Following their performances at the SW Schools Championships on Saturday June 23rd 2012, Emily Smith & Sam Bedford were named on the County team for the English Schools Championships to be held in Gateshead on July 6th/7th. They will be joined at those championships by the Yeovil-based Isobel Glaisher and Sam Sommerville from the Harrier's cross-country team. Well done to all of them, and all others that competed so well at Exeter.

Sam Bedford achieved a new SW Schools Championship's best time in the 400m when he won in 48.41. This places him 8th on the u'20's national rankings. Emily Smith's 10.20 for the u17w 3,000m race also propels her into the top 20 nationally, with cross-country team-mate Isobel's 10.14 in the same race (for Dorset schools) putting her 14th nationally. Sam Sommerville's 2.01 for the 800m in the junior boys race places him in 7th for u15s nationally. That's some good performances.

Also competing at Exeter this past weekend there were a host of other great performances by the Harrier-trained athletes. In the inter-boys, Matt Dickinson won the 3,000m race in a personal best of 9.01, just a second outside of the English schools qualifying time. Team-mate Oliver Fox, a year younger, was 5^th in another personal best of 9.13 in the same race but will have another try again in the same age group next year.

Luke Prior ran well in the junior boy’s 1500m race finishing with a time of 4.33, well inside his previous best. For the boys, from the cross-country team there was also Philip Bridge 4.51 for the 1500m steeplechase; Matt Cole 60.92 for 2^nd place in the 400m hurdles.For the girls, from the cross-country team, there was Amy Darcy, 2^nd in the junior girls 800m in a great  2.25; Lilly Hawkins 2.22 in the inter girls equivalent; and Isobel Glaisher’s exceptional 10.14 for the 3,000 victory which places her in the top 20 u17women nationally. Isobel will go on to represent Dorset schools at Gateshead..

At the previous weekend's County Schools Championships a large number of Wells City Harrier juniors had competed with many of them going on to represent Somerset Schools at the SW Schools Championships  in Exeter (June 23rd), Meanwhile many juniors have been competing hard at various track and field events as part of the combined Yeovil and Wells track team.

Despite the blustery and windy conditions on Saturday, Emily Smith & Lucy Baldwin both ran away with the 1^st places in the Somerset Schools Inter girls and junior girls 1500m races respectively. For Emily her 4.53 clocking was 10 seconds or so slower than her personal best but she was obviously in good form to be able to go on to run a nippy 45.01 for a pb in the 300m, a 51.3 for 300m Hurdles and a 18.73m javelin throw on the Sunday at the Club’s National Young Athletes League match at Cwmbran. Lucy’s time was 5.10 on the Saturday and indicates that she is running consistently well.

Matt Dickinson & Oliver Fox ran good races in the 3000m for 2^nd and 3^rd places. Matt’s time of 9.15 is well down on the 9.01 that he clocked at the Club’s County Championships last month but given the conditions that was a good clocking. Oliver, at a year younger that Matt, kept pace for a good part of the race finishing in 9.24. Luke Prior likewise had a good 1500m race for 3^rd place in the u15 boys with a time of 4.36.

Sam Bedford continues to show that his move down to 400m this season is to his liking with another good clocking and result. His 49.6 for the one lap distance was within a whisker of his pb of last month which ranks him in the top 20 in the country at this age group.

In the sprints, Charlotte Sullivan ran 13.78 in the heats and 13.86 despite slipping in the Final to finish 5^th in the u17 women’s 100m, whilst Ben Hutton ran a 12.68 into a strong headwind for 7^th in the u17 men’s 100m. Ben also ran a 25.78 for the 200m.

In the u20 men’s 800m Sam Harding ran a useful 2.06 for 2^nd place, whilst Abigail Gibbons was also 2^nd in the u17womens 800m with a 2.37, and Megan Rusca recorded a solid 2.55 in the u15 girl’s event. In the 1500m Charlie Martin ran a 4.33 for 2^nd place in the u17 men’s event, and Oliver Dickinson running a year young in the u15 boy’s event recorded 5.10, with Cross-country team-mates Josh Boon and Johnny Ellis either side of him in the placings.There was also some other great performances on the day by juniors from our partner club, Yeovil Olympiads.

Emily Smith, Matt Dickinson, Oliver Fox, Luke Prior, and Sam Bedford joined by Amy Darcy, Lilly Hawkins, Sam Sommerville and Matt Cole from our cross-country team, training with our Yeovil squad, will all will represent Somerset Schools against other County schools teams from the South west on Saturday. Emily will captain the Inter Girls team.

Meanwhile a number of u13 juniors from the Harrier’s Monday evening training group were competing at Cwmbran in the combined Yeovil & Wells team this past Sunday June 17th, and several also competed at the South West League Division One match the previous Sunday at Exeter.

At Cwmbran, Dylan Dukes ran 16.6 for 100m, before Josh Thorne ran 2.38 for the 800m and a 33.17 in the 200m, whilst Elise Thorner ran a 2.49 for 800m and a 15.21 for the 70m hurdles before leaping 310 in the long jump. Ollie Thorner ran a 15.48 for the 75m hurdles with Joe Heath clocking 16.44 for the same event. Joe jumped to 1.32m in the high jump, with Ollie clearing 1.25m. Joe finished off with a 5.08m in the shot putt. The results from the SW League Div 1 fixture of June 10^th can be seen on the results tab to the right but final results from Cwmbran can be seen here

http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=63734&;pagenum=1

After two matches in the tough SW Division One the team are leading from Cornwall AC & Taunton AC.Youngsters interested in competing in the next fixture on July 8th should let team managers know as soon as possible for selection. See About the Club for list of the Track team managers.

This past Monday, June 18th, saw a large contingent of juniors competing at the Club’s latest monthly competition night at Millfield track. Results from the evening will be posted on the website later. The announcement was also made that the Harriers will be joined by a former World Record holder and Olympic Gold medallist at the Monday training session to be held on Monday July 16^th. The Club President Mary Rand will present awards to the best juniors this track season, and to some long-standing coaches when she visits us on that evening at 6pm.We hope as many of our senior athletes will be able to join us that evening as well.

Bookings are now being taken for the Harrier’s annual Running, Jumping & Throwing Star:Track event which will have an Olympic theme this year. The two day training camp will take place at Millfield from 9.45am to 3.15pm on Monday and Tuesday July 30^th and 31^st. Booking forms and full details are available on the Club website with early booking

recommended.

Meanwhile at other races away from the track, Harrier juniors have been stepping up to the mark with some good perfrmances. At the recent Ninepsrings races, organised by Yeovil Town Road Runners, Oliver Dickinson won the 2km Fun Run race in a blistering 7.17 time. Next in was team mate Michael Biss (2nd) with Year 5 Luke Macpherson, not too far behuind in 4th, George Biss 14th and young Ryan Macpherson 20th.That was some good running. In the main event, over 9k one of the Club's older juniors, Curtis Stevens, aged 16 was 7th in 37.47.

At the June Yeovilton race on grass for juniors, over the two lap course of approx 1100m Luke Baker(4.01) held off Alex Williams (4.02) with Luke Macpherson close behind again in 3rd. Louise rusca was 1st home for the girls (4.58) and then came Kathleen & Tilly Cox-Thompson.