Cross Country success for the BRAT Men
A good day out for the BRAT men's Cross Country team yesterday at this year's County Championships. The joint race took place at Warley Woods with results being split between Warwickshire / Worcestershire and Seniors / Masters.
After supporting the BRAT juniors and women in earlier races, 24 BRAT men took to the start line in the final race of the day for a testing 4 lap grassland and woodland course. We were rewarded somewhat unexpectedly with bronze team medals in the Warwickshire senior category behind Coventry Godiva and Leamington (congratulations to Tom Powell, Steve Dunsby, Jon Lundy and Chris Burrows - medals are on the way to you via Richard Carney who collected them at the presentation). Well done also to Kevin Oakes, Rob Dowse, Barry Fallon, Frank Inman and James Wright for pushing those guys all the way round.
Not to be outdone the Masters team of Nick Lewis, Rene Vergo, Toby Close and Iain Squires also took bronze medals in that category behind Leamington and Rugby - again, Richard has your medals. Good work also by Andy Kenchington, Huw Jones, Adam Western, Andy Piddington, Nathan Smith, Paul Cannon, Martin Ludford and Michael Gilbride who kept the pressure on throughout the race.
Simon Lanckham, Ashley Fawke and Damian Cartland also put in solid performances in the Worcsestershire Championships, though we didn't have enough runners finish a team in this category.
Thanks to everyone who turned out for this race, and to the many supporters who came along to cheer our runners.
Overall a very enjoyable and satisfying day for the Club (and for the happy team manager!).
Martin Ludford
OK - I know it's not even Christmas yet and we have only just started the Cross Country Season,
but the Senior Track and Field dates and Fixtures are now out.
So when you get your new diaries here are the dates to fill in
Sunday 6th May at Rugby (previously Sat 5th - thisis a date has changed)
Saturday 2nd June at Tipton (This will be joint hosted by Halesowen and BRAT So if you can't compete
please come and help.)
Saturday 7th July at Abingdon
Saturday 5th August at Stoke
David Lima shines with a fabulous fourth place in 200m semi-finals.
Three BRATs travelled to the Olympic stadium in London for the World
Athletic Championships from August 4th to 11th. Having qualified for the
100m in 10.05s and 200m in 20.30s, David was set to take his place in both
events, whilst Alison Jordan was a track judge and Gordon Ainsley and
athlete steward.
David's quest began on the first day, Friday, in the 100m. His qualifying
time exempted him from the preliminary round and he took to the stage in the
first round proper later in the evening. Alas it was not to be because
nervous tension got the better of him and as a result of a poor start he
finished 7th in his worst time of the season of 10.41s. Speaking to him
afterwards he was very annoyed with himself but realised he tensed up
driving out of the starting blocks.
However now having had the experience of competing at world level he was
better prepared for the 200m heats on Monday. And so it was, because in his
heat he ran his second fastest time ever of 20.54s to finish 5th and qualify
for the semi finals in 22nd place of 24. David's confidence was now
increasing such that he was looking forward to the next round on Wednesday.
Before the semi final of the 200m there was much discussion on whether the
Botswana athlete Isaac Matwala should be allowed to take part having missed
the heats on Monday due to contracting novovirus at the team hotel and was
placed in quarantine for 48hours. This meant he also missed the 400m final
as well and under IAAF rules would not normally be allowed to take any
further part. However on Wednesday morning after much discussion the
decision was reversed and Matwala had to run 200m on his own before the
start of Wednesday's proceedings and try to beat a predetermined qualifying
time. This he duly did. Then more controversy when he was placed in semi
final 1, David's race, rather than semi final 3 as written in the rules.
Anyway 9 athletes lined up for the first semi final, in what can only be
described as an absolutely appalling conditions, with torrential rain, which
hadn't stopped all day. David was left a little in the first 50m and was
last coming into the home straight, but he ran a magnificent second half to
finish 4th in 20.56s, a remendous effort in such awful conditions. This
placed him 13th of the 25 semifinalists.
Gordon had the honour of leading out the athletes carrying the event banner
to the start of both the heats and semi-final. Speaking to David afterwards he was very pleased with his performance and
was content that he had done himself justice. I am sure all in the BRAT club
would like to extend their congratulations to him, the first BRAT ever to
compete in a World Athletics Championships.
by Gordon Ainsley
Over the weekend, Alex Clegg competed in the U20 Decathlon Champs at the Yorkshire Combined Events Championship. This is a report on how the 10 events went by Nigel Clegg.
The Yorkshire Combined Events championships takes place over two days at the Dorthy Hyman track in Cudworth, Barnsley.