Good Day in National League Rd 1

With the first round on Sunday, the AAI National League has come very early this year, clashing right away among others with Ulster Schools, school and university exams, and a major decathlon. Facing an acute test of resources, resolve and team spirit, the mens team called up the infirm, old and wounded, the jaded and the jet-lagged while the womens team just managed to cover the minimum of 15 scoring events. Fortunately the event was in Antrim but it was still all the more surprising, but extremely satisfying, that both teams won their respective divisions.

In the Premier Division the men finished on 117 points with Clonliffe 114, Shercock 105, Raheny 97, Donore 77 and Abbey 26.  Ben Reynolds carried on the family tradition by winning his 3 events. I less than an hour and after 3 long jumps well behind the board he went away to win the mens height 110m hurdles by a hundredth of a second, immediately returned and won the long jump on his last attempt, was on his own at 1.80m in the high jump and settled for that after leaving to do the 4 x 100m relay. Michael McConkey had his best javelin throw for 2 years with 60.28m, winning the shot for good measure and taking 4th in the 400m hurdles. Francis Marsh broke his own club 5000m veterans record with 2nd in 15:43.83 min and went back for a 4 x 400m relay. John Carlisle won the 1500m, Jeremy Harper won discus and weight for distance, also doing the 4 x 100m relay, Chris Summers and Michael Dyer (virtually straight off the plane) had 2nd"s in the hammer and 800m, Kenny Elliot was a one man sprints squad and everybody grafted.

The girls won Division 1 on 109 points with Ballymena and Antrim 89, Finn Valley and City of Derry bopth had 83 and Raheny 71. It was a beautiful sunny day but sprint times were hammered by a strong varying wind mostly into the finishing straight. However Amy Foster and Hannah Lewis took the 100m and 200m respectively and were joined there by Katie Hewitt and Kim Shaw. Kim improved her schools 400m time of the previous day and won in 59.67 sec while Katie was 2nd in the 100m hurdles and high jump and 3rd at javelin. Club Captain Gemma McAnirn won the discus and Kathy Hetherington was 2nd in the shot. Laura Laughlin in her first club outing went straight to 2nd in the all time triple jump list and did long jump and 4 x 400m relay. Stephanie Hambling broke her own club 3000m veterans record and Nicola Simpson covered 800m and 4 x 400m relay.

North Down Results

Men
100m	Kenny Elliot 2nd  11.51
200m	Kenny Elliot 5th  23.37
400m	Michael Dyer 4th 50.98
800m	Michael Dyer 2nd 1:58.72
1500m	John Carlisle 1st 4:10.43
5000m	Francis Marsh 2nd 15.43.83 club veteran record
110mH	Ben Reynolds 1st 15.42
400mH	Michael McConkey 4th 71.22
3000m walk	James Budde 4th 21:00.44
4 x 100m	3rd 46.39
4 x 400m	3rd 3:36.85
Shot	Michael McConkey 1st 11.95
Discus	Jeremy Harper 1st 49.46
Javelin	Michael McConkey 1st 60.28
Hammer	Chris Summers 2nd 28.11
56lb weight	Jeremy Harper 1st 5.93 (Chris Summers 3.55)
Long jump	Ben Reynolds 1st 6.43
High jump	Ben Reynolds 1st 1.85
Women
100m	Amy Foster 1st 12.36 (-3.5)
200m	Hannah Lewis 1st 25.09
400m	Kim Shaw 1st 59.67
800m	Nicola Simpson 3rd 2:23.52
100mH	Katie Hewitt 2nd 16.6
3000m	Stephanie Hambling 4th 11:29.22 pb/club veteran record
4 x 100m	1st  49.56
4 x 400m	2nd 4:18.3
Shot	Kathy Hetherington 2nd 8.54
Discus	Gemma McAnirn 1st 28.17
Javelin	Katie Hewitt 3rd 23.91
Hammer	Gemma McAnirn 2nd 22.25
Long jump	Laura Laughlin 3rd 4.52
High jump	Katie Hewitt 2nd 1.40
Triple jump	Laura Laughlin 2nd 10.49