Written by Bridget Cushen on 2/4/2016
After a long day fraught with various technical problems, the multi eventers finally got their final score and medals. M35 Mark Beer who flew in from Chesterfield just for that event notched up 3292pts for bronze behind the Slovakian, Puvak (3439) and Malinen of Finland. Clint Nicholls finished 7th, Ashley Pritchard 9th and M45 Geoff Butler finished 10th. Derek Osborne and David Stephenson were 12th and 20th in the M50 group as M60 Paul McPolin called it a day after three events and Clement Leon after the first event. Adrian Essex missed out by 14pts in 4th in the M65 group. Not surprising 18 of the 143 starters did not complete their events.
Richard Bearsell set out from Lane 5 determined to retain his 200m European crown, approaching the final bend the Frenchman, Jimmy Melfort, began to close on his inside but Beardsell fought back and held him into the straight till the last few metres when he drew clear to take the title in 22.05 with Richard clocking 22.28 and Ben Owen holding on for the bronze in 22.76sec. There was no doubt where the M40 European title was destined for when Tam Ossai got a great start opening up daylight on his pursuers down the back straight dipping well clear in 22.36. Michelle Thomas finished 4th in the W40 dash. Giuseppe Minetti placed 5th behind the Hungarian Beres in the M45 final and Averil McClelland’s 26.77sec. 2009 European record set on this very track in 2009 was shattered by Maryvonne Icarre, France, who set a new World mark in 25.94sec.
Pat Logan got another rapturous applause for his decisive M55 win in 24.80 from the Belgian Jacobs and Paul Guest, who had managed 4th in the long jump earlier, was 3rd. Caroline Powell was equally as invincible in her W60 win. World M70 record holder Glyn Sutton came off the bend so fast he found it difficult to keep balance, winning by a clear second in 27.08 from Deblieux, France with Vic Novell and Terry Bissett closing in for 3rd and 4th. Anthony Treacher took another silver behind Guideo Muller, Mary Axtell was pleased with her W70 6th placing. W75 Molly Mills 3rd and Dorothy Fraser 4th in their final. Octogenarians Tony Bowman and Anne Martin sailed to gold and silver in their 200m completing a highly successful evening racing.
Joanne Frost won the W35 long jump clearing 5.79m. The WR for this age group is held by the Olympian Heike Drechsler since 2000. Ian Allen won a bronze in the M50 long jump. He was out of the M45 medals in 6th overall but it is good to see John Munroe back in the fold again. In the M40 triple jump the man from Kent, Samuel Bobb, had the arena’s audience behind him as he cleared over 14m reaching out to his winning 14.05 on his penultimate attempt.
Sue Yeomans retained her W60 European pole vault title and Sue Dassie was a surprise bronze medallist. The German, Wolfgang Ritte, was brilliant again winning here with a clearance of 4.02 from Strnad, Cz Republic and Alan Williams (3.40m) in the M60 pole vault.
On the outside track covered by sea mist, Bob Broadbridge won a bronze in the M55 hammer throwing an out of season 16.37m. Mark Wiseman was 6th in the M45 group. Sue Lawrence picked up another medal, this time silver in the Weight Throw.
Evergreen Tony Wells and Barry Ferguson got through their hurdles heats. Also through are M55 Tennyson James, M50 Donald Brown and Neil Tunstall. Joe Appiah holds pole position in the M45 group, M35 Mensah Elliott and Liam Collins, Carole Filer, W55 Susan Frisby, Jane Horder and Gaye Clarke and W50-ies Jacquelyn Brett and Sarah Burke W40. W35 Jody Ward got 5th in her final.
Heats were necessary in the M35/40/50/55 1500m and M40 Scott West was the only British survived in some tough races.