History was made on June 13th as Kettering town harriers hosted their first ever EVAC (Eastern Veterans Athletics Competition) match, the event was a huge success as teams from Stevenage, Biggleswade, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Corby and Wellingborough competed in a full programme of events.
On behalf of all the veteran competitors I would like to say a big thank you to all the club members who turned out to help behind the scenes to make sure the event ran smoothly, the feedback from all the competing clubs was very positive.
The match was a resounding success for both KTH teams as no less than eight club records were toppled on the night, Kevin Williams smashed the vet 50 100m and Peter Goringe beat his own record in the 2k walk, both men’s relay teams posted records in the 4 x 100m relay.
In the ladies match the mercurial Helen Keyworth posted records in both the vet 45 80m hurdles and the high jump and both ladies relay teams completed a clean sweep by not only winning both 4x100m relays but also notching club records along the way.
The men’s team finished in 4th place on the night which leaves them handily placed for a big push in the last match to make the grand final in September. Teamwork is the key to success for the men’s squad but the undoubted star of the evening was vet 60 debutant Ken Dale who top scored with 17 points from the 100m/Long jump/Shot-putt and Hammer, a truly awesome performance.
Vet 50 athlete Peter Goringe maintained his fine form this season with 13.5 points in the 2k walk, Long jump and High jump as did Vet 40 Greg Smith with 13 points in the 100m, High jump and Hammer.
Ever present, evergreen and ever ready Jerry Wise Vet 50 scored 8 points in the Shot and Hammer in another fine performance and Andy Clawson Vet40 ran seasons best times in the 400m and 1500m for 7 points. Steve Peterson Vet 50 in the 1500m, 400m and team captain Paul Marlow vet 40 Long jump both scored 5 points. Rob Britten vet 40 was agonizingly close again to the 2k walk record missing it by 8 seconds for 4 points.
Kevin Williams’s Vet 50 record breaking 100m earned him 3 points and Bill Bailey vet 40 in his first outing of the season scored 3 points in the Shot.
The Ladies team again performed superbly and look well set to make the final for the second year running; as usual a strong team performance was complimented by some fantastic individual performances.
Kettering’s own Jessica Ennis esque performer Helen Keyworth Vet 45 put her injuries behind her to top score with 18 points from the 400m, 80mh and the High jump securing two club records along the way. Sandra Puckerin Vet 35 continues to improve with every match and this was no different as she scored 13 points in the 100m and Long jump.
Team captain Amanda Marlow Vet 35 somehow managed to score 12.5 points in the High jump, Shot and Hammer despite falling into a hammer divot and tearing ankle ligaments!!
Sarah Bailey Vet 45 was in top form in the Shot and Hammer for 11 points as was ice cool competitor Kerry Munn who didn’t even break sweat in her shades to also score 11 points in the 1500m and Long jump.
Jill Tierney Vet 35 earned the respect of the whole club by braving the brutal 100m hurdles and also ran well in the 1500m for 6 points as did Kathy Coleman Vet 45 who also scored 6 points on her debut in the 100m and 2k walk.
Katie Williams Vet 35 broke new ground when she moved up-to the 400m to compete for the first time this season, a strong run scored her 4 points, Bronwyn Smit competed for the last time as Vet 35 in the 2k walk for two points and is looking forward to show casing her talents in the Vet 45 category at the next event which is to be held at Milton Keynes AC on Wednesday 11th July.
Thanks again to all the helpers who made our first attempt at hosting such a success.