NAL Championship South Round 2 – Blackheath – Saturday 11th July
Blackheath and Bromley’s Zara Obamakinwa set an NAL discus record of 61.87m to help her club with their home match in the NAL Championship South.
In doing so, the 22-year-old went fifth on the Great Britain all-time list with the furthest throw since the competition re-formed with men and women competing at the same meetings. The all-time league record still stands at 62.18 by UK record holder Meg Ritchie, dating back to 1984. Obamakinwa’s best was more than 25 metres further than the next best point-scoring athlete.
Team-mate Dillon Claydon achieved a best of 53.54m in the men’s event, and he also won the shot put with 18.25m.
The result means the club are all-but qualified for the Promotion Match as they hold a five-point advantage over third place Herne Hill, with a maximum of six available in the final round. Crawley were second in the match and are also second in the overall standings after two rounds, with a three-point advantage over third.
NAL Championship North Round 2 – Nottingham – Saturday 11th July
City of Sheffield put themselves firmly in the driving seat to qualify for the Promotion Match with a second-consecutive victory in the NAL Championship North, beating host club Notts AC in Nottingham.
Leonie Ashmeade achieved a 100m snd 200m double in 11.63s and 24.14s respectively. In the field, Chuks Osammor won the discus by more than five metres with 54.57m, before taking the shot put with 16.66m. Elena Inch managed an 800m and 1500m double. Joe Dunderdale’s javelin best was a respectable 68.89m.
As for Notts, Amber Richardson took the 400m in 56.35s, after Zoe Lucas had got to the line first in the 100m hurdles in 13.95s. In third place, City of York long jumper Emily Maude set a personal best of 6.10m to beat Sale Harriers’ Steph Jones (5.99m). Great Britain international Tess McHugh won the 400m hurdles in 59.60 – a faster time than the Premiership match – Melissa Booth’s 12.78m triple-jump win.
Gabrielle Garber of Trafford cleared 1.80m in the high jump, while the club also got a 1500m steeplechase one-two through Bethany Reid and Kate Meeson and an 800m and 1500m double from Joseph Hudak.
Sheffield have a three-point lead in the standings after two rounds, while York and Notts can only be separated on match points, meaning it could be a brilliant fight between them for the second qualification spot for the Promotion Match.
NAL Championship West Round 2 – Bournemouth – Saturday 11th July
Yeovil Olympiads achieved an excellent match victory in Bournemouth to go top of the overall standings after two rounds of the Championship West. Host club Bournemouth were second, with Cardiff third and round-one winners Swindon Harriers fourth.
Emma Greenway’s 47.06m hammer throw set Yeovil on their way early on, before Harry Barton did a 100m and long jump double. Georgia Silcox did similar, winning the 100m and 100m hurdles.
Cardiff’s Chapman sisters achieved a one-two in the long jump, with 5.60m from Rebecca and 5.43 from younger sibling Katie. Later, Tobias Clayden crossed the line in 15.86 in the 110m hurles, also ahead of a team-mate in the shape of John Bennett. Swindon did the same in the men’s 800m through Matt Woodward and Fletcher Hart. Alessandro Virgilio and Teresa Ianetelli took the men’s and women’s 400m respectively, before they combined to triumph with Swindon’s mixed 4x400m relay quartet.
Meanwhile, 54.83m was the best distance for Winchester’s winning hammer thrower Charlie Elford Pond. Alex Stewart of Bournemouth’s time in the men’s 1500m was 6:19.18, more than 16 seconds clear of his competition.
The West group looks hard to call, with four teams still able to qualify for the Promotion Match. Second-placed Swindon and Third-placed Cardiff are only separated on match points going into the decider. Bournemouth may be disappointed not to have won the match to capitalise on home advantage, as they are two points behind the second place they need to qualify.
NAL Championship East Round 2 – Stevenage – Saturday 11th July
Chelmsford won their NAL Championship East match to top the overall standings in the regional group after two matches. The result puts them four league points clear of third place, with a maximum of five available from the deciding round.
Helene Ingvaldsen’s 58.56m hammer throw began proceedings, before she also took maximum points in the discus with 36.83m and shot put with 11.08m.
Finishing the match as runners up were Herts Phoenix, for whom Eloise Harvey achieved a long jump and triple jump double. Elsewhere, Tiana Rizzo took the 100m and 200m, and Edward Laws winning the 400m hurdles in 51.29, as well as the mixed 4x400m later on.
Steven Garrett (6:12.38) was more than 30 seconds clear of the competition in the 2000m chase for Shaftesbury Barnet, with Greg Thompson’s 55.12m effort good for 12 points in the discus and Paul Ogun triumphing in the long jump and triple jump.
Highlights for fourth-placed Belgrave Harriers included Sam Ige’s men’s 100m and 200m double, while Alex Gandee won the women’s 1500m in 4:46.64. Kate O’Neill and Lauren Reed were first and second in the women’s 3000m for fifth-placed Havering.
All five teams still have some chance of making the Promotion Match, with Chelmsford leading Shaftesbury by one league point and Herts Phoenix a further three behind. Havering and Belgrave have four, so only a victory would do for them next month.