Bicester AC again played hosts to the 3rd round of the Oxfordshire Sportshall League held recently at Bicester and Ploughley Sports Centre. There were some outstanding individual performances from the host club as well as some strong team performances. This included a win in the under 11 and under 15 girls’ team competitions as well as a win and equal 1st in the under 13 and under 11 boys’ team competitions. The under 13 girl’s team finished 2nd and the under 15 boy’s team 3rd.
There was a thrilling finish to the under 13 boy’s team competition. Oxford City and Bicester AC were closely matched throughout the competition but Oxford City AC appeared to have it in the bag with two competitions remaining. Crucially Bicester AC picked up 6 points in the 8 lap paarlauf through Jayden Beadle and Emeras Mohandas (1min 43.3secs) with Oxford City AC failing to pick up any points. Although the team of Shay Gallagher, Oliver Jarvey, Washe Zhande and Cyrus Ariana finished 2nd to Oxford City AC in the final 2 lap relay (1mins 43.3secs) this was still good enough to pip Oxford in the team competition by a solitary point. It was a good competition for Cyrus Ariana and Washe Zhande, who was having his first ever competition as an under 13. They teamed up for Bicester’s two wins in the individual events. They were comprehensive winners of the six lap event (2mins 53ecs) with Ariana’s time of 1mins 24secs the fastest individual time. They also produced strong individual performances in the shot with Zhande’s putt of 6.97m and Ariana’s putt of 6.80m which combined was good enough to win the shot (13.77m). Zhande also combined with Oliver Jarvey for 2nd in the 2 lap race (50.90secs). And the obstacle relay team of Harry Spencer, Emeras Mohandas, Shay Gallagher and Jayden Beadle got the team off to a solid start with 3rd place in the obstacle relay (1mins 27.6secs).
The Bicester under 11 girl’s team got the better of a close fought contest with Oxford City AC. After two second places from the quartet of Layla Hendon, Evie Childs, Ruby Maxwell and Ivy Balch in the obstacle relay (1min 41.5secs) and Hanna Parsons, Ava Obinna, Emelia Beadle and Olivia Maxwell in the 4 by 1 lap race(56.80secs), Bicester’s first win came in the speed bounce with the quartet of Ava Obina, Olivia Maxwell. Evie Childs and April Perry achieving a combined total of 183. Olivia Maxwell achieved the highest bounce score of 53 followed by teammate Obina’s score of 51. Emelia Beadle and Hannah Parsons were winners of the vertical jump with Beadle’s jump of 42cms the best in the competition. In the final event despite the Bicester quartet of Hannah Parsons, Olivia Maxwell, Ava Obina and Emelia Beadle producing the fastest time of 55.60secs in the 4 by 1 lap relay, this time, when combined with the other Bicester quartet, was only good enough for 3rd. However Bicester still held on for an overall two points victory.
Bicester had 9 athletes in the under 15 girl’s competition. Their scoring four of Olivia Naidu Johnson, Aalyiah Beadle, Grace Jarvey and Yasmine Shephard ran out resounding winners of the team competition. Bicester were also well represented at the top of the leader board in the all rounder competition filling two of the top three places. Olivia Naidu-Johnson came out on top on this occasion with 58 points with Aaliyah Beadle in equal 2nd place on 55 points. There was a good win for Naidu-Johnson in the 2 lap event where her time of 25secs was 0.3secs faster than Aaliyah Beadle who was 2nd fastest. However it was Beadle who got the better of their battle in the standing long jump with Beadle producing a win with an impressive distance of 2.21m with Naidu Johnson back in 2nd (2.05m). They both then clashed in the speed bounce with Naidu-Johnson finishing 2nd with a good score of 85 with Beadle back in 5th (74). Grace Jarvey was Bicester’s 3rd scorer in the all rounder competition with 52 points which included a 2nd place in the 4 lap event (56.3secs) as well as 4th in the speed bounce (77). The team scorers were completed by Yasmine Sheppard. Her 51 points total included another win in the 4 lap race (55.9secs) as well as a 4th in the shot (55.9secs). Naidu-Johnson, Beadle, Jarvey and Sheppard also combined for an resounding win in the relay (1min 40.9secs). Lucia Haverly enjoyed another strong competition which included a 3rd in the speed bounce (78) and equal 4th in the vertical jump (37cms). Haverly also combined with Jessica Shepherd to take 2nd in the paarlauf (1min 56.9secs). Other Bicester performances included Grace Fulcher who was 3rd in the vertical jump (38cms) as well as 6th in the shot (5.65m) with Lily Spencer in 10th (5.02m) and Erin Horseman who was 9th in the standing long jump (1.60m). The under 15 girls lead in the league standings with two events remaining.
The Bicester under 11 boys were involved in another thrilling team competition with Bicester one point clear of Witney going into the final event. The Witney 4 by 1 lap relay teams got the better of the two Bicester quartets to share the final team spoils on 45 points each. The obstacle quartet of Theodore Simms, Barnaby Wilson, Brendan Kelly and Levi Fulcher got the team off to a flying start with a win (1min 31.5secs). The one lap quartet of Charlie Simpson, Levi Fulcher, Alfieri Akin-Olugbade and Sam Wilson then shared the spoils with a combined time of 56.10secs with Simpson producing the fastest individual time of 13.20secs. There was a further win for the speed bounce quartet of Simpson, Reece Dunwell, Akin Olugbade and Alex Kelly who were equal first with a combined score of 189 with Simpson producing the best individual score of 58. There was a further win for Bicester in the three lap event with Barnaby Wilson and Charlie Simpson producing a combined time of 83mins 10secs with Wilson producing the fastest individual time of 41.10secs. And Levi Fulcher and Sam Wilson combined to finish 2nd in the vertical Jump (83cms). Other Bicester performances included an improvement for Oliver Kelly in the non scoring standing long jump (1.18m) with Ettore Akin – Olugbade making his sportshall debut in the non scoring speed bounce with a score of 21. Bicester’s under 11 team, including both of the boys and girls teams, lead the standings after three events.
Erlgean Appiahkorang-Mensah was in dominant form in the under 15 boy’s competition producing a hat trick of wins and finishing equal first in the all round rounder competition. He was a superb winner of the speed bounce with a fine score of 91, which was well in excess of his effort in the last competition, as well as winning the triple jump also with an improved effort of 7.67m and the 4 lap event (52secs). With Appiahkorang-Mensah as Bicester’s only competitor, the team’s points tally suffered as a result finishing 3rd on the day but in 2nd place in the league standings after three events.
The Bicester AC under 13 girl’s team competed well finishing a good 2nd to Oxford City AC. The Bicester 4 by 2 relay quartet of Evie Kemp, Imogen Unger, Meriel Woodrow and Lily Childs did well to win in 1min 45.8s. Bicester’s other win came in the standing triple jump through Lily Childs and Meriel Woodrow who produced a combined distance of 11.97m with Woodrow producing the 2nd best individual mark of 6.00m and Child the 3rd best (5.97m). And the obstacle relay quartet of Kemp, Ruby Majonga, Woodrow and Childs were 2nd in 1min 25.1secs. Bicester’s under 13 team are in 2nd place after three events.