Captain’s Match Report – UK Women’s League, Birmingham, 5th Jun 2010

A select few athletes travelled to the Birmingham Alexander Stadium on Saturday for the opening match of the UK Women’s League Premier Division. A host of personal and season’s bests coupled with a great team spirit, pulled Edinburgh into 6th place in a closely fought match, leaving everything to play for in the remaining two fixtures of the season.

The outstanding performance was Sarah Hood’s convincing solo run to smash the league record in the 2K steeplechase in a time of 6.55.47. Leading from gun to tape she strode away from the rest of the field, coming home 15 seconds inside the previous mark.

Several other Edinburgh athletes took advantage of the favourable conditions to record personal bests. In the 800m Laura Dunn took nearly a full second off her best to record 2.08.53, taking 4th in the A race. In the B event Lauren Peffers, double silver medallist at last summer’s Deaflympics, took 3rd in 2.16.22, her first outing over the distance this season. Katja Eravisto completed the string of personal bests in the middle distance events as she sliced 1.5 seconds from her 1500m best, recording 4.41.45 for 7th.

With no specialist sprinters making the journey south, Emma Nuttall, better known for her high jump prowess, stepped up to the mark in the B 200m and was rewarded with a new lifetime best of 26.87, breaking 27 seconds for the first time. The A event saw another athlete rallying to the team cause as Lauren Peffers took 7th in 26.60, completing a rather unusual 800m and 200m double.

Over on the field the results were equally encouraging. Sarah Warnock celebrated her 19th birthday by adding a centimetre to her long jump best, taking 5th in 5.84, before embarking on a busy afternoon that included a 5th place in the triple jump (11.62m), 8th in the B 100m (13.09) and 1st leg of the 4x100m.

Hannah Evenden added over half a metre to her hammer best, a centimetre shy of 55m, finishing a creditable 3rd in the B string, with Susan McKelvie taking 4th in the A event with 60m exactly. Nicky Falconer also recorded new figures with 10.30m in the B shot putt, Hannah Evenden taking 5th in the A event (12.88m).

There were a number of season’s bests with Avril Jackson, another athlete with a busy schedule, clocking 62.66 in the 400m hurdles for 5th. After a quick detour past the triple jump pit where she took 7th in the B event, she also ran new season’s best figures for the 100m hurdles with 15.89 for 4th in the B string. In the A sprint hurdles Catriona Pennet came close to improving her season’s best despite a strong headwind, recording 14.61 for 4th.

There were season’s bests in both A and B 400m, Kathryn Evans shaving 2 tenths off her previous best for 55.67 for 5th A and Lynsey Sharp taking 3rd in the B string with 56.32.

The day came to a dramatic climax in the 4x400m relay. With only a handful of points separating several clubs, the team needed a top performance to ensure the club stayed in the hunt for the remaining two matches. Our relay girls didn’t disappoint, with a gutsy performance that saw them finish 2nd in 3.47.52, the remaining athletes and officials lining the track to cheer them on.

Despite the lack of numbers, due to the quality of the athletes who did turn out and their willingness to pitch in at events other than their own, the team snatched 6th, beating out Shaftsbury by just half a point. So close were the teams that Edinburgh left the stadium believing they had finished in 7th but, once the scores were scrutinised, it emerged that Shaftsbury had been scored twice in the steeplechase and so the positions were reversed. Avoiding the bottom two places could make all the difference and is a real testament to the team spirit showed by the athletes on the day. With a strengthened team for the final two matches, Edinburgh look safe to maintain their Premier Division status, which remains unbroken for the past nine years. Match 2 takes place in Manchester on the 3rd of July where Edinburgh will look to climb the standings significantly.
(Susan McKelvie & Gill Cooke)