A new club record for Eastbourne Rovers in the mixed 4 x 400m relay was the highlight of the final Southern Athletics League match at Aldershot on August 17th. The team of Bryn Smith, Louise Ryan, Daisy Connor and Ilya Korchev held the lead for most of the race, narrowly being beaten into second by a very strong Guildford and Godalming team. Their time of 3:46.21 bettered the previous club record by a massive 10 seconds.
This final match was an important one for the Rovers team as it determined the final league positions with the top two teams being promoted and the bottom three relegated. The Southern League comprises athletes from U17, U20, senior and masters age groups who all come together as one senior team, and Eastbourne’s team consisted of athletes aged from 15 to over 50, showing their strength across all ages.
Many athletes competed in a huge range of events, picking up every point possible so that virtually all A and B string spots were filled. Team captain Stuart Pelling always leads by example and others competing in a large number of events were Bryn Smith (his events included a win in the A 200m23.11s), Matt Southam, Hayley Harris and Cara Maker. The women’s middle distance events were particularly successful for the Rovers with Louise Ryan winning both the A 1500m(4:49.5) and B 800m (2:17.75), 15 year old Daisy Connor winning the A 800m (2:10.66, a time earning her ‘Woman of the Match’) and Alison Moore and Hayley Harris with first places in the A and B 1500m steeplechase (6:04.05 and 7:31.35 respectively). U17 athlete Honest Chinengundu wasalso a high points scorer with a win in the B Long Jump (5.49m), 2nd in the B 200m (23.67s) and 4th in the A 100m (11.88s). Caitlyn Spencer (U20) achieved two very quick times with second in both the A 100m (a 12.65s personal best) and 200m (26.49s).
The Rovers were supported by dedicated officials and coaches Liz and Mike Brandon, Pete Standen and Phil Wood, with several athletes also helping to officiate between their events. Eastbourne’s fantastic team spirit was rewarded by an excellent 3rd place on the day, earning them a secure position in Division Two for next season. Team captain Stuart Pelling commented, ‘All the athletes have worked hard this season to maintain our position in Division 2 and we’ll be looking to build on this success next season.’