2016 REVIEW – BEST TRACK & FIELD CLUB IN SOUTH OF ENGLAND
An outstanding season means Thames Valley Harriers can lay claim to being the best senior Track and Field team in the South of England and one of the best all round clubs in the country. In 2016 TVH’s ladies won the European Club Champions Cup title, and the men’s British Athletics League team became Division 1 Champions, making us the only club with both ladies and men’s teams in the Premier Division of the UKWAL/BAL and in the top flight of the Southern Athletics League. On top of this many TVH athletes won medals at international/national/regional championships.
The 2016 Track and Field season has been exceptional for Thames Valley Harriers in both league competitions and individual championships. Although our top athletes and teams may get most of the headlines that makes us one of the best in the country, it’s all our members, coaches, officials, team managers, supporters, parents and volunteers that makes TVH such a great club.
Pride of place goes again to the TVH ladies team who were Great Britain’s representatives at the European Club Champions Cup Group B in Portugal in May. It was TVH ladies’ first ever venture into Europe and not only did they compete well but they won the competition overall to became European Club Champions! TVH ladies also had another fantastic 2016 domestic season as they finished runners-up behind Birchfield Harriers in the UK Women’s Athletics League – the team’s second highest ever finish in the national league.
TVH’s senior men British Athletics League (BAL) team also had a superb season as they became champions for the second year in a row, this time crowned champions of BAL Division 1, having won the Division 2 in 2015. After dominating Division 1, the men will be in the BAL Premier Division in 2017 after a 10 year absence and they will be looking at cementing their status in the Premier Division as one of the best teams in the country.
TVH’s combined senior and U17 ladies and men’s team had another good season in the Southern Athletics League Division 1. After a slow start in the first match in April, the team pulled out some fine performances to finish a strong 12th place out of the top 16 teams with many outstanding individual results including a new New Zealand national record and club record in the hammer (70.75m) for Julia Ratcliffe at our home match at Wormwood Scrubs on August 9th.
In only their second season in a Masters Track and Field league, TVH improved one position from 2015 finishing in a very good 4th place in the Southern Counties Veterans Mid-London Division. TVH will be looking at growing this team for the 2017 season.
The junior teams compete in the UK Youth Development League (UKYDL). The older age group (under 20 and under 17 athletes) is in the Southern South/West Division 1 and there were some outstanding performances throughout the season to place a good 5th overall – many athletes showing the potential to move up to TVH’s successful senior teams. The equivalent team, catering for the under 15 and under 13 age groups (Central 1), also have some of UK’s most exceptional athletes that kept breaking TVH’s club records throughout the season with fantastic individual performances. The lower age group team finished in their highest ever position, 6th place.
TVH also provided Quadkids mini competitions throughout the summer at Linford Christie Stadium for our youngest athletes, the Kids on Track squad that meet on Saturday mornings. This group is flourishing with record numbers and is currently the most oversubscribed age group. TVH has doubled the number of sessions available in 2016 and will be looking at offering even more sessions for this age group in future to allow for more promising young athletes to join over the next year.
TVH’s 2016 Final League Positions:
Women’s European Club Champions Cup Group B Champions
UK Women’s Athletics League Premier Division Runners-up (2nd)
British Athletics League Division 1 Champions
Southern Athletics League Division 1 12th (highest finish from a club with a team in both BAL & UKWAL Premier Division)
Southern Counties Veterans League Mid-London Division 4th (TVH’s highest ever finish)
UK Youth Development League (Upper) S/W Division 1 5th
UK Youth Development League (Lower) Central Division 1 6th (TVH’s highest ever finish)
Teams are made up of great individual athletes and our team members have also excelled in championship events. TVH athletes have been crowned schools, university, county, regional and national champions. Throughout the 2016 season 30 new club records were exchanged (does not include records that were beaten more than once over the season) and many more broke their own personal best times in pursuit of their own individual targets. There are many athletes that have had exceptional years, there are too many to name everyone individually but three that stand out are: Olympian Lorraine Ugen who was a bronze medalist at the World Indoor Championships, U20 Triple Jump club record holder Jude Bright-Davies who represented Great Britain at the European junior championships and Angela Barrett who has had a fantastic season representing TVH in all the senior leagues, setting club records and being the ladies top points scorer for a second year in a row.
Individual Honors:
2016 Olympic Games
Lorraine Ugen Long Jump finalist (11th)
World Indoor Championships
Lorraine Ugen Long Jump Bronze
European Masters Indoor Championships
Steve Whyte M50 Weight Gold, Hammer Silver and Discus Bronze
British Indoor Championships
Angela Barrett Senior Women Triple Jump Silver
Lorraine Ugen Senior Women Long Jump Silver
Montene Speight Senior Women 400m Silver
British Masters Indoor Championships
Andrew Mitchell M45 1500m Silver
Steve Whyte M50 Shot Putt Gold, Hammer Gold and Weight Gold
England Athletics Outdoor National Championships
Chris McAlister U23 Men 400m Hurdles Silver
Clieo Stephenson U23 Women 100m Gold
Jude Bright-Davies U20 Men Triple Jump Gold
Lia Stephenson U23 Women Triple Jump Silver
Pippa Rogan U23 Women High Jump Gold
England Athletics AAA/Inter Counties Championships
Angelita Broadbelt-Blake Senior Women 100m Hurdles Gold
Danielle Opara Shot Putt Gold
Mohamud Aadan Senior Men 5000m Silver
England Athletics Indoor Championships
Jude Bright-Davis U20 Men Triple Jump Silver
Scottish Outdoor Championships
Zoey Clark Senior Women 400m Gold
English Schools Championships
Katie Lambert (HCA) Senior Girls Hammer Gold
Keano-Elliot Paris-Samuel Senior Boys 4x100m Gold
Kosana Weir Inter Girls 1500m Steeplechase Bronze
Sophie Mace (HCA) Senior Girls Discus Silver
British University Outdoor Championships
Chris McAlister 400m Hurdles Silver
Clieo Stephenson 100m Gold
Danielle Opara Shot Putt Silver
Lia Stephenson Triple Jump Bronze
Montana Jackson Triple Jump Silver
Pippa Rogan High Jump Gold
British University Indoor Championships
Clieo Stephenson 4x200m Gold
Danielle Opara Shot Putt Bronze
Lia Stephenson Triple Jump Gold
Montana Jackson Triple Jump Silver
Pippa Rogan High Jump Bronze
South of England Outdoor Championships
Annabelle Bates Senior Women High Jump Bronze
Brittany Robinson U20 Women 100m Bronze
Danielle Opara Senior Women Shot putt Silver
Joel Bright-Davies U20 Men Triple Jump Bronze
Laurensa Britane Senior Women Javelin Bronze
Lia Stephenson Senior Women Triple Jump Gold
Pippa Rogan Senior Women High Jump Gold
South of England Indoor Championships
Danielle Opara Senior Women Silver
Isabel Dye U20 Women 800m Silver
Joel Bright-Davies U20 Men Triple Jump Bronze
Jude Bright-Davies U20 Men Long Jump Bronze and Triple Jump Gold
Lia Stephenson Senior Women Triple Jump Silver
Montana Jackson Senior Women Triple Jump Gold
Nigel Thomas Senior Men 60m Bronze
Outdoor County CHAMPIONS
Basil Rock U13 Boys 1500m
Charlotte Buckley U17 Women 800m
Craig Sturrock (HCA) Senior Men Shot
Danielle Opara Senior Women Shot Putt
Hannah Hall U17 Girls 100m and 200m
Harvey Kitchen U15 Boys 80m Hurdles and Long Jump
India Weir U17 Women 3000m
Jahreem Charles U15 Boys Discus and Shot Putt
Jamie Potton-Burrell (HCA) Senior Men Discus, Hammer, Javelin and Shot Putt
Katie Lambert (HCA) U20 Women Hammer
Kamal Mitchell U20 Men 100m
Kosana Weir U17 Women 800m and 1500m
Laurensa Britane Senior Women Discus and Javelin
Leroy Cain Senior Men 100m and 200m
Montana Jackson Senior Women Triple Jump
Nousayba Kaboash U20 Women 400m
Shannon Connolly Senior Women Pole Vault
Sophie Mace (HCA) U20 Women Discus and Hammer
Tayla Benson Senior Women 100m, 200m and 100m Hurdles
Toni Ademuwagun U17 Men High Jump
Zakia Mossi U13 Girls 800m
Indoor County CHAMPIONS
Brittany Robinson U20 Women 200m
Erika Yeboah U17 Women 60m
Hannah Hall U17 Women 200m
Isabel Dye U20 Women 800m
Jaye Haley U17 Women 300m
Malachi Boyce U20 Men 400m
Odell Okwuosa U20 Men Long Jump and Triple Jump
Sophie Mace (HCA) U20 Women Shot Putt
Congratulations to everyone, 2016 has been one TVH’s best ever Track and Field seasons!!!