BAL Premiership - Round Four

Woodford men’s team finished fourth in the final BAL Premiership at Copthall on Saturday, which left them in 3^rd place overall in the League standings. Birchfield who also became champions won on the day with 390 points from Shaftesbury 313, Liverpool 299, Woodford 282, Newham 262, Sheffield 253, and the already relegated Sale and Windsor on 183 and 178. Birchfield won the League with 30.5 points, from Shaftesbury 23.5, Woodford 22, Sheffield 21, Liverpool 18, Newham 18, Sale 7 and Windsor 5. In very warm if sometimes blustery conditions, as always Woodford were very strong on the field, but suffered some bad luck on the track, notably for Jack Lawrie and Jon Cook, but aside from that there were also personal bests for Jack Lawrie, James Bongart and Thalosang Tshireletso.

Photos (by Alex Wardle)

Jack Lawrie’s misfortune came in the first track event of the day the 400m Hurdles, when looking superb and leading by several metres he hit the 8^th hurdle with his lead leg which sent him tumbling to the ground and he was unable to finish. The race was won in 51.04 secs, and Jack had looked certain to significantly revise his own personal best of 50.85 secs. That left Jack incredibly frustrated, but he did make amends of sorts, first by later winning the “B” 110mH (photo above) in a personal best of 14.50 secs (+0.5), and then stepping in for the “B” 400m where he also recorded a personal best, albeit in an event he seldom races of 48.95 secs to place 4^th. Whilst Jack had his misfortune in the “A” 400mH, Ewan Dyer had a good run in the “B” race, where from lane two he ran strongly to win with 52.76 secs, and in the “A” 110mH John McCall placed a good 2^nd into a strong headwind where recorded 14.64 secs (-2.6). John later ran in the “B” 200m where he gained valuable points  also into a strong headwind placing 5^th with 22.38 secs (-1.9).

It was in the field where Woodford laid a solid foundation. In the hammer Andy Frost placed 4^th with 64.77 m, with Peter Clarke picking up useful “B” string points, also 4^th with 50.27m. In the discus Devon Douglas (photo right) got the better of Chris Linque placing 5^th with 44.98m as Chris was 4^th in the “B” with 43.61m. Devon later placed 5^th in the “B” shot, as Youcef Zatat was 3^rd in the “A” with 16.76m. James Bongart’s personal best came in the javelin where he threw over 58m for the first time to place 6^th in the “A” with 58.34m, as Simon Bennett was 2^nd in the “B” with 52.71m.

 It was in his secondary event, the long jump, that Thalosang Tshirelsetso set his personal best, winning the “B” with 7.08m, with Anton Dixon (photo left) placing 3^rd in the “A” with 7.15m. In his main event, the triple jump, Thalosang placed 4^th with 14.94m, as Peter Kirabo won the “B” with 13.86m. The high jump saw Robert Wolski a frustrated 4^th with a clearance of 2.05m, Robert was hoping for better having cleared 2.15m in warm-up. Jack Lochans getting back into jumping seriously again after injury was a good 3^rd in the “B” with 1.95m. Another just getting back into jumping seriously was Dan Gardner in the pole vault where he placed 6rh with 4.60m, with Paul Howard gaining valuable “B” string points with 2.60m for 4^th.

Back on the track it was in the 800m where misfortune struck Jon Cook, where in the 800m when battling for 2^nd place 50m from the line Jon was pushed from behind by the athlete behind him and sent sprawling to the ground. Thankfully Jon was not seriously hurt and jogged over the line for 6^th in 2m01.57 ses. In the “B” Paul Scanlan had a good race and placed 3^rd with 1m56.09 secs. Normally an 800m man, but one with good 400m credentials, Dan Rowden raced over the shorter distance and placed 7^th with 49.67 secs. The 1500m was a tactical affair that rounded off with a 54 secs last lap, Ross Tennnat fared the better of the Woodford athletes over that last lap and placed 6^th with 3m56.40 secs, with James Stockings 4^th in the “B” with 3m59.06 secs. In the 3000m steeplechase, Tomaz Plibersek started off a little more cautiously than usual, and had a better race as a result as he finished strongly to place 4^th with a season’s best of 9m 35.95 secs, and it was pleasing in the “B” to see Ryan McKinlay a little fitter, gaining very good “B” string points with 2^nd in 9m42.51 secs, also a season’s best. The flat 3000m started very quickly, but Tom Phillips wisely held back a little and finished strongly to place 3^rd in 8m29.38 secs, with Bradley Wattleworth in the “B” where having suffered from the early pace rallied strongly to place 4^th in 8m 56.22 secs. In the sprints, Olumide Ogunseitan came into his first ever BAL competition and acquitted himself well, placed 5^th in a good “A” string 100m with 10.96 secs (-0.7) and then 7^th in the 200m with 22.05 secs w (+2.5). In the “B” 100m Omololu Abiodun was 3^rd with 10.98 secs (-1.7)

 The 4x100m team of Abiodun, McCall, Jermaine Hamilton and Ogunseitan had looked likely winners until the final change, but sadly failed to get the baton round. The 4x400m team of Lawrie, McKInlay, Rowden and Tennant placed 6^th with 3m25.05 secs.

 All in all a very solid BAL season for Woodford’s men, and but for better luck in this final fixture, Woodford would have placed 2^nd on the day and 2^nd overall, but nevertheless 3^rd in the highest level of domestic club athletics in the UK is a fine achievement of which all the athletes can be proud, and one upon which team manger Gladys Bird will be hoping to improve next season.