
David Hall at Kelvin Hall
Dartford Harrier David Hall had a busy weekend when he travelled to Glasgow's Kelvin Hall Indoor Arena, for the Schools International Pentathlon Championships. Competing at the event on Saturday December 3rd, were teams from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Hall was selected for the English Schools team of four, who were highly successful in winning the gold medal. The pentathlon is composed of five events: 60m hurdles, shot, high jump, long jump and 800m. David Hall is currently ranked in the UK Rankings list at 2nd in the octathlon and 4th in the high jump.
Sparrows Den, West Wickham, was the venue for the latest of the Kent Cross Country Leagues on Saturday December 3rd. The weather was sunny with the course somewhat muddy with two steep hills in the wooded section.
Results:
Girls U/13: Chloe Sharp 14th, Holly Page 21st, Jasmine Anderson36th, Rebecca Daly 40th - team 4th.
Women U/17: Cassie Benson 17th, Rebecca Wilby 21st.
Boys U/13: Jamie Green 27th.
Boys U/15: Callum Ward 10th, Levi Taylor 33rd, Dylan Adkinson 43rd.
Men: U/17: David May 22nd, Alex Cameron 23rd.
Senior Men: Sam Coombes 4th, Andy Pickett 28th, Tony Durey 58th, Stuart Waterman 75th, Steve Hickmott 125th, Bob Coombes 159th.
Several members of Dartford Harriers Cross Country team ran in the latest of the Kent Fitness league meeting at Oxleas Woods. Here are the results from todays race at Oxleas Woods, Eltham. The 5 and a half mile course was very tough as usual but not so muddy as previous years.
Tony Durey - 16th,
Stuart Waterman - 31st,
Frank Hudson - 97th,
Steve Hickmott - 103rd,
Pat Halstead - 230th,
Steph Wood - 250th,
Paul Hills - 269th,
Maureen Farmer - 385th
Sunday 13th November saw Dartford Harriers A.C. cross country team in New Barn Park, Swanley for the second Kent Fitness League meeting. There was an excellent attendance in the unseasonably sunny warm conditions. Tony Durey had an excellent run for 16th place overall and first Male O/45. Pat Halstead also had a solid run for 2nd place in the Women's O/55 category.
Results: Tony Durey 16, Dan Pyne 17, Steve Hickmott 115, Dave Kitcher 153, Tony Farmer 233, Pat Halstead 271, Ralph Petts 274, Steph Wood 282, Paul Hills 310, Julie Hibberd 328, Gill Skellon 381, Andy Byard 388, Maureen Farmer 431, Jackie Murty 460.
The third Kent Cross Country League meeting of the season, at Danson Park on Saturday 12th November. On a fairly flat course with mild conditions, Dartford Harriers achieved the following results:
U/13 Girls : Chloe Sharp - 12th - 9.46 Holly Page - 17th - 10.07 Jasmine Anderson - 42nd - 11.57 TEAM RESULT = 4th place
U/15 Girls : Amber Warren - 33rd - 17.35
Senior Women : Cara Oliver - 17th - 20.22 Lynn Morgan - 45th - 22.07 Claire Capon - 60th - 23.17 Stephanie Wood - 61st - 23.21 TEAM RESULT = 9th place
U/13 Boys : Jamie Green - 24th - 12.27
U/15 Boys : Callum Ward - 6th - 14.20 Luke Saheed - 35th - 16.28 Dylan Adkinson - 44th - 19.26 TEAM RESULT = 7th place
U/17 Men : Tim Dowling - 16th - 17.57 David May - 23rd - 18.38 Alex Cameron - 28th - 18.59 Christopher Bishop - 38th - 21.27 TEAM RESULT = 6th place
Somerhill School, Tonbridge, was the venue on Saturday 29th October, for the second of the Kent League Cross Countries.The weather was unseasonally mild and dry, with an excellent attendance for many Kent Clubs. Dartford Harriers A.C. fielded thirty runners, with Sam Coombes once again one of the top finishers in the Senior Men. Also well up in their age groups were Callum Ward and Holly Page.
Results:
Boys U/15 : Callum Ward 14, Luke Saheed 26, Andrew May 45, Dylan Adkinson 46.
Men U/17 : David May 23, Alex Cameron 26, Connor Campbell 34, Christopher Bishop 39.
Senior Men : (10kms) Sam Coombes 4, Andy Pickett 29, Tony Durey 49, Stuart Waterman 87, Chris Turner 98, Tim Orr 130, John Gurney 145, Steve Hickmott 149, Dylan Stokes 151, Paul Hills 185, Bob Coombes 188.
Girls U/13 : Holly Page 13, Chloe Sharp 23, Jasmine Anderson 32.
Women U/17 : Cassie Benson 16, Lucy Hickmott 19.
Senior Women : (5kms) Cara Oliver 18, Ruth Nunn 21, Lara Hawkins 25, Lyn Morgan 44, Steph Wood 61, Suzi Wiltshire 65.
New Barn Park Swanley was the setting for the first of the Kent League Cross Countries on Saturday October 8th. Conditions were dry as thirty Dartford Harriers joined in with the excellent attendance from various Kent Athletics Clubs.
Results : - Girls U/13: Chloe Sharp 20, Holly Page 21, Jasmine Anderson 41- team 6th.
Girls U/15: Amber Warren 38.
Women U/17: Casey Porritt 12, Lucy Hickmott 20, Katie Francis 21- team 4th.
Senior Women: Cara Oliver 19, Ruth Nunn20, Lara Hawkins 21, Hannah Roberts 27, Steph Ward 38, Lynne Morgan 44, Hayley Hickmott 71. - team 5th.
Boys U/13: Jamie Green 34.
Boys U/15: Callum Ward 8, Dylan Adkinson 41.
Men U/17: Morgan Rees 29, Alex Cameron 30, Christopher Bishop 41.
Senior Men: Sam Coombes 8, Andy Pickett 41, Tony Durey 55, Des Adkinson 56, Stuart Waterman 62, Tim Orr 108,John Gurney 128, Steve Hickmott 145, Paul Hills 179, Bob Coombes 180. - team 6th.

Teresa with Gold No.1
A triple gold haul and two personal best performances gave Teresa Eades a triumphant finale to the athletics season at the European Masters Games in northern Italy.
In temperatures climbing above 30 degrees, Teresa joined 4,000 participants for the Games in Lignano, where she competed in track and field. Her first gold medal came in the 300 metres hurdles, where she smashed her previous best, finishing in 57.68 seconds. She also broke her best long jump distance, leaping 4.26 metres - an improvement of 15 centimetres. That was good enough only for silver, but Teresa added further golds in triple jump and pole vault.
'I was delighted with the results', said Teresa, 'especially given the heat. It's lovely to finish on a high. It's obviously very satisfying to win three gold medals, but I was most pleased with my personal best results. The Games themselves were competitive and very well organized. But most of all, it was friendly and fun. It is refreshing to meet athletes from all over Europe too; the Russians and Ukrainians were particularly strong.'
Teresa, who comes from Sevenoaks but now competes for Dartford Harriers AC, was competing in the Womens 50-55 category. She also won silver medals in two relays on the track, and in high jump.
Exeter was the venue for the 2011 English Schools Combined Events Championships on 17th & 18th September. On the rainy windy weekend, Dartford Harrier David Hall competed for the Kent Under 17 Men's team in the octathlon (eight events). Four Personal Best performances contributed to his silver medal on a total of 5175 points, only four points behind the winner. The U/17 team also gained silver. Hall is now selected for a home International Indoor Pentathlon v. Scotland Ireland and Wales, on 3rd December at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow. and is ranked UK No.2. Adam Chalk, in the U/20 men's decathlon (ten events) was 7th with 5566 pts.
The Kent Combined Events, Masters and Under 13 Championships at Erith completed the years' track and field meetings. Lewis Jackson took silver in the U/15 boys pentathlon (five events) with a pb of 2239 pts., only 51 points behind the winner. Jackson won the first three events all with pb's., and also produced a pb in the final event, the 800m. In the U/13 championships, Isio Orugun achieved double gold in the 75m (10.24) and 150m,(20.18) She had also won the heats, with pb's of 10.11 and 19.99. Damoy Stewart was 7th in the 75m in 10.90, and 4th in the 150m in 21.39. She was 6th in the shot with 6.37m. In the Masters Championships, Gary Capon, in the M50 age group, retained his high jump title with a leap of 1.55m.
The new track at Sutton Valence near Maidstone was the venue for the Kent County Relay Championships on Sunday 11th September. Teams from Kent clubs strove for the medals, amidst strong winds with sunny periods.
Dartford Harriers A.C. came away with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
U/17 men: 4 x 100m., 3rd, George Taylor, Will Dellow, David Hall, Morgan Rees.
U/20 men: 4 x 100m., 3rd, Alex Bell, Aaron Barham, David Stewart, Rob Hammond.
4 x 400m., 3rd, Sam Dowler, Alex Bell, Aaron Barham, David Stewart.
Senior Ladies: 4 x 100m, 1st, Samantha Brown, Jodie Leslie, Natalie Hickmott, Lucy Hickmott.
4 x 200m 2nd, team as above.
David Hall was selected for the London area at the UK Schools Games on Saturday 3rd September. The event which took place at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium, saw Ireland Scotland and Wales competing for the honours against several areas of England. Hall won high jump silver with a leap of 1.96m, and is also a combined events specialist. He is now ranked UK Under 17 No.1 in the eight - event octathlon. Sept. 17th / 18th sees him travelling to Exeter for the English Schools Combined Events Championships.
Sept 3rd was also the date for the Open Track & Field Games at Ashford's Julie Rose Stadium. Eight members of Dartford Harriers A.C. took the opportunity to compete in the open graded meeting with accurate electronic timing. 12 year old Isio Orugun's 200m win in a time of 27.0s equalled a club record set in 1981, and exceeded an AAA Grade 1 performance which is set at 28.4. Lucy Hickmott claimed her 8th 300m hurdles win this season equalling her pb of 46.0s. Ama Obiomah made an impressive debut for the club by winning the U/17 mens' 100m (11.66) and the 200m (24.03).
Further results:- Girls: U/13: Isio Orugun 100m 1st 13.89.
U/15: Chelsey Eyers, dt 1st 28.44. Naomi Orugun 100m 4th 14.5, 200m 2nd 27.74.
Boys: U/15: Sam Hoyle, 100m 2nd 12.85, 200m 4th 26.06, sp 1st 11.34 pb. Lewis Hancock 100m 4th 14.51, 200m 4th 29.4.
Men: U/20: Sam Dowler 300m hurdles., 2nd 45.83, 1500m 3rd 5:12.23.

L-R : Alex Lee, Hannah Searing, David Hall and Chelsey Eyers at Southend. Photo by coach Paul Searing.
The Southend on Sea Track & Field Open Meeting on Sunday 28th August saw four members of Dartford Harriers A.C. winning nine medals between them, including six golds and three silvers. They also produced two personal bests and a new club record. David Hall's gold medal high jump of 2.01m was a pb, U/17 club record, and places him at UK No.2. Hall's excellent day continued with a javelin gold for 45.21m.and a discus silver with 29.00m. In the U/17 ladies throws, Hannah Searing and Chelsey Eyers performed well, with Hannah winning the hammer with 38.33 - just short of her pb, and was 2nd in the javelin with 22.56, and Chelsey winning the discus with a pb of 28.88. Senior man Alex Lee won the long jump with 6.19, the 200m in 24.9s. and was 2nd in the 100m in 12.00s.
Young hammer thrower Hannah Searing's twin ambitions this season were to throw over 40m. and to get into the top 10 on the UK ranking lists.She took a step closer to both aims whilst winning the under 17 hammer at the London Inter Clubs Challenge at Woodford Green on Saturday 20th August. Her throw of 38.96m not only was a personal best, but places her at No.11 on the UK ranking list. Searing's previous pb was 37.40. Four more meetings remain until the end of the season and she is maintaining a positive approach.
Kingsmeadow Kingston was the setting for the Under 17 Inter County Track & Field Championships on Sunday 14th August. Three members of Dartford Harriers A.C. were selected to represent Kent in the eight county competition, which also included Bucks, Essex, Hants, Herts, Mddx. Surrey and Sussex. Lucy Hickmott continued her season's excellent form with a win in the A string 300m hurdles in 46.04s. Hickmott also ran in the 4 x 100m (2nd ) and the 4 x 300m (4th). Gemma Brown was 1st in the 'A' discus with a throw of 33.96m, - just short of her season's best. Hannah Searing threw 36.39m for 3rd place overall in the hammer.
Lucy Hickmott (centre), 300m hurdles, silver medal. Photo by coach Alan Champion.
Ashford's Julie Rose Stadium was the venue for the Southern Counties Track & Field Championships, attracting several hundred of the top athletes from the South of England. Lucy Hickmott continued with her excellent season in the 300m hurdles, adding the silver medal to her collection in a time of 46.1s. The sixteen year old Gravesend Grammar School pupil already holds the Kent AA, the Kent Schools and the Schools Inter Counties 2011 titles after taking up the event only in May.
Hannah Searing, the current Kent Schools Under 17 hammer champion, did well to to finish 5th at Ashford with a throw of 36.06m. Sixteen year old Searing, a pupil at Swan Valley School, Northfleet, has a personal best just over 37 metres.
Hickmott and Searing have been selected to represent Kent at the Inter Counties match at Kingsmeadow, Kingston on Sunday 14th August.
Sutton Valence was the setting for the final match of the Kent Young Athletes League. Georgina Mason - Reeves has a well deserved reward of two more personal bests, in the discus and javelin. After attending all six meetings, and starting off the year with 15.19 in the discus and 14.24 in the javelin, she has improved to 23.84 (dt) and 21.87(jt).
Results:
UNDER 11 BOYS (NON SCORING)
Cameron Sharp 600m 2.24.3 6th (PB)
UNDER 13 BOYS
Joshua Fernandez 200m A 29.0 1st (PB)
UNDER 15 BOYS
Lewis Jackson 80m Hurdles A 12.9 1st, 100m A 12.6 2nd, Shot A 10.69 2nd (PB),
Callum Ward High Jump A 1.451st, 400m A 63.7 3rd, 1500m A 4.54.3 7th
UNDER 13 GIRLS
Chloe Sharp 600m A 2.03.5 1st (PB)
UNDER 15 GIRLS
Georgina Mason-Reeves Javelin A 21.97 2nd (PB), Shot A 7.18 2nd, Discus A 23.84 1st (PB),
Justice Newson Javelin B 8.05 5th, 100m A 16.5 6th, Long Jump A 3.63 5th
The Dartford Harriers Ladies Masters team wrapped up another successful league season at Norman Park, Bromley on Monday 25th July. By winning the match, they secured top spot in the SCVAC Kent League and a place in the Regional Finals at Ashford on 4th September. This is their third year in succession as league winners.
There were some fine performances with several club records and PB's recorded.
Results: Cara Oliver: 800m - 2nd;
Steph Wood : 800m - 2nd;
Gill Skellon : 800m - 2nd;
Maureen Farmer : 100m - 2nd, LJ - 2nd;
Kirsty Taylor : 100m - 1st;
Teresa Eades : 100m - 1st, LJ - 2nd;
Christine Clements : 100m - 3rd. LJ - 1st;
Anne Goad : Discus - 1st;
Jane Morris : Discus - 3rd.
(Clements, Eades, Skellon & Oliver) : Medley Relay - 2nd.
Dartford Harriers A.C. , in an improvement on recent years, finished 3rd overall in the National Junior League, Medway Division. The League is for Under 17 and Under 20 athletes. Dartford were also third in the final match of the season at Canterbury High School on July 24th, with one win, two third places and a fourth.
Cumulative results of the four matches:-
Ashford 1774, Medway & Maidstone 1640.5, Dartford Harriers 1468, Cambridge Harriers 1159, Invicta & Paddock Wood 911, Bexley A.C. 751, Tonbridge A.C 742, Croydon Harriers 439.5.
Gateshead International Stadium was the host for the 4th time since 2004 to the English Schools Track & Field Championships. The 81st ESAA Championships, which is the biggest of its kind in Europe, involved 1800 school-age pupils and 500 officials. All athletes, who are drawn from the 44 English Counties, are the best in their age group, having fulfilled stringent qualification standards and survived several rounds at county & inter-county level. The prestigious event was televised on the Sky network.
The Kent County sixty-strong team included six Dartford Harriers A.C members. Expectations were high, based on a previous excellent record at the Games. However this was not to be, as accident and injury prevailed.
Under 17 Hannah Searing, competing in the hammer throw, had a disappointing debut at the Games after falling during her first attempt. She then failed to make the final pool of 8 throwers. In the same age group, Gemma Brown, last year's U/15 discus champion, made the final pool, finishing in 8th with 32.93m.
Also making her debut at the ESAA, U/17 Lucy Hickmott ran well in the 300m hurdles, finishing 3rd in her heat in 46.28s. Hickmott came away with a bronze medal as part of the 4 x 100m. squad, who produced a National Standard time of 48.35s.
U/17 high jumper David Hall, though ranked in the UK top 6, struggled with a back injury and could only manage 11th place, with 1.87m. Alex Bell, now in the senior mens', and an ES finalist last year, was 5th in his heat of the 200m in 22.62. However, he was in the 4 x 100m team, who having thought they were in the final, were later disqualified for a faulty baton change.
Senior lady Samantha Brown, a previous medalist at the ES, qualified easily for the 400m hurdles. Disaster struck in the final when Brown crashed onto the track after hitting the last hurdle, finishing 8th. The bad luck continued, when the 4 x 100m squad, of which she was part, were disqualified for dropping the baton.
Six athletes from Dartford Harriers A.C. have been selected for the Kent team at the English Schools Championships at Gateshead on July 1st and 2nd. The team of sixty will join 1800 children, aged from 12 to 18, who have gained the performance standards required.
Two previous medal winners are sisters Samantha and Gemma Brown, who go in the Senior Girls 400m hurdles and Inter Girls discus respectively. Lucy Hickmott will make her debut at the championships, and will run in the Inter Girls 300m hurdles and the 4 x 100m relay. Older sister Natalie has been forced by injury, to decline selection. Hannah Searing also making her Championships debut is selected for the Inter Girls hammer.
Alex Bell will do the Senior mens 200m and 4 x 100m relay and David Hall, in his first championships, will compete in the Inter Boys high jump.
David Hall and Adam Chalk have just qualified for the English Schools Combined Events Championships at Exeter in September. On Saturday and Sunday June 25th / 26th, both made the trip to the English Schools regional Combined Events Championships at Southampton. Hall won the Inter Boys' octathlon with 5096 points, with Chalk coming 3rd in the Senior Mens' decathlon with 5623 points. The icing on the cake was an overall win for the Kent team.
17 year old Samantha Brown produced a personal best for the 400m hurdles at the England Under 23 Championships at Bedford on 25th/26th June. Making the final on Sunday, Brown timed 62.97 for 5th place.
Kent Schools had a decisive win at Erith on Sunday June 19th at the South East Schools Inter Counties at Erith. High winds, torrential rain and hail stones made life very difficult as Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent Schools battled it out. Many were looking for English Schools selection for this year's championships at Gateshead International Stadium on July 1st / 2nd.
16 year old Lucy Hickmott from Gravesend Grammar School is glad she switched from the 800m to 300m hurdles, in which she recorded her 6th victory in a row. At Erith she once again ran an English Schools qualifier with her time of 46.1, and now holds the Kent AA, Kent Schools and Inter County titles.
15 year olds Hannah Searing and Gemma Brown, already English Schools qualifiers, took 2nd places in the hammer & discus respectively, with throws of 34.76 and 30.06. David Hall who is 16, won the long jump with 5.91, but is hoping for ES selection in the high jump in which he is UK 2nd.
Javelin duo Joe Millman and Lewis Jackson, already with Under 15 gold and silver medals in the Kent AA and the Kent Schools, had a close match in a rain lashed - stadium. Jackson won the match with a throw of 37.90, with Millman in 2nd place with 36.24.
Fourteen year old Sam Hoyle claimed his first Kent vest with a late call - up for the Junior Boys shot. He did well in his debut to finish fifth, with 10.38.
Three members of Dartford Harriers competed at the Southern Counties Under 20 Championships at Ashford on 18th / 19th June. Adam Chalk was 3rd in heat and final of the 110m hurdles, timing 15.4 in the final. Samantha Brown was 5th in the 400m hurdles with an ES qualifier of 64.6. Alex Bell was 4th in the 200m heat in23.55, just missing out on the final.
The Ham Street 10km on Sunday June 12th presented a difficult muddy course through woods for the seven Dartford Harrier road runners. Despite this the team did well, with Daniel Pyne collecting two awards as first male and second overall. Mum Janet also won an award in the W60 age group. Results were:- Daniel Pyne 38.58, Ralph Petts 51.05, Mick Cox 1:05.40, Janet Pyne 1:05.40, Ken Pickett 1:10.04, Sheila Pickett 1:11.58, Simon Hoang 1:22.14.
Julie Rose Stadium Ashford was the setting for the Kent Schools Championships on Saturday 11th June, with school and college students from all over Kent competing for the honours. On a day of sun, heavy showers and even hailstones, many were hoping to reinforce their claims to be at next month's English Schools Championships at Gateshead. All athletes who finished in 1st or 2nd place (apart from Under 13's) are selected for the inter counties competition at Erith on 18th June.
Nine athletes from Dartford Harriers A.C. competed, with special mention of David Hall's high jump of 1.95m. This not only won the Under 17 mens' event, but puts him at UK No.2, and is an English Schools qualifier.
Results all finals: - U/13 girls: Isio Orugun 100m 2nd 13.71. U/15 girls: Naomi Orugun 100m 7th 14.09.
U/17 ladies: Lucy Hickmott 300m hurdles 1st 47.04, 300m 2nd 42.02. Gemma Brown discus 1st 32.86. Chelsey Eyers dt 3rd 28.77. Hannah Searing hammer 1st 35.62.
U/15 boys: Sam Hoyle 100m 7th 12.44 pb.shot 3rd 10.65. 200m 6th 26.18. Joe Millman sp 5th 10.49 pb, javelin 1st 39.14. Lewis Jackson jt 2nd 36.77, high jump 8th 1.59.
U/17 men: David Hall hj 1st 1.95 pb, long jump 1st 6.18.
Dartford Harriers Masters ladies team are enjoying a successful season at 1st place after four matches. The most recent match at Norman Park Bromley on Friday June 10th saw the team winning the match. Final points (with league points in brackets) were- Dartford 675,(23) Blackheath & Bromley 572,( 21) Cambridge 465, ( 16) Bexley 340,(11) Medway & Maidstone 238,(9) Bromley Vets 115 (3).
Winning their events were:- Kirsty Taylor, W35 200m A 27.7, Christine Clements W50 high jump 1.20, Sandra Campbell W35 shot putt 8.31, Anne Goad W50 javelin 26.07, sp 9.01.
Other results: Gill Skellon W35 200m B 1st 34.6, 1500. B 3rd 6:26.1. Maureen Farmer W60 200m 3rd 42.6. Kerry Smith W35 jt 2nd 15.23. Christine Clements W50 200m 3rd 33.8. Pat Halstead W50 1500m 2nd 5:58.2. Teresa Eades W35 hj 2nd 1.30. Steph Wood W35 1500m A 4th 6:03.9.
Dartford's Masters mens team also won the Bromley match, by half a point, and are currently 2nd in the League jointly with Ashford A.C. Outstanding performances at Norman Park came from: John Fenton M50 javelin 1st 45.20, shot putt 1st 11.12; Gary Capon M50 high jump 1st 1.50: Mike Nunn M60 200m 1st 29.1; Dave Hall M35 1500m B 1st 4:31.3. With creditable 2nd places were Dave Kemp in the M35 200m in 24.6, and Mike Nunn with a 1.20 hj. Scott Harvey threw the shot out to 9.80 for 3rd in the M35 event.
The National Young Athletes match at Sutton Arena Carshalton on Sunday June 5th was affected by strong winds and torrential rain. Match results are unavailable to date, but Dartford had a cluster of successes on the track and in the field events.
David Hall won all three of his events for the Under 17 men - Long jump 6.18, high jump 1.85, javelin 47.58. Also doing the treble was Under 17 Lucy Hickmott - 300m hurdles 46.4, 200m 29.0, hj 1.40. Joe Millman won two out of three events in the U/15 boys - lj 5.22, javelin 36.99. he was 2nd in the 200m in a time of 26.1. Under 17 George Taylor had a good day: 200m 1st, 23.7, 400m 1st 55.2, hammer 2nd 22.62.
Other highlights were:- U/13 boys, Luke Hergest ht 1st 17.51. U/15 girls, Georgina Mason-Reeves shot putt 1st 7.43, discus 2nd 16.73, jt 1st 18.71. Naomi Orugun 100m 1st 13.7, 200m 1st 27.7, hj 3rd 1.25. Shelby Morris-Zammit 75m h. 1st 14.0, hj 2nd 1.30. Ella Walden 200m 2nd 28.0, lj 1st 4.52. U/17 women: Chelsey Ayers dt 2nd 27.33. Gemma Brown dt 1st 30.60. Hannah Searing ht 1st 30.54.
Tonbridge School track was the venue for the second of the National Junior League meetings on May 29th, in which Dartford Harriers A.C finished third. Since winning the first match on May 1st, the Dartford team was hit by injury and holidays, but are still in overall 2nd place. Eight teams competed, and the top three results were:- Ashford 435 pts, Medway & Maidstone 392.5, Dartford 382.

Authors (L-R) Michael Holland; Arthur Kimber; Molly Titshall and Richard Drew.
Wednesday May 25th saw the launching of A History of Dartford Harriers at an evening in the Glentworth Ex Servicemans' Club attended by Club members past & present. The book, which tells the story of the athletics club from 1922 to the present day, was written by Richard Drew, Michael Holland, Peter Field, Arthur Kimber and Molly Titshall.
Also on the same evening, was the inaugural presentation of the "Peter Field Trophy", for the best hurdling performance of 2010. The trophy was presented by Elsie Field to Samantha Brown.

Elsie Field and Samantha Brown with the Peter Field Trophy.
National Young Athletes League, Medway Black Lion Park, Sunday May 22nd.
Results:
U13B :
JAMES OBRIEN 100m 15.4 5th. HJ 1.20m 1st . SP 5.26m 3rd.
ADAM READ 100m 15.8 6th. 200m 34.5 5th. LJ 3.32m 5th.
U15B :
LEWIS JACKSON JT 32.52m 2nd
JOE MILLMAN 200m 25.3 4th. LJ 5.06m 1st. JT 37.12m 1st .
SAM HOYLE 100m 12.6 4th. 200m 25.2 3rd. SP10.24m 3rd.
TOM BUGLER 80mH 19.4 2nd. LJ 3.70m 5th. SP 2.86m 6th.
CALLUM WARD 800m 2.31.3 3rd. 400m 64.6 3rd . HJ 1.40m 2nd.
LUKE SAHEED 1500m 5.32
LUKE HERGEST HT 14.53m 3rd. DT 12.93m 4th.
U17M :
DAVID HALL 100m 12.1 1st. HJ 1.90m 1st. LJ 5.69m 1st.
WILLIAM DELLOW 200m 24.7 2nd.
MORGAN REES 100m 12.6 4th. 200m 25.4 4th. LJ 4.30m 4th.
CHRISTOPHER BISHOP DT 13.44m 5th. SP 5.88m 4th. 400 60.5 3rd.
WILL RELF 800m 2.10.8 2nd. . 400m 56.6 2nd.
ALEX CAMERON 1500m 5.39.8 3rd.
U13G :
ISIO OROGUN 75m 10.2 1st. 150m 21.3 2nd.
CHLOE SHARP 1200m 4.31.7 2nd.
HOLLY PAGE 800m 2.53.2 4th. LJ 2.86m 5th.
U15G :
GEORGINA MASON-REEVES SP 7.32m 1st. DT 21.12m 1st. JT 20.49m 1st.
NAOMI OROGUN 100m 13.3 1st. 200m 27.0 2nd. HJ 1.25m 3rd.
JUSTICE NEWSON DT 12.67m 4th. JT 13.5m 2nd.
EZINWA AWOGU 100m 13.9 3rd. HJ 1.15m 6th.
ELLA WALDEN 200m 27.4 3rd. LJ 4.42m 1st. SP 6.00m 4th.
ELIN MARGRAVE LJ 3.49m 5th.
U17W :
CHELSEY EYERS DT 22.44m 2nd. HT 12.17m 2nd.
GEMMA BROWN SP 8.27m 1st. DT 33.25m 1st. JT 20.35m 2nd.
LUCY HICKMOTT 300mH 46.0 1st. 300m 42.9 1st. HJ 1.35m 1st.
CASEY PORRITT 800m 2.37.2 4th. 300m 45.6 3rd.
CASSIE BENSON 1500m 5.35.5 2nd.
HANNAH SEARING. JT 23.65m 1st. SP 6.95m 3rd.
Senior Mens' Southern League, Div. 1 Woking, Saturday May 21st.
Dartford Harriers A.C Senior Mens team earned another hard - fought fourth place in the second match of the season. Final points were:- Woking 121 points, Bedford 113, Wimbledon 108.5, Dartford 104, Poole 85.5. Dartford dominated the high jump, with Aaron Barham winning the A string with 1.80 and Rob Hammond taking 2nd in the B string with 1.70. Alex Bell had his first outing in the league with two A string second places; 100m in 11.5 and 200m in 23.0. Both with personal bests were Sam Dowler- 3000m Steeple Chase A 2nd, 11.25, and Richard Bernard- 400m B, 2nd 53.3.
Also with 2nd places:
Andy Pickett 1500 A 4:17.0, Sam Dowler 110 hurdles B 20.8, Alex Lee lj A 6.26, tj A 12.38. Richard Nash pv B 2.80, jt B 41.81, John Fenton jt A 44.43.
Dartford Harriers A.C Senior Ladies' team now stand at 7th after two matches in the Senior Womens League. The team was 4th in the most recent match on May 15th at Portsmouth. Scoring A string wins were Megan Edwards- triple jump 11.65, Kathryn Sutton- high jump 1.53 and Claire Capon -hammer 38.17. Claire also won the B string high jump with 1.45. Hannah Sutton won the B string 400m hurdles in 75.2. Dartford recorded two 2nd places in both strings of the 200m: Kathryn Sutton 26.0 Jodie Leslie 26.7.
The weekend of 14th / 15th May saw athletes from all over the county gathering at Julie Rose Stadium Ashford for the Kent County Track & Field Championships. Strong cold winds interspersed with some sunshine posed problems with some events. However, there was a good representation from Dartford Harriers A.C., who came away with ten gold, ten silver and two bronze medals.
Senior lady Claire Capon celebrated her birthday by winning two gold and three silver medals. Under 17 lady Gemma Brown, last year's Under 15 discus gold medalist at the English Schools Championships, continued her excellent early season form with a gold medal and an English Schools Qualifying performance. Lucy Hickmott continues to make a big impact in the Under 17 300 hurdles and 300m, winning both the events, with an ES qualifying time in the hurdles.Dartford's Under 15 javelin specialists, Joe Millman and Lewis Jackson, made a big breakthrough in their event, winning the gold and silver medals with personal best throws.
Results: (All finals unless otherwise stated)
girls / ladies: U/15: Naomi Urogun 100m 3rd 13.5. 200m ht 2nd 27.6. Georgina Mason - Reeves, discus 5th 20.16 pb, javelin 3rd 18.66, shot 4th 7.13.
U/17: Lucy Hickmott 300m ht 1st 42.7, final 1st 41.8 pb, 300m hurdles 1st 46.2- pb and es standard.
Gemma Brown dt 1st 33 44, es standard. Chelsey Ayers dt 4th 26.76.
U/20: Natalie Hickmott 400m 4th 59.8. Samantha Brown 400mh 1st 66.4, 200m 5th 26.7. Jodie Leslie 200m 4th 26.5.
Senior: Kirsty Taylor 100m 2nd 13.2, pb and Club Masters record. Claire Capon 100m 1st 13.2, hammer 2nd 37.32 pb, 400mh 2nd 73.9, 200m 2nd 27.3, 100mh 1st 16.2. Rebecca Lucking 200m 4th 30.3 pb. Hannah Sutton 200m 3rd 29.0 pb.
Boys/men: U/15: Joe Millman jt 1st 39.37 pb, sp 1st 10.40, lj 4th 5.18, 200m ht 5th 26.1. Lewis Jackson jt 2nd 37.96 pb, hj 4th 1.55, lj 5th 5.17, 100m ht 3rd 12.7. Sam Hoyle sp 2nd 10.17, 100m ht 4th 12.5, 200m 7th 25.7.
U/17: George Taylor 400m 4th 53.3, 100m 2nd 23.3. Will Dellow 200m 5th 24.5. Morgan Rees lj 4th 5.06, 200m 6th 25.3.
U/20: Alex Bell 200m 2nd 22.9. Aaron Barham hj 2nd 1.85. Tim Billings sp 1st 12.94. Adam Chalk 110 mh. 1st 15.5, 100m 4th 11.4, dt 4th 28.00. Dave Stewart 100m 8th 12.1, 400m 7th 53.3.
Senior: Jack Fox triple jump 4th 12.96. Paul Williams hj 2nd 1.90.
Senior Mens League Division 1, Portsmouth, 7th May 2011
Dartford Harriers Senior Men's team got the season off to a solid start with a hard fought 4th place following the double promotion to Southern League Division 1. The final results were:
Portsmouth 124 points
Highgate 120 points
Newquay 101.5 points
Dartford 96.5 points
St Mary's Richmond 94 points
Dartford dominated the Triple Jump winning A and B string and there were wins also in the B string High Jump and 200m.
Sam Dowler scored a hat trick of personal bests with 2nd in 400m hurdles B (65.8s), 2nd in 110m hurdles B (20.7s), and 3,000m steeplechase A (11m 32s).
Mark Murison marked his comeback with 2nd in 400m hurdles A (62.3s), 4th in shot B, Javelin B and 110m hurdles A(10.04m, 34.64m and 18.8s), and 2nd in 400m B (56.6s) before bringing home the baton 3rd in the 4 x 400m relay (3m 45s).
Paul Williams secured 2nd place in the Long Jump B (5m 79) and 3rd in High Jump A (1m 85).
The wins were: Aaron Barham - High Jump B, 1m 80 Jack Fox- Triple Jump A, 12m 83 Alex Lee Triple Jump B, 12m 15, Phil Butler - 200m B 25.0s

The Whitstable crew
On Monday 2nd May, 20 Dartford Harriers ran the Whitstable 10k on a sunny but very blustery day. Daniel Pyne came 5th overall in a time of 35.47 and our Ladies claimed the third team prize. The Ladies team comprised of Cara Oliver (41.59), Julie Hibbard (50.34) and Gill Skellon (51.51)
The other runners and times were:-
Tony Durey 37.25, Ralph Petts 47.29, Markus Graves 48.51, Mick Cox 50.40, Sue Saheed 53.27,
Madeleine Crow 53.27, Paula Crowhurst 56.43, Janet Pyne 57.51, Sheila Pickett 59.30, Alan Redpath 59.31,
Lesley Brown 1.00.24, Ken Pickett 1.00.25, Liz Virgint 1.02.36, Jacqui Murty 1.02.39, Tracie Smith 1.10.00,
Keith Smith 1.10.00
Dartford Harriers A.C. made a magnificent start to the season with an emphatic win at the National Young Athletes League (Medway Division) at Sutcliffe Park, Eltham, on May 1st. Final scores were- Dartford 447, Ashford 404, Medway & Maidstone 379, Cambridge Harriers 350, Invicta 232.5, Bexley 201.5, Tonbridge 166, Croydon 57. The first meeting of the League, which is for Under 17 and Under 20 men & women, took place on a blustery day which did not favour the sprint times.
Highlights: (A & B strings in some events)
Women- U/17: Lucy Hickmott, 400m B 1st 62.0, Casey Porritt 800m 3rd 2:40.7, Gemma Brown discus A 1st 33.36, shot A 3rd 8.73, javelin B 1st 19.46. Chelsey Ayers dt B 1st 28.35 pb, Hannah Searing hammer A 2nd 31.77, jt A 2nd 21.45.
U/20: Samantha Brown 200m B 1st 26.4 pb, 400m hurdles A 1st 66.4. Natalie Hickmott 400m A 1st 60.1, Jodie Leslie 100m B 1st 13.2, 200m A 3rd 26.4.
Men- U/17: David Hall high jump A 2nd 1,80, pole vault A 2nd 3.30, jt A 2nd 43.88.
U/20: Adam Chalk 100m A 1st 11.1 pb, 200m B 2nd 23.5, 110m. h. 1st 15.5, dt B 1st 30.99.
Alex Bell 100m B 1st 11.7, 200m A 2nd 22.3 pb. Aaron Barham 100m.h. B 1st 20.1, sp 3rd 7.35, hj 2nd 1.90.
Rob Hammond pv B 3rd 2 .20 long jump A 2nd 2nd 6. 10, triple jump A 1st 11.35. Connor Searing lj B 3rd 5.48, jt B 3rd 18.13. Tim Billings sp A 1st 13.03, dt A 1st 39.98.
Women: 4 X 100m. 1st 51.2. 4 x 400m 1st 4:24.6.
Men: 4 x 100m, 1st 45.4.4 x 400m 1st 3:35.2.
"Kat" (Kathryn) Sutton set a new pb for 400m of 58.04s. at Bedford on April 30th at the British Universities Colleges Champs. Kat, studying at Bath University, was 3rd in her heat, making it to the semi finals where she was 8th in 58.42.
Chris at mile 23
Eight Dartford Harriers completed the Virgin London Marathon on 17 April with several raising thousands of pounds for their charities.
Jennifer Pritchett was first Harrier home in 3:40:43, Ralph Petts was first man and M55 in 4:29:51, Chris Childs W50, 5:01:44, Janet Pyne W60 and in the top 100 in her age group in 5:11:24, Paula Crowhurst ran in her dog costume (in very warm conditions) in 5:13:26, Katie Pyne completed the course in 5:33:13, Mick Cox M65 overcame dehydration to finish in 6:01:49 and Sandra Campbell W40 took to the roads away from track and field to complete the 26.2 miles in 7:45:24.
Sunday 10th April saw the first of the Kent Young Athletes Leagues, held at Ashford Stadium. There were several 'A' string wins and personal bests: for the Under 15 boys, Joe Millman notched up three wins and pb's in the long jump, javelin and B string shot. Training partner Lewis Jackson won the javelin B string, also with a pb. U/13 girl Isio Orugun won the 75m and the 150m, and Shelby Morris-Zammit won the U/15 girls high jump.
results: boys U/11: Blaize Morris-Zammit, 80m 5th 15.17.
U/13: Jack Smyth hj A 3rd 1.00, 100m A 5th 15.72, 200m A 4th 31.66.
U/15: Sam Hoyle 100m A 2nd 12.55, 200m A 3rd 25.63, sp A 2nd 9.03. Joe Millman lj A 1st 5.34, jt A 1st 36.48, sp B 1st 8.97. Lewis Jackson hj A 2nd 1.60, 100m B 2nd 12.62, jt B 36.00. Callum Ward 400m A 4th 64.01. 1500m A 6th 5:01.44. Luke Hergest 200m B 5th 29.54, lj B 8th 3.63. Millman, Ward, Jackson, Hoyle 4 x 100m - 2nd, 51.38.
girls: U/13: Isio Orugun 75m A 1st 10.33, 150m A 1st 20.83. hj A 2nd 1.25. Chloe Sharp 600m A 4th 2:06.85.
U/15: Naomi Orugun 100m A 2nd 13.44, 200m A 2nd 27.80, lj B 2nd 3.80. Shelby Morris - Zammit, 75m. h. A 2nd 16.32, hj A 1st 1.35, lj A 2nd 3.95. Ayshe Davidson 100m B 3rd 14.83, sp B 1st 5.62. Georgina Mason - Reeves sp A 1st 6.81, dt A 2nd 15.15, jt A 4th 13.51.
Three athletes went to Kingston for the Open Throws Meeting on Sat 9th / Sun.10th April: Claire Capon, Senior Ladies hammer 38.89, Gemma Brown, U/15 discus 32.03, Dave Blackwell, Senior Mens Shot, 10.92.
Six Dartford Harriers A.C. members attended the Lee Valley Open Meeting on Saturday April 9th, at which athletes are grouped according to their personal bests. This means that different age groups are competing against each other. Under 20 ladies Natalie Hickmott and Samantha Brown had an excellent day, with AAA Grade 1 and English Schools qualifying performances.
results: U/20 ladies- Samantha Brown, 400m hurdles, 2nd 63.85- pb. Natalie Hickmott, 400m, 2nd 58.59. 16 year old Lucy Hickmott, 400m, 2nd (in her race)- 59.24, a pb by 3.7s.
U/20 men- Alex Bell, 200m , 2nd, 22. 57- a pb, and AAA Grade 2 performance. 16 year old George Taylor, 200m 4th, 23.41- pb. 15 year old William Dellow, 200m 6th, 24.26.
Hercules Wimbledon A.C held their 30th Anniversary Young Athletes Track & Field meeting on Sunday 3rd April at Crystal Palace. This very popular starter to the outdoor track season for the Under 11 to Under 20 age groups, attracted its customary large entry. Electronic timing is used for track events, and medals are awarded for the first three in each age group with certificates for the top eight. There was a strong wind on an otherwise mild and sunny day, which aversely affected the sprint times.
Dartford Harriers A.C. athletes nevertheless pulled out some Personal Bests and won several medals. Top performances came from Gemma Brown, U/17 ladies discus gold medal with 33.56m, AAA Grade 1 and English Schools qualifying level; Isio Urogun, making her debut with two AAA Grade 1 performances- U/13 100m gold, 13.41s. & 200m bronze 28.6s.; Joe Millman, U/15 boys long jump gold 5.15m., shot putt bronze 8.47m., javelin bronze 34.14m pb.; Lewis Jackson U/15 boys high jump gold 1.63m pb.; javelin silver 34.23m pb.
Other results: (lower overall positions in each age group have not been included)
girls/ladies: U/15: Naomi Orogun 100m 3rd 13.61, 200m 4th 28.5. Georgina Mason Reeves sp 7th 7.03 pb, dt 4th 17.58 pb, jt 2nd 18.67 pb. Ayhshe Davidson sp 9th 5.59.
U/17: Lucy Hickmott 100m 3rd 13.42, 200m 4th 27.66. Gemma Brown 200m 28.8.
U/20: Natalie Hickmott 100m 2nd 13.28, 200m 2nd 26.44. Samantha Brown 100m 3rd 13.56, 200m 4th 27.55.
Boys/ Men: U/15: Sam Hoyle 100m 13.29 pb, 200m 27.14. Lewis Jackson 100m 13.04 pb.
U/17: George Taylor 200m 3rd 23.59 pb.
U/20: Adam Chalk 100m 11.31 2nd. Alex Bell 100m 5th 11.66, 200m 3rd 23.24.
Callum Ward had an excellent weekend when he led the Kent team to 3rd place at the South of England Schools Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Reigate on Saturday 26th March. The Priory Park provided a bone dry 3.3 kilometre course. Callum finished in 5th place in a time of 12m. 41s. He is coached by Jason Marchant. In a very close team contest, Essex won with 76 points followed by Hants with 83 and Kent with 85.
The weekend of March 19th/20th saw five of Dartford Harriers A.C's Masters team in Ghent, Belgium for the European Masters Indoor Championships. results: W35: Kirsty Taylor 200m final 5th 28.13. W50:Teresa Eades triple jump 5th 8.93, pole vault 4th 2.20. Anne Goad (injured)- shot 20th 8.38, javelin 7th 23.92. W55: Pat Halstead 800m final 9th 2:58.96, 1500m f. 6th 5:59.52, cross country 5 kms. 6th 23.59. M70: Arthur Kimber 800m ht. 7th 3:7.34, 400m ht. 4th 81.52, 4 x 200m 4th 2:10.
The Kent County Indoor Championships took place at Lee Valley Stadium, Edmonton on Saturday 5th March. The eighteen athletes from Dartford Harriers A.C. had an excellent day, winning eight gold, two silver and five bronze medals.
Results (finals unless otherwise stated): U/15 girls: Naomi Orugun, 60m 6th 8.34. 200m 6th 29.84. Ezinwa Awogu, 60m semi f. 4th 8.38, shot 8th 6.28. Ella Walden long jump 4th 4.37 pb., 200m heat 3rd 28.8 pb. Shelby Morris - Zammit, lj 8th 4.06 pb, high jump 5th 1.30.
Ladies, U/17 : Lucy Hickmott 300m 1st 42.58 pb, 200m 5th 27.12 pb. Gemma Brown 300m 4th 44.84 pb, 200m heat, 3rd 28.2 pb. Jordanna Nunes 60m ht. 3rd 8.33, 200m 4th 28.38.
U/20: Natalie Hickmott 200m 2nd 25.95 pb. Samantha Brown 400m 3rd 59.81 pb.
Senior: Kathryn Sutton 200m 1st 26.41 pb. 400m 1st 58.89- Championship Best Performance.
U/15 boys: Casey Johnson lj 6th 4.99, 60m 3rd 7.85, 200m ht. 3rd 27.02. Joe Millman lj 2nd 5.24 pb, shot 1st 10.07 pb, 200m ht. 3rd 26.44. Sam Hoyle 60m 6th 7.91, 200m 5th 25.82.
Men: U/17: George Taylor 200m 3rd 23.98. David Hall hj 1st 1.90- Club Record. 60m 5th 7.52.
U/20: Adam Chalk 60 hurdles 1st 8.25 pb & Club Record. 60m 1st 7.14 pb, hj 3rd 1.80.
Alex Bell 200m 3rd 23.46. Aaron Barham hj 1st 1.90.
Masters athletes were in action at the weekend at the British Masters Athletics Federation's indoor championships at Lee Valley, Edmonton. Six members of Dartford Harriers A.C. made the trip, with Kirsty Taylor and Teresa Eades the most prolific medalists. Kirsty won silver in the W35 60m timing 8.45 and bronze in the 200m in 27.98. In the W50 age group, Teresa won three silvers with 2.30 in the pole vault; 1.33 in the high jump and 8.82 in the triple jump. In the same age group, Anne Goad competed in two throws events; javelin, 1st with 22.33 and hammer, 4th with 26.84. Pat Halstead won a W55 bronze medal in the 800m in a time of 2:56.29, and was 5th in the 1500m timing 5:52.76. Mike Nunn making an indoor debut at the event, was 5th in the M60 60m, in 8.86. M70 Arthur Kimber acquired two bronze medals with 81.57 for the 400m and 3:15.48 for the 800m.
Results from the Southern Counties Veterans A.C Indoor Championships, Lee Valley, 20th February.
W50: Teresa Eades high jump 1st 1.30 (Championship Best Performance), pole vault 2.00 1st. Pat Halstead 800m 1st 2:58.4.
M50: Gary Capon high jump 1st 1.60 (CBP), 60m 3rd 8.3. John Fenton shot 2nd 11.09.
W35: Kirstie Taylor 60m 1st 8.4, 200m 1st 28.3.
M50: Mike Nunn 60m 2nd 8.9, 200m 5th 29.5.
M70: Arthur Kimber 400m 2nd 84.1
The final meeting of the Kent Fitness League at Oxleas Woods, Welling, Sunday 20th February, took place on a challenging hilly course with very slippery underfoot conditions. First to finish for the Harriers was Andrew Pickett in 4th. followed by Tony Durey in 19th. Other results- Leon Goodwin 45th, Frank Hudson 58th, Steve Hickmott 77th, Ruth Ward 99th,Julie Hibberd 207th, Jenny Goodwin 214th, Folly Golding 244th. Maureen Farmer 249th.
Kathryn Sutton revised a long - standing senior ladies indoor 400m record at the weekend. At the British Universities & College Sport Indoor Championships held at the English Institute of Sport Centre, Sheffield on 19th/20th February, the 22 year -old ran 58.57 in her heat, and 58.34 in the semi final for 4th place, breaking the club record set in 1979. Sutton is currently studying at Bath University.
Results from Feb 12th, Kent Cross Country League, New Barn Park, Swanley. 4th and final race of the season. Special mention to Ben Matthews, Ellen Anderson and Casey Porritt who all completed the four -race series this season.
Girls: U/13- Chloe Sharp 21st. U/15- Cassie Benson 17th (21st overall, from3 races). Ellen Anderson 6th (8th overall from 4 races).
Women: U/17- Casey Porritt 6th (5th overall from 4 races)
Boys: U/13- Callum Ward 4th (14th overall, from 3 races). U/15- Ben Matthews 11th (6th overall from 4 races) Christopher Bishop 26th.
Men- Andrew Pickett 13th, Tony Durey 22nd, Stuart Waterman 51st, Frank Hudson 61st, Tim Orr 69th, Steve Hickmott 80th, Paul Hills 99th.
12 Dartford Harriers ran in the Ashford and District 10k on Sunday 6th February. Our best finisher was Daniel Pyne who finished 13th overall in a field of 759 runners with a time of 36.27 mins. The other finishers and times were as follows:- Tony Farmer 45.07; Mick Cox 51.41; Chris Rust 53.33; Markus Graves 53.57; Ken Pickett 1.02.18; Syd Goodwin 1.03.27; Janet Pyne 1.03.28; Sihan Huang 1.12.02; Lisa Nichols 1.17.54; Eydna Bungay 1.17.54; Eunice Mctigue 1.17.54

The Hoops belated Christmas Party (postponed due to snow) was held on 5th Feb, incorporating a presentation of trophies to: Hannah Carrington for 'Dartford Dasher' of the year (pictured top left, with Cara and Claire) and Gary Capon picking up the School Sport Partnership trophy for 'volunteer of the year' (top right, with Claire).
Bottom row: Harriers members boogie the night away...
The second weekend of the London Games at Lee Valley Indoor Stadium Edmonton, Sat. 29th / Sun. 30th Jan., attracted athletes from all over the South East of England. The six athletes from Dartford Harriers A.C. who made the trip performed to a high standard, with several personal bests.
Gary Capon, who normally competes in the Over 50 category, finished 10th in the Senior Mens high jump. His jump of 1.65m is a pb and a new Club Masters record.
Natalie Hickmott had a Club record - breaking run in the U/20 400m. Her time of 59.6s decisively erased the old record of 61.93. The Southern Championships three weeks ago saw Natalie just missing the old club record by just .01s.
Results:- U/20 ladies: 400m Natalie Hickmott 4th in her race, 59.6, pb and cr. Samantha Brown 1st in her race, 62.22 pb.
Senior ladies 200m Katherine Sutton 3rd 26.98, 400m 2nd 59.96 pb.
U/20 men. 200m Alex Bell 3rd in his race 23.3 pb. Dave Stewart 4th in his race 24.61 pb. 400m 1st 54.13.
Senior men. Gary Capon high jump 10th 1.65 (M50 club record, pb)
Athletes are now looking forward to the last of the indoor meetings, the Kent Championships on March 5th.
The Southern Area Cross Country Championships were held at Parliament Hill Fields on Saturday 29th January. Bitterly cold weather added its own challenge to a tough, hilly, muddy course. Callum Ward had a good run in the Under 13 boys 3km, finishing 33rd out of 224 entrants.
There were 280 runners in the U/15 boys 4.5kms, with Ben Matthews 178th, Conner Campbell 254th and Christopher Bishop 255th. In the U/20 mens 8km, Nick Wood was 31st out of approximately 100 runners.
Ladies results as follows- U/17 5km Lucy Hickmott 120th. Senior 8kms, with 400 starters, Ruth Ward 142nd, Hayley Hickmott 311th.
Lucy Hickmott was the sole entrant from Dartford Harriers A. C . at the London Games on Sunday 23rd January. The event is being held over two weekends at the Lee Valley Indoor Arena, and has attracted a massive entry.
Following her good performance in the Southern Championships, also at Lee Valley, 15 year old Gravesend Grammar School pupil Lucy ran in the U/17 300m. Drawn in the fastest heat, she finished a creditable 4th in 44.1s., just outside her pb of 43.9. Lucy's overall placing was 7th out of twenty competitors.
The latest in the Kent Fitness League series , at Nurstead Court Meopham, on Sunday 16th January took place in pleasant sunny conditions. However, the runners were presented with a tough course which included a water splash.
Thirteen members of Dartford Harriers A.C competed, with Club President Tony Durey the first to finish in 10th place.
Results: Tony Durey 10th, Leon Goodwin 46th, Stuart Hancock 53rd, Frank Hudson 55th, Steve Hickmott 77th, Cara Oliver 86th, Ruth Ward 90th, Tony Farmer 159th, Steph Wood 163rd, Steve Smith 174th, Jenny Goodwin 240th, Gill Skellon 253rd, Marcus Graves 264th.
Lee Valley Indoor Stadium Edmonton on Sunday 15th/ 16th January saw the continuation of the Southern Counties Indoor Championships. Under 17 George Taylor, having set a personal best in the 400m last weekend, continued in PB mode this weekend. He set a PB in the 200m heat of 23.95 in 3rd place, and was 4th in his semi final in 24.11. Under 20 Alex Bell was 3rd in his 200m heat with a time of 23.6 , and was 5th in the semi final with a PB of 23.34.
The Kent Cross Country Championships held at Wilmington on Saturday January 8th attracted an entry of twenty one athletes from Dartford Harriers A.C. On a fairly flat but extremely muddy course, Nick Wood was the star performer for the Harriers. He won the Under 20 mens' silver medal, having taken the lead and fought hard on the second lap of the 12km course.
results: U/13 Boys: Callum Ward 27th, Luke Saheed 33rd.
U/13 Girls Chloe Sharp 26th.
U/15 Boys: Ben Matthews 17th, Connor Campbell 35th, Christopher Bishop 36th, Connor Williamson 38th.
U/15 Girls: Cassie Benson 20th, Ellen Anderson 27th.
U/17 Men: Tim Dowling 21st.
U/20 Men: Nick Wood 2nd, Sam Dowler 24th.
Senior Men: Tony Durey 69th, Stuart Waterman 96th, Frank Hudson 120th, Steve Hickmott 141st, Bob Coombes 177th.
Senior women: Cara Oliver 19th, Ruth Ward 26th, Steph Wood 32nd, Suzi Wiltshire 47th.
Sunday 9th January saw athletes from all over the South of England converging on the Lee Valley Stadium, Edmonton, for the South of England Indoor Track & Field Championships.Four members of Dartford Harriers A.C. made the trip for the Championships, which continue next Saturday 15th January.
Lucy Hickmott, having switched recently from 800m running, competed in the 300m with a creditable 2nd place in the heats and 4th in the semi final, timing 43.9s and 44.6s respectively. Sister Natalie claimed 2nd place in the U/20 400m heat in 61.99 and 5th in the semi final in 61.94, just .01 outside the Club record.
Hurdler Samantha Brown made her debut in the U/20 flat 400m with 4th place in her heat in a time of 62.27s and 5th in the semi final in 62.98s.
George Taylor was 4th in the U/17 mens' 400m heat in a personal best time of 53.6s.