Upper YDL West 1 Sun 1 July 2018, Leigh
Harriers secured their return to the Premier league which they lost 12 months ago. A weakened team finished second to Wirral in the match by a narrow 2-point margin, 625 to 623 points but this was enough to secure the championship. The athletes who were available to compete set 23 individual life time best performances.
Will Lancaster (under 17) had a brilliant day, setting 3 lifetime bests by winning the shot and placing second in the discus and third in the javelin, with 12.08m, 36.72m and 35.51m respectively. A one second improvement in the under 17 girls 200m race by hurdles specialist Jasmine Jolly gave her new figures of 25.7 seconds. Fast improving Hollie Suffolk ran 27.4 sec to post a new personal best for the 200m knocking 0.6 second off her previous best.
Abbie Codarin threw 2 new lifetime bests in the shot (7.50m) and hammer (38.47m). In the 800m Matias Grixti, Ben Preddy and Eleanor Ward set new bests of 2:03.5, 2.05.5 & 2.26.1 respectively. Times of 4.05.1 & 4.32.8 gave new personal bests for Byron Sowerby and Jack Campy. Chris Brown broke the 50-metre barrier only 2 weeks ago at the Lancashire Schools’ Championship and added 47 cm to throw 50.71, a lifetime best in the javelin.
Alex Bernstein moved up the British rankings to 8th with a new best performance, throwing 56.45m in the under 17 boys’ hammer. In the field events further lifetime bests were recorded by Eleanor Cross and Evie Parkinson in the long jump, Ethan Tibbs (triple jump), Ethan Hallas (shot) and Hollie Suffolk (shot).
On the track new marks were set by Harry Everett (100m & 400m), Hannah Mulholland (200m) and Emily Wiggins in the 110m hurdles. The following athletes won their events: Joshua Leatherd (100m & 200m), Declan Taylor (200m), Matt Fazackerley (1500m), Ed Coles 110m hurdles. The relays finished the day with wins for the under 20 men 4 x 100m and the under 20 men 4 x 400m teams.
In 2 weeks Harriers’ Lower Youth Development Team will be crowned Northern champions for the first time in their history as they cannot be overhauled by anybody when they travel Bebington for their final match.