Track & Field Season review - Masters
Masters athletes
I begin my review of the track & field season with a look at the Masters age groups.
It has been an incredible season for the oldest of the clubs age groups with no fewer than 4 British age group records set by the amazing WADAC women. The ageless Moira West (coach Elias Mtshweni) leads the way setting new British V70 age group records in the 100m & 200m. Moira set the 100m record in winning the British Masters champs in Derby in September and the 200m record at our first Open Meeting back in April and this became the first (but not last) British record set at our home track with a certificate in the clubhouse to prove it. Lucy Elliott (coach David Vosser) added the British V55 3000m record in Aldershot in August to her astonishing list of achievments and Shelley Parr (coach Martin McBriar) threw a new British V50 discus record mark at our home SAL match in August making it the 2nd British record set at our home track but this is still subject to ratfication. These are all obviously new club records.
Further female Masters club records were set this year by Sian Lewis (coach David Vosser) who broke the V35 800m record at the Hampshire Champs in May. Joy Radford (coach Nick Anderson) who broke the V70 record at the same distance at the vets match in Southampton in May. Helen Hall (coach Nick Anderson) join the ranks of masters athletes and in doing so smashed the clubs V35 records at both 1500m & 3000m. Vicky Gill (coach David Vosser) broke the V40 mile record at the May Day mile event in Portsmouth and Janet Littlewood (coach Elias Mtshweni) was rewarded for gaining points for the team at the SAL match in August with a new V45 3000m steeplechase club record.
The vets relay records are really hard to work out as I can't be sure who ran in each relay race and therefore which age groups they are in but I think new V55 & V50 records were set in the 4 x 100m & 4 x 400m relays respectively in vets league matches this season. Moira added the club V70 long jump record to her sprint records at the British Masters champs and Alison Fenwick (coach David Vosser) set a new V60 triple jump record at the home vets league match in June. Janet added a further record in the V45 pole vault and Sue Hume (self coached) added a V65 discus record to her impressive list of age group throws records as did Joy Radford in the V70 javelin. I make that 17 new Masters age group records for the ladies, Wow.
The men were not too far behind setting 10 new Masters club age group records of their own and although there are no British Records Jeremy Clifton (self-coached) did set new World transplant age group records in high jump & discus. Owen Watts (coach David Vosser) had a couple of days top remember in August first setting a new V35 club record in the 200m in Aldershot on the 17th August and then just 2 days later broke the clubs 400m record in the same age group at the SAL match at home on the 19th August. Keith Stone (coach Nick Anderson) set a new V75 200m record at the vets league match in Southampton in May. Andy Gannaway broke the clubs V60 800m record although this was during the indoor season in Sheffield in February. Derek Smith (coach Nick Anderson) set a new 3000m club record in the 300m record and his walking group training partner Nick Fleeman (Coach Derek Smith) set a new V65 walk record at the 3000m distance. Tim Smales (Coach David Vosser) was part of a quartet involved in a new Masters age group 4 x 200m relay record and also added a new age group record in the V45 2000m steeplechase.
Jeremy's world transplant age group record was also a new V50 high jump record and Jeremy also broke the clubs V50 shot putt record. Pete Sansome (coach Nick Anderson) broke the V45 triple jump record at the vets league match in Southampton. Gareth Lewis (self coached) has literally just moved into the Masters age groups and his versatility is going to do some records damage as he has already added V35 age group records in pole vault, discus and decathlon. Mike Marchant (self coached) joined the V60 age group this year and celebrated in style by adding club records in shot putt, discus & hammer.
All Masters age group track & field records have now been updated on the clubs website and will also shortly appear in the clubhouse and my next review of the season will go from the oldest to the youngest age groups and the U11 track & field records.