On April 22nd the Under 13 and Under 15 team left Brighton in glorious sunshine, headed for Medway for the first YDL match.
We arrived in a downpour however, nothing could dampen the team’s spirits. It was a day where it was just as important to fill events and have a go for all-important points, as it was to win (although there was an awful lot of that), and Brighton and Hove AC was triumphant.
With so many amazing performances, there are almost too many to single out, but there are some key ones to note. Thomas Wells U13B high jump of 1.45m, puts him in the top 10 in the UK. Also on the field Rachael Walls threw 23.80m in the U13G Javelin which takes her into the UK Top 20.
The excitement was not confined to the field, in the U13B 1500m Will Matthews and Henry Yelling left the field behind them as they clocked 4:49.8 & 4:50.8 respectively, again placing them high in the current UK rankings on what was a very busy athletics weekend.
A special mention too to first year U13G Sophie Wilkinson who won the 75m ‘A’ in a PB of 11s and the Long Jump ‘B’ also in a PB.
We had a large number of Under 15’s moving up into a new age group this year and first year Ruby Anning had a tremendous double win in the 100m and 200m. Our middle distance girls gained maximum points with Alex Nann and Ella Matthews running 2.31.4s and 2.31.5s over 800m and Lois Dooley 4.56 and Becky Losh 5.00 in the 1500m. Five Brighton girls contested the non-scoring 800m with Grace Barnard winning in 2.28.8, faster than the match event.
A highlight at the end of the day were fine victories by both U15 girls relay teams in fast times.
On the field, due to absences, many athletes tried out events to help the team and gained valuable points although experienced Javelin thrower Lizzie Korczak achieved a fine PB of 38.77m that currently places her third in the UK.
An overall team win was a fitting result and we now look forward to the rest of the season for both the U13 and U15 squads.
Many thanks to all the parents and supporters who attended and helped with team officials duties to keep the match moving smoothly.