TRAINING partners Samantha Beckett and George Huxley were in action at the Lee Valley indoor track for the Metaswitch Games on Sunday, January 8.
Both Ashford AC members were using this meeting as preparation for the coming outdoor season.
Samantha contested the 60 metres and 400 metres. In her first run of two over the 60, she was unfortunately deemed to have false started and as a consequence, dwelt in her blocks at the restart, coming 5th in 8.29s.
However, in her second race, Sam ran much better, overhauling the initial leader, winning the race in a season’s best time of 8.18s. Later in the day, her 400m race proved to be too tough and although leading at the 200m mark with a good split time of 28.5s, Sam tired and finished in third place in 64.15s.
George competed in the 60 metres hurdles and the 400 metres. This was George’s first attempt at the indoor sprint hurdles and started with a win in the first of his two races. His time of 8.91s. totally eclipsed the Under 20 club record of 10.4s, which had stood since 1992.
In his second race he went even quicker, winning in 8.82s.
The efforts in the hurdles resulted in George picking up a niggling groin injury which forced him to take it easy in the 400m race, finishing in 4th. place in 55.35s.
Another Ashford AC athlete, Luke Williams, competed in the pole vault and in a lengthy competition, cleared 3.61 metres and just failed 3.71m on his third attempt.
Huxley sets indoor club record
Ashford duo in the medals
ASHFORD AC’s Jack Goss and Tim Forsyth grabbed two of the medals in the Kent Under 15 cross country championships with an excellent silver and bronze double.
But they had no answer to Tonbridge’s George Duggan who claimed gold in 13 minutes 12 seconds.
Tim recovered after a poor start to push his Ashford teammate all the way and only a storming finish over the last 150m by Jack saw him surge away to take the silver in 13:33 with Tim close behind in 13:36.
In the U15 girls Jessica Carley followed up her sixth in her first year of cross country in the Kent League standings with a fine 16th in a field of 42 with 12:24 for the 3km course.
And in the U17 women Amelia Jones had another fine run for eighth in 16:11 with teammate Hester Hill just adrift in 11th with 17:25
Garon Heslop was the pick of the Ashford men over 10k in 50th with 42:40 with U20 runner Warren Uden taking 116th in 48:50 and Ian King 136th with 50:20.
It was an excellent day for the Nicholls family from Romney Marsh. The trio, now running for Tonbridge AC, saw the talented Grace take the senior women’[s crown over 8km in 28:11 despite still being an U20 athlete while Max grabbed silver in the U17 men with 20:33 while Euan was 11th in the U15 boys with 14:14.
Another former Ashford member to do well in Tonbridge colours was Kelsey Howard who was eighth in the junior women’s race with 28:38.
The races were held at Wilmington Grammar School in Dartford.
Hall of fame
ASHFORD AC’s Lesley Hall is the Kent W55 veteran cross country champion after topping the field at Tunbridge Wells.
Lesley, who has battled her was through illness and injury to keep running, clocked a fine 22 minutes 51 seconds over the 4.8km course at Rose Hill School.
In the W45 category Jenny Brown was an excellent sixth with 21:52 in a well battled race won by Sharon Hawkins (20:37) while in the M50 event, over 9.5km, Kevin Williams was a terrific fifth clocking 33 minutes dead.
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