Welcome to St Helens Sutton Athletic Club

April Results 2005

Shakespeare Half Marathon: Stratford on Avon : 24 April

"If 'twere done 'twere best done quickly," or in Dennis Wharton's case in 86.54 to take thirtieth place in the swift half at Stratford on Avon.

National Junior League : Ellesmere Port: 24 April

After last year's tentative foray into the National Junior League the club exploded into 2005 with three individual and one relay record despite having a weakened team. Caroline Morley set a new 100 metres hurdles record, Emma McClatchey raised her own pole vault best and set a new junior javelin mark while the 4x 100 team of Vicky Davies, Caroline Morley, Rachael Price and Jessica Cretu rewrote the record books despite half the team carrying injuries

Ben Fisher won Athlete of the Match with his winning javelin throw, equalled his own high jump record and showed a remarkable turn of speed off the bend in the 4 x 400 metres to round off the efforts of Ste "You don't expect me to do a 400 do you?" Moran, Dave Twigg and Dave Forrester. In addition, Vicky Davies equalled the club's junior high jump record currently held by Caroline and Emma.

There were individual victories Thaddeus Anim Somuah (200), David Forrester (800) and Caroline Morley in both hurdles showing excellent form and achieving personal bests. Dave Twigg took the B string 1500 after volunteering to replace B string 400m hurdle winner John Appleton who went with Mellissa McLoughlin to the Countess of Chester Hospital after Mellissa collapsed during the 400 metres. We're pleased to say Mellissa was discharged from hospital later in the evening and allowed home following blood tests and scans.

There were solid debuts from David Griffiths and Alex Helsby in a variety of events while everyone mucked in to meet the emergencies that arose on the day from illnesses and absences, Greg Williams having to withdraw for the rest of the afternoon's events after completing the 800 metres.

Lucy Mitchell  completed solidly despite injury, Layla Tapley amassed points in several events, Nicola Quinn surprised herself with a win in the 400 metres hurdles and joined Taja Rundle in the discus.

The final scores showed St Helens-Sutton tied for second place in the men's competition and fifth in the women's competition, both performances significantly stronger than last year. Bearing in mind we had no male throwers in several events and no long distance female distance runners the performances were excellent.

For the statisticians the relay splits on the 4x400 men were Steve Moran 58.1; Dave Forrester 58.8; Dave Twigg 58.9; Ben Fisher 59.0.(3.54.7) which you could call reasonably consistent. For the ladies the times were Lucy Mitchell 75.1; Emma McClatchey 77.4; Caroline Morley 70.3; Layla Tapley 81.4(5.04.2).

Our officials today were Ray Vose (timekeeper and chef), Dave Morley (part team manager /selector), Roger McCall, John Irwin, Paul Forrester and Mr Fisher (field team) plus Phil Thomas who was the rest of the team management and selection. There was plenty of parental support in the guise of spectators and vehicle drivers for which we were very grateful.

Scores: Men: 1 North Wales Composite Team 239; 2 St Helens-Sutton & LPS 210; 4 Southport Waterloo AC 196; 5 Preston Harriers 160; 6 Cheshire Tigers Composite Team 156; 7 Wigan & District 150; 8 Warrington A C 71.  Women: 1 North Wales Composite Team 275; 2 Cheshire Tigers Composite Team 241; 3 Preston Harriers 210; 4 LPS 198; 5 St Helens-Sutton 191; 6 Warrington A C 154; 7 Southport Waterloo A C 123.  (Report by Phil Thomas).  Results:

Croxteth 10K 24 April

Andy O'Connor was 19th at the Croxteth 10k (37.43) and Tony Roche 226th (54.43).

Whitley 10k : 24 April

Sarah continued where she left off on Friday by finishing third lady in the Whitley 10k in a personal best 39.25. Sarah was followed home four seconds later by John Appleton (34- 39.28), Tony Raffle(73 - 43.09), Julia Eccleston (9th Lady - 45.03), Louise Casey(14th Lady - 48.12), Chris Dickinson (18th Lady -49.27) and Pam Appleton (24th Lady - 50.49).(Information from Julia Eccleston : Results sheet provided by Louise Casey).

Chorley Park Series: 22 April

Sarah Charnock's policy of racing as part of her training paid off when she was the third female to finish but won the open category as the two ladies in front were both veterans. Sarah recorded 20.25, thirteen second behind the winner and six seconds behind the second athlete.

Trafford Open Meeting: 17 April.

Thirty club members travelled to Manchester for the second Trafford Open meeting with many of the youngsters trying the technical events with plenty of success. The full results have been documented and will be added here shortly thanks to Roseanne Hutchinson. Results. In addition, Andy Drillingcourt has posted the following results: U11 600 Gabrielle Large 2.01.8' U13 600 Lauren Bradshaw 2.01.5; Javelin U13: Laura Crook 15.36; Danielle Stevenson 14.49. Chris Dickinson has also added the following results Ann Jarvis 16 minutes (3000), Chris Dickinson 13.53.05 (3000), 6.50.3 (1500) & 15.91m (Javelin pb).

Melbourne Trophy: Wavertree: 17 April.

Thaddeus Anim-Somuah ran 11.9(100) and 24.4(200) into a headwind and driving rain finishing fourth and third in his heats. In addition, Ben Fisher threw 53.71 to win the junior men's javelin. Craig Knight competed in the 100m recording 11.2 (2nd), although his name was incorrectly recorded as that of being an under 17 1500 metres runner!! Craig's time was one-tenth of a second faster that the previous record held jointly by himself and Richard Atherton. (Information from Thaddeus Anim-Somuah).

London Marathon :17 April.

Barry Graney ran  3.07.17 and Ray Vose 3.18.42 to finish 1633 and 2759 respectively. Ian Pass was 4922 in 3.33.49 while Pole Vaulter Peter Code (hope he's fit for the hurdles in the Isle of Man!) recorded 4.30.54. (4922). Karl Allender was seen at the start line but his result is not yet known.  David Bradshaw (identifiable by his club vest) was reportedly on television briefly but no result has been found to date and it may have been Ian Pass who was the media star on this occasion.. Karl Allender reports he finished in 3.41.45, short of his pre-race 3.15 target but he had to battle with cramp from 14 miles onwards. Mark Laithwaite was injured and did not compete.

For the ladies Pauline Picton (19307) was delighted to get round in 4.37.48. Pauline will spend the week recovering. Janet Holmes hurt her ankle but was kept going by the encouragement of Pam Appleton and Dot Fairhurst amongst others, to finish in 5.13.44 (26847). Gill Bacon decided against running but was on hand to provide support to those who did while Sue O'Hanlon reported finishing in 4.03.48, despite her injured calf.

Dave Forrester (Greater Manchester) was sixth (13.10) in the Boys' 15 & 16 mini-marathon race. In the Boys' 13 & 14 event Jake Healy 16.00 (69) and John Dumbell 16.06 (70), both representing Merseyside, competed in the event for the first time. Congratulations to all. (Results courtesy of Joe Ehlen) For those who have the right skills and techniques - Results Photos

Inter-Area Coaching Match : Cudworth : 16 April.

Mike Ehlen cleared 1.70m in the high jump to equal the club under 15 record and Caroline Morley recorded 48.4 finishing third in the 300m hurdles at the venue which will host the Northern Under 20 championships at the end of May.  Results

Deeside Open Meeting: Connahs Quay: 10 April

John Ashcroft was second in his debut over the 75m hurdles in 16.9 having taken third place in the 800m in 2.33 and finished second in the long jump (4.01). Daniel Hughes won the shot putt (7.33),  took sixth in the 800 metres (2.48.1) and won the 100 (14.8) . Natalie Bannister made her hurdles debut finishing second in 16.9 (70m), competed in the 100 (16.6) and was fifth in the shot putt (3.90). Lauren Bradshaw was sixth in the 800 (2.46.4) and fifth in the 100 (16.0).

Chelsea Jarvis was third in the under 11 75m (12.5) and sixth in the 600 (2.09.1). Lianne Bibby won the mini-javelin (11.20), was third in the 75m (12.3) and 11th in the long jump (2.55). (Information compiled from Deeside website).

Grisedale Trail Race: 10 April

Sarah Charnock competed in this event and finished second lady  in 66.59 (32nd), compared to 70.54 a year ago. What Sarah forgot to mention was that she was only 14 seconds behind the winner! Results

Inter-Counties Fell Race: Wellington: Shropshire: 10 April

A trio of club athletes made history by representing Merseyside in the counties' first bid for the inter-counties fell running championship title. Tony Smith was the fourth county runner home, while Chris Dempsey and Christine Dickinson (who volunteered for service on Thursday night) each earned a county vest on this historic occasion. Tony was 44th, (41st in  the Inter-County race - 41.36), Chris was 196th (40th in the Inter-County race 63.51) and Christine 205th (41st in the  Inter-County race- 68.44). Merseyside finished sixth in the men's race and ninth in the women's although the latter appear to have been the first all vets' county team to finish. Phil Thomas acted as selector, team manager and organiser. Chris and Christine described their race as "heroic" but the description was edited out. (Report by Phil Thomas). Results

Three Bridges 10k : Lancaster: 10 April.

John and Pam Appleton competed in this event finishing exactly ten minutes apart, John taking 58th place in 39.35 and Pam 214th in 49.35. Dorothy Fairhurst was the 300th finisher out of 333 recording 56.16.

Chester Spring 5 : 5 April:

Sarah Charnock went for a tempo run and took eighth place amongst the ladies in 31.37, beating several runners who were in front of  her in the Cheshire Cross Country Championship. (Information from Sarah Charnock)

Warrington Open Meeting 3 April:

The new track and field continued with encouraging performances including one club record, two record equalling records and several near misses plus a substantial number of medals at Victoria Park on a pleasant afternoon with a headwind hitting the sprinters and assisting the long throwers.

Caroline Morley set a new junior 400H record of 70.1, Ben Fisher equalled his own junior high jump record and Dylan Riley equalled the under 13 Boys' high jump best.  Drew Atherton came within 42cms of setting a new under 13 javelin record.

Craig Knight won the 100 and was second in the 200 in which Steve Moran took third place. Ben won the high jump and finished first junior in the javelin with 57.20, three metres up on what he had thrown at Wavertree during the morning. Chris Dickinson took medals in the 1500, 3000 and javelin while Layla Tapley won the shot putt and was second in the long jump. Helen Grady, representing the under 17 girls', took third in the long jump.

Anthony Marsh was within 13 cms of five metres in the long jump while Mike Ehlen won the high jump. In the under 15 girls' Rachael Hutchinson and Hannah Carrick competed with medals won in the 100, 200 and shot putt.

There was a trio of silver medals for Andrew Armson in the under 13 hurdles, high jump and long jump. Dylan Riley, Daniel Hughes, Ryan Marsh, Grant Oldham and James Evans took the first five places in the shot putt.

Laura Crook won the 800 metres in which Heather Drillingcourt was second. Jenny Hamon was fourth in the shot putt and Lauren Bradshaw fifth in the 800. Jemma Shaw made her debut alongside Debbie Stevenson while other competitors included Emily Dickinson, Natalie Bannister and Devon Hamon. Unfortunately, the long jump results have gone missing.

Andrew Hutchinson and Brian Nevitt were second and third in the under 11's cricket ball event, Amy Pike and Leanne Bibby finishing first and second in the girls' contest. Other medal winners were Rose Hindley (75 and 150), Danielle McGifford (long jump) and Gabrielle Large (long jump) while our full complement of athletes included Keisha Green, Amy Shaw, Louise Hayes and Nicola Hamon. (Compiled by Phil Thomas from information provided by Warrington A C)

Pendle Open Meeting : 3 April:

Julia Hayes competed at Pendle recording 21.11m in the hammer for a personal best before spending the rest of the afternoon at Warrington supporting the youngsters. (Information from Pendle website)

The Sand National : Blackpool Beach 3 April

Fresh from his brilliant long stage in the 12 stage relays, Dennis Wharton safely negotiated obstacles such as Bechers Brook, the Canal Turn & the Chair to finish in 8th place overall in a time of 20:31. There is a "Stewards Enquiry" about the race distance which was advertised as 4.5 miles. No one has yet determined whether M Wharton (20th in 24.21) is Dennis' son or just a happy coincidence. (Ian Hayburn from Results Sheets info.)

Firefighters 4: Liverpool 3 April:

David Bradshaw and Cecilia Fitzsimons turned out for the second time in 24 hours to finish 73rd (30.39) and 76th (30.58). Dorothy Fairhurst was 106th in 34.55. Further research indicated that Janet Kennedy (123 - 37.51) and Lisa Hayburn (127 - 38.06) also completed the course. Gerry and Ian are becoming concerned they may be asked to look after the children while Janet and Lisa go for a training run. Alternatively we may have to set up a crèche at the club. (Report from Ian Hayburn)

Schools Cross Country International : Mold 2 April 2005

Dave Forrester finished seventh, the first under age in his race, earning a medal as part of the winning England team. (Information from Paul Forrester). Results

Northern Road Relays : Heaton Park : 2 April 2005: 

The club continued to make history by fielding three teams in the Northern 12 and 6 stage road relays on a warm day at Heaton Park, Manchester. It was tough, the senior men relying on the ageless Stan Erlam to make sure they had a team and the women covering the last minute withdrawal through injury of Sue O’Hanlon, by calling on Pam Appleton in only her second competition since returning from her operation to ensure we were able to field a B team. They didn't let us down.  

Sarah Charnock took on the burden of running first leg, coming back 19th in 18.24. Gill Bacon ran 17.58 to finish 12th. Julia Eccleston recorded 21.32 (17) while Cecilia Fitzsimons was round in 22.02 to maintain the club's position. Rosie O’Hagan, called into the A team on Thursday night finished 22nd in 23.48 and Cath Lambert anchored the team home in 23.20 (22) as she did at Stockport in 2002. That year the team finished 22nd, the same position they were holding last year when Jackie Turner pulled up injured. More importantly, we're getting closer to the teams in 20th and 21st places!!!!

Christine Dickinson took full advantage of first leg to record an excellent 22.57 (41), Lisa Bluett looking resplendent in John Appleton’s vest, came back in 24.33 (35), Pam Appleton, who volunteered to run on Thursday night, held her position with 23.20. Janet Holmes' marathon training paid off as she moved up a place (25.31). Pauline Picton, bristling with confidence, gained two places (25.11) while Jackie Turner put last year's disappointment behind her to improve by one place (30.40) giving the B team 31st place out of 44 starters, the first Merseyside B team to finish.

For the senior men Barry Graney led from the front finishing the first long stage in 29.46 (44). Steve Mayers set out the opposition, gaining five place 15.50(39) with Andy O’Connor also picking up a place on third leg 17.48. Greg Williams accepted the responsibility of the second long stage to gain another place 30.31 with Ray Vose 17.59, John Appleton 18.49 and Ian Hayburn 30.42 keeping the club in 37th position. 

Ian Pass had a good run 19.02(39) as did David Bradshaw 20.35 (41) and Dennis Wharton did all that could be asked of him on the final long stage 32.41(42). Stan Erlam, who last ran the race in 1999, when the club was unable to field a full team, came back in 21.24(45), mystified as to where Tony Raffle had disappeared to. In fact, owing the problems out on the course, some last leg runners were sent out together leaving the recorders to sort out the positions. Tony more than held his own, anchoring the team home to 44th place (20.05), out of 56 starters.

The men's team were down on last year but with Mark Laithwaite, Tony Smith and Ian White missing this was a good result and far better than in the years before 2003 when we couldn't field a 12 man team. We have a new crop of youngsters available next year which should see the club build on achievements since 2003.  It was great team selection by Ian Hayburn with the short leg runners all running from fastest to slowest except Tony Raffle who requested that he run the glory leg.

The ladies team will be hoping for the return of Louise Casey, Diane Appleton, Chris Dempsey and Pam Fitzsimons, the improvement of Natalie Rhami and the emergence of others from the new group of ladies now training at the club. Their next collective race will be the Whitley 10k on 24 April. Senior men looking for competition may also want to try the event.

Thanks to John Irwin for the tent, Fred and Brenda Bluett for support, Phil Thomas for acting as team manager and all the athletes who have set the standards for future years. (Report edited by Barry Graney) Men's Results.    Women's Results.

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