Oxfordshire’s first track and field took place last weekend at Tilsley Park. The Radley AC Kear Memorial Open meeting is the traditional curtain raiser for track and field action in Oxfordshire. Bicester AC had a good contingent of athletes with a mixture of athletes coming off the cross country season and others from sportshall competitions and circuit training. It was perhaps inevitable that there would a certain degree of track and field rustiness.
Newly crowned English Schools Cross Country Champion and England international, Leo Blyton, was having his 2nd outing of the new track and field season. And he has started where he left off from the winter season, as he produced a superb run to finish 4th in his heat of the 1500 metres in a new best and EA PB level 7 time of 4mins 27.10secs. The three runners ahead of him were all in an older age category. Blyton is now just under 3 seconds away from the under 15 club record which has stood since 1996.
There was a 7 second improvement from Max Finnegan who won his heat of the 800m clocking 2mins 27.01secs. Charlie Simpson and clubmate Felix Cassidy also had a closely fought contest in their heat of the 800m and on this occasion it was the runner with the greater 800m experience, Cassidy, who just came out on top in 3rd (2mins 52.36secs) with Simpson close behind in 4th (2mins 52.39secs). Oliver Jarvey ran in his first competitive 800m clocking 2mins 54.47secs. Simpson, who has performed well in both sportshall and cross country events over the winter, ran in his first ever 200m where he was 4th in his heat of the 200m with a promising effort of 31.25secs. Charlie Simpson was one of three Bicester athletes in the under 13 boy’s long jump. Oliver Jarvey was Bicester’s highest finisher in 3rd (3.87m) whilst Simpson finished in a good 4th place (3.76m, which was the longest jump achieved by the competing first year under 13 athletes. Bicester’s Brendan Kelly also competed placing 10th with 2.81m. Jarvey and Brendan Kelly also contested the 100m with Jarvey clocking 14.93secs and Kelly 17.57secs.
Georgia Bower enjoyed a very successful season last year particularly in the long jump and she made a solid start in that event with 3rd and 4.80m with clubmates Grace Jarvey in 10th (3.98m) and Olivia Naidu-Johnson 11th (3.94m). All three contested the 100m with Bower fastest in 13.63secs, Naidu-Johnson (14.24secs) and Jarvey (14.93secs). Jarvey produced a sub 30secs performance in the 200m with a 29.94secs clocking and clubmate Yasmine Shappard made a welcome return to track and field action clocking a new best of 30.03secs. Sheppard actually made it a triple of bests on the day with 6th place and a 7.56m shot putt and 5th and 17.97m in the javelin.
There were 4 Bicester athletes in the under 11 girl’s quad competition and three of these were making their track and field debut. However it was the more experienced Lorelei Whelan who came out on top in a superb overall 5th place with a personal best and 3rd in the howler (20.39m) and 2nd place in the long jump with a new best of 2.80m. Whelan also ran a new best of 2mins 26.09secs in the 600m. Dotty Conlon finished 8th in her first ever quad competition which included Bicester’s fastest time in the 600m (2mins 20.09secs) where she finished 4th. Also making her debut was Isla-Grace Cruickshank in overall 10th which included a 2.51m jump. And Ivy Balch finished 17th which included a 2mins 26.83secs clocking in the 600m.
Two Bicester athletes who only contested single events both came away with personal bests. Now an under 17 and putting a new heavier weight. Erlgean Appiahkorang-Mensah, got very close to the distance he putted with the lighter weight last year, with a 9 metre plus putt of 9.03m. There was a big improvement from Harry Cruikshank in the 1500 metres as he knocked over 12 secs off his previous 1500 metre best with 5mins 7.93secs. Bicester had two boys in the under 11 Quad competition. Reece Dunwell, competing in his first ever track and field competition, finished 17th overall which included a 9th place in the 75m (12.71secs. And Alex Kelly, moving up an age group was overall 20th which included a new best in the howler of 14.98m.