YDL upper team 3rd in first match back
The first Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies league match since 2019 saw the under-20 and under-17 team finish third at a sunny Ashton Playing Fields on Sunday 30 May. There were some fine performances in what for most of the team was a first time competing in the UK youth development league upper age group competition, with the events themselves happening in near normal circumstances unlike the severe restrictions that have applied to other competitions since last spring.
A shortened format saw only half the normal events contested in this match, with the other half happening in match 2 (at Mile End on 27 June). Hence a relatively small Woodford team managed to finish ahead of Bexley and the combined Victoria Tower Highgate teams but behind winners Havering and the Basildon Beagles combined team. Basildon Beagles had been due to compete in the premier division having won our division in 2019, but were narrowly beaten by Havering who had been relegated from the premier before the alternative flat regional structure was put into place for 2021 only.
Despite the sunny backdrop, the wind was not favourable for fast times in the short sprints. Sikiru Onigbanjo impressively won the U20M 100metres, but his time of 11.03 was into 2.7 metres per second of wind. Tolani Alaba was more fortunate, running a 10.87PB in the non-scoring race as the wind dropped to -0.6 m/s. Mary John was not the only international in the U20W 200m, but she still won convincingly in 24.6 (hand-timed) despite a -2.9m/s wind. Shona Vincent was comfortable in taking the U17 A race in 25.79 (-0.8). Ashleigh Simmonds improved her PBs over both 200m and 300m to take 3rd in both U17W B races (28.59 -2.1 and 45.8). In the 400m Wren McLean-Jackson won the U20W B race in 64.6 in her first race at the distance, with second-claim Sophie Anderson runner-up in the A race (61.50).
On the field it was a welcome return for Rhys Martin, who took 2nd in the U20 hammer in 44.75 in his first competition since 2018, with Kai Wright taking the B event in a 38.69PB. Kharina Partridge narrowly won the U17W triple jump, in 9.85m (+3.2) for the team’s only A string field win. The lack of competitors was expensive compared to the top 2 teams in the match, though athletes filled in in unfamiliar events, such as Jess Adams in the javelin.
Rhys Edwards, competing second-claim, ran a new PB for the 400m hurdles to take second in 63.63 at the start of the day, while Maisy Silverstone ran her first track race for Woodford in the 1500m. Another competing for the club for the first time was Meisha Trend-Evans, who ran 11:47.67 at 3000m in her track debut to win the U17 race behind second-claim Jessica Norkett’s 10:37.45 as runner-up in the U20W race.
A late drop-out saw Luke Finch, who had earlier thrown the U17 hammer (2nd in 36.10) and discus as well as sort out issues with the photo-finish system, have to step in to the final leg of the U20 4x100m. Unsurprisingly he was unable to hold on to a large lead provided by Sikiru Onigbanjo, Tolani Alaba and Merveilles Massembo, but the team only missed out on 2nd in the final few metres. The U17 team had been almost as busy beforehand, with Jay Russell having had a long jump PB, Christopher Richardson (also 3rd in the discus) and Reuben Fabian barely having recovered from the previous 800m race, with Miles Whitchelo bringing the team home in 3rd despite a baton fumble.
The under 17 women 4x300m team (Shona Vincent, Kharina Partridge, Kirsten Pacey and Zahara Malcolm) finished behind a quality Havering quartet despite getting close to the club best with 2:59.5. Finally the U20W were confident of taking on all-comers in the final 4x400m, but no opposition was forthcoming. The team of Kyra Boyce, Sophie Anderson, Rennay Dobson and Mary John were thus able to run a relaxed 4:06.6 (albeit still faster than a Woodford U20 team has run in over a decade). This first truncated league fixture marks the opening of a busy set of league campaigns, which will be quickly followed by both the YDL lower age group and the new national athletics league next weekend.