JULY 20
BMC GRAND PRIX, Eltham
MARI SMITH is hoping her PB to win the A race
will open a few doors before the season
closes, Kevin Fahey reports.
Now managing her own racing schedule,
the European Indoor Championships finalist
admitted that being a 2:02 runner was a hard
sell on the European circuit but her gutsy
effort to clock 2:01.46 may just earn her a few
more invites.
“I am fixing up my own races now and
it is quite hard to be honest so I am hoping
that now getting under 2:02 at last will help
me,” said Smith
Smith’s previous outdoor best was
2:02.64 at the Watford Grand Prix last year
when chasing home Alex Bell’s first sub-two
minutes time while indoors she improved
that to 2:02.34 at the Müller Grand Prix in
Birmingham.
The Birchfield Harrier clearly meant
business as she was the only runner to go
with the pacemaker and was 10 metres clear
of the bunch as they hit the bell in around
58 seconds.
She maintained that gap on Revee
Walcott-Nolan until 600m but then it was a
grim battle to the line as she just held off the
fast-finishing Walcott-Nolan, who was also
rewarded with a PB of 2:01.74.
“As I came around the top bend I thought
I had no chance but then down the home
straight I was really closing down Mari and
another five metres and I would have had
her,” said Walcott-Nolan.
That would have been harsh on Smith,
who believes she can go quicker still this
summer before launching a new chapter
in her career.
“It was only my fifth 800m this summer
after a late start but I am off to America
to study at Oregon University soon and
hopefully that will be the step I need to help
me qualify for the major championships,”
added Smith, who picked up a £250 bonus
from the BMC for her victory.
Archie Davis used his 1500m strength
to finish strongly after a steady first lap and
notch up a season’s best of 1:49.81 to win the
men’s 800m A race.“I am just coming off a mid-season
break so that was a good way to start the
second half of my summer,” said Davis.
There was further success for the
Brighton Phoenix club in the men’s 1500m
with 20-year-old George Mills powering
clear on the final lap for an emphatic win in
3:43.70, over two seconds clear of Morpeth’s
Chris Parr.
“I am really happy with that especially as
it is my first win this summer apart from the
heats of the England U23s,” said Mills.
“After two years of injuries it is great to be
back racing and training injury-free.”
Ireland’s Amy O’Donoghue retained the
title she won last year with the bonus of a PB
of 4:16.58 to give her a boost ahead of the
Ireland Championships next weekend.
“It was a crazy in and out race but I
didn’t panic and finished strongly,” said
O’Donoghue, who is based in Limerick.
Former junior international Tom Mortimer
showed great spirit in going for a sub-14
minutes clocking in the 5000m and was
on course until 3km when pacemaker Alex
Teuten stepped off the track.
“I am really chuffed and Alex was
brilliant,” said Mortimer.
Men: 800: A: 1 A Davis (Phoe) 1:49.81; 2 D
Howells (AFD, U20) 1:50.76; 3 C Von Eitzen(NEB) 1:51.03; 4 D Warlo (NOR) 1:51.49; 6 C Kirk
(Harrow) 1:51.67; 7 J Young (Morp) 1:52.22. B:
1 R Lutakome (Sutt) 1:51.10; 2 G Anderson
(Stock H) 1:51.95; 3 S Ólafsson (ISL) 1:52.29; 4
J Higgins (Bexley, U20) 1:52.32; 5 B Brunswick
(DMV) 1:52.80; 6 R Zaman-Browne (Manc H,
U20) 1:55.49. C: 1 M Musa (SB, U17) 1:52.29;
2 A Wright (Willow) 1:52.52; 3 D Wilde (Taun)
1:53.46; 4 S Jones (St Alb) 1:54.34; 5 H Cox
(Chilt, U20) 1:55.08. D: 1 C Wyllie (DMV) 1:53.21;
2 H Tullett (Chelm, U20) 1:54.46; 3 A Mohamed
(TVH) 1:54.75; 4 A Day (Chilt) 1:54.84; 5 G Peters
(C&C, U20) 1:55.84. E: 1 T Higgins (Bexley, U20)
1:53.41; 2 S Hall (HW) 1:54.36; 4 I Brown (Bas,
U20) 1:57.08. 1500: A: 1 G Mills (Phoe) 3:43.70;
2 C Parr (Morp) 3:45.78; 3 J Sanderson (G&G)
3:49.11; 4 D Bebbington (Prest) 3:51.82; 5 B
Davies (Bed C) 3:53.55; 6 M Ferguson (A’deen)
3:53.83; 7 B Moore (WSEH) 3:54.63; 8 A Teuten
(Soton) 3:56.40; 9 T Dodd (Bir) 3:59.30. B: 1 B
Bradley (AFD) 3:48.76; 2 M Byrne (IRL) 3:49.35;
3 R Driscoll (Ton) 3:49.65; 4 J White (Ports)
3:51.33; 5 D Neary (Phoe) 3:51.73; 6 M Bray (Bed
C) 3:51.75; 7 G Dollner (G&G) 3:54.11; 8 V Dahle
(NOR) 3:54.16; 9 N Faulkner (High) 3:54.80; 10
S Maher (Jer) 3:56.97; 11 J Howorth (Bath, U20)
3:57.88. C: 1 D Mees (NEB) 3:50.84; 2 M Jones
(Bas) 3:52.99; 3 N Armstrong (NEB) 3:53.43;
4 J Dunne (Tulla, U20) 3:53.52; 5 C Eastaugh
(HW) 3:53.77; 6 J Coxon (K&P) 3:54.22; 7 MCummings (Herne H) 3:54.71; 8 M Hashi
(ESM) 3:57.55. D: 1 M Aadan (TVH) 3:55.47; 2
L Kempson (C&C) 3:55.76; 3 O Wijtenburg
(TVH) 3:55.79; 4 I Davies (Centr) 3:57.63; 5 J
Beeks (BMH) 3:58.07; 6 C McGinness (C&C,
U20) 3:58.58; 7 E Buckner (NEB) 3:59.25; 8 T
Greenacre (Norw, U20) 4:00.09. E: 1 C Macrae
(Inv EK, U20) 3:56.62; 2 F Slemeck (HW)
3:58.19; 3 M Revier (Soton) 3:58.51; 4 T Austin
(Poole) 3:58.81. 5000: A: 1 T Mortimer (Stroud)
14:10.85; 2 N Burton (Basel, M35) 14:30.68; 3
E Lomås (NOR) 14:32.06; 4 C McKenzie (Cors)
14:34.48; 5 B Cole (Ton) 14:34.96; 6 J Leitch
(Worth) 14:35.20; 7 A Fyfe (Belg) 14:35.59; 8 A
Kinloch (Ton) 14:36.55; 9 L Brady (IRL) 14:39.81;
10 P Sewell (AFD) 14:39.88; 11 S Evans (RSC)
14:48.61; 12 J Bryant (Ton) 14:49.19; 13 S
Gallienne (Bide) 14:58.32; 14 C Haywood (High)
14:58.82; 15 M Pickard (Phoe) 15:05.61; 16 R
Domville (Read) 15:28.51. B: 1 C McCaughey
(NBH) 14:54.85; 2 J Weaver (Kent) 15:02.00;
3 M Smith (Ashf, U20) 15:03.79; 4 E Banks
(Bir) 15:06.61; 5 W Brewin (Soton) 15:08.21; 6
B Shearer (Camb H, M40) 15:08.33; 7 J Puxty
(Ton) 15:13.55; 8 N Sheehan (NEB) 15:14.82; 9 J
Gregory (Read RR) 15:20.95; 10 M Jenkin (Bide,
M40) 15:31.04; 11 R McTaggart (B’mth) 15:35.18;
12 M Sharp (HW, M40) 15:44.55
Women: 800: A: 1 M Smith (Bir) 2:01.46; 2 R
Walcott-Nolan (Lut) 2:01.74; 3 G Finch (BMH)
2:06.75; 4 K Kirk (Uls U) 2:06.85; 5 R McClay(Brack) 2:07.96; 6 E Thompson (Banb, U20)
2:07.99; 7 K McDonald (B&B, U20) 2:08.15. B:
1 G Kersey (Bas) 2:09.01; 2 C Anderson (Perth)
2:09.91; 3 R Gibson (N Down) 2:10.11; 4 C
Crossman (G&G) 2:10.51; 5 M Hendry (VPCG)
2:11.65. C: 1 R Serafini (Lon Hth) 2:11.56; 2
A Mundell (Salis) 2:12.43; 3 H Corbin (Herne
H) 2:13.38; 4 E Fryer (SMR, U17) 2:13.48; 5
L McNeil (Mans, U17) 2:13.90; 6 F de Mauny
(Herne H, W35) 2:13.91; 7 Z Mossi (B&B, U17)
2:17.07. 1500: A: 1 A O’Donoghue (IRL) 4:16.58;
2 B Kidger (Phoe) 4:16.96; 3 H England (Oxf C)
4:17.48; 4 A Quirk (Brack) 4:18.13; 5 K Fraser
(Prest) 4:18.81; 6 G Hartigan (Bir) 4:19.78; 7
D Hodgkinson (Walls) 4:20.27; 8 C Tarplee
(SSH) 4:22.30; 9 D Smid (NED) 4:25.86; 10 R
Johnson (High) 4:32.79; 11 N Taschimowitz
(SB) 4:36.05. B: 1 E Ruane (Herts P) 4:23.3; 2 L
Coward (Inv EK) 4:23.8; 3 I Dye (TVH) 4:25.6; 4
C Bradley (WG&EL) 4:26.1; 5 A Clark (WG&EL)
4:27.0; 6 C Alexander (Herne H, U20) 4:27.6;
7 C Sharp (Central P) 4:28.7; 8 S Monk (G&G)
4:29.1; 9 S Crumly (Read) 4:31.0; 10 F Kehoe
(IRL, W35) 4:31.8; 11 N Bretherton (C’ley)
4:32.0. C: 1 A Millard (Inv EK, U20) 4:29.58; 2 Z
Wassell (B&W) 4:32.12; 3 N Bridson Hubbard
(B&B) 4:34.99; 4 N Scott (AFD) 4:36.83; 5
T Bage (Phoe) 4:39.90; 6 S Flockhart (C&C,
U20) 4:40.49; 7 H Taunton (Taun) 4:43.66; 8 G
Forster (Norw, U17) 4:46.90; 11 C Elms (Kent,
W55) 4:51.3613.7. 4x100: 1 Sale 52.7; 2 Leeds C 52.9; 3
Wirr 53.2; 4 Prest 54.2. HJ: A: 1 J Whiteside
(Prest) 1.45
U15 girls:100: A: 1 S Eduan (Sale) 12.3; 2
D Garbutt (Gate) 12.6; 3 M Angelo (Leeds C)
12.8. 200: A (-1.8): 1 S Eduan (Sale) 25.2;
2 D Garbutt (Gate) 25.9. B (0.6): 1 E Noblett
(Prest) 25.6; 2 E Harrison (Gate) 26.3. 300: A:
1 F Joseph (Sale) 42.6. B: 1 H Mason (Sale)
42.3. 800: A: 1 K Brady-Jones (Wirr) 2:18.5; 2
E Colbourn (H’ogate) 2:19.6; 3 O Brown (Sale)
2:22.1. 1500: A: 1 I Cunningham (Prest) 4:55.8.
75H: A: 1 E Rankin (Prest) 11.3; 2 H Mason
(Sale) 11.3; 3 S Ashton (Wirr) 11.8; 4 D Garbutt
(Gate) 12.5. B (-0.4): 1 I Caven (Prest) 12.1.
4x100: 1 Prest 49.9; 2 Sale 51.1; 3 Leeds
C 51.8; 4 Gate 52.0; 5 Wirr 52.3; 6 H’ogate
53.3. 4x300: 1 Sale 2:55.3; 2 Prest 2:55.8; 3
H’ogate 2:58.9; 4 Wirr 3:03.3. HJ: A: 1 G Garber
(Leeds C) 1.55; 2 S Ashton (Wirr) 1.55. SP: A: 1
E Okpala (Leeds C) 10.62. HT: A: 1 E Harrison
(Prest) 36.01; 2 J Richardson (Sale) 32.37; 3
C Farrar (Wirr) 25.14. JT: A: 1 J Thompson
(H’ogate) 38.89
U13:75: A: 1 S Reid (Sale) 10.1; 2 C Allen
(Prest) 10.2; 3 N Le’Gall (Wirr) 10.4; 4 H Buckton
(Gate) 10.5. B (-0.1): 1 H Garner (Sale) 10.6; 2
E Kitchen (Prest) 10.7. nsB (-0.1): 1 L Edson
(Sale) 10.7. 150: A (0.1): 1 C Allen (Prest) 19.7; 2
S Reid (Sale) 19.7; 3 H Buckton (Gate) 19.9; 4 N
Le’Gall (Wirr) 20.4; 5 N Brown Lambert (Leeds
C) 21.1; 6 A Burrell (H’ogate) 22.0. B (-0.3): 1
H Garner (Sale) 20.6; 2 M Liddell (Gate) 20.7;
3 T Haase (H’ogate) 21.0; 4 E Kitchen (Prest)
21.3; 5 J Angelo (Leeds C) 21.5. 1200: A: 1 S
Clough (Sale) 3:57.0; 2 M Hoshiko (Wirr) 4:01.9;
3 H Forrest (H’ogate) 4:04.0; 4 P Watson (Prest)
4:16.3. 70H: A (0.3): 1 T Brown (Sale) 11.6; 2 H
Buckton (Gate) 11.7; 3 O Betts (Leeds C) 12.4;
4 A Burrell (H’ogate) 12.4. B (0.4): 1 E Drury
(Leeds C) 12.5. 4x100: 1 Sale 52.6; 2 Prest
54.3; 3 Gate 55.7; 4 Wirr 55.7; 5 H’ogate 57.0.
HJ: A: 1 T Brown (Sale) 1.50. LJ: A: 1 C Allen
(Prest) 4.63; 2 T Brown (Sale) 4.57. JT: A: 1 L
Oldale (Sale) 27.00NORTH EAST 1, Scunthorpe
MATCH: 1 City of York 539; 2 Chesterfield &
District 400; 3 Middlesbrough (Mandale) 366; 4
City of Sheffield & Dearne 293; 5 Scunthorpe
& District 232
U15 boys:100: A: 1 B Fogden (C’field) 11.9.4x300: 1 Shef/Dearn 2:53.9; 2 York 2:54.8. SP:
A: 1 A Rutter (York) 13.03
U13:1500: A: 1 C O’Hare (M’bro) 4:52.0.
75H: A: 1 A Reilly (Shef/Dearn) 13.7. 4x100:
1 York 55.9
U15 girls:100: A: 1 M Wyatt (M’bro) 12.7.
4x100: 1 M’bro 52.0; 2 York 52.6. 4x300: 1
M’bro 3:03.3. PV: A: 1 H Moody (C’field) 2.65. LJ:
A: 1 E Hastie (York) 5.12; 2 D Adebayo (Shef/
Dearn) 4.97. SP: A: 1 D Adebayo (Shef/Dearn)
12.08. DT: A: 1 G Mcdonald (M’bro) 31.15. HT:
A: 1 G Mcdonald (M’bro) 44.71; 2 K Love (Scun)
37.51; 3 M Lindridge (York) 28.57
U13:75: A: 1 E Pounder (York) 10.6. B: 1 A
Wilmot (M’bro) 10.7. nsA: 1 E Maude (York)
10.6. 150: A: 1 E Maude (York) 20.7. 1200: A:
1 L Langan (York) 3:57.8. B: 1 A Kennedy (York)
4:03.1. 4x100: 1 M’bro 56.5; 2 York 57.7. LJ: A: 1
O Weatherstone (York) 4.52. SP: A: 1 K Clague
(York) 8.77. JT: A: 1 K Clague (York) 32.31; 2 I
Fellows (C’field) 27.13. B: 1 L Hall (C’field) 24.79NORTH WEST 1, Wigan
MATCH: 1 Team IOM Youth 491; 2 Crewe &
Nantwich 486.5; 3 Trafford 455; 4 Southport
Waterloo 431; 5 Wigan & District H 397.5; 6Team North Cumbria 359
U15 boys:100: A: 1 J Bell (T N Cumb) 11.6; 2 L
Gaskell (Wigan) 12.0; 3 N Fitzgerald (S’port W)
12.0. 200: A: 1 B Sinclair (T IOMY) 23.7; 2 J Bell
(T N Cumb) 24.2; 3 J Taylor (Traff) 24.3. 300: A:
1 B Sinclair (T IOMY) 37.8. 80H: A: 1 D Bradley
(C&N) 11.8. B: 1 O Atkinson (C&N) 12.8. 4x100:
1 C&N 49.0. 4x300: 1 T IOMY 2:44.4; 2 Traff
2:54.7. HT: A: 1 A Holliday (T N Cumb) 38.86. JT:
A: 1 O Atkinson (C&N) 42.05
U13:100: A: 1 P Fowowe (Traff) 12.6. 200: A:
1 P Fowowe (Traff) 26.6. 1500: A: 1 H Parker-
Mclain (C&N) 4:51.9; 2 C Stanway (Traff) 4:52.0;
3 L Stennett (T IOMY) 4:55.4; 4 M Barr (S’port W)
4:55.4. 75H: A: 1 A Varley (C&N) 13.0; 2 R Corrin
(T IOMY) 13.1. HJ: A: 1 R Corrin (T IOMY) 1.50
U15 girls:100: A: 1 T Taylor (Traff) 12.0; 2 G
Pritchard (Wigan) 12.4; 3 E Wilding (C&N) 12.6.
B: 1 K Pimblett (Wigan) 12.9; 2 L Holden (S’port
W) 12.9. 200: A: 1 G Pritchard (Wigan) 25.1; 2 E
Wilding (C&N) 25.8. 75H: A: 1 G Donald (C&N)
11.4; 2 A Hughes (S’port W) 12.2. 4x100: 1 C&N
51.6; 2 S’port W 51.9; 3 Wigan 52.7; 4 Traff 53.1.
4x300: 1 T IOMY 3:02.3; 2 Wigan 3:04.1
U13:75: A: 1 A Hernandez (Traff) 10.1; 2 F
Stokes (T N Cumb) 10.7. 150: A: 1 A Hernandez(Traff) 20.1; 2 F Stokes (T N Cumb) 20.6; 3 H
Culshaw (Wigan) 21.3; 4 H Jeffs (C&N) 21.5; 5 A
Ecolango (T IOMY) 21.6. B: 1 L Green (T N Cumb)
21.7. 1200: A: 1 R Casson (T N Cumb) 4:03.8;
2 M Caldwell (Traff) 4:14.6. B: 1 F Evans (T N
Cumb) 4:10.9. 70H: A: 1 J Rimmer (Traff) 12.0NORTH WEST 2, Macclesfield
MATCH: 1 Blackpool Wyre & Fylde 630.5; 2
Macclesfield H 564; 3 Bury 557.5; 4 Lancaster
& Morecambe 512; 5 Bolton United H 487;
6 Deeside AAC 475.5; 7 East Cheshire H &
Tameside 449.5; 8 Menai Track & Field 350
U15 boys:300: A: 1 T Maguire (Dees) 38.8.
80H: A (1.4): 1 W Riley (BWF) 12.0; 2 J Cook
(Bury) 12.2. B (1.2): 1 J Elphick (BWF) 12.5.
4x100: 1 BWF 49.0. 4x300: 1 BWF 2:47.9; 2
Menai 2:53.2. SP: A: 1 W Waters (BWF) 13.24.
DT: A: 1 L Greenhalgh (Bolt) 37.66; 2 W Waters
(BWF) 33.72
U13:1500: A: 1 J Brassington (L&M) 4:52.3.
B: 1 L Wilson (L&M) 4:54.5. 75H: A (3.0): 1 R
Consadine (L&M) 13.6. 4x100: 1 Bolt 55.1. JT:
A: 1 C Orphanides (Macc) 35.66
U15 girls:75H: A(-2.4): 1 R Togo (Bury) 12.4.
4x300: 1 Bury 2:58.4. PV: A: 1 G Dunn (BWF)Mari Smith’s 2:01.46 800m is BMC highlight at Eltham
@ATHLETICSWEEKLY
PICTURES: DAVID LOWES
Mari Smith: holds off
Revee Walcott-NolanArchie Davis: wins
the men’s 800m