Tricky start in SAL
A late start to the Southern Athletics League season created a tricky challenge with absences aplenty due to fixture and, in particular, exam clashes on Sunday 22 May. WGEL finished 4th behind Brighton & Hove AC, hosts Croydon and Bexley. Highlights included a double sprint success for Joanne Ryan and welcome winning returns for Denesha Rocastle and Lawrence Davis.
Brighton & Hove entered the match as favourites having finished 5th in the overall league in the 2021 localised SAL format. They were never really threatened throughout the match thanks mainly due to their dominance on the men’s side, with hosts Croydon almost their equal for the women. This left Woodford and Bexley battling for 3rd, with Bexley prevailing mainly thanks to more quality in the men’s track with the positions settled prior to the relays.
Joanne Ryan was the only double A string winner for Woodford, with impressive wins in the 100m (12.69 -1.2m/s) and 200m (25.62). Joanne was backed up by a B-string win in the 200m by Lakhesia Adams Poku, who ran a 26.43PB in her first league fixture. First up on the track, in her debut at the event, was Rhianna Buaku who took 2nd in the 400m hurdles (74.62). Another to run a PB was Rebecca Wilby, 2:23.97 for 3rd in the 800m. In the 1500m, the Woodford pair of Jess Adams and Alicia McArdell set out aggressively but were eventually run-down with Alicia holding on for 2nd overall in 4:58.67 and Jess taking the B string win.
On the field Denesha Rocastle was happy to be back jumping after an injury-troubled 12 months since she won at last year’s opening national league fixture. Her 11.62 triple jump win was the overall best female performance of the match on the SAL performance tables. The next best performance was Simbiyat Sikiru’s hammer win of 45.83, with Abigail Allen taking the B (38.73). Abigail was the team’s top women’s scorer, including winning a tight discus competition in 28.09. Amelia MacDonald won the high jump in 1.50m.
An understrength men’s team struggled to pick up points, particularly on the track with no top 2 finishers. The only A string winner was Lawrence Davis in the long jump with 6.70m. Top scorer Hugh Williams was second in both the SP (12.10SB) and DT (35.24) in addition to winning the B string hammer. Lee Lovelock-Jemmott took 2nd in the javelin in 43.40. With match positions already decided WGEL did not contest the mens relays and were unlucky in the womens 4x100m where the first leg runner tripped on the heel of the second leg resulting in a heavy fall. A storming final leg by Joanne Ryan (~57.0) very nearly took victory in the women’s 4x400m after legs from Rhianna Buaku, Rebecca Wilby and Zahara Malcolm.
A stronger team is likely for the next 3 fixtures, at Chelmsford on Sunday 12 June followed by two home matches, but it will be needed to ensure that relegation isn’t a threat by the end of the season.