Juniors set new individual and relay club records at EYAL meeting
BAC Juniors in the composite (BAC and Luton AC) Bedfordshire Lions team which took part in this season’s second Eastern Young Athletes League meeting at Watford on Sunday May 18 produced two new club records and getting on for 20 PBs.
With strong contingents from both BAC and Luton, the Lions were able to field a much larger squad, over 40 athletes, than for their first EYAL meeting in April. That increased number, together with some fine performances, enabled the Lions to amass just on 300 points, almost twice the number achieved at the previous meeting.
The first new club record was set by Lauren Bone in the U-15G 1500m, with a time of 5:07.5, over five seconds faster than her own previous CR and only three seconds off the fastest time for that event by any BAC female athlete of 5:04.79 set in 2012. Three days later, Lauren also set a new club record for the U-15G 3000m with a time of 11:06.20 at a Cambridgeshire AA evening open meeting in St Ives.
The second new CR at the EYAL Watford meeting was set by the all-BAC quartet which made up the Lions’ U-13G 4x100m relay team. Ayla Akay, Katie Everitt, Ariana Lewis and Nathania Lewis knocked more than two seconds off the previous record to come home in 57.4.
BAC event winners included Nathania in the U-13G 100m and 200m A races and Bradley Cant in the U-15B A group javelin. Other BAC highlights included Austin Milner finally cracking the 5-minute barrier in the 1500m after going close in previous races this season. A special mention, too, to three athletes better known for their track performances − Lauren, Ayla and Joanna Hardy − for achieving massive improvements to their PBs in the shot put.
The meeting also saw the debut outing for the Lions of two BAC U-13 athletes, Tomás Mendelssohn and Polly Lawrence. Tomás contributed a fine six points to the team score with 5th place finishes in both the 100m and long jump A events, while Polly eased her way into EYAL competition with a run in the 100m as a non-scorer.
New PBs were achieved by:
● Ayla Akay, U-13G: shot put (5.02m), 800m (2:57.8), 200m (30.2)
● Vanessa Cornwall, U-13G: 70m hurdles (14.8), 800m (2:55.8)
● Ariana Lewis, U-13G: 70m hurdles (14.7)
● Joanna Hardy, U-13G: shot put (4.22m)
● Katie Everitt, U-13G: long Jump (3.33m)
● Polly Lawrence, U-13G: 100m (16.2)
● Tomás Mendelssohn, U-13B: 100m (15.1), long jump (3.55m)
● Austin Milner, U-15B: 1500m (4:58.6)
● Lauren Bone, U-15G: 1500m (5:07.5), shot put (9.55m)
● Ésa Blake, U-17W: discus (17.49m), hammer (23.29m)
● Sidney Hammond, U-17M: 800m (2:08)
Bedfordshire Lions team managers Michael and Kat Lewis summed up the day: “It was great to see so many new faces joining our EYAL squad. Fantastic performances from all with lots of new PBs - well done everyone!”
The next EYAL match is at Chelmsford on Sunday June 15. If you’re the parent/guardian of a young BAC athlete who would like to join the team for that, please email us (contact details in the May Junior Newsletter) with the name and age group of the athlete and the disciplines they would like to compete in (maximum of three events plus relays).
BAC members of the Bedfordshire Lions team which competed in Watford:
U-13 Girls: Ariana Lewis, Ayla Akay, Joanna Hardy, Katie Everitt, Nathania Lewis, Vanessa Cornwall, Polly Lawrence
U-13B: Ross Bone, Theo Milner, Tomás Mendelssohn
U-15G: Lauren Bone
U-15B: Austin Milner, Bradley Cant
U-17W: Ésa Blake
U-17M: Sidney Hammond
PHOTOS: Thanks to Louise Cant, Emma Hardy, Heather Hammond and Kat Lewis for the photos.
Individual Results on Power of 10: https://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=680225
Team Results: http://eyal.org.uk/results/