Wessex League Round 2, Horspath June 16th, 2019
Published: 19 June 2019
Without our chairman (who missed Sunday’s competition to attend his daughter’s wedding – congratulations Richard) we faced being a rudderless ship at risk of capsize. But we managed to get all our ducks in order and were able to enjoy a great day of athletics. Thanks for this must go to Ray, Graham Pickup, Chris Chambers (WAC), Dave Huny(WAC), Greg, Rupert, Debbi, Popsie, Gwyneth, Carey, Christiaan, team managers and an army of parent helpers. And, of course, to Sylvia and Margaret, who barely had chance to draw breath in the kitchen.
Oxford athletes were out in force and on a mission. Oxford were in first place after Match One, tied with Winchester, who have already completed and won three of their league matches, and Basingstoke and Wimborne who were both in attendance on Sunday.
Victories and PB’s were too numerous to list individually but suffice it to say that all age groups came away with great performances, some athletes even surprising themselves in events they wouldn’t normally choose.
The U13 girls looked unstoppable, dominating in the field and competitive on the track, they took the deserved win and retain their position at the top of the age group rankings.
It was great to see the U13 boys team full to bursting and all events filled. They performed with enthusiasm and ended the day with a creditable 3rd place.
Apparently, the Duke of Edinburgh had organised a weekend jolly for some of the U15 girls, but they are a group with a wealth of talent and some excellent performances across the board saw them finish in second place, just five points shy of Basingstoke’s winning total.
The U15 boys were grateful that Jonathan Davies is a right hander, as he competed in both shot and discus with a broken left arm. The team put in a series of good scores across the board and gained a 3rd place.
Many of the U17’s had competed the previous day in a nail-biting SAL match, so their teams were made up of a select bunch of hardy athletes. Luckily clashing fixtures had similarly affected the visiting teams and thus the U17 Men, some of whom who managed big PB’s, were able claim a comfortable victory and retain their position at the top of the league table. The small group of U17 women were just enough in number to secure 3rd place, one point behind Basingstoke in 2nd.
Another good turnout for the Quadkids saw the boys take the overall win. Zaky Readman’s consistently good performance in all events saw him finish as match leader. The girls team came in third against some stiff competition.
Once all the numbers had been crunched Oxford City were confirmed to have won the match overall and thus will share the top spot in the league table with Winchester. Well done one and all!
