Happy Birthday from this Thursday 6 January to Uzayr Ahmad, Minas Alozides, Julian Goater, Mark Goddard, Gillian Goldin, Ty Holden, Alfie Jakobsson, Rebecca Jeggo, Gabriella Kyriacou, Phoenix Lyon, Eitan Mor, Richard Morrissey, Stephen Murphy, Ruth-Ann Otaruoh, Maisha Raougui-Rhoden, Jacob Spence, Macie Sutherland and Axel Tirinzoni

RECENT NEW MEMBERS – We wish you a very warm welcome, and a happy, healthy and successful time with Shaftesbury to TIA DALEY, MILICA MILOJEVIC, EMMANUELLA OWUSU-BEMPAH, BEN WATTS and LUKASH ZAHAB

SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS SUBSCRIPTIONS – SBH Treasurer GEOFF MORPHITIS has sent me the following regarding subscriptions.
Our new year started on 1 October 2021. The SBH annual subscriptions is £50 and the current England Athletics annual registration is £15 – but increase to £16 if your EA renewal date is after 1 April 2022. The total is £65 – but increase to £66 if your EA renewal date is after 1 April 2022, and should now be paid NOW to; ACCOUNT NAME: SHAFTESBURY BARNET HARRIERS, BANK: 41308378, SORT CODE: 400426 – Please let me know when payment is made. I will still be collecting subscriptions for the year to 30 September 2021 from those members who did not pay. Thanks GEOFF

BOXING DAY BONANZA RUN – Took place on Monday 27 December at StoneX Stadium, with 25 people taking part in the 2 lap race and 10 in the 1 lap race. Congratulations to one and all.
Results of 1 lap race – Under 11 Girls 1st VERA DOUDKO, 2nd JASMYN PERRIN, 3rd APRIL WINFIELD, 4th NALA BARNOR – Under 11 Boys 1st AMARI BARNOR, 2nd FINLEY MCSHERRY – Senior Women 1st GRACE BIRCH, 2nd KATIE ALCOCK – Masters 1st EMMA RONCARATI, 2nd ABI BARNOR

Results of 2 lap race – Under 11 Girls 1st EDIE ALCOCK – Under 13 Girls 1st PHOEBE MUSIC, 2nd ELLEN ALCOCK – Under 13 Boys 1st DIJANI BARNOR – Under 15 Boys 1st JACOB CLEMENT, 2nd DYLAN WINFIELD – Under 17 Men 1st SAMUEL GREENSTEIN, 2nd LEO RONCARATI, 3rd MAX WINFIELD – Senior Men 1st JOSH KITT – Masters Women 1st JO WINFIELD, 2nd JACQUI AGYEPONG, 3rd SARAH ALCOCK – Masters Men 1st DAVID GREENSTEIN, 2nd SEAN SUTHERLAND, 3rd DAN WINFIELD, 4th JOHN KELLY, 5th ROB RONCARATI, 6th NIL BARNOR, 7th JAMIE MCSHERRY, 8th JOHNSON OGGUNIYI, 9th MATTHEW WADE, 10th GARY ALCOCK, 11th MICHAEL WADE, 12th LAURIE KITT

CHARGES FOR USING STONEX STADIUM 2022 – Charges have now been re-instated from 4 January 2022. As a member of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers you can apply for membership of StoneX Stadium. Any official coach of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, also any parent of SBH athletes, and SBH athletes using the gym, gains entry free of charge.

Being a member of StoneX Stadium entitles you to a 10% discount of the current charges for using StoneX Stadium, which are as follows – Adult Daily entry fee £4.60 – Junior (U18) Daily entry fee £2.30 – Concession (Students in full time education, unwaged and Over 60) Daily entry fee £2.30.
Charges for those with a membership card are as follows – Adult Daily entry fee £4.20, Monthly fee £28.00 – Junior (U18) Daily entry fee £2.10, Monthly fee £14.00 – Concession (Students in full time education, unwaged and Over 60) Daily entry fee £2.10, Monthly fee £14.00. Monthly membership is available, payable monthly via direct debit for minimum period of six months.

Please use this link to view all membership details and application form (which you can print) – StoneX Memebership January 2022
All Allianz Park membership enquiries should be directed towards Emma Gouge at emmagouge@saracens.net her direct phone number is 0203 675 7252, or Lauren Hewett at laurenhewett@saracens.net her phone number are (Office) 020 3675 7210 or (Mobile) 07881 297875

MIDDLESEX XC CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place this Saturday 8 January at Greenford.
The race headquarters is The Tir Chonail Gaelic Sports Club, at the end of Berkeley Avenue, Greenford (Satnav UB6 0NZ). Directions – turn off Greenford Road (A4127), opposite the entrance to the Glaxo Factory. The playing fields are at the end of Berkeley Avenue.
Car parking spaces is limited and we had considerable problems with too many cars when we were last there in 2019. If you can share cars please, also do not park on the areas marked out for the course.
Start Times 11.15am U11 Boys (1500m), 11.20am U11 Girls (1500m), 11.30am U13 Boys (3000m), 11.35am U13 Girls (3000m), 11.55am U15 Boys (4000m), 12.00noon U15 Girls (4000m), 12.25pm U17 and U20 Women (6000m), 12.55pm U17 Men and U20 Men (6000m), 1.00pm Senior Women (8000m), 1.45pm Senior Men (12000m).
Entries Closed 

MIDDLESEX XC CHAMPIONSHIPS – Link to Map of course, also description of route for all age-groups – Middlesex Championships Horsenden Hill 2022 XC Course Map (1)    Middlesex XC Championships 08-01-22 Course Routes For All Age-Groups

HERTFORDSHIRE XC CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place this Sunday 9 January at Stanborough Lakes (South End), Welwyn Garden City.
Start Times 11.00am U11 Girls and Boys (1900m), 11.20am U13 Girls (29000m), 11.30am U13 Boys (2900m), 11.45am U15 Boys and Girls (4800m), 12.05pm U17 Men and Women, U20 Women (6150m), 12.30pm U20 Men & Senior Women (8000m), 1.15pm Senior Men (11250m).
Entries Closed

WINTER CROSS COUNTRY POINTS RACE – The Hertfordshire and Middlesex XC Championships are the 4th race of 6 for the Under 11 Boys and Girls age-groups.

JANUARY CLOSING DATES FOR INDOOR FIXTURES – Entry details are shown in Upcoming Fixtures below.
EIS Sheffield BMAF Pentathlon and 3000m Championships and Open Events on Sunday 23 January (Closing Date Monday 10 January)
Newham 60m Sprint Series on Wednesday 19 January (Closing Date Saturday 15 January)
Lee Valley London U20 and Senior Games on Saturday 22 January and Sunday 23 January (No Closing Date Given)
Lee Valley London U13, U15 and U17 Games on Saturday 29 January and Sunday 30 January (No Closing Date Given)
Lee Valley Southern U20 and Senior Championships on Saturday 5 February and Sunday 6 February (Closing Date Tuesday 25 January)

RESULTS
GLASGOW NEW YEAR BASH INDOOR MEETING – Took place at Emirates Arena on 3 January.
Shot 7.26kg – SM B ANGUS MCINROY 1st (SB 14.02m)

LEE VALLEY NEW YEAR OPEN INDOOR MEETING – Took place at Lee Valley on 2 January.
60m – SX ? HARRY PINCHERLE U15 1st (PB 8.19) taking 1.08 seconds off his 2019 time, ? SIENNA CORBYN U15 1st (PB 8.43) taking 50 of a second off her 2019 time, ? ASHER ESCOBAR U15 2nd (PB 8.56) taking .20 of a second off his 5 December 2021 time, ? ONYEBUCHI ODIAKA U15 6th (SB 8.65), ? KEIRA GILMAN U20 (2nd Claim) 2nd (SB 8.26), MOIESHA SAVAGE U13 5th (PB 8.55), ? CAMERON KNIGHT U17 2nd (PB 7.65) taking .79 of a second off his 2019 time, ? ANGEL MCLEOD U15 7th (PB 8.02), ? NIAH AKINTOKUN U17 7th (SB 7.94), ? JOSEPH PURBRICK U20 (2nd Claim) 3rd (7.14)
200m – SX ? JASMYN PERRIN U13 4th (PB 34.18), ? ASHER ESCOBAR U15 2nd (PB 27.78) taking .52 of a second off his 12 September 2021 time, ? LANI JAIYEOLA U13 4th (SB 28.47), ? VERA DOUDKO U13 5th (PB 30.80)
300m – SX ? MARIO DOBRESCU U20 1st (SB 35.09)
400m – SX ? COLUMBA BLANGO T20/F20 1st (SB 49.21), CALVIN SMITH U20 4th (SB 50.11)
800m – SX ? ZACK JOSEPHS U13 4th (SB 2:48.80), JASMYN PERRIN U13 7th (PB 2:58.44) taking 86 of a second off her 12 September 2021 time, ? HAYLEY MCLEAN 5th (SB 2:14.29), ? JACOB CLEMENT U17 3rd (SB 2:11.10)
The results are provisional as yet, and do not give race numbers. Also each athlete does not have a Club against their name, apologies if I have missed you.

SERPENTINE NEW YEARS DAY 10k – Took place at Hyde Park on 1 January.
ROBERT RIGBY V55 48th (SB 37.34 1st V50)

RUN JUMP THROWS SERIES – Took place at Sheffield on 29 December.
60m – SX 1.2 ROBERT SHIPLEY (HCA) 1st (PB 7.28) taking .12 of a second off his 2014 time, 1.4 GARY SMITH V50 (2nd Claim) 7th (SB 7.82)
200m – SX 2 ROBERT SHIPLEY (HCA) 2nd (22.38)
60m – Hurdles SM GARY SMITH V50 (2nd Claim) 1st (PB 8.60) taking .08 of a second off his 5 December time, T2 GARY finished 1st (8.88)

RIBBLE VALLEY 10k – Took place at Clitheroe on 27 December.
KIERAN CLEMENTS 6th (30.03)

PARKRUN – Can you make sure that you are registered as ‘Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers’, as the link I use to select all results only shows SBH athletes. If anyone is also officiating can you please contact me and advise me where and when. 

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Blandford on 1 January.
HUGH RICHARDS V75 63rd (31.47) this was his 167th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Canons Park on 1 January.
LOUIS PELTA U17 7th (21.30) this was his 50th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Chiltern Fields on 1 January.
ROSS HAMMOND U15 4th (20.37) this was his 14th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Grovelands on 1 January.
NATASHA TANNER U20 12th (21.00) this was her 41st Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Hackney Marshes on 1 January.
BARRY CHISHOLM V60 100th (28.49) this was his 227th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Oak Hill on 1 January.
GABRIELLA KYRIACOU U23 38th (22.57) this was her 45th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Panshanger on 1 January.
STUART SINGER V60 38th (23.32) this was his 314th Parkrun, BRADLEY SINGER 40th (23.48) this was his 160th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Royal Tunbridge Wells on 1 January.
SCARLETT KENT U20 49th (27.35) this was her 43rd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Stevenage on 1 January.
RUSSELL DEVITT V70 213th (31.07) this was his 207th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Sunny Hill on 1 January.
EUAN PHILLIPS U13 3rd (21.02) this was his 30th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Alton Water on 25 December.
ROSS HAMMOND U15 5th (21.41) this was his 13th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Canons Park on 25 December.
JOSHUA FISHER U17 1st (17.53) this was his 2nd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Dulwich on 25 December.
DAVID GREENSTEIN V55 51st (20.37) this was his 88th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Finsbury on 25 December.
BARRY CHISHOLM V60 310th (32.03) this was his 226th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Gladstone on 25 December.
ANDREW HOLMES V50 76th (28.45) this was his 31st Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Grovelands on 25 December.
JOSEPH HEATHER U20 14th (19.13) this was his 34th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Oak Hill on 25 December.
TOMMY NARVAEZ-WHITE U15 10th (20.00) this was his 43rd Parkrun, STUART SINGER V60 39th (22.28) this was his 313th Parkrun, DANIEL BANYARD U17 51st (23.09) this was his 33rd Parkrun, BRADLEY SINGER 75th (25.06) this was his 159th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Richmond on 25 December.
JAMES FITZSIMMONS V45 52nd (20.49) this was his 48th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at St Albans on 25 December.
JEREMY DEMPSEY U23 2nd (17.42) this was his 3rd Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Sunny Hill on 25 December.
EUAN PHILLIPS U13 3rd (20.56) this was his 29th Parkrun, FREYA LENTON 17th (26.01) this was her 4th Parkrun

PARKRUN 5K – Took place at Tetbury Goods Shed on 25 December.
LOUIS PELTA U17 6th (20.57) this was his 50th Parkrun

UPCOMING FIXTURES FOR THE NEXT 4 WEEKS, FOR THE PERIOD THURSDAY  6 JANUARY DECEMBER UNTIL WEDNESDAY 2 FEBRUARY – The current 2021 Summer Fixture Card can be found on the SBH website – http://sbharriers.co.uk/fixtures-results/fixture-cards/ – also the contact details for all Team Managers can be found on the SBH website – http://sbharriers.co.uk/athletics/track-field/team-managers/
There are certain fixtures, that you will have to enter yourselves and pay the appropriate feel.

START FITNESS METROPOLITAN LEAGUE – The fourth fixture of five takes place on Saturday 15 January at Wormwood Scrubs.
Awaiting information from the Met League website on this fixture.
Note: You do not have to be pre-entered, just turn up and run.
Please collect your race numbers from the respective team managers – SIMON KEENE
JEREMY SOTHCOTT and JO KENT
Please go to Start Fitness Metropolitan League web site www.metleague.co.uk for course maps, and any other final information.

START FITNESS METROPOLITAN LEAGUE RACE NUMBERS – I have been asked to remind you that your race number must be kept by yourselves, and is to be used for all 5 fixtures.

LEE VALLEY SOUTHERN U13, U15 AND U17 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR) on Saturday 15 January and Sunday 16 January.
To enter please use this link – http://www.seaa.org.uk/index.php/events/track-and-field
Entries Closed

NEWHAM 60m SPRINT SERIES – Takes place at the Terence McMillan Stadium, 281 Prince Regent Street, London (Satnav E13 8SD) on Wednesday 19 January
Please use this link for entry information – https://entry4sports.co.uk/#/
Closing date for entries is Saturday 15 January

LEE VALLEY LONDON U20 AND SENIOR INDOOR GAMES – Takes place at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR) on Saturday 22 January and Sunday 23 January.
Timetable: The timetable is provisional and based on 2019 entries. Field event pools will be displayed 1 week before the event. Track will be seeded on the day. Timetable for the U20/Senior can be downloaded here
To enter please use this link – https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2022/GBR/ligu20sen/
No Closing Date Given
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee

BMAF PENTATHLON AND 3000m INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND OPEN EVENTS – Takes place on Sunday 23 January at EIS Sheffield, Coleridge Road, Sheffield (Satnav S9 5DA)
Events are for ages 35 and over, places are limited for open events.
For full information – https://mastersathletics.co.uk/events/bmaf-indoor-pentathlon-3k-championships/
Entries Close Monday 10 January

SOUTHERN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS – Takes place on Saturday 29 January at Beckenham Place Park, Beckenham (SatNav BR£ 1SY).
Start Times – 11.00am U15 Boys (4.5k), 11.20am U13 Girls (3k), 11.35am U13 Boys (3k), 11.50am U15 Girls (4.5k), 12.10pm U17 Men (6k), 12.40pm U20 Women (6k), 13.05pm U17 Women (5k), 13.30pm U20 Men (8k), 14.05pm Senior Women (8k), 14.50pm Senior Men (15k). In the Senior Men’s any athlete has not started his 3rd lap by 60 minutes they are advised they will be unlikely to complete the course in 90 minutes when times will stop being recorded.
Entries Closed

LEE VALLEY LONDON U13, U15 & U17 INDOOR GAMES – Takes place at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, 61 Meridian Way, Edmonton (Satnav N9 0AR) on Saturday 29 January and Sunday 30 January.
Timetable: The timetable is provisional and based on 2019 entries. Field event pools will be displayed 1 week before the event. Track will be seeded on the day. Timetable for the U13/U15/U17 can be downloaded here
To enter please use this link – https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2022/GBR/ligu13u15u17/
No Closing Date Given
Note: You will have to enter yourself and pay the appropriate entry fee

LIZZIE BIRD RECEIVES HER 2021 SBH AWARDS – Congratulations to LIZZIE on receiving her Athlete of the Year and SBH Olympians Tokyo 2020 awards for 2021.

LIZZIE had this to say “Thanks so much – and apologies again that I couldn’t make it to the presentation. I am back in the country now but up in Scotland at my parents. I will be returning to Boulder, Colorado early in January”.

UK MEN’S MERIT RANKINGS 2021 – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.
PETER MATTHEWS delivers the definitive summary of top performances by British women this year. Although the pandemic has continued to affect athletics events, a considerable degree of normality has gradually returned although with some changes of emphasis. So annual merit rankings of British athletes have this year returned to close to full coverage despite a reduction of competition. Once again indoor performances are fully considered, although most of the 2020/21 indoor season was wiped out.

It should be noted that the use of many facilities has not been allowed for much of the year and this has particularly affected events such as high jump and pole vault, while hammer and discus cages have too often been neglected leading to cancellation of events. And while some specific events such as organised by the BMC for middle distances and new sprints meetings have flourished, the overall domestic calendar has been allowed to decline and the senior league structure severely weakened.
On the first line below is shown the athlete’s name, then their date of birth followed, in brackets, by the number of years ranked (including 2021) and their rankings in 2019 and 2020, and finally, their best mark prior to 2021. The following lines include their best performances of the year (generally six), followed by significant indoor marks indicated by ‘i’. Then follow placings at major meetings, providing a summary of the athlete’s year at the event.
Comparisons to the past ignore 2020.
Abbreviations include – BIG Jumps & Throws Fest (BIGish) at Bedford – DLG Diamond League at Gateshead 1 on 23/5, 2 on 13/7 – EJ European Junior (U20) Championships at Tallinn – ENG England Championships at Bedford – Eng-J England U20 Championships – Eng-23 England U23 Championships – E.Sch English Schools at Manchester – ET European Team Championships at Chorzów – EThr European Throws at Split – E23 European U23 Championships at Tallinn – Ind Indoors – LI Loughborough International on 23 May – LV Lee Valley – MI Manchester International – Nh Newham – UK UK Championships at Manchester

B’zona = Bellinzona, C’hagen = Copenhagen, Coll.Sta = College Station, F’ville = Fayetteville, G’burg = Gothenburg, G’ville = Gainesville, J’ville = Jacksonville, Lough = Loughborough, Manch = Manchester, Székes = Székesfehérvár 

100 METRES
1    Zharnel Hughes 13.7.95 (4y, 19- 1) 9.91 ’18
9.98, 10.04, 10.06, 10.13, 10.14, 10.37
1 Kingston, dq fs UK, 3 DLG2, dq fs OG
Our sprinters started well below par, with, for instance, a weak team at the World Relays, but, with many sprint meetings at Lea Valley, Newham, Barking etc., the overall picture improved during the year and 50th best of 10.47 is a new record. Hughes regained his 2018-19 top ranking, but one just has to wonder what, but for his false start (also at UKs), he might have achieved at the Olympics.

200 METRES
1    Zharnel Hughes 13.7.95 (6y, 19- 3) 20.02 ’15
20.14, 20.30; 19.93w, 20.43w; 19.93 ST
1/1 Kingston, 1 Miami, 2 Boston ST, 3 J’ville
nr   Antonio Infantino ITA 22.3.91 (as UK 2y) 20.41, 20.27w ’19
20.48, 20.50, 20.56, 20.90, 20.92, 20.93; 20.38w, 20.56w
3 Miramar, 2B Clermont, 1 Lubbock, 5C G’ville, 1 LV 26/5 & 7/7, 1 Barking 29/5, 6 Geneva,  2 ITA Ch, 1 Bulle, 5h5 OG
This was far from a vintage season for Britain at 200m. Hughes was clearly top (as he had been back in 2015), but did not run this event at the major.

400 METRES
8    Jamal Rhoden-Stevens 27.4.94 (2y) 46.54 ’18
45.86, 46.50, 46.63, 46.69, 46.77, 47.66
1 LV 25/4, 4 UK, 1 Palafrugell
9    Charlie Dobson 20.10.99 (2y, 20- 3)  45.84 ’20
45.51; 1 Coventry

800 METRES
10  Kyle Langford 2.2.96 (9y, 20- 6, 19- 3) 1:44.83 ‘20
1:46.32, 1:46.63, 1:47.00. 1:47.08, 1:47.55, 1:47.60
9 Walnut, 2 Irvine, 1 LI, 2 Manch, 5 Hengelo, 2 Watford 12/6; 6 UK; Ind: 7B Liévin, 1 Manch

5000 METRES
8    Charles Hicks 25.7.01 (1y) -0-
15 NCAA 13:33.89, 1 Eugene 17/4 13:34.63, 3 Pac-12 13:35.60, 6 UK 13:50.71, 13:52.98

10,000 METRES
5    Charles Hicks 25.7.01 (1y) -0-
7 NCAA 27:47.63, 1 Stanford 2/4 28:25.29, 1 Pac-12 28:39.46, 29:13.34

3000 METRES STEEPLECHASE
1    Mark Pearce 19.1.96 (3y, 30- 3, 19- 8) 8:33.61 ’20
8:24.83, 8:25.43, 8:30.60, 8:32.65, 8:34.03, 8:49.76
4 DLG1, 4 Tatabánya, 6 Nice, 1 UK, 12 Monaco, 8 Budapest, 1 Hendon
Norman started with a brilliant PB, and the year’s best, at Ostrava, but could not get close thereafter and Seddon goes back ahead of him, although both ran in the 8:40s at the Olympics. Pearce maintained his rapid improvement and although he could quite get the OG standard, beat them both at Gateshead and the UKs so ranks first.

110 METRES HURDLES
nr   Edson Gomes POR 1.11.98  14.16 ’19
13.85, 13.86, 13.87, 13.93, 13.94, 14.02
3/dnf Nuneaton 16/5, 3 LI, 2 ENG, 3 POR Ch, 3 MI, 2 Hendon 28/8

400 METRES HURDLES
7    Joshua Faulds 7.3.99 (1y) 52.38 ’19
50.84, 51.13, 51.14, 51.27, 51.34, 52.37
1B/2/1 Hendon 4/7, 21/8 & 28/8, dq ENG.2 MI, 5B Zürich, 2 Palafrugell

HIGH JUMP
5    David Smith 14.7.91 (12y, 20- 2, 19- 5) 2.26i ’15. 2.26 ’18
2.23, 2.20, 2.19, 2.17
1 Nuneaton, 4 BIG, 3 UK, 1 Scot

POLE VAULT
9    Ethan Walsh 14.6.97 (3y, 20- 4, 19- 7) 5.36i ’20. 5.30 ’19
5.03, 5.00, 4.95, 4.90. 4.80, 4.65
nh LI, 2 Manch, 4 UK, 4 ENG, 3 Welsh

LONG JUMP
10  Bradley Davies-Pughe 16.2.03 (1y, 20- 8) 7.33i ’20, 6.90 ’19
7.56, 7.49, 7.26, 7.23, 7.12, 7.08
4/2 B’ham Un, 4 LI, 1B BIG, 1 Eng-J, dnq 24 EJ
8    Efe Uwaifo 15.5.95 (2y, 20- 8) 7.51 ’19, 7.85w ’17
7.46w/7.34, 7.42, 7.30, 7.29
1 Manch, 3 ENG, 2 B’mouth

TRIPLE JUMP
4    Efe Uwaifo 15.5.95 (8y, 20- 3, 19- 8) 16.18i ’20, 16.16, 16.31w ’19
16.20, 16.06w/15.91, 16.03, 15.91, 15.68, 15.66; 15.99i, 15.88i
1 Manch, 2 BIG, 3 UK, 8 DLG2, 1 ENG; Ind: 1 EI Trials

SHOT
1    Scott Lincoln 7.5.93 (9y, 20- 1, 19- 1) 20.65 ‘20
21.28, 20.81, 20.71, 20.58, 20.42, 20.29
1 Lough 17/4, 3 EThr, 1 LI, 3 ET, 1 G’burg, 1 LV 6/6, 2 Brno, 5 Kladno, 1 UK, dnq 18 OG, 1 MI, 1 Yorks; Ind: 1 Lough, 1 EI Trials
5    George Evans 21.1.98 (4y, 20- 5, 19- 5) 17.21 ’19
17.57. 17.21, 17.05, 15.48; 17.79i, 16.32i, 15.92i
3 Columbia, 9 Waco, 8 Lawrence, 7 Big 12; Ind: 3 Lawrence, 6 F’ville, 3 Ames, 6 Big 12
Lincoln, the one man in international class, is easily top for the seventh year and continued to improve, qualifying for the Olympics; he had 14 competitions over 20m.

DISCUS
2    Nicholas Percy 5.12.94 (9y, 20- 2, 19- 1) 63.38 ’16
63.24, 63.03, 63.02, 62.87, 62.80, 62.60
1 Lough 28/2, 2 Lough 17/4, 4 LV 25/4, 2/2/2 Winchester, 2 LI, 1 Manch, 1 BIG, 1 South, 2 UK, 1 Hendon 4/7, 1 ENG, 1 Scot, 1 MI, 1 Hendon 28/8, 1/2 Moulton
3    Gregory Thompson 5.5.94 (7y, 19- 3) 65.56 ’19
60.93, 60.80, 60.19, 59.70, 59.04, 58.95
5 Lough 17/4, 2 LV 25/4, 3 Winchester, 3 LI, 3 Manch, 2 BIG, 3 UK
4    Zane Duquemin 23.9.91 (10y, 19-  7) 63.46 ’12
60.17, 59.36, 59.30, 57.65, 56.49, 54.88
5/2 Leiria, 2 Lough 11/8, 1 Welsh, 2 MI, 2 Hendon 28/8-
10  George Evans 21.1.98 (3y, 19- 6) 59.84 ’19
55.10, 54.33, 53.80, 51.70, 50.80, 50.77
2 Columbia, 4 Waco, 7 Lawrence, 4 Big 12, 43 NCAA-W
Apart from no throws at the Olympics, Okoye had a fine and prolific season, including 16 competitions over 64m and makes the world top 10. Percy had 30 competitions, all in the UK, with 29 of them over 59m.

HAMMER
3    Chris Bennett 17.12.89 (11y, 20- 5, 19- 5) 76.45 ’16
75.79, 75.69, 75.60, 75.36, 74.73, 74.53
2 Lough 28/2, 1 Lough 17/4, 2 EThr, 2 LI, 1 Manch, 4 ET, 1 G’burg, 1 Kilmarnock, 2 Karlstad, 2 UK, 3 Luzern, 1 Scot, 2 Bergen
After a year out Miller was back in world-class form, although only competing three times, and is top for the sixth time, while Taylor Campbell did well to make the Olympic qualifying. Bennett was the most prolific competitor with 16 competitions over 72m and was 3-3 v Campbell.

JAVELIN
1    Daniel Bainbridge 2.6.99 (4y, 20- 2, 19- 10) 72.68 ’20
73.73, 73.53, 72.71, 72.66, 72.47, 72.12
1 Lough 17/4, 2 Lough 9/5 & 12/5, 2 LI, 7 ET, 1 Eng-23, 1 UK, 2 ENG, 2 Leiria, 1 MI

UK WOMEN’S MERIT RANKINGS 2021 – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.
PETER MATTHEWS delivers the definitive summary of top performances by British women this year.

Although the pandemic has continued to affect athletics events, a considerable degree of normality has gradually returned although with some changes of emphasis. So annual merit rankings of British athletes have this year have returned to close to full coverage despite a reduction of competition. Once again indoor performances are fully considered, although most of the 2020/21 indoor season was wiped out.

It should be noted that the use of many facilities has not been allowed for much of the year and this has particularly affected events such as high jump and pole vault, while hammer and discus cages have too often been neglected leading to cancellation of events. And while some specific events such as organised by the BMC for middle distances and new sprints meetings have flourished, the overall domestic calendar has been allowed to decline and the senior league structure severely weakened. On the first line below is shown the athlete’s name, then their date of birth followed, in brackets, by the number of years ranked (including 2021) and their rankings in 2019 and 2020, and finally, their best mark prior to 2021. The following lines include their best performances of the year (generally six), followed by significant indoor marks indicated by ‘i’. Then follow placings at major meetings, providing a summary of the athlete’s year at the event. Comparisons to the past ignore 2020.

Abbreviations include – BIG Jumps & Throws Fest (BIGish) at Bedford – DLG Diamond League at Gateshead 1 on 23/5, 2 on 13/7 – EJ European Junior (U20) Championships at Tallinn – ENG England Championships at Bedford – Eng-J England U20 Championships – Eng-23 England U23 Championships – E.Sch English Schools at Manchester – ET European Team Championships at Chorzów – EThr European Throws at Split – E23 European U23 Championships at Tallinn – Ind Indoors – LI Loughborough International on 23 May – LV Lee Valley – MI Manchester International – Nh Newham – UK UK Championships at Manchester

B’zona = Bellinzona, C’hagen = Copenhagen, Coll.Sta = College Station, F’ville = Fayetteville, G’burg = Gothenburg, G’ville = Gainesville, J’ville = Jacksonville, Lough = Loughborough, Manch = Manchester, Székes = Székesfehérvár

800 METRES
5    Eliie Baker 3,6.98 (3y, 20- 10, 19- 12) 2:02.02 ’18
1:59.54, 2:00.07, 2:00.24, 2:00.45, 2:00.45, 2:00.95
3B Walnut, 3B Irvine, 1 Manch, 1 ET, 2 Montreuil, 3 Hengelo, 1 Watford, 4 UK, 4 Tomblaine, 3 Sotteville, 1 Eltham, 1 Lausanne; Ind: 1 Manch. 4 EI
Baker broke 2 minutes and ran 12 times under her pre-season best of 2:02.02, 10th best at 2:01.58 was a record. 

1500 METRES
8    Eliie Baker 3,6.98 (1y) 4:15.08 ’20
4:06.54, 4:11.33; 4:13.66i; 1 Lough, 1 Watford 11/8; Ind: 3 Manch

(2000 &) 3000 METRES STEEPLECHASE
1     Elizabeth Bird 4.10.94 (8y, 20- 3, 19- 1) 9:30.13 ’19
9:19.68, 9:22.80, 9:24.34, 9:26.73, 9:35.56, 9:36.36
5 DrakeR, 3 Leavenworth, 7 Walnut, 3 Portland, 1 UK, 7 Monaco, 9 OG, 12 Eugene
Bird excelled to break the British record at the Olympics and Pratt also broke 9:30 in moving to third on the UK all-time list. Although there is a big gap after this pair, standards in depth improved.

400 METRES HURDLES
3    Lina Nielsen 13.3.96 (5y, 20- 3, 19- 4) 56.67 ’19
55.27, 55.59, 55.76, 55.81, 56.19, 56.68
4 Drake R, 1 J’ville, dnf Ostrava, 1 ET, 3 Samorín, 6 Hengelo, 6 UK
6    Hayley McLean 9.9.94 (11y, 20- 4, 19- 6) 56.43 ’14
56.08, 56.22mx. 56.41, 56.43, 57.05, 57.06
1 B;ham Un, 1 Nuneaton 1/5, 2B Nuneaton 16/5, 5 DLG1, 2 LV 31/5, 5 UK, 1 ENG, 2 MI
Of the 2020 top four, Knight had a breakthrough then, and improved further in 2021, six times running faster than her 2020 best, Turner improved by a second, Nielsen by a second and a half and McLean had her best year.

POLE VAULT
4    Jade Ive 22.1.92 (11y, 19- 5) 4.43i- 19, 4.20 ’17
4.30, 4.25, 4.25, 4.20, 4.20, 4.10
1 LV, 1 South, 4 UK, 2 Hendon 4/7, 2 ENG, 2 Lough 30/7. 3 Welsh

TRIPLE JUMP
8    Angela Barrett 25.12.85 (13y) 20- 3, 19- 3) 13.43 ‘17
12.60, 12.53, 12.52, 12.52w, 12.44, 12.41
1 Perivale, 1 Eton
9    Eavion Richardson 27.6.98 (4y, 20- 8, 19- 10) 13.04 ’18
12.52, 12.47w/12.38; 12.58i
3 J’ville, 5 Big Ten; Ind: 2 Big Ten

DISCUS
2    Jade Lally 30.3.87 (15y, 20- 1) 65.10 ’16
60.36, 59.72, 59.26, 59.10, 58.43, 58.26
2/2/1/1/2/2 Brisbane, 1 Canberra, 2/3 Sydney, 2 Melbourne, 3 AUS Champs, 1/1/2 Gold Coast. 1/1 Brisbane (Nov.)
3    Shadine Duquemin 4.11.94 (11y, 20- 3, 19- 4) 55.33 ’19
56.81, 56.23, 56.22, 56.08, 56.08, 56.00
2 Lough 17/4 & 23/6, 2 Winchester, 2 LI, 1 Manch, 2 UK, 1 Hendon 4/7, 1 ENG, 1 MI. 1/1 Moulton
6    Amy Holder 4.8.96 (8y, 20- 6, 19- 2) 55.48 ’18
55.37, 54.33, 54.28, 53.63, 52.80, 51.70
5 Lough 28/2, 3 Lough 17/4, 4 Winchester, 3 LI, 2 Manch, 1 BIG, 1 South, 6 UK
Good to see Law getting over 60m in a very busy season, and she takes over top ranking from Lally who spent the year in Australia, with Duquemin again third.

HAMMER
10  Philippa Davenall 26.9.98 (2y, 20- 8) 62.19 ’19
63.44, 62.14, 61.95, 61.65, 61.09, 61.063 BIG, 3 South, 7 UK. 5/5 Leiria

BIRMINGHAM 2022 UPDATE ON THE QUEEN’S BATON RELAY – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently.

Having visited 22 countries and nations in just 79 days, the Queen’s Baton Relay has now completed over a quarter of its journey, most recently finishing its tour of the 19 Commonwealth countries in Africa.
While hosting the Baton, each Commonwealth Games Association organises activities to engage young people in sport, showcase their local heroes, and highlight a project that addresses at least one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
For example, while in Kenya, the Baton was hiked up the Ngong Hills where, at the peak, the Batonbearers took part in a tree planting activity and were joined by children from local performance group, Huruma Town Kids.
Rwanda demonstrated how they take on Sustainable Development Goals by hosting a visit at the new Nyandungu Urban Wetland Ecotourism Park which aims to increase and conserve local biodiversity and restore on-land and aquatic habitats.
Whilst in Zambia, the Baton visited Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of The Natural World and the largest waterfall in the world. Brave Batonbearers swam through the Devil’s Pool, a natural rock pool along the edge of the falls. Climate justice activist, Enock Mwewa represented Zambia as one of the Batonbearers.
During the visit to Uganda, the Baton visited the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, which runs conservation projects, as well as the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, whose mission is to protect chimpanzees and their ecosystems.
Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals, Mauritius showcased their low emission transport options around the island, including an electric bus, the public metro and even a sailboat to ferry the Baton to Mahebourg Waterfront. At the Waterfront, Noemi Alphonse, the first Paralympian finalist in Mauritius, carried the Baton.
Celebrating youth engagement in sport, the Queen’s Baton visited Government Primary School Bastos in Cameroon. Whilst in Lesotho and Eswatini, the Baton was taken to OlympAfrica Centres where sport activities were hosted for children to get involved in.
In Botswana, the Baton visited several schools to engage young people in the Relay. At Tshwaragano Junior Secondary School, 72 students drew the 72 flags of the Commonwealth nations and territories. Local hero and Batonbearer, OGANNE MANENGENE represented her community. OGANNE set up a tuck shop using a government grant, she then expanded it to a grocery store, and now she uses its proceeds to build environmentally friendly housing for her community.
Each nation also took the Baton to visit their communities’ iconic locations or to witness to witness unique performances, showcasing their culture or history.
In Tanzania, the Baton was taken to the Askari Monument, which memorialises African soldiers, who fought in the British Campaign against Germany in World War I, where Batonbearers and attendees paid their respects to the lives lost.
The Baton visited St Michael and All Angels Church in Malawi, which was built by locals who had no previous formal training. The church tells the story of a community coming together to create something remarkable for future generations. MARY WAYA, who previously competed at three Commonwealth Games in the Malawi Netball Team and then founded the MARY WAYA Foundation which encourages girls in Africa to take up sport, represented her country as a Batonbearer.
The Queen’s Baton Relay reached the remote volcanic island of St Helena for the first time in eight years where JOSH HERNE, 16-year-old Batonbearer, carried the Baton up Diana’s Peak, the island’s highest point and Jacob’s Ladder, which is 700 steps high.
The Baton was welcomed in Mozambique by a Chopi Timbila performance, during which musicians use different sized drums to produce a variety of sounds, while the main orchestra is made up of Timbilas, which are similar to xylophones, but are made from a rare wood only found in Inhambane.
While touring South Africa, the Baton was taken to the Big Hole (The Kimberly Mine), an open-pit and underground mine, which was once thought to be the deepest hole excavated by hand. When the mine was active, almost three tons of diamonds was recovered from it- which is the same weight as a baby blue whale!
In Namibia, the Baton was taken on an intense journey, from quad bikes to camel rides, to horseback, and even skydiving, Batonbearers travelled in extreme ways.
The Baton visited many incredible islands and beaches in the Seychelles, the first night was spent at one of the beaches with locals performing the Moutya dance around a bonfire.
Speaking on the opportunity to be involved in the Queen’s Baton Relay, Malawian Batonbearer MARY WAYA said: “The Commonwealth Games means a lot to me and being a Batonbearer for the Queen’s Baton Relay has been a real honour. The young girls I train hope to one day represent our country and take on the Baton for the Commonwealth Games.”
LISA HAMPTON, Head of The Queen’s Baton Relay, said: “The Queen’s Baton has already completed over a quarter of its journey and has shone a spotlight on communities in the African Commonwealth countries and territories and highlighted all the hard work each Commonwealth Games Association puts into organising these incredible events and activities while hosting the Baton.”
“Learning about all of the ongoing environmental initiatives, such as the Nyandungu Urban Wetland Ecotourism Park, is amazing and it is a fantastic representation of how the Commonwealth can come together in solidarity and inspire future generations to take on the same responsibility.”
“I can’t wait to see the rest of the journey unfold and see how the remaining Commonwealth Games Associations celebrate the Queen’s Baton Relay.”
The Queen’s Baton Relay will now continue its journey around the Commonwealth, starting its South Asian journey in Pakistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, then Bangladesh.

THE CHANGING STATE OF ATHLETICS TRACKS IN THE UK – The following article was published on the Athletics Weekly website recently. Posted by PETA BEE on 4 January 2022.
Should facilities be created with performance or participation in mind? And are traditional 400m ovals always vital? When is a track not a track? It’s a question to which there was once only one answer. As a minimum you might assume a standard track should measure 400m, have lanes and be oval in shape.

However, convention is being challenged by England Athletics’ Facilities Strategy and the loftily-labelled Hierarchy of Facilities set out by UK Athletics which lauds the benefits of the running tracks and trails of irregular shapes and sizes which are cropping up around the country. Within a one-mile radius of my home in Berkshire, three one or two-lane synthetic running trails have been installed in the playgrounds of local primary schools, while two miles away there are plans to replace an existing 400m cinder track with a proposed 300m synthetic surface. Further afield, a well-lit, synthetic two-lane 1km jogging loop with a six-lane straight, installed in a large field has recently been completed at Millom in Cumbria, while there are proposals for more “compact” athletics provision, defined by EA as the “new generation of affordable and sustainable satellite athletics facilities”, to be squeezed into small spaces. Clearly, the quest to grow mass participation is a driving force behind the new wave of facilities. In its Athletics Unified strategy published just over a year ago, UK Athletics states that there are currently 225,000 registered athletes and 200,000 “group runners” participating in governing body-organised schemes such as RunTogether, JogScotland, RunWales and Run NI. On top of these are the seven million social runners who participate in the sport twice a month, a cohort which almost certainly provides the biggest untapped market and the most likely route for UKA to meet its goal of amassing nine million regular participants in athletics or running by 2032. Bringing more people into the sport, at whatever level, is important for its survival as much as its appeal, but are these new tracks and trails being installed at the expense of competitive facilities?

ED HUNT, EA’s facilities and planning manager, says there are around 360 conventional outdoor athletics tracks in the UK, 73 per cent of which are synthetic and provide all-weather, year-round options. He adds that UKA’s strategic position is to concentrate on preserving the existing stock of 400m tracks rather than seeking to build new ones. “Our standard approach is that we’ve got enough 400m tracks across the UK to service demand,” says HUNT, adding that the less conventional facilities exist to “plug the gaps” in participation needs. Certainly, they serve a purpose. What they don’t solve is another crisis facing the sport. As new jogging trails spring up, so more 400m athletics tracks continue to fall into disrepair. From the demise of Crystal Palace to situations faced at the likes of Parliament Hill track – home to the Night of the 10,000m PBs which is due to return in May – where there is a “real risk” of closure over insurance concerns without funding for repairs, to Tooting Bec, where a campaign spear-headed by ex-long jumper Jade Johnson has helped save the track, the situation facing many performance facilities is bleak. “It costs up to one million pounds to build a new 400m track and they are not cheap to develop or maintain, with most needing some level of resurfacing every seven years or so,” says Hunt. “As an example, the Millom project cost around £200,000 because the price per square metre is much more favourable as it’s on a smaller scale.” But is this a false economy of sorts? If running trails slowly replace tracks, where will athletes train and compete? Many of the new trails and tracks, Millom included, state that “no spikes” should be worn on the surface.  HUNT argues that a 150m-300m track could be used for competition, although concedes it would be for more “innovative” meetings and says “you probably won’t get a competitive athlete racing on them”.

In the longer term, will a jogging facility provide the environment and impetus for social runners to progress into competitive club athletics? Hunt’s view is that they will provide a valuable crossover, particularly for younger athletes. “It’s quite a scary thing when you are a very young athlete looking at a huge 400m track,” he says. “Smaller tracks are much more conducive to young athletes’ development.” It doesn’t have to be a slippery slope, however. With careful planning, some of the new ventures might eventually morph into a track which meets performance as well as mass participation needs. An example is the Stefen Hill Sports Ground in Daventry where, after eight years of having half a track – only a J-shaped 200m synthetic surface – work funded by Daventry District Council was recently completed so that the remaining 200m of old cinder surface was upgraded to a full synthetic 400m oval. This looks like being the exception rather than the rule, however, and the balance appears to have tipped. “We’re not just about performance,” says HUNT. “We’ve got enough tracks to service the competitive end of the sport and we are about much more than that.”