Midland Masters Track & Field League Cup Final

Saturday 5th September 2009

Above: B and R Masters Team members at the Cup Final.

Highlights:

• Women’s team finish third.
• Men’s team finish fifth.
• Third place finish for the combined team in the Central TV Trophy competition.
• Women’s team presented with the Southern League Championship Shield.
• Six new club records.

The Bromsgrove and Redditch A.C. Masters teams headed north to Stafford to compete in the Track and Field League Cup Final at the Rowley Park Stadium. With both the men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the A finals, athletes had the opportunity to compete against the Midland’s top clubs for the Central TV Trophy.

Above: Polly Gerner shows the rest of the field a clean pair of heels in the 100m.

Notable performances from the title winning women’s team included a club record for Mel Hepke in her triple jump debut. Polly Gerner led from start to finish in her 100 metres race while Jeanette Malin brought home maximum points in the 2km walk and achieved second place over 3000 metres.

Above: Yvonne Priestman on her way to another club record.

 Yvonne Priestman improved her club age group records in the 800m and 1500m races. Also in good form Rita Brownlie added a further 5 cm to her record long jump distance.

Jane Anderson, Betty O’Gorman Dagmar Prinzing, Jayne Parsons and Yasmine Al Daftary contributed important team points from their events.

The final scorecard showed the women’s team finishing third to winners Rugby & Northampton Lions and runners up Birchfield.

Women’s team manager, Polly Gerner, said “I am delighted with the performances achieved today against very tough competition and would like to thank all team members for their support during the season and the tremendous spirit shown at each match that spurred the team on to take the league title. I would also like to thank the club members who acted as timekeepers, scorers and judges over the season without  whose help we would not be able to compete.”

The men’s team, depleted due to the unavailability of a number of athletes, made a sterling effort to fill as many events on the scorecard as and managed to achieve a very creditable fifth place finish.possible

Above: Mike Neylon mid-air during his winning long jump.

There was a win for Mike Neylon who finished 10 cm clear of the second placed athlete in the high jump. Neylon went on to claim runner up spots in the long jump and the triple jump. Meanwhile Clive Brown went home with club records in both the high jump and the 200 metres.

Above: B and R’s Pete Mould powers out of the blocks in the M50 200m race.

B and R club chairman Len Quartly takes the first leg as the men’s relay team carry the baton safely home in the 4 x 400m relay.

Pete Mould also did well with a pair of second places in his sprints while Calvin Scoltock, Len Quartly and Phil Anderson where kept busy chalking up important team points to propel the combined team to a third place finish in the Central TV Trophy.

In the awards ceremony at the end of the match the B and R women’s team were presented with the Southern Division Champions Shield.

Master’s Athletics events are open to B and R club members aged 35 and over.

Click for John Gerner's photo gallery of the final

Click here for Men's & Women's A Cup Final Results (pdf)

(Report & photographs by John Gerner)