-
Press Report 3rd August 2009
Athletes from Ilford AC continued their recent good
vein of form with more success in the East London Five Interclub Series
in Race 3 held at Orion Headquarters in Epping Forest on Saturday. A
warm and pleasant morning brought a great turnout from the Cricklefield
based club despite a clash with the Southern mens league as 19 Ilford
runners joined battle in a field of nearly 200 in what the host
club described somewhat liberally as reasonably flat 5 mile on foret
trails.
With 6 to score in the Series team race a great
packing performance by the men's squad was enough to wrest
victory from strong favourites on their home ground, Orion
Harriers. Youngster Iain Macdonald was the mens' pick of the day with
9th place overall in a good time of 30.23 and just getting the better of
captain Neil Crisp, 10th in 30.24. Robin McNelis chipped in with 13th
and 30.37 with Terry Knightley, returning from a back injury, 20th in
31.27 and Darren Bottrill 35th in 33.02 it was left to veteran Steve
Parker 48th in 34.52 to close the victory. Kevin Newell also had an
excellent run recording 33.25 for 38th but was unlucky to finish just
outside the scorers with only 3 senior men to count. The race was won by
Orion's Shay Joyce in a new course record of 28.34.
The womens squad was somewhat depleted by the usual
3 evils of injury, holidays, and sickness but still put up a terrific
battle to run the eventual team winners, Orion Harriers, very close and
finishing a creditable 2nd place out of the 5 teams in the series
competition. Captain Dianne Crisp led by example finishing top over 45
lady on the day and 11th lady home overall. She was ably supported by
Nicola Hopkinson 40.03 for 28th and Sally Gillam 41.56 for 34th. It was
good to see Nicky McNelis back in competitive action for the club and
next home in 42.52 for 39th. New recruit .Jo Bushnell followed her
in 56th place clocking 48.14 and promises a lot for the future. Not far
behind Carol Muir completed the womens scorers delighted to improve 4
minutes from her previous outing on this course clocking 49.02 for 60th
place.
Other Ilford times and placings were:- Peter Spelman
39.40 (84th), Martin Clarke 41.21 (89th), Gerry Trill 41.25 (90th),
Billy Green 42.40 (102nd), Satha Alaganandasundaram 44.27 (108th), Robin
Davis 50.48 (113th).
With 3 races completed in the 5 match series both
squads have put themeselves in virtually unassailable positions in the
series, the men having won all 3 and the ladies chalking up 2 wins and a
second. The next race is the Barking Park 5k hosted by Barking Road
Runners on Bank Holiday Monday August 31st.
Meanwhile Ilford's Pam Jones is among 277 British
Masters athletes competing in the biennial World Masters Track & Field
Championships in Lahti, Finland. News is filtering through that Pam was
2nd to Polands Zofia Tuosz in the 8k cross country finishing in 40.44,
14 seconds behind although she was giving the Pole 2 years. Pam finished
2nd again to the same athlete in the 5000m clocking 25.50, just 3
seconds adrift of the victor after nobody wanted to set the early pace.
Ilford win caps
11-year best
Ilford Athletic Club’s mens team dug deep for a magnificent win in the final match of the season. The win means that the squad reach 7th in the league, the highest since 1998 and the third best in 22 years. Performance of the day was a stunning effort on the club’s 42 year old 4x100m record which failed by the narrowest of margins and is the quickest time ever over the metric distance. With the match sealed before the final few events, head coach, Craig Burrow decided to focus on the short relay with the top squad of Antoine Green, Jordan Kirby, Healson Ihuoma and Aaron Balogun. The squad handled the baton perfectly and stormed through for a comfortable win over a top Enfield squad with 43.0s, just one tenth of a second behind the club’s all time best.
The squad entered the match with great confidence after winning the penultimate match and started off strongly in the hammer with a good throw of 40.18m for Wesley Clarke and 33.18m for Craig Burrow, narrowly missing maximum points in the event. Multi-eventer Sam Malekout was suffering the after effects of flu but bravely accompanied Ilford’s most recent star Healson Ihuoma for heights of 2.40m and 2.80m in the pole vault respectively, before Ihuoma joined Nathaniel Senior in the long jump for a double win to push the Ilford team into an early lead that they never relinquished. Ihuoma has been in outstanding form in the long jump, twice breaking the club record, but was slightly off his best, returning a fine 6.84m. Senior was also looking for more but was pleased with his season’s best effort of 6.10m, from where he went on to score good points with a win in the high jump (1.65m) and an excellent personal best shot putt of 9.82m.
As with Ihuoma, Senior is in a rich vein of form with his main event, and didn’t disappoint with an excellent 13.59m in the triple jump, narrowly missing both a victory and his personal best of 13.78m. Elijah Collins was also busy during the early stages of the event, recording a fine win in the 400m hurdles with 64.4s, 1.70m for second in the high jump and a win in the triple jump with 12.73m. Antoine Green was under pressure in the 400m hurdles, taking the ‘A’ race number for the first time and performing well to hold off a strong finish from the Newham and Serpentine athletes with 63.6. In his premier event, the 110m hurdles, he left the opposition trailing helplessly in his wake, breaking the tape in 16.7s.
Ilford were expected to score well in the sprints, and the exceptional talents of Aaron Balogun and Jordan Kirby didn’t disappoint. Balogun looked near his best, with wins in the 100m with 11.0s and 200m with 22.1s, both worth more with a following wind. Essex junior Jordan Kirby also scored a double victory with 22.5s in the 200m and a tie for first in the 100m of 11.2s. The sprints squad was also strengthened by new sprints talents, Ken Nwosu and Avemick Mayemba running in the non-scoring events for 11.8 and 11.9 respectively in the 100m and a fine 24.2 in the 200m for Mayemba. Also making his debut in the squad was Chidi Muoghalu, who started off strongly in the 400m but faded towards the end to record 57.7s. He was joined by regular stalwart Dewa Collier who ran well for 60.8s.
By the midway point, the team led by a narrow margin of 5 points from North Devon, helped by a personal best from Ihuoma in the javelin (41.72m) and a win in the ‘B’ string for Sam Malekout in the same event (39.10m) and a second place for Craig Burrow, who narrowly overcame the 12 metre barrier in the shot putt with 12.04m. But the Ilford squad began to pull away in the 5000m as Devon failed to present any competitors. Ilford’s runners Gary Chandler and newcomer Chris Burgoyne started the race in very different style with Chandler chasing the quick early pace and Burgoyne diligently tracking his nearest rival from Serpentine at a more cautious pace. Chandler’s efforts took their toll in the second half but a rapid last lap rewarded the veteran athlete with a time of 15.59.5, dipping under the magic 16 minute barrier for the first time. Burgoyne too was rewarded with his cautious start as he eased away from the Serpentine athlete with two quick last laps for 16.31.4 and second place.
Despite a disappointing 1500m, full points in the steeplechase (Malcolm Muir – 10.48.6 and Matt Maple – 11.00.0) and a strong throw from Burrow in the discus (38.46m) left Ilford with a comfortable lead with just the relays to go. The 4x400m squad of Nwosu (56.1s), Chidi Muoghalu (56.0s), Collins (55.1s) and Balogun (50.1s) left nothing on the track with a good 3rd place with 3:37.3, leaving Ilford with a final score of 136 points, 27.5 points above nearest rivals North Devon.
The inevitable celebrations marked the end of the season but the squad will soon be preparing for next year, where the club hope to go one step further and reach the promotion places into the national league. After the match, team manager Matt Maple said “the reasons for the team’s success is a blend of enthusiasm, unparalleled team spirit and loads of talent. With a host of young athletes in the squad, the team will go from strength to strength”.
Other performances:- Malc Muir: 800m – 2:08.7, 1500m – 4:22.7; Matt Maple: 800m – 2:15.1; Gary Chandler: 1500m – 4:37.3; Chris Burgoyne: 1500m – 4:42?; Healson Ihuoma: 110mH – 20.5; Sam Malekout: Discus – 23.34m
Ilford Athletic Club’s mens team dug deep for a magnificent win in the final match of the season. The win means that the squad reach 7th in the league, the highest since 1998 and the third best in 22 years. Performance of the day was a stunning effort on the club’s 42 year old 4x100m record which failed by the narrowest of margins and is the quickest time ever over the metric distance. With the match sealed before the final few events, head coach, Craig Burrow decided to focus on the short relay with the top squad of Antoine Green, Jordan Kirby, Healson Ihuoma and Aaron Balogun. The squad handled the baton perfectly and stormed through for a comfortable win over a top Enfield squad with 43.0s, just one tenth of a second behind the club’s all time best.
The squad entered the match with great confidence after winning the penultimate match and started off strongly in the hammer with a good throw of 40.18m for Wesley Clarke and 33.18m for Craig Burrow, narrowly missing maximum points in the event. Multi-eventer Sam Malekout was suffering the after effects of flu but bravely accompanied Ilford’s most recent star Healson Ihuoma for heights of 2.40m and 2.80m in the pole vault respectively, before Ihuoma joined Nathaniel Senior in the long jump for a double win to push the Ilford team into an early lead that they never relinquished. Ihuoma has been in outstanding form in the long jump, twice breaking the club record, but was slightly off his best, returning a fine 6.84m. Senior was also looking for more but was pleased with his season’s best effort of 6.10m, from where he went on to score good points with a win in the high jump (1.65m) and an excellent personal best shot putt of 9.82m.
As with Ihuoma, Senior is in a rich vein of form with his main event, and didn’t disappoint with an excellent 13.59m in the triple jump, narrowly missing both a victory and his personal best of 13.78m. Elijah Collins was also busy during the early stages of the event, recording a fine win in the 400m hurdles with 64.4s, 1.70m for second in the high jump and a win in the triple jump with 12.73m. Antoine Green was under pressure in the 400m hurdles, taking the ‘A’ race number for the first time and performing well to hold off a strong finish from the Newham and Serpentine athletes with 63.6. In his premier event, the 110m hurdles, he left the opposition trailing helplessly in his wake, breaking the tape in 16.7s.
Ilford were expected to score well in the sprints, and the exceptional talents of Aaron Balogun and Jordan Kirby didn’t disappoint. Balogun looked near his best, with wins in the 100m with 11.0s and 200m with 22.1s, both worth more with a following wind. Essex junior Jordan Kirby also scored a double victory with 22.5s in the 200m and a tie for first in the 100m of 11.2s. The sprints squad was also strengthened by new sprints talents, Ken Nwosu and Avemick Mayemba running in the non-scoring events for 11.8 and 11.9 respectively in the 100m and a fine 24.2 in the 200m for Mayemba. Also making his debut in the squad was Chidi Muoghalu, who started off strongly in the 400m but faded towards the end to record 57.7s. He was joined by regular stalwart Dewa Collier who ran well for 60.8s.
By the midway point, the team led by a narrow margin of 5 points from North Devon, helped by a personal best from Ihuoma in the javelin (41.72m) and a win in the ‘B’ string for Sam Malekout in the same event (39.10m) and a second place for Craig Burrow, who narrowly overcame the 12 metre barrier in the shot putt with 12.04m. But the Ilford squad began to pull away in the 5000m as Devon failed to present any competitors. Ilford’s runners Gary Chandler and newcomer Chris Burgoyne started the race in very different style with Chandler chasing the quick early pace and Burgoyne diligently tracking his nearest rival from Serpentine at a more cautious pace. Chandler’s efforts took their toll in the second half but a rapid last lap rewarded the veteran athlete with a time of 15.59.5, dipping under the magic 16 minute barrier for the first time. Burgoyne too was rewarded with his cautious start as he eased away from the Serpentine athlete with two quick last laps for 16.31.4 and second place.
Despite a disappointing 1500m, full points in the steeplechase (Malcolm Muir – 10.48.6 and Matt Maple – 11.00.0) and a strong throw from Burrow in the discus (38.46m) left Ilford with a comfortable lead with just the relays to go. The 4x400m squad of Nwosu (56.1s), Chidi Muoghalu (56.0s), Collins (55.1s) and Balogun (50.1s) left nothing on the track with a good 3rd place with 3:37.3, leaving Ilford with a final score of 136 points, 27.5 points above nearest rivals North Devon.
The inevitable celebrations marked the end of the season but the squad will soon be preparing for next year, where the club hope to go one step further and reach the promotion places into the national league. After the match, team manager Matt Maple said “the reasons for the team’s success is a blend of enthusiasm, unparalleled team spirit and loads of talent. With a host of young athletes in the squad, the team will go from strength to strength”.
Other performances:- Malc Muir: 800m – 2:08.7, 1500m – 4:22.7; Matt Maple: 800m – 2:15.1; Gary Chandler: 1500m – 4:37.3; Chris Burgoyne: 1500m – 4:42?; Healson Ihuoma: 110mH – 20.5; Sam Malekout: Discus – 23.34m