Manx Harriers organised a trip to the Birmingham Games on Sunday 19 February 2017. 10 Manx Harriers and 2 Northern AC athletes went along with many of them making their indoor debut.
Amber Sibbald (U20 ladies) competed in the 60mh and ran 9.54 which was just 0.2 seconds outside her Manx Record breaking run in Sheffield last month. She leapt to 5.12m in the long jump which was just 6cm’s shorter than her new Manx Record from Sheffield also. Both records had been held for 29 years by Cheryl Done.
Meghan Pilley (U20 ladies) achieved a season’s best of 27.21 in the 200m and 8.27 over the 60m distance.
Sara Watterson popped in in between University visits to compete the 400m in a seasons best time of 64.30 and she then jumped an Island Games High Jump consideration height of 1.57m.
Completing the under 20 ladies line up was Ashleigh Achenicht of Northern AC who perhaps had the most stressful time as her 400m race and her 800m race were scheduled less than an hour apart and then the rest of the team had to leave her behind in order to catch their plane home.
Unfazed by this, she ran her 400m in a personal best time of 58.95 which is a consideration time for the Island Games and The Commonwealth Youth Games. She then ran her 800m in 2.21.16 a season’s best and a development time for Gotland also. She was then rushed back up the M6 in record time thanks to Robbie and Sara Watterson to catch her plane.
Lucy Ronan made her indoor debut in the U17 ladies running her 200m race in a season’s best time of 29.76.
Heading up the lads was Brandon Atchison of Manx Harriers (U20 men) who was competing with the disadvantage of a healing broken toe but he still managed two season’s bests in the 200 and 400m. Reinforcing his qualification times for the Island Games nicely.
Keoghan Taylor made his debut with 3 pb’s in the 200m 25.71 , 60m 7.87 which is only 0.4 of a second outside the Manx Record and a jump of 5.23 in the long jump.
Angus Macleod won his 200m heat in 24.39 and followed this up with a solid 57.43 in his 400m.
Glen Quayle of Northern AC rounded off the under 17 male competitors with a Manx Record breaking pole vault of 4.10m ( a 9cm pb)on his last comp at Vault Manchester, 80cm’s over the Island Games standard. Glen will compete again on Saturday 25 February in Sheffield in the England Indoor Age Group Championships where he will compete against 11 other young men.
Representing Manx Harriers and the under 15 boys, Max Moore-Lees competed indoors for the first time and smashed his 60m sprint, winning his heat and the race overall in a Manx Record time of 7.75, coincidentally the previous record was set at the same event in 2014. He also set a pb in the 200m of 27.08.
The Martin twins, Kyle and Craig competed in the under 15 boys pole vault with Kyle reaching 2.20m and Craig clearing 2.65m, a new pb by 40cms and all this was achieved on a non familiar and stiffer pole borrowed from Sport City. They later went on to compete in the 60m hurdles where Kyle reversed the tables on Craig with a new pb of 11.08. over Craig’s 11.61.
Thanks go to all coaches, Paul Owens of Liverpool Harriers for going above and beyond the call of duty, Matt Cullen and Stuart Chisholm of Sale Harriers and Manx Harriers trip organisers Petra and Grant Atchison.
Thanks to Janelle Quayle for this report and the photos.