Athletics: Injuries provide great opportunity

Jul 21 2007 by Bob Cypher, South Wales Echo

INJURIES and other commitments meant many of Wales’ top athletes were missing from the Welsh Senior Championships in Cwmbran last weekend.

But the absence of sprinters Christian Malcolm, Tim Benjamin and Rhys Williams and many of Wales’ Commonwealth Games squad including Tracey Morris, James Thie, Steve Shalders, Matt Elias and Scott Simpson, as well as silver medallist Julie Crane, meant less well-known athletes had a great chance to claim a Welsh title.

There were first titles for Cardiff AAC’s Phil Doorgachurn in the 100m, while Jo Maynard took full advantage of the missing Thie to win the 800m.

Matt Butler (Cardiff AAC) continued his comeback after a year of injury and disappointment to win the 110m hurdles title, while Brett Morse, in his last domestic meeting before joining the GB team for this weekend’s European Under-20 Championships in Holland, won the Welsh discus title despite being on half power because of blistering on his hand.

Andrew Watkins won the 200m while his Uwic team-mate Chris Gowell won the 1,500m.

Newport’s Daniel Chesworth was victorious in the under-15 boys 1,500m and Anthony Lewis (Cardiff AAC) is the new Welsh 3,000m steeplechase champion.

Botswanan student Kabelo Mmono edged out his Uwic team-mate Adam Gallie in the high jump, while Jeffie Ababeye (Newport Harriers) won the 100m for athletes with a disability.

South Wales can boast only one winner – Rhondda AC’s Commonwealth Games finalist Carys Parry who extended her own championships record in the hammer to 63.09metres.

The absence of Crane and Cardiff AAC’s Sharon Heveran, who was with the Republic of Ireland team at the European Under-23 Championships in Hungary, meant no-one contested that title while, in the pole vault, the absence of the Abrahams twins was noticeable.

Results

100m Senior Men: 1Phillip Doorgachurn Cardiff 10.78; 4 Marc Ritchie (W) Aberdare 10.86; 8 Milton Baker (W) Cardiff dnf.

200m Senior Men 1 Andrew Watkins (W) Cwmbran/Uwic 22.06; 2 Phillip Doorgachurn Cardiff 22.14; 6 Milton Baker (W) Cardiff 22.80; 7 Ian Newbury (W) Cardiff 23.25.

400m Senior Men 3 Debo Ademuyewo (W) Sale 48.01; 8 Gareth Warburton (W) Cardiff DNS.

800m Senior Men 1 Joseph Maynard (W) Cardiff 1:51.97; 2 Paul Bradshaw Blackburn Har/Uwic 1:52.71; 3 Andrew De-Camps (W) F of Dean 1:53.15; 7 Matt Peel Uwic 2:02.07; 149 Joe Thomas (W) Cardiff DNF.

1,500m Senior Men 1 Chris Gowell (W) Swansea/Uwic 3:57.62.

1,500m under-13 Boys 2 Stephen Scarfi (W) Cwmbran 4:52.18; 3 Thomas Morgan Bridgend 4:58.65; 5 Joseph Roberts Aberdare 5:22.29.

1,500m under-15 Boys 1 Daniel Chesworth Newport 4:22.25; 3 Elliott Hardee Newport 4:30.57; 8 James Hanrahan Cwmbran 4:49.24; 9 George Philpotts Cwmbran 4:53.90; 10 Darren Jones Cardiff 4:58.13; 11 Joseff Whitmarsh-Knight Cardiff 4:59.26; 12 Emrys Penny Newport 4:59.99; 14 Gareth Jones Cardiff 5:05.83.

3,000m Senior Men 2 Simon Lawson (W) Cardiff 8:36.07; 4 Chris Discombe Les Croupiers 8:48.17; 6 Danny Evans (W) Uwic 9:02.19; 8 Nathan Hardee (W) Newport 9:15.86; 9 Stuart Crees (W) Les Croupiers 9:37.71; 10 Nicholas Dukes (W) Les Croupiers 9:41.19; 11 Ieuan Thomas (W) Cwmbran DNF.

3,000m S/Chase Senior Men 1 Anthony Wilson Cardiff 9:38.50; 3 Gavin Hanrahan (W) Cwmbran 10:13.85.

110m Hurdles 1 Matthew Butler (W) Cardiff 14.76; 2 Luke Reynolds Cardiff 14.87.

400m Hurdles 5 Richard Chappell (W) Cardiff 56.48; 7 Gareth Sutcliffe (W) Cardiff 57.67.

HIGH JUMP 1 Kabelo Mmono Uwic / Cardiff 2.00; 2 Adam Gallie Uwic / Derby AC 1.90; 3 Owen Chesher (W) Brecon 1.90.

POLE VAULT 2 Michael Walker (W) Cardiff/ Birmingham Uni 4.70.

LONG JUMP 8 Jamie Mayers (W) Cwmbran 5.48.

SHOT PUT 3 Brett Morse (W) Cardiff 14.43; 7 Simon Bull (W) Cardiff 11.62.

DISCUS 4 Brett Morse (W) Cardiff 47.99; 8 Gareth Bull (W) Cardiff 40.64; 11 Simon Bull (W) Cardiff 32.38.

HAMMER 3 Peter Morgan (W) Cardiff 46.22

JAVELIN 3 Stephen Winter (W) Brecon 59.73; 5 Simon Bull (W) Cardiff 53.65; 6 Joshua Williams (W) Aberdare 41.21.

100M WHEELCHAIR DISABILITY MIXED 2 Daniel Stone Uwic 19.37; 4 Julie Hamzah Uwic 20.83.

100m (disability) 1 Jeffi Ababeye Newport 12.5*; 2 James Ball Cwmbran 12.9*; 3 John McFall 12.9*; 4 Stephen Herbert Cardiff 13.1*; 5 Daniel Norton Cwmbran 13.6*.

100m Senior Women 4 Melanie Stephenson (W) Cardiff 12.40; 5 Zara George (W) Cardiff 12.44.

200m Senior Women 2 Melanie Stephenson (W) Cardiff 25.21; 3 Samantha Gamble (W) Cardiff 25.81; 5 Emma Plow (W) Newport 26.29; 6 Laura Chambers Uwic 26.32; 7 Felicity James (W) Cardiff 26.44.

400m Senior Women 4 Rhianne Williams (W) Newport 57.9*; 7 Bethany Cann (W) Newport DNS; Rebecca Williams (W) Newport DNF.

800m Senior Women 2 Victoria Barcello (W) Cardiff 2:13.46; 6 Kate Wiltshire (W) Cardiff 2:20.51; 8 Joanna Safe Cardiff 2:24.03; 9 Katherine Humphreys Uwic/Cardiff 2:24.59.

1,500m Senior Women 5 Emily Brown Uwic/Cardiff 5:00.38; 6 Jenna Roberts (W) Cwmbran 5:01.12; 8 Danielle Page (W) Cwmbran 5:14.77.

1,500m under-13 Girls 2 Lora Roberts Bridgend 5:02.27; 7 Hannah Mittlerberger Aberdare 5:40.40; 8 Rebecca Evans Pontyclun AC 6:08.98.

1,500m under-15 Girls 2 Natasha Cockram Cwmbran 4:47.05; 3 Zoe Thomas Bridgend 4:56.51; 4 Carys Deeley Cardiff 4:59.48; 8 Lora James Cwmbran 5:08.76; 13 Sloane Kinsella Bridgend 5:26.70; 14 Lucy Harvey Cardiff 5:29.40.

3,000m Senior Women 3 Jenna Roberts (W) Cwmbran 11:16.09.

110m H 3 Lucy Lougher (W) Cardiff 15.15.

Senior Women 400m Hurdles 4 Lucy Lougher (W) Cardiff 62.54; 7 Kathryn Davies (W) Newport 65.87.

LONG JUMP 2 Zara George (W) Cardiff 5.37; 3 Cara Roberts (W) Cardiff 5.27 +2.4.

TRIPLE JUMP 3 Imogen Miles Cardiff 11.60; 4 Hannah Williams (W) Cardiff 10.18.

SHOT PUT 3 Rachel Cork UWIC / Cardiff 12.73; 4 Alyson Hourihan (W) Cardiff 10.77.

DISCUS 2 Alyson Hourihan (W) Cardiff 37.64

HAMMER 1 Carys Parry (W) Rhondda AC 63.09 CBP; 4 Nicola Stevenson (W) Bridgend 48.32; 5 Lisa Boswell (W) Newport 37.70.

JAVELIN 2 Lianne Clarke (W) Cardiff 48.32; 6 Amanda Price (W) Brecon 28.90.