Sprint Hurdling Break-Throughs at Loughborough

British sprint hurdlers took advantage of strong competition and favourable wind conditions in the 2003 Loughborough Interntaion with supporting UK Hurdles club races. None more so than Andy Turner who took the match race on the dip with an exciting 13.66 to take over 2/10ths off his personal best and edge out Rob Newton whose 13.69 was aslo a pb. The two Nottinghamshire athletes have been rivals since their day as youth 100H hurdlers and now both working in with Lloyd Cowans and Alf Vickers in London, are edging into International class.

Also in the match men's 110H there were pb's for Duncan Malins 13.82 and Dominic Girdler 13.85 [sandwiching Chris Baillie's 13.84] whilst Junior Will Sharman improved to 14.31 just 1/100th outside the A standard for the European u20 Championship.

There was however an A standard qualifier for Dave Hughes [14.22] in the B UKHC invitation race won by Coilin Roberts in 14.16 - which was a huge pb by some 4/10ths, with simailr improvement for Matt Butler in 3rd with 14.34.

No wind information was available for the A inviatation race, bur Damien Greaves posted easily his seasons quickest with 13.74, with Mohammed Silah Feckleton running his quickest ever timne close behind 13.84. Rich Alleyne clocked a lifetime best, as did Francis Smith 14.31 and Northern Irish Decathlete Paul Tohill 14.39.

Not to be outdone Rachel King and Sarah Claxton moved themseleves up several notches on the Uk All time lists -Kings 13.07 taking her equal 12th and Claxton's 13.20 to 19th. Although Natasha Danvers' 12.96 the previous day in California [UK 7th all time] earned her selection for the Europa Cup later in June, King's last two victories [here and at Bedford the previous week] have set her up for her most successful season ever.

Also in the match race Jessica Ennis' 13.83 whilst representing the Juniors was a big pb and should put her in a competitive position for the World Youth Championships later in the year, whilst Tamsin Stephen's 13.53 was only fractionally outside her best set last year in reaching the Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland.

The women's match 400H proved a much better comopetition than their male counter parts, with English Commonwealth Games representative Katie Jones opening her season with an impressive 58.03 victory [her third fastest ever] to beat Liz Fairs on the run in. Fairs never the less did get set pb 58.35 in this only her second season at the longer hurdlers. Sian Scott again showed her promise in the junior ranks settingher second best ever 59.45 from lane 1 behind Scotland's Sineads Dudgeon.

In the men's 400H Liam Collins paid the price for an over enthusiatic first half of the race in trying to impose himself on the 2002 Canadian number 1 400H Nick Stewart who was representing the International Select team. Stewart came through to win in 51.55 whilst fast finishing Rhys Williams found the form that made him a semi finalist in last years World Junior championship, taking 2/100th off his Kingston pb to run 51.66 for second place.

In the support races Williams' fellow junior English Schools Champion Rupert Gardner clocked a season's best 52.72, inside the European u20 B standard, but outside the 52.55 A standard that the Welshman emphatically achieved. Gardner was third in the A Invitation race won by South Africa's Peter Koekemoer 51.42, with Guernsey's Dale Garland setting a new Island record of 52.46 in 2nd place.

Women's 100m Hurdles Inv
1	Claire Harmon	13.77w
2	Emma Duck	14.03w
3	Fiona Harrison	14.06w
4	Jeni Malloy	14.14w
5	Ruth Dales	14.40w
6	Catherine Crawford	14.46w
7	.	.
8	.	.
	wind	3.9

 

Women's 100m Hurdles Match
1	Rachel King	13.07
2	Sarah Claxton	13.20
3	Tamsin Stephens	13.53
4	Helen Worsey	13.60
5	Julie Pratt	13.74
6	Jessica Ennis	13.83
7	Wendy Davidson	13.90
8	.	.
	wind	2.0

 

Men's 110m Hurdles B Inv
1	Colin Roberts	14.16
2	David Hughes	14.22
3	Matt Rhys Butler	14.34
4	Nick Gayle	15.03
5	Callum McKay	15.56
6	.	.
7	.	.
8	.	.
	wind	1.9

Men's 110m Hurdles A Inv
1	Damien Greaves	13.74
2	Mohammed Silah Freckleton	14.52
3	Mensah Elliott	13.97
4	Rich Alleyene	14.08
5	Tristan Anthony	14.21
6	Francis Smith	14.36
7	Paul Tohill	14.39
8	.	.
	wind	n/a

 

Men's 110m Hurdles Match
1	Andy Turner	13.66
2	Rob Newton	13.69
3	Duncan Malins	13.82
4	Chris Baillie	13.84
5	Dominic Girdler	13.85
6	Alan Scott	14.09
7	William Sharman	14.31
8	Paul Gray.	DNF
	wind	0.6

 

Women's 400m Hurdles Inv C
1	Nusat Ceesay	62.21
2	Lyndsey Fitzgerald	63.16
3	Jenny Christie	65.30
4	Becky Dougal	65.31
5	Natalie Hooper	66.57
6	.	.

 

Women's 400m Hurdles Inv B
1	Justine Roach	61.50
2	Natalie Kydd	63.56
3	Claire Heaford	62.82
4	Claire Brason	65.77
5	.	.
6	.	.

 

Women's 400m Hurdles Inv A
1	Jennifer Culley	60.08
2	Michelle Carey [IRE]	60.12
3	Susan Williams	60.90
4	Louise Aylwin	62.21
5	Ruth Brereton	63.61
6	.	.

 

Women's 400m Hurdles Match
1	Katie Jones	58.02
2	Liz Fairs	58.35
3	Sinaed Dudgeon	59.30
4	Sian Scott	59.49
5	Hannah Wood	60.65
6	Faye Harding	61.88

 

Men's 400m Hurdles Inv B
1	Tom Carey	53.66
2	Ben Caldwell	53.72
3	Olau Thomassen	53.81
4	Richard Scott	54.36
5	Danny Everett	56.43
6	Andy Clements	56.80

 

Men's 400m Hurdles Inv A
1	Peter Koemoer [RSA]	51.41
2	Dale Garland	52.46
3	Rupert Gardner	52.72
4	Dave Brackstone	52.89
5	Edie Betts	53.24
6	Andy Dean	56.02

 

Men's 400m Hurdles Match
1	Nick Stewart [CAN]	51.55
2	Rhys Williams	51.66
3	Liam Collins	52.20
4	Jeff Christie	52.77
5	Rob Miller	55.20
6	.	.

 

 

12 June 2003