Hyndburn close after Sumner sprint double (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Hyndburn close after Sumner sprint double

5:33pm Friday 5th June 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

STEPHEN Sumner landed a sprint double as the Mid Lancs Track and Field League made the first of two visits to East Lancashire this summer.

The hosts at Wilson Playing Fields were Hyndburn Athletic Club, our top local team this year, with both their male and female teams in the top tier.

On a sweltering afternoon, Hyndburn capitalised to the full on their home advantage with a large attendance which the athletes duly converted into points.

The men almost won the day, but ended a close second to Kendal, and the women took a creditable third behind runaway winners Blackpool.

Sumner showed the way for the men with a sprint double in 11.4 seconds and 23.3 seconds and there were more wins for the seniors with high jumper Arran McCarthy and both relay squads.

The U17s carried on where the seniors left off with James Brownless taking the 400m and javelin, and Joshua Blysniuk added successes in the discus and hammer while Ryan McCaffrey was the youngest winner in the U15s javelin.

The women were grateful to Lauren Grime who came up with maximum points in the senior shot, discus and hammer, but possibly the highlight of the whole competition was Marnie Shirtcliffe’s winning 28.53m in the U13 girls’ javelin which moved her to the top of the “Power of 10” National Rankings List.

Pendle’s women were Division 2 winners this week after a treble for U13 Rhea Jackson in the 100m, 200m and long jump, and support from throwers Rosie Southworth and Charlotte Beech who each scored doubles.

Beech was the outright winner in the U17 shot and discus with respective distances of 9.73m and 28.21m with senior Southworth the best of the second division contenders in the discus and javelin.

Chorley AC’s women were third in class after scoring six victories, on four occasions also beating the Division 1 contenders. Rhiann Beaumont set a personal best of 1.53m in the U13 girls’ high jump and there was a lengthy 12.13m from Kelly Hilton in the senior triple jump.

The men from Rossendale are embroiled in the promotion chase after their second spot in Division 2. England fell running star Ashley Kay dipped under two minutes in the 800m for the first time in his career as he won the senior race in 1:59.8, but it was the U17s who were the strongest with firsts from Joe Moores, Joe Johnson and Jack Stringfellow in the 800m, 1500m and triple jump.

Burnley’s men were fifth with five wins to their credit, but Marc Hartley was alone in beating all the first division opposition too as he took the senior 1500m.

Zac Child almost single-handedly made sure that the U17s were the Pendle club’s most successful age grouping as he won shot, javelin and hammer while Chorley AC’s effort was boosted by a personal best from Ryan Sciacca as he won the U15s 800m in 2:11.6.

Blackburn Harriers’ men are in the top tier and it was the U13s that did the most to keep them out of the relegation zone on the day by accounting for all four of their wins. James Blow was their star as he took the 100m and high jump, but he got sterling support from James Carthy and William Murray in the discus and javelin.

l The next round of the Mid Lancs League on Saturday June 27 has been switched to Witton Park in Blackburn, swapping dates with the match at Bolton now provisionally scheduled for Saturday July 25.