Jul-Sep 09

July 2009		August 2009		September 2009
	27/07/09		31/08/09		28/09/09
	20/07/09		24/08/09		21/09/09
	13/07/09		17/08/09		14/09/09
	6/07/09		10/08/09		7/09/09
			3/08/09

Hundreds of runners are expected to converge on Wimbledon Park athletics stadium on Sunday to compete in the annual Geoff Moulden road race which is being staged for the 49th time.

The race will start on the athletics track at 10am and finish on the track around half-an-hour later. Runners will complete almost 500m on the track before heading for the park gates on Wimbledon Park road and then starting on a circuit which passes the All England tennis club in Church Road, Arthur Road and past St Mary's Church before heading down Home Park Road and back into Wimbledon Park at the Home Park Road entrance.

Entries are being taken on the day at a cost of £15 a head, however bumper prizes will be up for grabs for the leading finishers with £200 going to first man and woman to cross the finishing line at Wimbledon Park track.

Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters will be in action in the Surrey young athletes cross country relays which are being held at Guildford's Stoke Park on Saturday (October 3). The club's men's under 17 squad will be aiming to lift a set of medals.

Teenager Liam White was the best Hercules Wimbledon runner in the South of England road relay championships at Aldershot's Rushmoor Arena in gloriously sunny weather on Sunday. At 16, White was too young to score for the A team but gave further evidence of his talent as he brought the B team home in 34th place on the opening leg clocking 19 minutes 54 seconds for the six kilometres lap. He finished well ahead of A team runner Chris Coles who was 76th in 21:54. Adam Sikora (22:17) slipped to 62nd place on the second leg but managed to keep the B team ahead in this domestic battle as Benjamin Le Grand (21:01) took the A team up to 69th place.

Justin Kelly (21:26) gained another seven places but was still two down on the B team for whom, Belal Aly, in his first race since running in the English national cross country championship in February, clocked 22:08 to hand over in 60th position. Adam Przedrzmirski stormed round the fourth lap in 20:27 to lift the A team into 54th place as Hussein Ahmed Aly (23:05) slipped to 66th place for the B team.

Mike Halman, back to good form after recovering from a back problem, posted the fastest A team time of 20:23 as he moved through to 50th place before teenager Alex Robinson (20:44) gained another seven places on the anchor stage. Another Hercules Wimbledon youngster, Joe Toomey (21:27) gained a further three places for the B team before White ran a second leg in 20:47 gaining another four places.

Former English cross country champion Dave Clarke, now 51, returned to competitive action when he ran the fastest lap for the club's veteran over 40 team. He moved through from 27th to 18th place on the second leg with a time of 20:40 which would have ranked him second fastest in the over 50 category. Stewart Bond (22:57) ran the opening leg for the over 40 team. Frank Wood (24:11) slipped to 20th on the third leg before Peter Lee (21:54) gained two positions on the anchor stage.

Hugh Saxby (23:25) was the fastest member of the veteran over 50 team while Martin Miller (24:53) was fastest of the over 60 team.

Mike Halman beat more than 100 rivals to win the testing Standstead Slog Hilly Trail half-marathon in Hampshire in 1:19:45. Clubmate Rory McMahon was seventh in 1:29:31. Martin Miller was top over 60 finisher in the eight miles race.

Hercules Wimbledon runners were prominent in the parkruns on Saturday. Alex Robinson was third out of 550 runners at Bushy Park, James Garnier fourth out of more than 150 competitors on Wimbledon Common and Barry White seventh in the Roundshaw Downs event.

The annual Geoff Moulden road race, being staged for the 49th time on Sunday, October 4 from Wimbledon Park Athletics Stadium, takes on a new look this year with the distance being reduced from 10 miles to 10 kilometres.

It will, as usual, start and finish on the track, but, the course will be different and will be very similar to the Barry Jones five miles staged in the Spring. The event is organised by Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club and while postal entries closed at the beginning of this week, entries costing £15 a time will be accepted on the day. However, there will be prizes for the first eight male and female finishers, veteran category winners and the leading teams.

More information is available on the race website; www.wimbledonten.co.uk. The race starts at 10am.

Hercules Wimbledon's senior men's team found it tough going in the British Athletics League qualifier at Tilsley Park, Abingdon, on Saturday and narrowly failed to make it in their bid to return to the national league after a tense six hour contest.

However, four of the team rose to the challenge with lifetime best performances. Surrey senior men's 200m bronze medallist Dwayne Dowding led the way with two storming runs in the 100 and 200m where he took runners-up spot in 11.12 and 21.78 seconds. He sliced two-hundredths of a second of his 200m previous best set in a Southern Men's League match at Lee Valley in June and was just outside his 100m lifetime best of 11.0 in the shorter sprint.

Teenager Andrew Penney smashed his previous best for 1500m where he took more than three seconds off his personal record of 4:07.2 set at Bracknell last month with a time of 4:04.12 but, in a tough race he could only finish in fourth spot.

In his first race over the distance this season, Lance Power, who has been turning out in the pole vault and 3000m steeplechase, posted a lifetime best in the 800m of 2:04.43 while Kieran White battled to a personal best 5000m time of 15:44.04 taking more than four seconds off his previous best of 15:48.2, set at Bracknell last month. But, it was tough as he could only finish sixth in his race.

Adam Przedrzymirski was just outside his personal best in taking second spot in the B race in 15:52.06.

Hurdlers Austin Ferns and Steve Davies showed fine form taking second place in the 110m hurdles A and B races in 15.48 and 16.45. They were also fourth and third, respectively in the 400m hurdles A and B races. Davies was also fourth in the high jump B where Ove Lindekliev was fourth in the A string with 1.85m. Lindekliev was also second in the shot and discus with 13.19 and 38.95m with Per Nystrom taking third in the shot B event.

Liam White was third in the 1500m B race and Jimmy Seruchera fourth in the triple jump B.

Veteran Peter Lee finished 452nd out of almost 28000 runners in the Berlin marathon on Sunday in 2:49:49 while Masumi Dobson set a club women's over 40 veterans record of 3:35:30 in finishing 419th out of more than 7000 runners in the women's race.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon are sending teams to the South of England road relays at Aldershot on Saturday and Sunday and on Saturday they open their cross country programme when they are in action an inter-club five miles match in Richmond Park starting near Sheen Gate at 2pm.

Adam Sikora was third in the London Tree-Athlon five kilometres event in Battersea Park on Saturday in 18:00 while Stuart Fraser, Andrew Davies, Matthew Sharp and veteran Steve Sinnott were second, fourth, fifth and seventh out of 162 finishers in the Wimbledon Common parkrun.

Hercules Wimbledon's senior men's team will battle to return to the prestigious British Athletcis League after a 16 year gap when they compete in the qualifying match at Tilsley Park, Abingdon, on Saturday.

The squad survived the first hurdle to get into the match when they finished in the top eight out of the 15 teams that applied in a paper match for the qualifier. After the best track and field season for a decade - they finished fifth in the Southern Men's League's top division after being promoted from Division Two last season - the athletes now face their biggest challenge of the season and they need to finish in the top eight to qualify for the British League in 2010.

Hercules Wimbledon have been in the British League twice before - in 1972 and 1973 and from 1987 to 1993 rising to Division Three in 1991.

"I was always confident we would get through the paper match as we have a much stronger team this year than in 2008," said club chairman Fred Green. "We are obviously hoping to make the top two on Saturday but we are under no illusion it will be a very tough match. However, our spirits are high and all the athletes in the team are up for the challenge."

Teenager Liam White, who is a key member of the Abingdon squad, had a fine run in the BUPA Greater London Run five kilometres road race in Regents Park on Sunday where he was 17th out of more than 1700 runners in 16 minutes 12 seconds.

Several of the endurance athletes who will be carrying Hercules Wimbledon's hopes at Abingdon, gave their confidence a big boost when they helped the club take the bronze medals in the Surrey senior men's road relay championship at Wimbledon Park last Saturday. The team was in a medal-winning position on all six stages with Adam Przedrzmirski taking them into the lead on the third leg. His time of 15:11 was the eighth fastest of the day.

Teenager Alex Robinson (15:23) brought the team in third on the opening leg with 18-year-old Andrew Penney (15:12) lifting the team into second spot. Team manager Chris Coles (16:22), filling in at the last minute, held onto a bronze medal placing before Justin Kelly (15:50) and the youngest member of the squad, Geordie Logan (16:19) secured the medal-winning effort.

The club's veterans team of Peter Clarke (17:25), Stewart Bond (17:49), Peter Lee (16:27) and Stuart Fraser (16:37) also secured bronze medals in their category. The over 50 team of Stu Littlewood (19:16), Fred Green (22:05), Martin Miller (19:43) and Steve Badgery (18:40) finished eighth.

The senior women's team of Michaela Knespl (19:54), Steph Robson (17:46) clocking the 10th best time of the day in moving through from 12th to sixth place, Rosemary Fernando (20:41) and Estle Viljoen (18:53) finished just outside the medals in fifth spot.

Viljoen's run came a week after she took the silver medal in UK Athletics 10km road walking championship at Leicester in 54:11. She also took the gold medal in the British Masters Championship which was decided in conjunction with the event.

At the other end of the age scale, Hercules Wimbledon's 12-year-old Eleanor Smith-Hahn completed a hectic weekend by taking the bronze medal in the Surrey girls under 13 pentathlon championship at Horsham on Sunday. She was just 18 points off the silver medal position as she took third place with 1976 points. The best of her five individual efforts came in the final event, the 800m, which she won by more than five seconds in 2:40.75.

It was the turn of mother Ann Martin to grab the spotlight at Wimbledon Park in Hercules Wimbledon's final Southern Women's League match of the season on Saturday with two club record-breaking throwing efforts.

In the absence of her daughter Emily, the Surrey senior women's long jump bronze medallist, who was on holiday, Ann kept her family's name in the limelight with two over 45 record-breaking throws in the senior women's hammer and shot.

Overall, Hercules Wimbledon produced one of their best women's team performances and turn outs of the season with more than a dozen athletes from the club in action. There were some winners too!

Jowita Miesziowska achieved a double success taking the girls under 15 200m in a lifetime best of 29.3 seconds after winning the 100m B race in 14.0. She was also second in the high jump in another personal best of 1.38m.

Rebecca Stone took the girls under 15 1500m in 5:38.8 with Emma Headley taking second place in the B race with Stone showing her versatility by also finishing third in the long jump with a personal best of 3.81m and third in the 200m B race B race.

Georgia Haigh and Nicola Craig won the senior 800 and 1500m B races with marathon runner Claire Grima taking second place in the 800, 1500 and 3000m A races. Caroline Hicks was another winner taking the 3000m B race.

Other senior athletes in action were Olivia Archdeacon and Hannah Long who were second and third in the discus A and B events.

Dalia Serafy was runner-up in the under 15 100m with Maire Gilmartin third in the under 15 800m, second in the high jump B and third in the discus. Serafy was also third in the shot. Rebecca Dinsdale was second in the 75m hurdles and fourth in the javelin. Dinsdale then linked up with Gilmartin, Stone and Miesziowska to help the sprint relay team to third place.

Despite suffering from a partly dislocated shoulder and a chest infection, Hercules Wimbledon's Aaron Mason raced to a lifetime best of 56.67 in winning the 400m hurdles at an open meeting at Peterborough.

Teenager Liam White continued his impressive season by winning the UK School Games 1500m at Cardiff in 4:00.84. At the other end of the age scale over 60 veteran Dennis Williams posted his 100th parkrun appearance when he finished 103rd out of 153finishers in the Wimbledon Common event. Jonathan O'Halloran beat his dad Martin in the Roundshaw Park parkrun finishing fourth out of more than 50 runners with dad Martin finishing in 10th place.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon host the Surrey County road relay championships at their Wimbledon Park track on Saturday. All races for seniors and veterans, men and women, are starting at 12 noon and take in a two mile loop which passes the All England Tennis Club in Church Road, runs through Arthur Road and Home Park Road and through the park from the Home Park Road entrance to the Wimbledon Park Road one. Around 100 teams are expected to take part.

Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters will be in action in the Lily B League finals at Ewell Court on Saturday.

Hercules Wimbledon teenager Liam White answered an SOS call from Surrey team manager Maureen Jones to compete for the county team in the South of England under 20 inter-counties championship at Woodside Stadium, Watford on Sunday.

At 16, White was the youngest runner in the 10-strong field but still managed to battle through to finish a solid third in 4 minutes 1.73 seconds to help Surrey to second team place.

It was his second appearance at Watford in three days. After a nightmare journey to the British Milers' Club meeting at the same track last Wednesday evening, White managed to produce a lift-time best 3000m performance just two hours after competing in the 1500m.

After battling through heavy traffic to the track, with the journey taking double the estimated time, White arrived with just half-an-hour to warm up for the 1500m. He ran in the race but performed modestly, finishing 10th in 4 minutes 6.37 seconds, well outside his best time for the distance of 3:57.98 in the South of England junior championships also at Watford in June. He finished just behind his older Hercules Wimbledon clubmate, Alex Bruce-Littlewood, who was ninth in 4:01.16.
Littlewood, like White, had also endured a marathon journey to Watford, also arriving late for the 1500m and they then both decided to run in the 3000m. White turned the tables on Bruce-Littlewood, finishing seventh in 8:50.84, a surprise personal best following his disrupted evening, smashing his previous best time of 8:59.51, set at Watford in July.. Bruce-Littlewood was 11th in 8:59.84, some way off his personal best of 8:40.58 set at Watford in July.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club are facing a busy month starting this weekend when they host their final Southern Women's League match at Wimbledon Park.

The match starts at 12.15pm with the senior hammer followed by the senior long jump at 12.30pm. The opening track event, the under 17 300m hurdles is due off at 1.30pm followed by the senior 400m hurdles. There is then non-stop action until the final track event, the senior 4x400m relay which is scheduled for 5pm.

The following Saturday, Hercules Wimbledon host the Surrey County road relay championships at Wimbledon Park with all races for seniors and veterans, men and women, starting at 12 noon and taking in a two mile loop which passes the All England Tennis Club in Church Road, runs through Arthur Road and Home Park Road and through the park from the Home Park Road entrance to the Wimbledon Park Road one. Around 100 teams are expected to take part.

After their most successful summer track season for more than a decade, the club's senior men's team was still waiting to hear whether they had been successful in their application to compete in the British Athletics League qualifier at Tilsley Park, Abingdon, on Saturday, September 19. Hercules Wimbledon are hopeful of making the match after finishing a strong fifth in Division One of the Southern Men's League. A total of eight teams will contest the qualifier with the top two going into Division Four of the British League in 2010.

If Hercules Wimbledon succeed, it would be the third time in the history of the club that they have competed in the national league. Hercules Wimbledon first qualified in 1972 but were eliminated after the 1973 season. The second stint lasted rather longer from 1987 to 1993.

On the first Sunday in October, Hercules Wimbledon are staging the annual Geoff Moulden road race which this year is being staged over a new course with the distance being reduced to 10km from 10 miles.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club president David Littlewood enjoyed a grandstand seat at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Littlewood, one of Britain's top athletics officials, who has officiated at all but two of the World Championships until this year, found himself able to watch all the action as one of three international delegates to the IAAF Congress and attended the championships as a guest.

Littlewood, who represents Great Britain on the technical committee of the IAAF, has officiated at every World Championships apart from the inaugural one in Helsinki in 1983 and the one staged in Japan in 1991. "I felt I ought to be doing something," he said. "It's very unusual for me just to be able to watch a meeting from the stands." With his keen eye, Littlewood was obviously on the look out for blunders by the German officials. "I don't understand why they failed to put out cones for the men's 10000m. There was some outstanding athletics in Berlin and the British team did surprisingly well."

While he managed to tour the German capital during the championships there was no time to dawdle once the meeting ended on Sunday night. He returned to his New Malden home that evening and was enjoying a few days in the UK before flying off to Zurich for the Weltklasse IAAF Golden League meeting on Friday night (August 28) before dashing back to the UK to officiate at the British Grand Prix meeting in Gateshead on Bank Holiday Monday.
Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon teenager Liam White continued his outstanding season with a club record-breaking performance in a British Milers' Club meeting at Sutcliffe Park, Eltham. He finished third his 800m race in 1 minute 57.39 seconds to erase the club's men's under 17 record of 1:57.5 set by Mike Dann back in 1984, eight years before White was born. White also took half-a-second off his previous best time set a few weeks earlier when he won the 800m at the Rosenheim League final at Kingsmeadow Stadium.

This is the second club record to have been broken by White this season. Earlier he set a new club men's under 17 1500m record of 3:57.98. His 1500m time ranks him seventh for his age group in the UK this summer and White has been selected to compete in next month's UK School Games in Cardiff.

White's Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Alex Bruce-Littlewood was fractionally slower when he finished fourth in a slightly faster race at Eltham in 1: 57.67. Sprinter Dwayne Dowding showed winning form at an open meeting in Bromley when he took his 100m race in 11.25. At the same meeting Emily Martin finished third in her 100m race in 12.73.

At the other end of the age range, Hercules Wimbledon's Anna Garnier broke the club's women's veterans over 50 1500m record when she finished runner-up in the event representing Veterans AC in the British Masters Inter Area match at Solihull. She clocked 5:22.8. It adds to the over 50 record she set in a Rosenheim League match at Tooting Bec last July.

Hercules Wimbledon runners dominated the weekly Wimbledon Common parkrun on Saturday with five of the club's runners finishing in the top 10 led home by winner Adam Vandenberg who clocked 16:47. Alex Robinson was fourth in the record 172-strong field in 17:20 with Rory McMahon sixth in 17:46, Chris Coles ninth in 17:57 and Darren Meredith 10th in 18:13. Newcomer Adam Sikora was 20th in 19:19. Veteran Peter Lee was 13th out of more than 500 runners in the Bushy Park parkrun in 17:28. He was second veteran to finish slicing four seconds off his previous best time for the course.

Hercules Wimbledon's walking international Estle Viljoen showed winning form for Surrey in an eight-sided women's inter-counties match at Chelmsford.

Viljoen, 38, the Surrey women's 3000m track walking champion, bounced back from being disqualified in the UK Championships women's 5000m walking event in Birmingham a month earlier with a narrow victory in 15 minutes 27.24 seconds finishing almost six seconds ahead of the runner-up. She was one of five Surrey winners and her performance helped Surrey finish third in the match.

Hercules Wimbledon teenagers Liam White and Jonathan Osbourne continued their impressive summers by posting lifetime best performances in the Rosenheim League final at Tooting Bec.

White, 16, chopped more than a second off his previous best time as he stormed to victory in the two lap race in 1:58.0 but narrowly failed in his bid to break the long-standing club 800m record of 1:57.5 set by Mike Dann in 1984. Only Dann has ever run faster among Hercules Wimbledon under 17 runners. White's previous best time of 1:59.31 was achieved when winning the bronze medal in the Surrey championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium.

Earlier this season, White, the English schools 1500m intermediate boys bronze medallist, smashed broke the club's 1500m men's under 17 record of 4:02.0 by Nick Watt in 1983 when he clocked 3:57.98 in the South of England championships at Crystal Palace in June. He also clocked the second best-ever 3000m time achieved by a Hercules Wimbledon under 17-year-old when he clocked 8:59.51 at an open meeting at Watford last month.

Osbourne, 15, the Surrey schools 100m bronze medallist, continued his impressive showing over 400m when he clocked 51.0 in finishing second in the 400m at Tooting Bec. His time chopped a whole second off his previous best time for the distance and lifts him to fifth on the club all-time list for the event. The club record of 50.1 was set by Tony Collins more than 40 years ago in 1966.

Back in action after recovering from a bout of swine flu Alex Bruce-Littlewood sprinted home to win the 1500m in 4:10.5 while Adam Przedrzymirski was third in the 3000m in 9:01.1.

Twenty years after he posted his first victory in the Crooklog five kilometres road race, Hercules Wimbledon's Stu Littlewood is still posting wins in the event. He took the August race in 20:40, exactly four minutes slower than he managed in October 1989.

Three days after his Rosenheim league victory, White was again in winning form when he beat a 150-strong field to win the Wimbledon Common five kilometres parkrun on Saturday morning in 16:17. He won by 50 seconds slicing seven seconds off his previous best time for the course. Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Rory McMahon, who won a non-scoring 3000m at the Rosenheim League, was fifth in 17:32 ahead of David Grima who equalled his best time of 18:23 in finishing ninth.

His wife, Claire, was second woman finishing 17th overall in 18:49.Hercules Wimbledon's Pete Giles came close to winning the men's over 60's title in the Surrey five kilometres road running championships at West Wimbledon on Sunday. Giles was 75th out of almost 200 runners in 19:22. He was just 10 seconds behind the age group winner. Maurice Sharp was fifth in the age category in 21:26.

Former marathon international Steve Badgery posted the top age-graded performance in the Bushy Park parkrun on Saturday morning. Badgery was top over 60 finisher as he took 37th place out of more than 500 runners in 19:10. He also all but three of the over 40 veterans and all but one of the over 45 and over 50 veterans. First Hercules Wimbledon runner over the line was Matthew Sharp who finished 21st in 18:21 making his debut appearance in the event.

Hercules Wimbledon supervet Geoff Walcott returned with two gold medals from the World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland.

Dogged by injury since he last competed at a meeting at Kingsmeadow Stadium in May last year, Walcott, 57, help the British quartets to gold medals in both the over 55 4x100 and 4x400m relays. He ran the second stage in both finals to clinch two team golds.

Earlier, Walcott reached the final of the over 55 400m after finishing third in his heat in 59.85 seconds. He went faster in the final where he finished fifth in 58.78.

Meanwhile, teenager Liam White had a roller-coaster experience at the England Athletics age group championships at Bedford. White, 16, looked set to clinch a medal in the final after taking second place in his heat in 4:01.92, the second fastest time of the 12 qualifiers.

Running his second metric mile in 24 hours, White looked well placed in third place in the final with 800m to go. However, when one of the other runners made a break, the Hercules Wimbledon youngster tried to go with him but he explained : "There was nothing in my legs. I just went back and everyone passed me."

Two Hercules Wimbledon youngsters were in action for Surrey in a senior inter-counties match at Chelmsford on Sunday. Three days after his 16th birthday, Geordie Logan, one of the youngest competitors in the match, took fourth place in the 3000m steeplechase B race in 10:37.16.

Surrey 200m bronze medallist Dwayne Dowding stepped up a distance to 400m and took second place in the B race in a season's best of 49.80. The pair helped Surrey finish runners-up in the match behind hosts Essex.

Hercules Wimbledon runners won both the Wimbledon Common and Bushy Park parkruns on Saturday morning.

Teenager Alex Robinson took almost a minute off his previous best time as he led in a 150-strong field on Wimbledon Common in 16:50. Robinson, 18, took 53 seconds off his previous best time for the course. Andrew Davies was fifth in 17:57, Darren Meredith ninth in 18:37 and veteran Frank Wood 26th in 19:40.

James Trapmore headed home a near 500-strong field to win the Bushy Park parkrun in 15:58. Former marathon international Steve Badgery, now 61, posted the top-age graded performance in finishing 30th in 18:54.

Hercules Wimbledon's Pete Giles came close to winning the men's over 60's title in the Surrey five kilometres road running championships at West Wimbledon on Sunday. Giles was 75th out of almost 200 runners in 19:22. He was just 10 seconds behind the age group winner. Maurice Sharp was fifth in the age category in 21:26.

Hugh Saxby was third in the over 50 section in 18:37. Best Hercules Wimbledon runner on the day was Adam Vandenberg who finished ninth in the Surrey championship in 16:44. Neil Aitken was 15th in 16:47 and Phil Glynn 26th in 17:09.

Also on the road, Kieran White finished fourth out of more than 200 runners in Mota-vation Summer four miles race at Chipping Norton ion 22:18, less than a minute behind the winner.

Three Hercules Wimbledon youngsters helped Surrey to am impressive team victory in the annual men's under 17 inter-counties match at Crawley on Sunday.

English schools 1500m bronze medallist Liam White stepped up a distance and dominated the 3000m race to win comfortably in 9 minutes 2.46 seconds, just outside his lifetime best set earlier this season. His Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Joe Toomey was leading the B race for much of the way before fading slightly in the closing stages to finish in second place 9:24.35.

Then, Jonathan Osbourne, the youngest member of the trio at 15, ran a storming opening leg in the final event of the match, the 4x400m relay, clocking 51.4 to hand over in the lead and set up an impressive relay victory for Surrey.

Hercules Wimbledon will be putting in an application to compete in the British Athletics League qualifier at Abingdon next month after completing their Southern Men's League programme. In their first season back in the top division for a decade the club finished a good fifth out of the 25 teams.

The team encountered bad luck in their final match staged under leaden skies at Bracknell. Team captain Steve Davies was leading in his sprint hurdles race when he went sprawling at the fourth flight but gamely picked himself up off the ground to complete the race and gain a valuable point. In the other hurdles race, Olly Stogdale, who clocked a lifetime best of 14.8 when winning at Lee Valley, lost his stride pattern at the fourth flight and just couldn't get back into his rhythm also trailing home in last place.

Earlier Davies took second place in the 400m hurdles B race with Aaron Mason taking runners-up spot in the A race in 58.0.

On a day when wins were hard to come by Surrey long jump silver medallist Royden John was the only A string winner leaping 6.80m. Surrey 200m bronze medallist Dwayne Dowding, hampered by cramp and muscle problems after finishing third in the 100m in 11.2 won the 400m B race with Adam Przedrzymirski, in his first track race since 2006, taking the 5000m B race and John Brown winning the shot B.

Teenager Andrew Penney raced to a personal best of 4:07.2 in finishing second in the 1500m with Kieran White taking runners-up spot in the B race after earlier finishing third in the 5000m A race.

Rory McMahon and Lance Power had their own private battle in the 3000m steeplechase which McMahon won by just one second as they sprinted for the line. They were second in the A and B string events, respectively. Deon Coetzee was second in the high jump B event and Simon Cook was second in the hammer B.

Surrey junior 200m bronze medallist Richard Agyepong was third in both the 100m B and 200m A races in 11.4 and 22.8 with Richard Vanderpuijie taking third in the 800m and 400m B races. Justin Kelly was third in the 800m B race.

Former marathon international Steve Badgery was the first veteran over 60 in the annual Wedding Day seven kilometres road race in Bushy Park finishing 55th out of more than 550 runners in 27:12. Anna Garnier was fourth woman veteran over 45 in 28:51. The next day, Badgery was top over 60 finisher in the Bushy Park parkrun in 20:02.

Andrew Davies and Mathew Sharp were fifth and seventh in the Wimbledon Common parkrun in 18:03 and 18:34, respectively, while Barry White was eighth in the Roundhaw Park parkrun in 19:53.

Hercules Wimbledon are contesting the Rosenheim League final at Kingsmeadow Stadium next Wednesday evening (August 12), starting at 6.45pm.

Hercules Wimbledon boys under 17 squad dominated their final UK Young Athletes League match at Sutton Arena on Sunday winning 17 of the 36 events and finishing runners-up in a further six.

Nathan Safo-Barnieh gained a sprint double in the 100 and 200m in 11.3 and 23.4 second while clubmates Jonathan Osbourne and Kyran-Mitchell took the B races in 11.4 and 23.6. Liam White, who just missed out on making England's team for the schools international in Antrim after finishing third in the intermediate boys 1500m event, also gained a double success in the 1500m (4:39.6) and 3000m (10:07.6) with Joe Toomey taking the two B races in 4:43.0 and 10:16.4.

Toomey completed a hat-trick of wins in taking the steeplechase B race with Geordie Logan winning the A event in 4:57.6. White was also second in the 400m hurdles with Ed Saywell winning the B race. Saywell also posted a hat-trick of wins taking the 400 and 800m B races.

Chima Odum was runner-up in both the triple jump, with a personal best of 12.11m, and discus. Logan won the triple jump B event with Osbourne taking second place in the long jump B and Jose Costa finishing runner-up in the javelin and fourth in the 400m A race.

Matt Francis was runner-up in the 100m hurdles. Hercules Wimbledon also won the boys under 17 4x100 and 4x400m relays.

Best boys under 15 athlete was Tim Livingstone who won both the 1500m A and 400m B races. His brother Oliver won the under 13 1500m. Jonathan Dench was second in the hurdles B race.

Only winner among the girls events was Surrey girls under 13 1500m champion Eleanor Smith-Hahn who took the girls under 13 long jump. She was also third in the 75m while Rebecca Dinsdale was runner-up in the 70m hurdles B race.

Sharon Obayuwana was third in the girls under 17 100m and shot and fourth in the discus. Jowita Mieszkowska was third in the girls under 15 high jump and long jump with Olivia Hogan fourth in the long jump B.

Kieran White won the 1500m at an open meeting at Tooting Bec on Saturday while Gervase King set a Hercules Wimbledon veterans record in finishing runner-up out of almost 250 runners in the Self Transcendence 10km road race in Battersea Park earlier in the day in 33:52.

Veteran John Webster celebrated his 70th birthday at the end of last month with a hat-trick of over 70 record in Hercules Wimbledon's final Southern Veterans League Mid-London Division match at Battersea Park. He set new club records in winning the javelin with 26.82m, finishing third in the hammer and fourth in the long jump. At the same meeting Carmelina Hancock set a women's over 55 veterans record in finishing runner-up in the long jump.

Hercules Wimbledon's Aaron Mason showed his best form of the season in the Birmingham Games in the Midlands on Sunday. He clocked 57.54 in his heat and was slightly slower with 58.40 in finishing fifth in the final.

Hercules Wimbledon's Claire Grima was first woman in the Wimbledon Common parkrun on Saturday in 19:00. She finished just behind husband David who clocked the same time in finishing 16th out of more than 120 runners. Jon Fairs and Andrew Davies were fourth and fifth in 17:38 and 18:11 with Anna Garnier second woman in 20:40.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon take part in their final Southern Women's League match at Uxbridge on Saturday.

Hercules Wimbledon teenager Liam White ran one of the best races of his blossoming athletics career to take a bronze medal in the English schools track and field championships at Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield, on Saturday.

White, 16, was less than two seconds behind the gold medallist in a sprint for the line in the intermediate boys 1500m final in which he clocked 4 minutes 2.96 seconds. The Hercules Wimbledon runner qualified for the final by finishing second in his heat on Friday in 4:08.56.

He was one of several key athletes missing from the team which was in action at Woking on Saturday in the fifth of this season's Southern Men's League matches. Some of the substitutes performed beyond expectation and in a tight battle for the places the Hercules Wimbledon squad finished a close third to retain their third overall place in the 25 team Division One table.

All-rounder Ove Lindekleiv proved invaluable to the team effort competing in six individual events, winning the high jump with 1,90m and taking second place in the pole vault (3.60m), shot (14.91m) and discus (41.78m) and third in the javelin (50.67m) and high hurdles (15.7) where he went sprawling as he lunged for the finishing line in a bid to get second place.

Lance Power was another to perform above expectation taking second spot in the 400m hurdles in his first race over the distance for more than a decade and sprinting past two of his rivals in the final 20m. Power was also second in the steeplechase B race and third in the 400m B race.

In a tough match winners were hard to come by but brothers Nnamdi and Chima Odum were first and second in the triple jump A and B competitions with Nnamdi producing a season's best of 13.69m and veteran Royden John won the long jump with 6.63m and was third in the 100m B and high jump B.

Justin Miller was second in the javelin B, Richard`Xerri amd Mike Halman second in the 5000m A and B races, Dominic Getting second in the pole vault B with a season's best of 3m and Mel Mitchell second in the 200m B race. Chima Odum and John Brown were third in the shot and discus B, Richard Vanderpuije third in the 800m, Steve Hadley third in the sprint hurdles B race and Rory McMahon third in the 3000m steeplechase A race.

Match result: 1 City of Portsmouth 130; 2 Newham and Essex Beagles 114; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 111; 4 Kent AC 108; 5 Woking 62.

Leading Division One standings after five matches: 1 City of Portsmouth 24 (645 match points); 2 Victoria Park and Tower Hamlets 24 (640); 3 Hercules Wimbledon 22 (596.5); 4 Nene Valley 21 (606.5); 5 Reading 21 (586.5); 6 Enfield and Haringey 18 (580.5).

James Trapmore was Hercules Wimbledon's only winner in the fifth of this season's Rosenheim League East Division matches at Tooting Bec last Wednesday evening. He won the 800m in 2:00.8 and was also second in both the 1500 and 3000m in 4:11.3 and 9:09.3, before running the second leg of the 4x200m relay team which finished second. Other members of the quartet were Richard Vanderpuije, Chima Odum and Geordie Logan.

Vanderpuije also won the non-scoring 800m race in 2:05.1. Nnamdi Odum was second in the triple jump with 13.02m and Justin Miller third in the javelin with 42.29m.

Match result: 1 Belgrave 73; 2 Herne Hill 64; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 49; 4 Serpentine 41; 5 Croydon Harriers 40; 6 Striders of Croydopn 27; 7 South London Harriers 22.

Standings after five matches: 1 Belgrave 33; 2 Herne Hill 29.5; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 21; 4 Serpentine 20; 5 Croydon Harriers 18.5; 6 Striders of Croydon 12.5; 7 South London Harriers 5.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters are in action in their fourth National Young Athletes match of the season at Sutton Arena on Sunday starting at 11.45am. Next Wednesday, Hercules Wimbledon's seniors are in action in their final Rosenheim League East Division match at Battersea Park starting at 6.45pm.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's talented teenage middle-distance runner Liam White warmed up for this weekend's English schools track and field championships at Sheffield with a lifetime best 3000m performance at an open meeting at Watford.

White, 16, will be competing in the intermediate boys 1500m, the distance at which he holds the London schools title, at Sheffield. He took more than a second off his previous best 3000m time when he clocked 8 minutes 59.51 seconds.

Hercules Wimbledon's race walking international Estle Viljoen warmed up for this weekend's UK Championships in Birmingham by finishing third in the Interland Masters International 3000m track walk in Compiegne, France, in 15:15.00.

Viljoen, a teacher at Haslemere Primary School, Mitcham, was delighted with her performance as it was almost half-a-minute faster than she clocked in winning the Surrey title at Kingsmeadow Stadium in May. It was also 17 seconds faster than she managed in finishing second in the same international event last year.

Viljoen races over 5000m in Birmingham. "I'm really delighted to have been invited to compete at Birmingham," said Viljoen, who celebrates her 39th birthday this week.

Fresh from his victory in the Independent Schools Championships, Joel Atkin posted two personal bests in the Ebbisham League match at Sutton Arena on Sunday. Atkin was second in the boys under 13 80m hurdles in 13.6 and runner-up in the long jump with 4.33m. Alex Bond contested three events finishing third in the under 13 discus with a personal of 8.80m and taking fourth spot in the 1500m and javelin.

Hercules Wimbledon's Adam Przedrzymirski continued his return to fitness after injury by finishing second out of almost 500 runners in the Bushy Park parkrun on Saturday in 16:30, just nine seconds behind the event winner. His time took five seconds off his previous best for the course set last month. Over 60 veteran Steve Badgery posted the top age graded performance in winning his category finishing 44th in 19:27.

Over on Wimbledon Common, Jon Fairs was also runner-up in the parkrun in 17:35 with over 55 veteran Hugh Saxby posting the top age-graded performance in finishing eighth in 18:07. Over 50 veteran Simon Ingall was 24th in 19:58.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon, in addition to having athletes in action in the English Schools Championships at Sheffield and UK Championships at Birmingham, contest their fifth Southern Men's League Division One match at Sheerwater, Woking, on Saturday. The match starts at 12.30pm with the hammer. The first track event, the 400m hurdles, is at 2.15pm. On Monday, Hercules Wimbledon compete in their final Southern Veterans League Mid-London Division match at Battersea Park, starting at 6.30pm.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club - NEWS