Mason Trophy
The annual Mason Trophy Inter County Schools Meeting allows athletes aspiring to represent the county in the English Schools Championship, which this year is being held at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, on 7th & 8th July. It is one of the last opportunities for athletes to reach the entry standard for the event, and impress the selectors.
The standout performance of the day was a superb Bronze medal for Fynn Batkin in the Inter boys 3000m, running a terrific race in blisteringly hot conditions in the midday sun, Batkin ran a strong race to finish in 9:08.74, and with the entry standard met in his opening race he will feel confident he has done enough to get the nod on selection.
Fynn Batkin fine Bronze medal in the Inter Boys 3000m
In the 800m, Poppy Carmichael ran a fine race to finish in 7th place overall in 2:22.93 and reversed the defect she suffered at county schools from Corby AC’s Selina Scott who finished in 10th place.
Dylan Bowley didn’t enjoy his best run, still short of fitness from a recent niggle he was chopped badly approaching the bell lap while in third place, losing momentum which he struggled to recover from finishing in 9th place 2:09.29, with a national standard time under his belt he faces an anxious wait on selection.
The best performance on the day was by sprint squad member, and multi eventer, Matilda Braithwaite who threw a new personal best of 23.28 in the Junior Girls discus. She finished 8th in the event on what was her first experience of competing at the event.
Also debuting at the meeting were Berny Kwei-Tagoe, Henri Codling, & Dylan Mukhtar. Berny, competing in the Junior Girls 100m, improved her automatic timing in the event to 13.27, while Henri posted a time of 56.96 in the Inter Boys 400m. Dylan faced stiff opposition in the Inter Boys 100m, and although he wasn't able to produce a new personal best, he will take away a lot from the experience.
Seasoned competitor at this meeting, Erin Healy, competed in her preferred 200m in the Inter Girls age group. She didn't have the added pressure of seeking the entry standard as she has achieved the time five times this season, prior to this meeting.
Kettering Open
The Kettering Open with its unique offering of Electronic timing is continuing to attract quality sprinters to the meeting, allowing spectators to see some fast times, which in turn will inspire younger athletes at the club. The competition between former Harrier, Yannick Phippen, and Rugby & Northampton's Kyle Ennis, who is currently ranked 29th in the UK over 200m, was the highlight of the meeting on the night, which was perfect for fast time with warm still conditions.
There were a total of 10 personal bests recorded by members of the sprint squad, with the standout performance in the 100m by Cynthia Ike who lowered her time to 12.95, a time that secured her a qualifying time for the National Championships in August.
Erin Healy prepared for the Mason Trophy by competing in the 300m, and produced a new personal best of 41.83, leading the race all the way with what was a very strong run.
There were also 10 PB’s set by the Middle distance squad with Tony James lowering his own Vet 45 800m club record for the third time this season to 2:09.21, which takes this season’s improvement to over 13 seconds showing that he is benefiting from training with some of the younger members of the squad. There was a fine battle between Krisztina Kurutcz and Sophie Moss in the 800m with the former just edging out Moss with a new PB of 2:26.65, with Moss setting a SB of 2:26.93. There was a 2 second PB for Lucas Rogers 2:35.31, and a fine win for Tommy James in heat 1 with a 5 second PB 2:44.06.
In the 1500m there was a great battle between the Cannell brothers with Edward just beating younger brother Josh courtesy of his trade mark strong finish. There was also a terrific battle between Freya Batkin & Mia Watts, both setting impressive new PB’s of 5:12.94 & 5:15.40 respectively.
In the U11's it was again William Robertson who stole the show, again breaking the club record in the 150m, lowering it to 21.73. there was also many PB's for the squad, in the 75m, Kaiden Ramsey, Chloe Oliver, Darcie Cox, Elitza, William Owen, Josh McAndrew and Henry Dent. In the 150m PB's for Kaiden Ramsey, Emmerson, Gethin Blackshaw, William Owen, Chloe Oliver, Oliver James and Isabella Brockway.
Well done to all the athletes who ran.