UKWL Premier Division Match 2
WGEL’s women’s athletes found the going tough in the second fixture of the UK Women’s League Premier Division at Eton on Saturday. In a very close contest Woodford finished 7th on 155 points – only 22 points from 3rd, as Birchfield comfortably won. Woodford and are now 4th overall in a table which suggests any of the clubs laying in positions 4th to 8th could be relegated in the final fixture at Swansea in 4 weeks time, and a good turn out will re required to ensure Premier Division status is maintained. All the girls rallied round, many doubling and some even doing more events, but in such a tight fixture a couple of gaps in particular, as well as a disqualification were enough to make the difference. From an individual perspective wins over 200m for Joice Maduaka and over 100mH for Sarah Claxton perhaps stood out.
Joice Maduaka’s win in the 200m with 23.24 secs w (+3.7) was a good one against other international opposition, and came after Joice had earlier placed 3rd in the 100m with 11.72 secs (+1.8). Sarah Claxton’s win the 100mH was in a time of 13.34 secs (+1.9), but in the “B” event, Stephanie Gaynor who, like Sarah had made the final of the Olympic Trials the previous weekend, was sadly disqualified for a false start. In the “B” sprint events, Azaria Francis was 5th in the 100m with 12.00 secs w (+3.2), and in the 200m, Katie Skelding was also 5th in 24.54 secs w (+3.9). Katie had earlier placed a good 3rd in the 400m with 57.11 secs, with Katherine Foy 7th in the “B” with 61.72 secs. Katherine had also raced earlier, placing 4th in the “B”800m with 2m25.39 secs, and again showed her great team spirit as she later placed 5th in the 2000m s/ch with 8m39.12 secs. In the “A” 800m, Jess Sparke was 3rd in a competitive race with 2m10.56 secs, whilst over 3000m Lauren Stewart was 6th with 10m26.73 secs and Charlotte Pappiart, 4th with 10m52.9 secs. Charlotte also raced over 1500m, where she was 5th with 5m03.20 secs, with Sidne Sales, 5th in the “B” with 5m12.74 secs. The gaps on the track came in the 400mH where missing the injured Tracey Duncan, and with Nusrat Ceesay, away competing in the African Games, those spots were not able to be filled, and in the “B” pole vault, following an injury to Kirsty McIntosh the previous weekend.
In the long jump, Kitty Eleyae continued her good season as she placed 4th in a high standard event with 6.10m w (+2.1), whereas in the “B”, and filling in for another injured athlete, heptathlete Gemma Weetman, Hannah Frankson was 6th with 5.33m w (+4.1). Hannah later was a good 2nd in the triple jump with 13.11m (+1.8), with Stephanie Aneto also 2nd in the ‘B” with 12.50m (+0.8). the high jump saw Ayamba Akim 6th on count-back with 1.65m, the same as the 3rd placed athlete, and in the “B”, debutant, junior, Chloe Michaud was a good 3rd with 1.55m. in the pole vault, Louise Shortland was 5th with 3.50m. The throws saw all the athletes covering more than one event. In the hammer, and in their primary event, Lucy Marshall was 3rd with 55.22m, and in the “B” Myra Perkins was also 3rd with 53.54m. Lucy was also 8th in the shot with 9.98m, and Myra gained valuable points in the ‘B” discus with 25.000m for 8th and in the “B” javelin with 15.35m for 8th. In the “A” discus, Hollie Redman was 7th with 38.15m, but later 3rd in the javelin with 45.47m and 8th in the ‘B” shot with 9.19m. The 4x100m team of Azaria Francis, Kitty Eleyae , Stephanie Gaynor and Katie Skelding were 6th with 48.72 secs, and the 4x400m team placed 8th.
Full results here.