Juniors battle on track

SEVEN juniors from Waveney Valley Athletics Club competed in the Suffolk County Track and Field Championships at Northgate Sports Centre, Ipswich.

Conditions were very tough with brilliant sunshine and high temperatures all morning making the middle to long distance races very hard. And a blustery easterly wind in the later part of the day down the finishing straight troubled the sprinters.

Megan Soanes (U13 Girls), on form, secured three medals. In 800m she set a pb of 2:38.6, the same in long jump with 4.06m and she was third in 200m in 31.9 against that strong headwind.

Waveney's U13 boys had two first-time competitors, Ewan Anderson and Jamie Finch.

Ewan had a brilliant run in his first event, the 75m hurdles, gained a third-place medal and pb in 17.2sec. He then set two more pbs in 100m in 16.1 and in 200m in 33.7.

Jamie, running under the weather, battled well to finish eighth in 1500m against a very strong field and very hot conditions. He also put in good performances in long jump and in 200m, missing out on the 200m final by one place.

Rachel Smith (U15 Girls), competing in 100m for this meeting, having won her heat to qualify for the final, matched her heat time of 14.1sec but narrowly missed out on a medal.

In the U15 Boys Dominic Oliver started by setting a pb in long jump with 3.89m then gained a third place medal and pb in the 400m in 66.4sec and finished off a good day to place fifth in the 800m.

In the U17 Girls, Polly Davies and Tamsin Desborough setpbs in all their events. Polly was third in the 300m in 43.3 and just missed another medal, finishing fourth in a fantastic 100m final in 13.4.

Tamsin finished fourth in the 3000m in 13:54.9 and fourth in discus with 15.3m.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club juniors meet every Monday at the Denes High School and Wednesdays at Sir John Leman High School, 6.30 until 8pm.

For more details see www.waveneyvalley.org