IT MAY traditionally now be the cross country season but in 2020 track and field athletics is still going strong in October.
On Wednesday evening Tavistock AC held their third autumn series meeting with the host club, City of Plymouth and Erme Valley impressing in unfamiliar cold and dark conditions.
The highlight of the night was four competitive 1,500m races, which saw 30 athletes achieve personal best or season best times.
North Devon’s Christopher Oliveira, who has finished the season ranked number two in the country at under-13 level, won the first race in 4:39.8. Third overall in that heat and first under-13 girl was Torbay’s Page Quinn in 5:08.0.
Exeter under-15 girl Daisy Rowe won the second race in a PB time of 4:55.7, with City of Plymouth’s Isabella Morris second in 5:25.4, also a PB, while Tavistock’s Lara Dix was third girl in that race with a PB of 5:28.3.
The third 1,500 heat saw Joe and Ewan Dix push each other on to new lifetime bests. Joe, in the older age group, came home in a time of 4:26.5, with Ewan finishing as first in his age group with a 4:32.7 run. Tavistock’s Kristyna Cade (5:16.9) and Charlotte Walker (5:18.8) both ran under 5:19 for the first time.
Erme Valley Harriers’ under-20 athlete Jamie Frost won the senior race in a PB time of 4:23.5, with City of Plymouth’s Daniel Newman third in a new best time of 4:34.7. Exeter’s Katie Olding was first senior women in 4:39.6.
Tavistock’s Rory Summer claimed a 100m and 200m double in the under-15 boys’ category with 12.4 and 25.6 second runs, respectively. However, in the 100m event he only edged out his new team-mate Bart Grainger by 0.1 of a second.
There was an equally thrilling race between Exeter’s Leon Biaggi, Tavistock’s Joe Wheeler and City of Plymouth’s Jacob Michaelides, with just 0.2 of a second separating the three of them. Biaggi, a year older than the other two, won that race in 11.7 seconds, with Wheeler clocking 11.8 and Michaelides 11.9 seconds.
Just 0.1 of a second also separated Tavistock girls’ pair Georgia Buckingham (14.0) and Grace Wonnacott (14.1).
City of Plymouth’s young trio Prisca Ajive, Eva Lang and Leonie Dyer also had a good battle in the opening 100m race and all achieved new PBs, with Ajive clocking 14.6, Lang 14.8 and Dyer 15.0.
Tavistock’s Emily Sleep won the under-17 girls’ 300m hurdles in 56.1 seconds, while Taunton’s Kester Welch, ranked seventh in the UK under-20 men’s 400m hurdles rankings, clocked 57.7 seconds in that event on Wednesday.
Once again there were some impressive throwing performances at Tavistock.
City of Plymouth’s Hannah Gellatly won the under-20 women’s hammer in 43.85m, while club colleague Libby Fitzgerald threw a PB of 29.58m to win the under-17 age group, with Tavistock’s Louisa Hess recording 36.60m to triumph in the under-15 category.
Tavistock’s Harry Tomlin threw 45.84m to win the under-20 men’s javelin, while City of Plymouth’s Evie Bee set a new PB of 21.55m to claim victory in the under-15 girls’ competition.
In the shot, Tavistock’s Phoebe Milburn claimed a new PB of 9.79m to win the under-15 category, ahead of team-mate Louisa Hess (8.36m).
Exeter’s Josh Tyler threw 14.52m to claim victory in the under-20 men’s shot, while Tavistock’s Matthew Jenkins and Owen Fileman also triumphed in their categories.
Full results can be found HERE.
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