Newsletter - Edited by Pete Mulholland
You can download a PDF version of this Newsletter from here... this has the look and feel of the printed version.
October 2005
From the Editor: There hasn’t been a Hercules Wimbledon AC Newsletter since March last year, the main reason being due to work commitments plus my numerous roles played in club matters. Another regular feature that was produced was the monthly ‘What’s on’ but this didn’t appear for precisely the same reasons. This time around, I have decided to combine the two publications as one but due to time limitations this initial version will be a small production with the hope that future editions will be more substantial.
Summer has been and gone and as far as HW were concerned it was one of improvement. The Senior Men, now operating in Division Two of the Southern League gave a good account of themselves with a solid consolidation after their promotion from Division Three last year. Early on, the team were in a promotion spot but couldn’t quite carry on the momentum. Next year, with the promising number of junior athletes entering the ranks, promotion to Division One is certainly on the cards.
The women, competing in their version of the Southern League, were like the parson’s egg, good in parts, but it was good to see quite a few new faces, which, together with the recent upsurge in the signing of a substantial number of new younger members, augurs well for next year.
Young Athletes, boys and girls, more than held their own in the National Young Athletes League but there were some gaps in the team, I’m sure that this summer was a springboard for greater things next year.
The Ebbisham League, saw the under-15 and under-13 boys of HW secure promotion to Division one while the girls saved perhaps their best performances for the Lily B league culminating in a grandstand finish in the final fixture as reported in the local press by Tom Pollak.
‘Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's youngsters ended the season on an encouraging note with a record-breaking turnout in the Lily B League Plate final at Kingsmeadow Stadium with star long jumper Emily Martin smashing the league record in winning her event.
At the end of a long and at times difficult summer season, 16-year-old Martin ended her season as an under 17-year-old by winning the under 17 long jump with 5.71 metres to add a massive 20 centimetres to the league record. She also bettered her previous personal best by five centimetres. She completed a hat-trick of wins taking the shot with 8.31 metres and the 100m in 12.9 seconds.
Double Surrey champion Amelia Richards also achieved a hat-trick of wins in the under 13 section taking the 100m and 70m hurdles in 13.9 and 11.9 and the long jump with 4.27 metres. Another winner was newcomer Gaby Restieno in the under 13 discus who linked up with Natasha Skeet, Jade Brooks and Hayley Hennessey to help the Hercules Wimbledon quartet to second place in the sprint relay.
Skeet was also second in the 200m and long jump B events and third in the javelin B, Brooks was second in the 100m B and javelin A and fourth in the 800m, and Hennessey third in the shot and fifth in the 200m.
Jennifer Fernando won the under 15 800m in 1:33.1 while her twin sister Rosemary was runner-up in the 1500m. Jennifer also won the javelin B and was second in the 100m before linking up with Rosemary, Mary Brandon and Hannah Long to help the Hercules Wimbledon squad take second place in the sprint relay. Rosemary won the javelin A and was fourth in the 200m A.
Brandon was also second in the 75m hurdles and third in the 200m B, Long won the 800m B and was second in the discus and third in the shot and Holly Golding won the discus B, was second in the shot B and finished third in the 100m B race.
Lucy England also gained a double success in the under 17 events winning the 80m hurdles in 15.9 and the long jump B with 4.43 metres as well as finishing second in the javelin with 14.01 metres. The scoring team was underpinned by three athletes: Chloe Hodge, Eleanor Smith-Hann and Alex Restieno who performed well in the non-scoring events.’
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Geoff: Top of the World Performance
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Tom Pollak reports on the exploits of a Hercules Wimbledon supervet sprinter
Geoff Walcott ended his summer track and field season on a high by winning a gold medal at the World Masters Track and Field championships held in San Sebastian, Spain.
Walcott, 52, clinched his gold medal on the final day of the championships when he ran the third leg for the British quartet, which comfortably won the men's over 50 4x400m relay gold medals.
Earlier, he had been bitterly unlucky not to get a medal in the individual 400m where he finished fourth in the final in a season's best of 53.82 seconds. During the qualifying round he had also posted his best time of the year. He reached the final by winning his heat in 56.54, the fifth best time of the round and then posted his first season's best of the event in finishing third in his semi-final in 54.52, the fourth best time of the round.
Walcott realised he was in with a chance of a medal in the final. "As I lined up I was extremely nervous," he said. In the end, he just missed out on a medal.
Walcott had a busy time across the two weeks of the championships, reaching the finals of all three individual events he had entered. He started off well by winning his 100m heat in 12.18. He was third in his semi-final in 12.30 and then finished seventh in the final in 12.23.
He had a harder time in the 200m where he was third in his heat in 25.17, finished fourth in his semi-final in a faster 24.87, just scraping into the final, and then finished eighth in the final in 24.87.
It was touch and go whether Walcott would actually make the championships as he had been suffering from an Achilles tendon problem all summer, which had severely curtailed his racing programme. But, he decided to make the trip after testing his fitness and injury in Hercules Wimbledon's final Southern Men's League match at Chelmsford. While in Spain, he received regular physiotherapy to avoid any recurrence of the Achilles tendon problem.
August 14: SURREY COUNTY AA 5KM ROAD RACE, West Wimbledon 1 Phil Wicks (Belgrave) 15:09 (HW); 66 Eric Blackmore 18:41; 88 Maurice Sharp 19:30; 91 Dennis Williams 19:35; 129 Paul Wignall 22:01; 138 Ian Isherwood 23:40
September 10: SURREY COUNTY AA ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS, Wimbledon
Park Note: Owing to refurbishment of the track, the race had to have a change to
the start and finish area making the course approximately 300 metres longer than
usual.
Senior Men: 1 South London H 94:55… 12 Hercules Wimbledon 109:22 (Sean Crummy
19:18, Alex Bodin 16:44, Dan Bodin 18:20, Jake Bodin 18:22, Peter Lee 18:01,
Neil Fraser 18:37). HW B (incomplete) (Ian Horrocks 15:24, Tim Bartley 21:20,
Barry White 18:57, Luke Jones 17:57)
Fastest: 1 Stuart Major (SLH) 15:11.. 3 Ian Horrocks (HW) 15:24
M40: 1 Herne Hill H 66:02..5 Hercules Wimbledon 73:25 (Eric Blackmore 18:25,
Martin O’Halloran 18:53, Andy Waites 17:57, Steve Sinnott 18:10)
Fastest: Vic Maughn (HHH) 15:59
M50: 1 South London H 72:15; 2 Hercules Wimbledon 74:38 (Hugh Saxby 17:50,
Steve Badgery 18:06, Martin Miller 19:06, Maurice Sharp 19:36)…8 HW B 84:54
(Dennis Williams 19:10, Fred Green 22:19, Barry King 20:57, Ian Isherwood 22:28)
Fastest: 1 Kevin Archer (Reigate Priory) 17:06…4 Hugh Saxby (HW) 17:50 Surrey
Road Relays (continued)
Women: 1 Ranelagh H 73:48…9 Hercules Wimbledon 87:09 (Claire Cann 19:25, Serena Brotherton 23:31, Amandine King 22:50, Jennifer Fernando 21:22. HW B (incomplete) (Christine Murray 24:58, Rosemary Fernando 21:11)
Twenty-eight HW runners in total for the relays: not a bad way to commence the winter season – and a good omen for the cross-country to follow. Silver medals for the M50 squad, which as reported by Tom Pollak below, continues a fine run for this age category in the event. Tom also gives some background to Ian Horrocks. “Who is this guy,” was often exclaimed, as he led home the field on the opening stage.
MEDAL-WINNING RUN Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's M50 road running quartet maintained their impressive medal-winning series of performances in the annual Surrey road relay championships at Wimbledon Park when they clinched the silver medals for the fourth successive year.
The medal-winning effort maintains a superb run, which dates back to 1998 when the quartet of Dennis Williams, Maurice Sharp, Mike Fuller and Martin Miller took the gold medals. With Marco Ciglia and Vince Hancock replacing Miller and Sharp in the squad, Hercules Wimbledon again took the title in 1999 before taking the silver medals in 2000.
Hercules Wimbledon returned to winning form in 2001 with Ciglia, Hancock, Grenville Tuck and Steve Badgery taking the gold medals and since then the club's teams have won silver medals each year.
The quartet were in second place on all four legs with first stage runner Hugh Saxby running a strong opening leg in 17 minutes 50 seconds to post the fourth fastest time of he day. While former marathon international Badgery was slower with 18:06 he managed to close the gap on the leaders handing over to Miller, a member of the winning team back in 1998, keeping the team in second place with 19:06 on leg three.
Another member of the 1998 winning quartet, Sharp, kept the team in silver medal position with a 19:36 final leg.
Hercules Wimbledon newcomer Ian Horrocks sprung a major surprise on the opening leg of the senior men's relay as he led the field home on the opening leg. Horrocks, 34, and son-in-law of former Hercules Wimbledon president Geoff Moulden, was having his first serious race for two years but seemed to cope well with the testing, hilly circuit. He headed the field home in 15:24 to post the third fastest time of the day.
"I was a bit surprised to come in first," said Horrocks who added: "I was quite a useful runner when I was a student about 15 years ago." He finished third in the Suffolk cross-country championships in the early 1990’s and represented British Universities in the annual Margate cross-country international meeting about the same time. He also finished 40th in the Southern cross-country championships in 1995.
"I've always been running but I've run very few races in the last five years. This was my first race since 2003 but I'm getting back into it." Horrocks was running for the Hercules Wimbledon B team.
Best
effort from the Hercules Wimbledon A team came from teenager Alex Bodin, back in
action after a long spell of injury, who clocked 16:44 on the second of the six
legs. Andy Thwaites was the fastest member of the Hercules Wimbledon over-40
veteran team with 17:57 in moving up from sixth to fifth place on the third leg.
The quartet, which also included Eric Blackmore (18:25), Martin O'Halloran
(18:53) and Steve Sinnott (18:10) finished just a minute off a medal position in
fifth place.
First leg runner Claire Cann was the fastest Hercules Wimbledon runner in the senior women's championship, placing eighth on the opening leg in 19:26. Other members of the quartet were Serena Brotherton, Amandine King and Jennifer Fernando.
September 24: SOUTH OF ENGLAND ROAD RELAYS, Aldershot M40: 1 Herne Hill H 79:01…30 Hercules Wimbledon 92:51 (Stuart Littlewood 24:41, Martin Miller 23:34, Steve Sinnott 22:02, Steve Badgery 22:34) HW – incomplete (Ian Isherwood 28:07, Eric Blackmore 24:15) For one reason or another our usual strong showing by the veterans section was amiss this year, which meant that those in the M50+ category had to compete with the ‘youngsters.’
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If at first you don’t succeed, you are running about average. M. H. Alderson |
October 1: Inter-Club 5-mile Cross Country A nice friendly opener to the cross-country season, for both men and women, against Kingston & Polytechnic and others over the pleasant terrain of Richmond Park. The race starts at 2:30 close to the crossroads near the Richmond Park, Sheen Gate entrance.
October 2: The Wimbledon 10 (miles). 11.00am, Wimbledon Park This is the 45th running of the HW promotion for which every possible assistance is required, particularly regarding marshalling of the three-lap route. For any race of this type you can never have enough marshals, so those club members not competing please make an effort to assist. As the track is currently undergoing refurbishment, the race will be organised from the Bowling Pavilion so volunteers are requested to arrive there by 10:30. If you have any questions regarding what is required, call race organiser Tom Pollak on 020 8870 1196
October 2: Surrey County AA Young Athletes Cross Country Relay Championships, Guildford. First race: 1pm Currently HW has entered teams for U13s, U15 and U17s boys under the stewardship of David Burgess. Most of the athletes concerned have been contacted by David, but if there are any other HW Young Athletes interested in competing, please contact him on 020 8870 5046. Championship medals will be awarded to the first three teams in each race so let’s see if we can improve on the silvers won by the U13s last year.
October 8: Sweatshop Surrey League, Tattenham Corner, Epsom Downs. Young Athletes 2:30. Seniors/Juniors 3:00 With Aldershot having withdrawn from Division One, this season will see the top three teams from our division gain promotion. HW was third last season so there is no reason why the club cannot take one of the promotion spots. It is vital that the club get off to a good start so let’s go for it. We have the talent and, judging by the number of athletes attending training sessions, we have the manpower. The start, near to Tattenham Corner Station, is easily accessible from Wimbledon Station, but if you have problems with transportation, contact Pete Mulholland – 020 8761 4308. October 2: Surrey Ladies League – Wimbledon Common. First race 12:30 As already pointed out there has been quite an influx of female members to HW so there is no reason why the club cannot have a good turn out for this event. And it’s local. Once again Amy Fraser will be looking after the teams and no doubt she has made contacts with possible competitors. If you haven’t heard from Amy contact her on 020 8947 1532 and help to give HW a good kick start to the season.
October 22: East Surrey League Cross Country Races, Lloyd Park, Croydon. Young Athletes 2:30. Seniors/Juniors 3:00 There was talk that this league (founded 1935) was being abandoned but thanks to Mike Fleet it is up and running. Our young athletes have been quite successful in recent years so perhaps it is now time for the seniors to make their mark. Probably the best way to get to the venue is by the Tram Link from Wimbledon Station (via East Croydon) to the Lloyd Park stop, which is just opposite the race start. Note: this event is open to males and females.
October 29: Inter Club v Bank of England, Roehampton Gate, Richmond Park. 2:30 As a bonus, HW has two fixtures against the Bank this season (also February 18). The race starts just inside the Park and changing accommodation is in the Bank’s luxurious facilities, which is accessed off Bank Lane, off Priory Lane. NEWS
Refurbishment of the Wimbledon Park track was due to be completed by October 4 and news is that the works are on schedule. However, the final inspection is not due to take place until October 5 which, if approved, means that Thursday October 6 is the first day the track can be used for training. I have indicated to my group of athletes that training at the track will recommence on Tuesday, October 11, it being too dark to train over the adjoining field. Regarding other coaches such as Pat Yeates, Maurice Sharp, Denis Roll and Frank Haque, it may be advisable for their athletes to contact them regarding their proposed plans.
Pete Mulholland
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