WITH league competition winding down, Harlow’s junior athletes have been looking for Open competitions to participate in and extend their season. 5On Wednesday, George Watkins ventured up to Kettering to take part in a mid-week middle distance event. He went to run the 3000m and ran it in 9.24.0 minutes. It is a remarkable time for a first year Under 15 and he is closing in on a fifty-year-old club record, set by Richard Green in 1973!

On Saturday, Be Fit Today Academy hosted an event at Lee Valley. Skyla Johnson, an Under 11 athlete, ran the 75m in 12.1s and jumped 3.11 in the Long Jump. It is frustrating for both Johnson and the club that she is ineligible to compete in league events for another two years. Both her time and distance place her in the top fifty nationally of all U11s that have a recorded mark. She is certainly one to nurture and watch.

Also in attendance was Under 15, Faryl Wright. She ran both the 200m and 800m. She has been threatening to break the 2.30.0 minutes barrier for 800m and did so on this occasion; just, as she came in in 2.29.0 minutes! Her day of satisfying personal milestones continued as he managed 28.94s in the 200m.

Finally, also on Saturday, Surrey County hosted the Southern Counties Inter-County Under 13 Championship, at the Waterside Sports Hub, Walton-on-Thames. The fixture has been re-named the Derek Crooke Inter-County Trophy, in honour of the much-loved Surrey Official, who organised County events for many years.

Harlow had its first female selection since Beth Harryman, ten years ago, in the form of 70m hurdler, Kitty Tyson. Tyson has enjoyed an excellent season personally: she has won medals at County and Regional levels indoors and outdoors, and has been very consistent at League matches. She thoroughly deserved her selection in the County Team.

She was picked as the B hurdler, behind the excellent Isabelle Moulton of Woodford Green. With twelve counties contesting the fixture, the races were run as A and B time trials. Tyson was second on track in her heat and fourth overall in the B standings. The time of 12.34s was irrelevant as a +3.7m/s tailwind rendered all times illegal for rankings. More importantly, her performance scored nine team points for Essex. For the record, the Essex Girl’s team came fourth in the fixture.