English Schools Regional Combined Events – Midlands – Nottingham 2010-06-27

Day 1 Intermediate Girls,Two Oxford City girls made the Oxon team in the heptathlon.Emily
Carstairs and Tilly Vaughan-Fowler were joined by Connie McMillan (Banbury) and Gemma Gregory (Abingdon). The team had great hopes of a win overall, having gone through last year as Midlands Schools representatives. However disaster was to befall the strongest contender, Emily, who had been tipped as the individual winner.  After a good start with Emily clocking 12.6sec for 80 m hdls and Tilly setting a massive new PB of 13.1 sec (0.5 improvement) the girls had a set back as Emily suffered a strained ankle in the high jump and was forced to retire from the rest of the two days competition. So it was left to Tilly to pick up the challenge and keep the team hopes alive – all this in her first heptathlon! Well she didn’t disappoint.  Coach Pete had set some challenging times and distances to get her a finishing points total of 3500 – a total that would have just made the UK top ten list at start of play.  With 4 PB’s at the end of day one, as she achieved new heights in the HJ at 1.42cm and 6.71mt in the shot she showed a real fighting spirit by knocking 0.9 off her 200m time clocking a 4th PB of the day in 28.2 sec. So the team had recovered and day one ended with them in 3rd place. Emily was rushed to hospital and fortunately returned before the close of play having been diagnosed with a bad sprain.
Day 2 – 27 June 2010
The question was could Tilly continue as she ended on day 1? Well with a target of 4.90m in the long jump it wasn’t going to be an easy start. After a no jump she put in a safe 4.29m. this left everything on the last jump and she sailed out to over 4.80m but it was unfortunately given as a foul.  A much needed solid performance in her favoured javelin event was really going to be needed now. She showed real spirit and duly returned a solid 28.84m.  This meant she now had to run 2.41.2 to achieve the 3500 pt total – a massive 7 seconds inside her PB! She stormed down the home straight to just miss the time by 0.1 sec finishing in 2.41.3 which meant a final total of 3499pts and 11th place in the final analysis. All in all a great debut with the nationals waiting in August. The team maintained it’s overall position as the girls were lead by Connie who finished as 4th individual and gained a place in the ESAA Combined Event finals in Sept at Stoke.
Intermediate Boys
Day 1 26 June
The team, Marcus Woodington, Ed O’Hara and Peter Barnshaw have been together for 3 years now. The were national U15 champions in 2008 and came a very respectable 4th in their first year as Inters in 2009. The challenge will come in the National Finals in Stoke again as the boys destroyed the opposition in Nottingham.  With Pete in 1st, Ed in 2nd and Marcus in 4th individual place the other counties didn’t have an answer for the Oxon team.  Marcus, suffering badly from hay fever started well equalling his long jump PB in 5.61m.  He then set a new PB in the discus of 23.78m and followed with a modest (for him) 37.87 in the Javelin before finishing day 1 with 55.1 in the 400m.
Day 2 – 27 June
Day 2 starts with the 100m hdls, the event Marcus is representing Oxfordshire in at the ESAA champs in Birmingham in 2 weeks time. So the team who all started in the same fast heat expected a win. Marcus duly delivered in 14.2 sec and shot to 2nd overall just behind Pete. The 6th event saw the boys basically clinch the title as Pete and Ed both cleared 1.74m and Marcus 1.62m. Pete then went on to clear 1.77m and just missed 1.80m by a whisker. The winning jump was 6cm better than his PB.  This then left the shot before the dreaded 1500m.  Marcus was determined to make up for his disappointment in the HJ and duly sent out a massive 10.61m – 0.90m above his PB to win the shot.  The 1500m then loomed and all three finished well to not only seal the Midlands title but also to post a much improved points total. With some events still to be developed they will be favourites to win in Stoke in September.

Picture 1
Winners – Midland ESAA Combined Events 2010 – Marcus Woodington gets his 4th place cert.
Picture 2
Tilly Vaughan –Fowler – 5 PB’s  - 11th overall.