner in individual track races. Shona Vincent (12.36) and Kyra White (25.32w) lost out to the female athlete of the match in the 100m and 200m respectively, though Lakhesia Adams Poku was a dominant winner of both B strings. Adrian Richards took second in the 200m having won the B 100m. There were plenty of sprint PBs from non-scorers including Omari Paul-Jones (11.71, 24.31), Tyler Matthew (11.86), Amira Adeshokan (12.60), Zoe Hedges (13.05), Mayah O'Sullivan (13.19, 27.70), Evie Mosanya (26.95) and Ruby Erewunmi (29.66).
Alicia McArdell took second A string in the 3000m in a PB of 11:07.76, with Katie Olert also improving to 12:45.73. Alicia was able to come back and take 2nd in the 1500. Aidan O'Driscoll started aggressively in the 1500m and was able to hold on for a 7s PB (4:19.75). By contrast fellow U17M William Muffett was well back early on in a crowded 800m and struggled to find room to come through, but he returned to run a 400m PB of 55.49. M50 Salvatore Passerini improved his best since returning to the sport with 55.81 in the B.
In the men's 4x100 a team with first year U17s Chiril Mardari, Kofi Amoateng, Jaheim Roman was anchored home by Benedict Chukwueze for second in 45.24. The men's 4x400 team of Salvatore Passerini, Joseph Arnold, Aidan O'Driscoll and Adrian Richards also took 4 points. There was success for both women's relay teams, with Shona Vincent, Amira Adeshokan, Zoe Hedges and Benie Massembo combining for a dominant win in 47.98 at 4x100, while the 4x400 quartet of Rhianna Buaku, Evie Mosanya, Daisy Anderson and Lakhesia Adams Poku came through to win an unsatisfactory race in which most teams ran less than the intended distance. While the overall result pushes Woodford up one place to fourth from fifth in division 2 North-East, it frustratingly leaves the chance of a top 2 position and promotion out of the team's hands going into the final, home, fixture on Saturday 17 August.