BAL Premiership Match One

The BAL Premiership got underway on Saturday, with a joint fixture with the UK Women’s League Premier Division at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, which will be the scene of the Olympic Trials in two weeks time. Due to fixture clashes over the weekend in this crowded Olympic Season, notably with the BMC Watford Grand Prix, and the Bedford Games on Sunday, the standard was not as high across all events as is normally the case. Woodford’s team was weakened, but in the end little more than several others and placed equal third with Newham on 294 points, as hosts Birchfield (315.5 points) won from Shaftesbury (301 points). In a solid team effort, perhaps a sprint hurdles win for Richard Alleyne, a steeplechase double from Ryan McKinlay and Tomas Pilbersek, and a “B” string 1500m victory from debutant Ed Shepherd stood out.

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Richard Alleyene’s 110mH hurdles victory, although in a time he was disappointed with, 13.96 secs (+1.6), was followed up with a close 2^nd place in the “B” string for Dan Davis in a season’s best of 14.23 secs (+1.2). Dan had a busy afternoon, having earlier recorded another season’s best in the non-scoring 100m of 11.06 secs (-1.1), placing 6^th in the “B” 200m with 22.33 secs (+1.3), and later running in the 4x100m team. In the “A” 200m, first year senior Sam Watts just lost out in a blanket finish in 21.40 secs (+0.7). Sam had earlier placed 7^th in a good quality “A” string 100m, which saw Mark-Lewis Francis beaten into 2^nd place, and just 0.01 secs covering the 4^th to 7^th placed athletes as Sam clocked 10.70 secs w (+2.5). The “B” string 100m was a disappointment as decathlete Dan Awde was disqualified for a false start. Dan did later go some way to making amends as he placed 2^nd in the “B” 400m with 48.23 secs, but in the “A” event, there was more disappointment as Graham Hedman whose hopes of being in contention for a European 400m or relay spot or an Olympic 4x400m spot were buoyed by his good run in Geneva last weekend, pulled up sharply at the 200m point after also struggling round the first bend with what at first appeared to be a hamstring tear. Later he was thankfully able to report that it seemed to be cramp rather than a tear.

The double steeplechase victory was one of a number of useful middle distance performances. Despite the fact that these fields were weakened by the clash with the Watford BMC, many clubs were similarly affected. Ryan Mckinlay’s steeplechase victory was his first ever in the “A” string of a BAL fixture and his time of 9m25.86 secs was a good effort as the athletes ran into quite a fierce headwind on the back straight. Having alternated the lead for a number of laps with teammate Tomas Pilbersek, Ryan moved away, but Tomas was able to hold on for 3^rd overall, but “B” string victory with 9m 39.36secs. Over 800m, with missing athletes, Andy Mariani, had to step up to “A” string action, and although in a good position 100m out, just struggled a bit in the final straight as he placed a close 6^th with 1m59.49 secs. The “B” string saw Tom Phillips, already down for the 1500m step in at short notice to double, and he had a good run, just losing out, as he placed 2^nd with 1m58.21. Later in the 1500m, in a tactical race Tom placed 3^rd in the “A” string with 4m01.17 secs, and just behind him, 18 year old Ed Shepherd called into his first BAL action ran very maturely as he took “B” string victory with 4m02.87 secs. The 5000m was to be Hywell Care’s last race for Woodford for some time, as he is about to take up a teaching post in Japan, and the ever reliable distance man placed 4^th in the “A” with 14m51.46 secs. The “B” string saw Matt Shone called back into BAL action after many seasons and the Welsh Commonwealth Games representative and sub-four minute miler recalled his famous kick to take “B” string victory with 15m07.42 secs, and left him rueful that he had left more in the tank than perhaps he should have done.

The 400mH were particularly affected by the strong headwinds on the back straight, and in the “A” string, Mike Baker making his debut in an individual event for Woodford placed 5^th in 54.00 secs, whilst in the “B”, Francis Smith was 4^th with 55.47 secs. In a good standard long jump competition Healson Ihuoma a first year senior, found a personal best of 7.28m (0.0) only good enough for 6^th, whilst in the “B” string, after two no-jumps, Joseph Dwyer’s “safe” 3^rd round effort of a modest 6.56m placed 5^th. The high jump saw Ben Challenger 4^th with 2.10m, and sadly missing Robert Wolski, recovering from surgery following a car accident, Gareth Dyball was called back to BAL action and placed 4^th= in the “B” with 1.80m. In the triple jump Sayo Ojo was 7^th in the “A” string with 13.88m (+1.2), and in the “B”, Peter Kirabo was 5^th with 13.53m (+0.2). Missing any specialist pole vaulters, physio, (but ex-international decathlete) Chris Awde, and steeplechaser Ryan McKinlay gamely cleared heights and gained valuable points as both placed 7^th with their minimal clearances at 2.20m

The meeting finished with two solid 3^rd place relay performances: the 4x100m squad of Dan Davis, Sam Watts, Omololu Abiodun and Dan Awde clocked 42.14 secs, and the 4x400m team of Musa Audu, (49.4 secs), Mike Baker (49.0 secs ), Sam Watts (48.9secs) and Dan Awde (48.3 secs) recorded 3m15.54 secs.

Although the equal 3^rd placed finish was probably better than even the ever-optimistic team manager Gladys Bird had anticipated from a weakened team, she was left wondering what might have been without the 400m injury, and the 100m disqualification; it may well have meant overall victory.