Southern Athletics League, Braintree, 17th May 2014

Hillingdon AC’s senior athletes were just 14 points short of Barnet & District/Shaftesbury & Barnet Harriers; finishing runner up in the second fixture of 2014’s Southern Athletics League reports James Manley & Lesley Conway.

With a team ravaged by exam commitments – along with the close proximity of the Youth Development League – our available athletes put in a brave performance to maintain a strong league position as we push for promotion.

There were a host of wins in both the male and female categories and a smattering of PBs to boot. Stephen Goreham PBd in the 400m and 200m; Hannah Wells in the 800m; Julie Baker in the hammer; Sam Lloyd over 800m and Dominic Speight for the 1500m.

What really defined the pluck of this performance, however, was the workmanship of a variety of athletes who picked up the minor points in unpopular events. Clive Wickham, in particular, repeatedly put his body on the line, competing in five events ranging from High Jump to Steeple Chase. Mike Dooley stiffened the sinews to run a back to back 3000m and 3000m s/c. Then, when the scores were close, other athletes summoned up the blood. Most notably, the female long distance team, who collected priceless points in the 3000m and the steeple.

The relays were a case in point, and demonstrated the grit of this Hillingdon side. The women’s and men’s 4 X 400m races were won with excellent tactics and serious effort. Rebecca Miles running first in the women’s event stormed through with a clear lead, which Michaela Mayer, then Hannah Wells, maintained. This gave Claire Tompsett just enough time to hold the lead against her Huntingdonshire challenger to win by half a second. In the men’s relay, Sam Lloyd and Dominic Speight did a sterling job to keep with the sprinters, before Jordan Thurston surged to the front establishing a lead, which Stephen Goreham increased further with a blistering 50.6 second final lap.

The result will go down as a second place in the annals; but its importance in the long term push for promotion, and the future of track athletics at Hillingdon, may be unmeasured. An equally significant effort is needed in Fixture 3 (Cambridge, 21st June)  as we take on two of the league’s top teams. We need all our best athletes there, ready to do battle. If you want to compete please contact James Manley or Claire Tompsett; alternatively sign up for the HAC TF SAL facebook page.

Results here.