New club record and many PBs at opening EYAL meeting
Over half the BAC Juniors who took part in this season’s opening Eastern Young Athletes League meeting on Sunday April 13 as part of the composite (BAC and Luton AC) Bedfordshire Lions team produced new PBs and one set a new club record.
A combination of school holiday absences and a long drive to the venue, the City of Norwich Athletic Club track, meant the Lions were only able to field a small team, all of them from BAC. However, those who did compete produced some fine performances.
The new club record was set by Nathania Lewis in the U-13G high jump with a clearance of 1.45m – which at the time of writing, put her 4th in the Power of 10 UK national rankings for that age group. It beat the previous jointly-held record of 1.30m set by Nathania herself in 2024, Orlagh Brunning 2019, Helen Brown 2004, Kay Brown 2001 and Lauren Ambrose 2000.
Other BAC highlights at the meeting included Ésa Blake beating her previous best javelin throw by over 3 metres and also achieving a PB in the hammer; Joanna Hardy setting new PBs in two events, the 100m and the 800m; and Henry Knox slicing 2 seconds off his 400m PB to finish 2nd in that race. Austin Milner moved ever closer to breaking the 5-minute barrier for the 1500m, missing out this time by just a tenth of a second!
The BAC athletes who achieved new PBs at the meeting included:
● Ariana Lewis (U-13G): 100m, 14.9.
● Austin Milner (U-15B): 1500m, 5.00.1
● Ésa Blake (U-17W): javelin, 19.43m and hammer, 18.54m
● Henry Knox (U-17M): 400m, 53.1
● Joanna Hardy (U-13G): 100m, 15.5 and 800m, 2.52.4
● Nathania Lewis (U-13G): high jump, 1.45m
● Sureyya Akay (U-17W): shot putt, 7.61m
Several other BAC athletes, including team newcomers Katie and Vanessa, set their first PBs in certain events. They were:
Ariana Lewis (U-13G): 70m hurdles, 15.5
Katie Everitt (U-13G): 100m, 15.1; 200m, 32.9; and long jump, 3.31m
Vanessa Cornwall (U-13G), 70m hurdles, 14.9; 800m, 3.01.1; and long jump, 3.17m
After the event, Bedfordshire Lions team managers Michael and Kat Lewis commented: “Thank you to all the athletes and their parents/guardians for making the long trip to Norwich to compete in the first match of this season’s Eastern Young Athletes League.
“It was fantastic to see PBs improved and another club record broken. Also, a warm welcome to our new lionesses − Vanessa Cornwall and Katie Everitt – who were taking part in their first ever competitive event. We loved having you there and enjoyed watching you and cheering you on.
“The next EYAL match is on Sunday May 18 in Watford. We hope to see as many of you there as possible, representing and cheering on the 'BAC family'.”
BAC members of the Bedfordshire Lions team which competed in Norwich:
U-13 Girls: Ariana Lewis, Ayla Akay, Joanna Hardy, Katie Everitt, Nathania Lewis, Vanessa Cornwall
U-13 Boys: Theo Milner
U-15 Boys: Austin Milner
U-17 Women: Ésa Blake, Fenya Treece, Sureyya Akay
U-17 Men: Henry Knox, Oran Blake
PHOTOS: Thanks to Kat/Michael Lewis and Melissa Knox for the photos. Also, thanks to David Brown for additional information about the new club record.
Individual Results will appear on Power of 10:
https://www.thepowerof10.info/results/resultslookup.aspx
Team Results: http://eyal.org.uk/results/