The fourth and final match of the EVAC veterans athletics league season took place in Milton Keynes on August 4th. With qualification places up for grabs in September's grand final. There was a tension in the air with most teams fielding more than their usual quota of athletes to boost their chances. On a warm evening in favorable conditions the stage was set for some record breaking performances.
Despite the setback of losing last months top scorer Myrtle Capliss to injury in her first event of the night the women's team went on to score 101 points to finish fourth on the night, beating nearest challengers Huntingdon by 21 points to pip them into a third place finish overall.
The significance of the points margin became apparent as the results from across the eastern region were confirmed. The KTH veterans ladies team secured the 7th qualifying spot to claim a place in the grand final on September 11th at Bedford. This is a fantastic achievement for a club of Kettering's resources, competing against much larger teams with far greater experience.
The star performances of the night were undoubtedly in the 2x 400m, 2x 200 relays, due to the large number of athletes competing, the relays didnt start until well after 9pm under the floodlights, undeterred by this both the V35 and V45 womens teams stormed to victory. The Vet 45 team of Helen Keyworth, Yvonne Elliot, Sarah Bailey and Kerry Munn smashed a club record that had stood since 1997 by over 30 seconds.
Individual top scorer on the night was team captain Amanda Marlow V35 with 17pts in the 400mH, triple jump and javelin, closely followed by Helen Keyworth V45 who finished first in the 800m and 400mH for 16pts to add to her relay success.
Lynchpin of the team Yvonne Elliott V45 again weighed in with an impressive 13pts from the 200m, 1 mile walk and the triple jump followed by Alison Moxey V35 with 9pts in the 3000m and discus. Sarah Bailey V45 had a good night in the field events scoring 8pts in the discus and javelin with Kerry Munn V45 3000m who broke her own club record by 9 seconds and Katy Williams 200m both scoring 7pts each with strong second place finishes in their respective events. Bronwyn Smit 5pts in the 1 mile walk and Jill Tierney 3pts in the 800m completed the scoring to add to their impressive relay legs.
The mens team were again depleted by illness, injury and holiday commitments but still managed to score a respectable 50 points to finish 6th on the night and 6th overall for the season. A strong team ethic, versatility and a willingness to cover as many events as possible was what carried the team through, with a bit more luck on the injury front a top four finish next season is well within their grasp.
As the only Vet 50 athlete available on the night Paul Young put in a tremendous effort to top score in the 200m, 800m and 3000m with 11pts. Greg Smith in his first ever competitive pole vault event broke the Vet 40 club record which had stood since 1998 with a jump of 1.95m, he added to the points tally with a strong run in the 200m to score 8pts. Also notching 8pts on the night was Rob Britten competing in the discus and the 1 mile walk where he was only a few seconds outside the club record, which bodes well for next season, team captain Paul Marlow scored 7pts in the 3000m and triple jump with a PB of 8.68m.
Making their seasons debuts were Andy Clawson who scored 9pts from the 800m and 400mH (despite taking a nasty tumble at the penultimate hurdle) and club chairman Bill Bailey who threw a PB in the javelin for 3pts and made up the relay quartet alongside Greg Smith, Rob Britten and Andy Clawson that finished strongly for a seasons best fifth place finish.
Its been a memorable first season back in the EVAC veterans athletics league capped off by the ladies team securing a grand final place. if anyone is interested in taking part the club is holding an open meeting on Sunday 21st August, further details can be found on the events page of the website.