STRATFORD Athletic Club men’s team recorded their highest score of the season to finish second behind last year’s Midlands champions Worcester in the final Midland Veterans League (South) match of the campaign at the Abbey Stadium in Redditch, writes Peter Coote.
The women’s team – depleted by holidays and featuring only five ladies – fought hard for every point and finished an impressive third.
In her first athletics season since running as a 14-year-old at school, Christine Coote started the evening well. She came a close second in the W60 200m to a Worcester runner who had already booked her place for the World Masters Championships in Lyon.
Meanwhile, her husband Peter, Paula Williams and Andy List continued a season of sprint success with comfortable victories in their age group 200m races. Andy overcame recent injuries to set a new personal best.
Brian Gravelsons and Rob Minton underlined Stratford’s improving sprinting with third places in close races.
In his first competitive 800m in five years, Rob Minton ran a tactically astute race, coming from fifth with 300m to go to finish second in the M35. In other 800m races, Sheila Smith, Malcolm Bowyer and Phil Brennan all fought hard to earn valuable points.
In the 2,000m walk, Paul Hawkins got well into his stride with a personal best, with Cindy Brittan, Kate Sergent and David Jones also achieving good results.
Rob Minton won the M35 3,000m race in a new personal best, while Sheila Smith and Kate Sergent had the challenge of running the 3,000m and then doing legs of the 4x100m relay immediately afterwards.
In the field events, Paula Williams confirmed her top four status in the national rankings by winning the W40 triple jump with a leap of over 10m for the first time.
Christine Coote made a successful debut in triple jumping and shot putting with second and third places and Kate Sergent and Cindy Brittan took a break from the track to try discus and javelin throwing respectively.
Against limited opposition, Peter Coote won the M60 long jump and stepped down an age group to take second place in the M50 javelin.
Stratford’s results leave them well placed to qualify for the Midland Veterans Cup Final at the end of August. If they do make it to the Final, the team will be hoping to improve on last year’s fifth placed finish.
Results: 200m: (M60) – Peter Coote – 1st, 31.8; (M70) – Phil Brennan – 3rd, 38.5; (M50) – Andy List – 26.8; (M40) – Brian Gravelsons – 29.4; (M35) – Rob Minton – 3rd, 26.6; (W60) – Christine Coote – 2nd, 37.5; (W50) – Cindy Brittan – 5th, 53.6; (W40) – Paula Williams – 1st, 29.8.
800m: (M35) – Rob Minton – 1st, 2:13.0; (M40) – Malcolm Bowyer – 5th, 2:46.3; (M60) – Phil Brennan – 5th, 3:08.3; (W40) – Sheila Smith – 3:42.6.
2k walk: (M40) – Paul Hawkins – 3rd, 13:43.2; (M50) – David Jones – 2nd, 13:42.0; (W35) – Cindy Brittan – 4th, 16:48.1; (W50) – Kate Sergent – 14:04.9.
3,000m: (M35) – Rob Minton – 1st, 9:42.2; (M40) – Malcolm Bowyer – 6th, 11:24.2; (W40) – Sheila Smith – 5th, 15:57.1; (W50) – Kate Sergent – 3rd, 15:51.5.
4x100m relay: men – 2nd, 55.7; women – 4th, 1:05.5.
Discus: (W50) – Kate Sergent – 5th, 8.85m.
Long jump: (M35) – Rob Minton – 3rd, 3.92m; (M60) – Peter Coote – 1st, 3.05m; (W35) – Paula Williams – 3rd, 4.32m.
Hammer: (M60) – Peter Coote – 3rd, 21.38m.
Shot put: (M40) – Brian Gravelsons – 5th, 5.64m; (W60) – Christine Coote – 3rd, 6.22m.
Triple jump: (W40) – Paula Williams – 1st, 10.11m; (W60) – Christine Coote – 2nd, 6.10m.
Javelin: (M50) – Peter Coote – 2nd, 28.47m; (W40) – Cindy Brittan – 4th, 8.03m.
Superb PB for Agnes
THIRTEEN-year-old Agnes McTighe ran a fabulous race to record a 1,500m personal best at a Watford Graded Open meeting. Her time of 4:30.63 was well inside her previous best of 4:36.8, which she set at a Heart of England League fixture three weeks earlier.
Agnes is now third in the UK under 15 rankings for 1,500m.
