by Ken Bray

In cold and sometimes windy conditions at Chelmsford over the weekend, Woodford Green with Essex Ladies athletes took several titles at the Essex Championships. Other athletes picked up medals amongst many fine Woodford performances. Three athletes collected double titles. Sam Watts in the U/20 Men’s sprints, Anthony Oshodi in the U/20 shot and discus, and Devon Douglas in the senior shot and discus.

Sam Watts, last year’s world youth championship finalist over 200m, performed well in temperatures barely reaching 10 deg C and hardly helpful for fast sprinting. On Saturday he ran his fastest ever 100m, albeit wind assisted as he took the junior 100m title in 10.76 secs and on Sunday he took the 200m title in 21.46 secs less than an hour after winning his heat in 21.73 secs . Behind Watts in the 200m final there was a personal best for Paul Scanlan who picked up silver with 22.11 secs which went some way to making up for the disappointment of losing out in the U/20 400m to Austin Joseph who clocked a fine personal best of 49.04 secs to take the title with Scanlan taking silver in 49.38 secs.

Anthony Oshodi’s victory in the junior discus with 48.16m was a personal best, having taken the shot title the previous day with 15.90m. Devon Douglas took both senior titles with 44.50m and 14.39m. Behind Douglas in the senior shot and discus, Chris Linque picked up two silver medals with 13.66m and 43.55m respectively.

Further field event titles were gained by brothers Harry and Peter Clarke, in the U/17 and U/20 hammer with marks of 53.67m and 57m. Behind Harry was James Smith who placed 2nd with 46.07m, while his elder sisters Sarah and Emma took gold and silver – Sarah winning the hammer with 48m, and Emma placing 2nd in the javelin with 39.97m. There were further good throwing results from Youcef Zatat who again improved his discus personal best taking the U/17 title with 48.27m, and also placing 4th in the javelin with 35.52m. Joseph Lascaris took the U/15 discus title with 42.94m, and Tom Richards took silver in the U/20 javelin with 51.42m. In the U/13 hammer, Alfie Falconer was 2nd with 26.36m. In the senior women’s discus, Jo Duncan placed 3rd in 38.02, and in the U/15 boys javelin there was a bronze for Joseph Bogart with 33.72m.

Other highlights on the track included a silver for GB junior cross country international, Ronnie Sparke who placed 2nd over 800m with a personal best of 1m53.34 secs, with Omar Mansour taking bronze with 1m55.33 secs.

In the senior women’s 400m, Zoe Watson placed 3rd with 60.02 secs, whilst HCA member, Jo Ryan won with 56.08 secs, and later placed 2nd over 200m with 24.89 secs w . Clare Leckie placed 2nd in the senior women’s 400mH with 68.82 secs, ahead of Diana Kennedy with 75.95 secs.

There were further medals for several athletes, Billy Falconer had a fine high jump competition, placing 2nd in the u/20 event with 1.95m, Rachel Dean also gained silver with 11.02m in the U/20 triple jump, Joseph Dewar took silver in the U/15 200m with 24.4 secs, bronze in the 80mH with 12.16 secs.

Hollie Pattie-Belleli recorded a personal best of 47.02 secs in qualifying for the 300mH final, where she placed 2nd with 47.19 secs. Younger sister, Hanah recorded a personal best of12.79 secs in the U/15 75m. A further medal was gained by Sophie Fuhr , 3rd in the U/17 women’s 400m with 61.86secs, whilst Ben Phillips just missed out in the U/20 400mH with 58.32 secs.

At the Middlesex Championships Chris Symonds took the 1500m title with 4m13.96 secs, and there were silver medals for Stephanie Aneto in the triple jump with 12.10m.

At the Surrey Championships there was a fine personal best in the long jump from Ezekiel Ewolu who took that title with 7.57m, and Emeka Udechuku who took the shot title with 16.43m, whilst Ayamba Akim placed 2nd in the women's high jump with 1.70m.

In the Hampshire championships there was also a silver for Dan Bray in the 400mH with 55.21 secs.

At the Suffolk Championships Matt Barnes-Smith picked up two titles, the 1500m with 3m59.8 secs, and the 3000m with a solo 8m31 secs.