Newsletter January 2004

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January 2004

HW TEENAGE TRIO IN UK RANKINGS
Three of Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's most talented youngsters have been highly placed in the UK age group rankings for 2003, Tom Pollak reports.

Heading the trio is 15-year-old Emily Martin, who crowned her season by taking the bronze medal in the AAA girls under 15 long jump championship at Sheffield in August. Earlier she gained a hat-trick of titles at the Surrey County Champioinships in May where she won the 100 and 200 metres and long jump gold medals and also won the London Schools junior girls long jump title in June where she also took the silver medal in the 100 metres.

During the year she also won the South of England girls under 15 long jump title at Watford. Now, her best long jump effort of the summer, 5.57 metres, ranks her fourth in the country in her age group. It represented a hefty improvement on her previous best before this year of just 5.15 metres.

Ike Mba, who gained a surprise win in the men's under 17 long jump championship at the AAA age group championships at Sheffield in August is ranked ninth in that event with a leap of 6.79 metres. That was the distance he achieved with his final leap of the competition to take the gold medal at Sheffield. He triumphed in the long jump after posting a disappointing performance in what he thought was his main event, the triple jump. He failed to reach the final of that event.

He best triple jump achievement came at the Surrey Schools Championships in June where he clinched the gold medal with his final attempt. But, his best triple jump effort of the summer, 13.48 metres, ranks him 20th in the country.

Jade Lally was another Hercules Wimbledon athlete to show an impressive improvement during 2003. She won the Surrey Schools intermediate girls discus title in June with 31.11 metres and just failed to make the Surrey

team for the English Schools Championships. But, in august, she reached the final of the AAA women's under 17 discus event in her first appearance at a national championship and ended the season with a best throw of 37.22 metres to rank 12th in the country for her age group.

ANOTHER CLASS RACE WALK BY ESTLE
Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Clubs ace woman race walker, Estle Viljoen, followed up her superb victory in the All African womens 20 kilometres road walking championship in Nigeria with another medal-winning effort in the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad, India, Tom Pollak reports.

She took the bronze medal in the womens 10000m track walk in 52min 1.30sec behind Algerias Bahie Bassad (51min 23.70sec) and Indias Jasmine Kaur (51min 36.60sec).

There is no doubt Estle, 32, has had plenty to tell her pupils at Mitcham's Haslemere Primary School, where she is a form teacher, about her international walking exploits.

Ex-SAS soldier aims to be fittest man in world, from the Wimbledon Guardian
An ex-SAS soldier is planning to become the world's fittest man by breaking at least 124 endurance world records.

As part of his bid fitness trainer Mike Buss, a member of Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club. aims to spend four days encased in ice.

The 29-year-old will also travel to the Nevada desert, where he will run 100 marathons over 100 consecutive days - carrying a 60lb pack on his back.

The idea for the exhausting challenge emerged when Buss read about the title of World's Fittest Man in a magazine. "I was discharged from the army a few years ago over a medical problem with my hearing, and to be honest I haven't enjoyed civvy street," he said.

"I've always been into pushing the human body as far as it can go, so when I saw that there was a title of World's Fittest Man I just had to go for it."

Buss, who has already run 44 marathons and competed in numerous iron man competitions, said he would be trying to match the feats of Paddy Doyle, who already holds 123 records and is expected to break his 124th in the near future.

"My girlfriend thinks I'm a nutter. I didn't think I was insane - until I told people what I was planning to do and they all said me I was mad."

The bid is due to get under way on Sunday, as Mr Buss, from Southfields in south-west London, attempts to break the world record time for running 10km carrying a 40lb pack.

On September 27-28 he will be running on a treadmill for 24 hours with a 60lb pack to set a new distance record.

Other attempts scheduled over the next year-and-a-half include 96 hours of continuous 'spinning' - a form of aerobics on a bicycle - to break the current record of 60 hours.

A FAMILY AFFAIR
It must have been a unique occasion, if not for athletics in general but surely for Hercules Wimbledon AC when on October 4 Dan Bodin and his three sons Alex, Jake and Joe all competed for the club in the East Surrey League Cross Country Relays on Wimbledon Common.

The following week, in the Sweatshop Surrey League, also on Wimbledon Common, Martin O'Halloran ran the senior race after proudly watching his sons Michael and Jonathan assist their respective HW U17 and U13 teams to victory.

During the past couple of years Hugh Saxby and his son Ben have both competed for the club as has triple Surrey veterans' champion Geoff Walcott and son Adam

Father and daughters are also getting into the act witness Barry King who together with Amadine and Flo has competed in the colours of scarlet and gold during the past year.

News from Adrian Marriott shortly after his marathon in 2:22:14, a time that places him eighth on the HW all-time list.

'Well I'm still standing after my debut marathon - not sure if this is a good sign or not! Finished 16th in Amsterdam in 2:22.14. As always the result only tells half the story.

Weather was a perfect 10 degrees but with a moderate NE wind. Course is excellent. Leaders set off at 64mins for the half with another group at 68mins (including a couple of Brits). I ran the first half by myself in 71:24 and at times it was pretty exposed in the wind, especially along the river.

Felt good at halfway but mindful of repeated warnings that one minute you feel great then the wheels can fall off I kept holding back a bit. Ran my fastest 5k from 25k to 30k to reel in one of the Ethiopians and hopefully get some help with the workload. Alas he didn't want to do any work on the windiest stretch of the course and pace slowed a bit before I pushed on again at 35k. Feeling tired but still full of running i finally threw caution to wind at 39k and went for it.

My last 3k was faster than most of the those in front of me. Even had enough left to really kick the last 600m! So a decent negative split.

So disappointed not to run sub 2:20 but delighted with the performance and the experience. No really bad patches and no sign of a blow up. Confident that there is a lot more to come next time and that (unfortunately) I have found my best distance.'

SUMMER FIXTURES
Below are advance details of the main league fixtures for the forthcoming summer season so please heed these dates when you are browsing through the brochures for your summer holidays.

Southern Men's League
May 1, May 29, June 26, July 10 & July 31
Southern Women's League
April 24, May 22, July 3, August 7 & September 11
National Young Athletes League
May 9, June 6, June 27 & July 18
Venues to be arranged

ADVICE FROM TIMES PAST
From a book by Alf Shrubb, Running and Cross-Country Running, published circa 1910 there is some useful advice offered, much of which is relevant today.

A small man at 5'6", Shrubb, a member of South London Harriers, was a world record holder for distances between two miles and the hour run after the turn of the last century. He raced frequently, leading from start to finish typically and earned a reputation for modesty and quiet confidence. Later, the champion 'pedestrian' would coach in America before returning to coach at Oxford.

On the seduction of time; "Another warning applies to every stage of a man's training, don't get everlastingly looking at the watch. You will only worry and distress yourself if you do. You must take your time now and then but let it stop at that.

On rest and morning plans; "I believe in having nine hours sleep. I usually rise at 7:30 and after ten minutes free exercise, dress and get outdoors for a brisk two-mile walk. The morning walk should be a sharp one so as to loosen the muscles, expand the lungs and give one a good edge to one's appetite."

On training with others: "With companions running beside you, you won't feel anything like so lonely as you will by yourself besides which the distance will be shortened, if not in fact, then at all events in seeming. For when running alone, particularly as a beginner, the miles seem to be positively interminable and each additional one at least 400 yards longer than the last."

On optimum weight; "I wouldn't advise any athlete who scales 11 stone (154 pounds) or thereabouts, normally to enter for any of the longer distances. The best weight for a long distance man is about 9 st. (126 pounds) because he doesn't want to have much to carry."

On getting there; "Always travel to the scene of the race, if far distant, the day before so as to ensure a good night's sleep following the train journey."

In general; "Get as much into the open air as circumstances will allow, live regularly and adhere to the dietary scheme."

On marathon training; "Principal item is walking. Get out for a 16-mile walk 3-4 times a week and walk at a steady 4 1/2 mph. On the other days go 8 miles only at 5 mph saving one day for a 16 mile steady road run."

On cross-country; "Of all forms of pedestrianism, indeed, of all branches of athletics, there can be nothing superior to cross-country running for either pleasure or health. The sport itself is ideal, whether contested in fine or muddy weather. Track or road running is apt to grow monotonous but there's nothing monotonous in an open country run."

Fluid choice; "I've recommended an occasional glass of old ale. The athlete who so indulges will derive greater benefits than one who adheres to teetotalism."

On cross-training; "Skip rope every day and skip fast. Keep going for 20-30 minutes if possible putting in from 2000-3000 skips."

Running philosophy; "Long journey races can hardly ever be called exciting affairs. There is hardly, if ever, anything of a finish, the winner, as a rule, coming in alone. If you care to follow out these rules and are physically constituted for the effort, there should be no doubt as to that winner being yourself."

LETTER FROM AMERICA
A message from Dave Holt on hearing of the death of Blackheath Harriers' John Herring

(Ed for those of you too young to know the Holt 'twins' were the mainstay of the club in the glorious seventies, a time that saw HW win seven consecutive Surrey Senior cross-country titles, two Southern 12-stage titles and one Southern Senior cross-country title. Added to that were a second and a third in the National Championships. Dave himself ran in the 10,000 metres at the 1972 Olympics while Bob was selected to compete in the International Cross Country. The Holt brothers were actually triplets together with their sister Judy who for seven years was the General Secretary of HW before sadly passing away in January 1982, only 37-years-old.)

LUCY ENGLAND CAPTAIN
During the past track season Pat Yeates has maintained a tally of the points secured by the girls who have competed for HW, primarily in the UKA National Young Athletes League and the Lily B league.

Coming out as leading scorer was Lucy England and as a reward she has been nominated as the women's club captain for the year 2004.

1 Lucy England 133
2 Emily Martin 119
3 Jade Lally 107
4 Jennifer Fernando 85
5= Rosemary Fernando 84
5= Imogen Stoddart 84
7 Maureen Njungua 66
8 Serena Brotherton 61
9 Nadia Abdula 54
10 Andrea Raftis 53
11 Sophia Raftis 50
12 Lara Blincow 39
13 Hannah Fernando 32
14 Alice Marmion 30
15 Laura Wignall 27
16 Jocelyn Galloway 20
17 Hannah Clarke 16
18 Diana Asihene 15
19 Maria Kuiber 8
20 Amadine King 5
21= Florence King 3
21= Rebecca Hull 3

It is appreciated that the Barry Jones 10km - to be held on May 3, 2004 - was getting more popular these days but the race secretary was surprised to receive an e-mail on November 26 enquiring as to whether there were any places left for next year!

WE HAVE GOT YOUR NUMBER!
Brothers claim telephone directory firm ripped off their images for TV ads, by Tim Abbot t Identical twins who sport long, dark hair and moustaches say a cult TV advert has stolen their image and caused them to be taunted on their daily runs.

Grenville and Graham Tuck, 52, claim directory enquiry service The Number has copied the distinctive look they adopted in their 1970s running heyday.

Father-of-three Grenville, a caretaker at Coombe Hill Junior School in Coombe Lane West, Kingston, still competes and has his ears assaulted with 118 118 catchphrases on his training runs.

Steeplechaser Graham. A milkman on the Isle of Wight, recently even shaved off his moustache to escape the taunts.

Grenville, of Hercules Wimbledon, said, "We used to look like the men in the adverts with longish hair and moustaches. It was the trend at the time."

"And it's even worse when I go to see my brother because there are two of us running and we get loads of people shouting at us."

They say they may now even follow in the footsteps of fellow athlete David Bedford who is suing The Number claiming the moustachioed athletes were based on him.

Grenville said, "If there was just one runner in the adverts then you would think it was David Bedford. But the adverts uses a pair of twins, which looks just like us in the 1970s."

"I'm not the type of person that gets annoyed. It's all good fun - but some people might get a bit agitated."

Grenville was involved in the first London Marathon and is credited with being one of the runners who contributed to the British dominance of distance running at the time.

The twins were managers at sports equipment chain Sweatshop, owned by Hugh Brasher (the son of late runner Chris Brasher) and based in Station Road, Hampton. Grenville spent 14 years at the Teddington branch in Broad Street, while Graham managed another Teddington branch.

A spokesman for The Number said: "The concept of the runners is based on 1970s sports stars in general and if you look at 1970s sports stars, they all had silly hair and moustaches."

"When the adverts were commissioned, the inspiration was an American athlete called Steve Prefontaine."

(Ed: By a strange coincidence. at the opening Surrey League fixture in Richmond Park the results were somewhat delayed as two runners were both wearing the number 118!)

SURREY COUNTY INDOOR CHAMPS 2004
These are to be held on February 15 at the magnificent facilities of Sutton Arena. Events, for all ages from 13-year-old to seniors, are 60m, 60m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, triple jump and shot.

Entry forms are available at Wimbledon Park track so don't delay as they have to be with the organisers by February 8 (No late entries.)

A good opportunity to test how your mid winter training is developing so come in out of the cold and give it a go.

OFFICIAL NEWS
As vital as having competitors, officials are also an important ingredient for any athletic club and now Hercules Wimbledon are celebrating a big boost to their team of officials, writes Tom Pollak.

General secretary Pat Yeates, joint women's track and field team manager Ann Martin and Gill England all qualified as field events officials while Nigel Brotherton passed his timekeeper's test at a course run at Woking by the Surrey County Athletic Association. They will now become part of Hercules Wimbledon's meetings promotion team.

THE SWEATSHOP

No this is not about the arduous sessions that take place either at Wimbledon Park or Lauriston Cottage but just an opportunity to say thank you to the company that have kindly HW with numbers for the various promotions that the club has put on this year.

The profile of the Young Athletes Meeting, the Barry Jones 10k and the Wimbledon 10 have certainly been enhanced by the provision of these numbers which have all been printed with the name of the club.

For both of the road races there was an opportunity for competitors to obtain a discount at any of the Sweatshop's nationwide chain of their sports goods stores on production of the number.

For members of HW the two most convenient Sweatshop stores are at: 33 Broad Street, Teddington (020 8943 0239) 188 Fulham Road, Chelsea (020 7351 4421) http://www.sweatshop.co.uk

HERCULES WIMBLEDON AC TRAINING TIMES
Wimbledon Park Track: Tuesday and Thursday evening 7pm onwards and Sunday morning 10:30-11:30

Lauriston Cottage, Lauriston Road, SW19: Five mile or three mile pack run to leave at 7pm.

For any newcomers, any standard and always welcome, the locations of these venues can be accessed on the HW website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

A NEW DATE AT THE PALACE?
You may have read in the national press of the uncertainty for the future of Crystal Palace track, the venue for the ever-popular Hercules Wimbledon Young Athletes Meeting.

As from April 1 the Centre is to be handed over by the Sports Council to the London Borough of Bromley but with stretched finances they have threatened to close the facility down unless sufficient funding is allocated for running and maintenance costs.

Another option being voiced is one to resurface the track during the early part of the year, again meaning non-availability for some time to come. .

With all this ambiguity and the time span decreasing rapidly the HW General Committee has decided that the normal April date is no longer viable. It is hoped to negotiate with the management of the Centre with the intention of the meeting for the year 2004 being held in August around the time of the IAAF Grand Prix. (Ed: At least it should be warmer!)

IT ALL HAPPENS AT THE SPORTS HALL
Judging by the following reports of Tom Pollak in the local newspapers members of HW are certainly enjoying themselves in the Sportshall meetings.

There is just one more fixture to be held during this winter season on Sunday February 8, so why don't some of you boys and girls make an effort to join in the fun.

Emily Martin gained a hat-trick of wins when she competed in the opening Surrey Sportshall indoor meeting at Guildford's Spectrum Leisure Centre.

In one of her final appearances in the U15 age group, the Burntwood School, Tooting, pupil triumphed in her speciality, the long jump, in which she won a bronze medal at the AAA U15 championships during the summer, the speed bounce and the four-lap race.

Her clubmate Lucy England won the two-lap race, was in the top three in the vertical jump, and finished eighth in the speed bounce. Then, Lucy and Emily linked up to triumph in the eight-lap paarlauf. A third HW athlete in the girls U15 section was Serena Brotherton who was runner-up in the speed bounce and third in the four-lap race.

Twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando, showed good form in the girl's U13 section. Jennifer won her four-lap race and was highly placed in the vertical jump. Rosemary was second in her six-lap race and the twins then linked up to take third place in their eight-lap paarlauf race. A third member of the Fernando family, older sister Hannah, was well placed in the U17 speed bounce, long jump and four-lap race.

Two HW athletes, Richard Hadley and John Blomeley competed in the boy's events. Hadley won his boys under 13 six lap heat and also competed in the long jump while Blomeley was well placed in the boys U15 speed bounce and four lap race.

Emily Martin gave another fine display in the second of this winter's Surrey Sportshall meetings at Guildford.

Emily once again proved herself the top individual in the girl's U15 section where she gained an individual hat-trick and then linked up with her team-mates Nadia Abdulla and Serena Brotherton to help take third place in the relay. Her individual successes came in the four-lap race, the standing long jump and the speed bounce.

Serena was runner-up in the speed bounce event and was also well placed in the four-lap race and vertical jump while Nadia was well placed in the two-lap race and vertical jump.

Twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando flew the Hercules Wimbledon flag in the girl's U13 events. Jennifer was second in the four-lap race and Rosemary runner-up in the six-lap event.

Newcomer Luis Garcia was impressive on his Sportshall debut in the boy's under-13 events. He was second in the two-lap race and also highly placed in the standing long jump. Richard Hadley also performed well finishing runner-up in his six lap race as well as doing well in the high jump.

Two other Hercules Wimbledon athletes in action were Fergus Stoddart in the boys under 13 long jump and another newcomer James de Souza in the shot. The U13 squad of Garcia, Hadley and Stoddart also took third place in the relay.

The following is extracted from a Ranelagh Harriers tribute to the late Chris Brasher and involves two clubs that HW competes against on an annual basis.

Composed by John Bryant of Thames Hare & Hounds on the occasion of Ranelagh Harriers' centenary in 1981

BIRTHDAY WIN FOR TUCK by Tom Pollak
Hercules Wimbledon's outstanding supervet Grenville Tuck celebrated his 53rd birthday with a runaway win in the second of this season's cross country races organised by the Veterans Athletic Club on Wimbledon Common.

Tuck made certain that the pouring rain was not going to upset his birthday plans and took the lead from the start of the 6.2 miles race to win by more than a minute in 34:20.

Hercules Wimbledon runners dominated the race by filling three of the first four places. Eric Blackmore, a mere youngster compared with Tuck at 41, was third to finish in 36:40 with another Hercules Wimbledon supervet, Stu Littlewood fourth in 37:44.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WINTER (SO FAR)
The Surrey County Road Relays at Wimbledon Park saw an excellent turn out for HW today with no less than 29 runners sporting the gold and scarlet.

Medals for the M50 squad as they picked up silver against perennial rivals South London Harriers with Steve Badgery notching up the second fastest time of the day.

The women's team were leaders until the later stages with Steph Robson making an impressive HW debut when supplying the third fastest time of the day.

It was the younger element of the club that stole the show at the East Surrey Cross-Country Relays. Alex Bodin and Damien Robertson in leading the U17 team to victory were first and third fastest respectively while Jonathan Burgess, Tom Sandiford and Richard Hadley filled the first three places in the U13 race.

With its largest field for many a year the Wimbledon 10 saw HW teams finish first, second and third being led home by Francis Staunton in fourth place.

A clean sweep for the masters with Steve Sinnott (M40), Peter Giles (M55) and John Thomas (M60) winning their respective categories.

Steve Badgery annexed yet another Surrey Veterans Cross-Country title in winning the M55 class while team medals were gained by HW courtesy of the M40s (3rd) and the M50s (2nd).

The first of the season's Sweatshop Surrey League races saw an impressive total of 20 HW seniors toeing the line but in spite of a fine run by club captain Steve Sinnott (1st M40) when placing eighth and Grenville Tuck (1st M50) in 28th place the club had to settle for being sixth team.

Once again it was the youngters that restored the honour of the club as Alex Bodin and Damien Robertson made it a 1-2 when leading the U17s to victory. Team honours also for the U13s as Jonathan Burgess scored a fine individual win over some classy opposition.

Meanwhile in Richmond Park, Stephanie Robson made a fine cross-country debut for HW to take second in Division 2 of the Surrey Ladies League.

The East Surrey League races in Lloyd Park saw the senior team take second with Francis Staunton, also making an HW cross-country debut, taking fourth.

The U17s led home by Ben Saxby, who also placed fourth, had to settle for third while the U13s grabbed second as Jonathan Burgess placed third.

Eight members of HW gained selection for the London Heathrow Youth Games at Parliament Hill with Ben Saxby, Michael O'Halloran, Tom Sandiford and Serena Brotherton proving the best of the bunch in their respective races.

After their defeat by HW in the inaugural race last year Kingston & Polytechnic AC turned the tables to push HW into second place. Once again it was the youth that shone as 15-year-old Alex Bodin showed the way home for the club with his third place.

Richmond Park for the second week in succession and that boy Alex Bodin again was the first HW athlete home as 15 other members of the club trailed in his wake.

Third place in both the five and ten to score team races was a moderately successful result.

RESULTS
Sept 13 SURREY COUNTY AA ROAD RELAYS, Wimbledon Park
Senior Men: 1 Belgrave 89:18. HW A 10th 101.02: (Alex Bodin 15:43, Dan Bodin 17:17, Ben Saxby 18:15, John Querstret 17:06, Chris Coles 16:51; Alex Bodin 16:08)
HW B incomplete: Oliver Sanchez 18:19, Neil Fraser 18:59, Barry White 18:15, Damien Robertson 17:17.
Fastest lap: Dave Anderson (Belgrave) 13:46
M40: 1 Herne Hill 16:10
HW A 14th 75:12 (Steve Sinnott 16:15, Kevin Jennings 24:07*, Andy Cunningham 17:38, Eric Blackmore 17:12)
HW B 10th (Andy Waites 16:23; Hugh Saxby 18:09, Barry King 20:28, Tom Morris 18:41)
* NB: Slow time due to illness during race.
Fastest lap: Mike Boyle (Herne H) 14:28 (rec)
M50: 1 South London H
HW A: 2nd 69:25 (Steve Badgery 16:34, Marco Ciglia 17:11, Keith Hylands 18:18; Peter Giles 17:22)
HW B: 7th 18:44 (Paul Roche 19:18, Ian Isherwood 20:15, Dennis Williams 18:22, Maurice Sharp 18:44)
Fastest lap: Ian Kitching (SLH) 16:23
Women: 1 Ranelagh 72:21..HW: 7th 79:46 (Stephanie Robson 17:08, Mel Jones 18:21, Sally Hannah 17:35, Amy Faser 26:42)
Fastest lap: Angela Walker (Belgrave) 16:44 (rec)

Sept 27 SOUTH OF ENGLAND AA ROAD RELAYS, Aldershot
M40: 1 Herne Hill H 79:43.. 22 n/s: HW: 88:54 (Steve Sinnott 20:22, Andy Cunningham 22:56, Steve Sinnott 21:29, Andy Cunningham 24:07)
M50: 1 Brighton & Hove 84:53..14 Hercules Wimbledon 93:51 (Keith Hylands 23:41, Peter Giles 22:45, Dennis Williams 24:04, Stuart Littlewood 23:21) HWB: (incomplete): Ian Isherwood 27:21; Neil Robson 24:51

Oct 4 EAST SURREY LEAGUE X/C RELAYS, Wimbledon Common
Men (4x1.95M): 1 Herne Hill H 37:56 (A Weir 9:29; S Wurr 9:33; K Newton (M40) 9:48; D Taylor 9:06). HW A: 8th 44:51 (Chris Coles 10:35; Dan Bodin 11:14; Marco Ciglia 10:38; Barry White 12:24). HW B 14th 49:28: Mitsugu Tamoto 12:56; Mel Jones 12:25; Pete Gilbey 10:37; Lance Power 13:40). HW (incomplete): Martin O'Halloran 10:56; Kevin Jennings 10:48; Steve Sinnott 10:31
Fastest: D Taylor (HHH) 9:06
U17 (3x1.95M): 1 HW A 32:39 (Oliver Sanchez 11:21; Damien Robertson (U15) 10:53; Alex Bodin 10:15)..3 HW B: 35:01 (Steven Butcher 11:25; Jake Bodin 12:03; Neil Fraser 11:33)
Fastest: 1 A Bodin 10:15..3 D Robertson 10:53
U13 (1.95M): 1 Jonathan Burgess (HW) 11:24; 2 T Saniford (HW) 11:55; 3 Richard Hadley (HW) 11:56; 4 Fergus Stoddart (HW) 12:35.other HW: .7 Deyan Knepsl 13:01; 8 Imogen Stoddart (U15G) 13:03; 15 Sam Birtles 16:16; 16 Joe Bodin 16:35; 17 Desmond Voullier 16:51
TEAM: 1 Hercules Wimbledon 6; 2 Croydon H 24; 3 Hercules Wimbledon B 33

Oct 5 THE WIMBLEDON TEN
1 Herman Mulder (London Irish) 52:39.. HW: 4 Francis Staunton 55:57..8 Steve Sinnott 57:17 (1st M40)..15 Andy Waites 60:26..17 Matthew Amoils 60:56..Peter Giles 61:24 (1st M55)..22 Jonty Summers 61:44..46 Ramon Benitez 65:22..50 John Thomas 66:42 (1st M60)..60 Elias Aviles 67:56..74 Paul Roche 69.18..116 Lance Power 79:19 (175 finished)
TEAM; 1 Hercules Wimbledon A (4, 8, 15) 27; 2 Wimbledon Windmilers (10, 11, 25) 46; 3 Hercules Wimbledon B (17, 20, 22)..8 Hercules Wimbledon C (43, 47, 54) 144

Oct 11 SURREY AA VETERANS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Petersham
M40: 1 Mike Boyle (HHH) 32:44..HW: 8 Steve Sinnott 37:05..12 Andy Waites 37:22..14 Eric Blackmore 38:47..18 Andy Cunningham 39:30
M45: 1 Clive Edgington (SLH) 35:51..10 Hugh Saxby 39:56..15 Tom Morris 41:04
M50: 1 Ian Kitching (SLH) 36:11..HW: 4 Pete Gilbey 37:19..17 Keith Hylands 40:41
M55: 1 Steve Badgery (HW) 38:11..5 Marco Ciglia 39:04..9 Dennis Williams 40:04; 10 Maurice Sharp 42:04
TEAM M40 - 49: 1 Herne Hill H 6; 2 S London H 21; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 41; 4 Ranelagh H 41
TEAM M50 - 59: 1 S London H 13; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 18; 3 Thames H&H 23

Oct 18 SWEATSHOP SURREY MEN'S LEAGUE Div 2 Wimbledon Common
1 Kevin Gadd (Guildford & G) 25:41..HW: 6 Steve Sinnott 27:06 (1st M40)..28 Grenville Tuck 28:46 (1st M50)..40 Andy Waites 29:35; 53 Eric Blackmore 30:11; 60 Leo Cox 30:33; 61 Dan Bodin 30:36; 69 Andy Cunningham 30:51; 71 Barry White 30:56; 73 Kevin Jennings 30:57; 80 Tony Orekogbe 31:49 (10th scorer) 93 Maurice Sharp 31:58; 95 Tom Morris 32:00; 97 Keith Hylands 32:05; 99 CD Riches 32:16; 100 Neil Robson 32:18; 104 Martin O'Halloran 32:33; 116 Dave Betts 33:38; 120 Mitsugi Tamoto 34:24; 136 Ben Asiedu 36:58; 149 Pete Smith 41:31. 151 finished
TEAM: 1 Guildford & Godalming 150; 2 Dulwich Runners 339; 3 British Airways 432; 4 West 4 H 457; 5 Woking 482; 6 Hercules Wimbledon 517; 7 Wimbledon Windmilers 523; 8 Striders of Croydon 533; 9 Croydon H 642
U17: 1 Alex Bodin (HW) 11:57; 2 Damien Robertson (HW, U15) 12:29; 3 M Rooney (Croy) 12:47..other HW: 7 Richard Vanderpuijie 13:23; 8 Michael O'Halloran (U15) 13:31; 9 Neil Fraser 13:32; 11 Jake Bodin (U15) 13:47; 16 Dominik Leeson 15:06; 18 Sean Crummy 15:17
TEAM: 1 Hercules Wimbledon 27; 2 Croydon H 41; 3 Guildford & Godalming 64; 4 Woking 123
U13: 1 Jonathan Burgess (HW) 13:25; 2 M Cousins (Woking) 13:29..other HW 5 Fergus Stoddart 14:09; 6 Jonathan O'Halloran 14:18; 8 Tom Sandiford 14:30; 11 Harry Wignall 15:01
TEAM: 1 Hercules Wimbledon 31; 2 Woking 41; 3 Croydon H 56

Oct 18 SURREY LADIES LEAGUE, Division 2, Richmond Park, Kingston
Seniors: 1 Lucy Vaughan (Guildford) 22:26; 2 Stephanie Robson (HW) 22:38
TEAM: 1 The Stragglers 104..24 Hercules Wimbledon 571
U17/U20: 1 Anair Beverley (Ranelagh) 17:45..10 Amy Fraser (HW) 23:20
TEAM: 1 Guildford 47..8 Hercules Wimbledon 73
U15: 1 Katherine Mertens (Woking) 13:44..HW: 14 Serena Brotherton 15:24..17 Imogen Stoddart 15:31
TEAM: 1 Epsom & Ewell 74..6 Hercules Wimbledon 123

Oct 25 EAST SURREY LEAGUE, Lloyd Park, Croydon
Seniors (5 miles): 1 Stephen Bayliss (Croydon) 28:40..HW: 4 Francis Staunton 29:45; 9 Kieran White 31:18; 14 Andy Cunningham 32:35 (2nd M40); 16 Eric
Blackmore 31:30 (3rd M40); 18 Hugh Saxby 32:27; 27 Martin O'Halloran 34:01; 45 Stuart Littlewood 36:21; 48 Dennis Williams 37:25 (2nd M55)
TEAM: 1 Croydon H 23; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 43; 3 Dorking & Mole Valley 58
Positions after two matches: 1 Croydon 22…eq4 HW/Dorking 16
U17/U15 (2 miles): 1 Robbie Powell (Croydon) 11:26..HW: 4 Ben Saxby 12:15; 7 Michael O'Halloran 12:40 (1st U15); 15 Dominik Leeson 14:00; 20 John Bromeley 14:41
TEAM: 1 Croydon H 12; 2 Epsom & Ewell H 13; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 24
Positions after two matches: 1 Croydon H 23; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 21
U13 (2 miles): 1 Josh Gorecki (Dorking & MV) 12:13..HW: 3 Jonathan Burgess 12:57; 7 Harry Wignall 14:00; 9 Richard Hadley 14:15; 10 Charlie Carrington 14:15
TEAM: 1 Croydon H 12; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 11
Positions after two matches: eq1 Croydon H/Hercules Wimbledon 23

November 22: LONDON HEATHROW YOUTH GAMES, Parliament Hill
Senior boys: 1 Daniel Russell (Barnet)..30 Ben Saxby (Merton)
Boys 15-16: 1 Nick Goolab (Ealing)..31 Michael O'Halloran (Sutton); 85 Sean Crummy (Hammersmith & Fulham); 89 Dominik Leeson
Boys 11-12: 1 Ramone Martinez (Enfield)..31 Tom Sandiford (Sutton); 46 Charlie Carrington (Merton
Girls 13-14: 1 Katie Richardson (Havering)..52 Serena Brotherton (Merton); 63 Nadia Abdulla

November 22: VETERANS AC 6.2 miles Wimbledon Common
1 Grenville Tuck (HW, M50) 34:20; 2 Jerry Carnell (Camb H, M40) 35:33; 3 Eric Blackmore (HW, M40) 36:40; 4 Stuart Littlewood (HW, M50) 37:44; 8 Tom Morris (HW, M45) 39:02

November 29: KINGSTON & POLYTECHNIC AC INTER CLUB 7 Richmond Park, Sheen
1 Andy Arbour (K&P) 39:52; 2 Alex Budarkiewicz (K&P, M40) 40:39; 3 Alex Bodin (HW, U17) 41:12. other HW: 6 John Querstret 42:48; 7 Eric Blackmore 43:33 (2nd M40); 8 Dan Bodin 44:04; 14 Tom Morris 46:44; 18 Lance Power (U17) 48:09
TEAM: 1 Kingston & Polytechnic 26; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 38

December 6: ELLIS TROPHY 5.55 Miles Richmond Park, Petersham
1 Wayne Smith (Stragglers) 30.44..HW: 17 Alex Bodin 33.08; 21 Chris Coles 33.28; 22 John Querstret 33.32; 23 Matthew Amoils 33.44; 33 Steve Sinnott 34.24; 35 Eric Blackmore 34.37; 42 Mamoud Aboattaya 35.04; 46 Hugh Saxby 35.16; 50 Marco Ciglia 35.32; 59 Peter Giles 36.17; 62 Richard Vanderpuijie 36.30; 64 Maurice Sharp 36.40; 73 Martin Miller 37.04; 82 Mitsugu Tamoto 37.46: 102 Jake Bodin 40.01; 115 Barry King 42.04 (129 finished)
TEAM: (Scoring 10 a side); 1 Stragglers 119; 2 Serpentine 197; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 243; 4 Ranelagh Harriers 283; 5 Bank of England 433
TEAM: (Scoring 6 a side): 1 Stragglers 38; 2 Serpentine 64; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 114
(NB: Results shown are primarily those where the club are involved or for events where there are a number of HW members involved.)

IT'S A NUMBERS GAME
At time of writing (Dec 10) no less than an impressive 71 Hercules Wimbledon members have competed over road and country during the current winter season in events where the club have been involved. Not a bad springboard for the future. For the men, the best of the attendees are:

Alex Bodin (5 races), Hugh Saxby (4), Marco Ciglia (4) and, setting a good example to his 'squad' at the track, Maurice Sharp is also on four.

For the women there are four athletes with two appearances each, they being Mel Jones, Stephanie Robson, Imogen Stoddart and Amy Fraser.

Of course for the HW youngster there is limited opportunity to compete so when it comes to the end of the season they will be listed separately.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT
On October 12 in Perth, Australia, Liz Parnov cleared 2.65m in the pole vault.

Nothing special you may say….but Liz is only nine-years-old and her performance is an unofficial world age-best. It must be in the genes for her sister Vicky recently set a world age 12-year-old best of 3.63!

For the first time ever an annual ranking list has been maintained for the HW road rankings that you will discover on the back page of this Newsletter.

A full list of the track and field rankings have been produced and they are now on the club website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk where they stand alongside all-time lists for track and road, seniors and masters.

It is normal practice to supply a 'hard copy' of the track rankings with the annual report at the club's AGM to be held in March.

These annual road lists will in time also be on the site but before they are, feedback on any amendments/additions would be more than welcome.

Contributions from club members would be much appreciated via e-mail petehwac@aol.com fax: 020 8766 7099 or just produce something on paper and hand it to me at either the track or at Lauriston Cottage.

Newsletter - Edited by Pete Mulholland

January 2004