ATHLETICS: RUGBY & Northampton Athletics Club welcomed more than 300 athletes for an action-packed Rugby Spring Open Meeting on Saturday.
A full programme of events were made more testing due to the breezy conditions, but that could not prevent the club’s athletes impressing around the track and in the field.
Arthur Tilt was one of those to impress, continuing his excellent start to the season with a huge win in the 600 metres, crossing the line in one minute and 49.7 seconds.
Not content with just that, the under-11 athlete added a personal best in the long jump – his leap of 4.34 metres just six centimetres shy of the long-standing club record. In the same event, but in the U13G category, Florence Matthews recorded a distance of 4.47, beating her existing PB by 23 centimetres.
U17M Connor Dadge narrowly missed out on two personal bests, but recorded impressive efforts of 5.69 in the long jump and 11.8 seconds over the 100-metre sprint. Ruby Wood (U13G) also went close to a PB with 10.8 in the 75m, while Eloise Nowill (1.50) and Zoe Gardner (1.45) performed admirably in the U15G high jump.
It was a very good day in the throwing events, particularly for Lily-May Pursey. She threw a season’s best 36.55m in the hammer, before adding PBs in the shot put (11.09) and discus (27.33), and fellow U17W Olivia Witts hammer throw of 34.57 was her best ever attempt.
In the shot put, U15G Maia Reynolds produced another strong showing with a distance of 9.40, while Parisse Linton-Shaw’s U17W debut went well, putting 8.96. Georgi Jones was also competing as an U17W for the first time – she threw 28.33 in the discus – and U15B Connor Cooke set a PB of 24.85 in the same event.
There were several top performances in the javelin, with Abigail Ward moving to third in the U15G UK rankings thanks to a fine throw of 34.01. Ben Gidley matched that feat in the U17M, launching a massive effort of 49.07 to climb the standings.
His fellow U17M, Fenton Bishop-Timings, set two PBs, one in the javelin (43.35) and another in the shot (9.92). Luke Turner caught the eye in what was only his second ever throws competition – the U13B throwing 25.41 to round off a fine day for the club.
