INTER AREA CHALLENGE LEE VALLEY MARCH 14TH 2026
SCORES (8 TEAMS):
COMBINED: SCVAC 478.50 MMAC 464 VAC411.50 EMAC 405 WMAL 354.50 NMAC 279.50 SWVAC 183.50 SVHC 164.50.NMAC WERE 6TH OUT OF 8 TEAMS
MEN: SCVAC 245.50 MMAC 228 EMAC 223 VAC 201 WMAL 165SVHC 135.50 NMAC 99 7TH SWVAC 65
WOMEN:MMAC 236 SCVAC 233 VAC 210.50 WMAL 189.50 EMAC 182 NMAC 180.50 6TH SWVAC 118.50 SVHC 29 We were very close to getting 4th.
Team members:
Ladies: Men:
Jill Malone Steven Taylor
Lucy Broom Graham Webster
Joy Hickman Steve Linsell
Jo Rowland (team manager) John Twiddle(team manager)
Carol Beattie Tom Grantham
Julie Wilson Tony Balko
Caroline Marler Nick Marler
Debra Dasse Malcolm McPhail
Faye Sharpley Andy Hunter
Debra Casson James Taylor
Julie Hicken Neil Fowler
Wendy Valentine Craig Pounder
Afroditi Kalambouca
Rebecca Parry
Kate Scott
(15 women total) (12 men total)
This shows there were few men so it wasn’t surprising they came lower than the ladies.
Also, 27 athletes is not enough to cover 80 events!
Everyone would have to run 3 events and maybe a relay. That’s ok for some and we had some athletes doing that (Kate Scott and Wendy Valentine did 4 plus a relay but they are incredible) but shot putters can sometimes only do the shot put and others have reasons they can just do 1 or 2 events.
We had huge gaps where we had no athletes: High Jump (5 categories),Pole vault (all 4 categories) 60m hurdles, Long Jump, 2000m walk, Triple Jump and 800m(3 categories),all the men’s relays!,800m (2 categories), 200m Men 35, 400m M50, 60m W70.
We only had 2 W70 and 2 M70 athletes.
The only event where we had a full showing was the shot put where we covered all categories in the Men and Women and did really well ( 3 1sts -Jo Rowland, James Taylor & Caroline Marler, a 2 nd
Julie Wilson, a 3rd John Twiddle, a 4th Tony Balko, a 6th Nick Marler and an 8th Wendy Valentine)
I think it was wonderful how the athletes who came gave their ’all’ and there were some stand out performances but I am really sorry more athletes couldn’t join the team and help us show our true class.
What really made me happy was seeing some new young W35-49 age group athletes doing so well.
We had superb performances from Rebecca Perry (European 100m champion) winning easily the W35 60m hurdles, 60m and Long Jump and she ran a storming 3rd leg in the relay.
Team manager Jo Rowland (European heptathlon champion), whilst looking after the team also destroyed the field in the W35 shot, came 2nd in the 200m and ran the anchor leg in the W35 4x200m relay which broke the NMAC record by over 4 seconds.
Faye Sharpley came 2nd in the W35 400m, ran a superb relay 2nd leg to get us into contention, had a fall as she passed the baton but then a little later front ran to win the W35 800m looking fantastic.
There are some athletes who are top class and when they turn up you know they will gain big points, like the following-
Julie Hicken 2nd in the 60m and 200m, Andy Hunter 2nd in 200m, 3rd in 60m. Both Steve Linsell and Debra Dasse after being injured( Debra very seriously in an accident) got 1sts in the High Jump. Debra also came 2nd in the Triple Jump and ran 1st leg in the record breaking 4x200m leg. Superb comeback.
Craig Pounder got a good 2nd in the hurdles and a 4th in the 400m but hurt his back after that unfortunately.
Lucy Broom got 2 4ths, in the 1500m and 800m, solid performances.
Joy Hickman and Jill Malone both got a good 3rds in the 1500m and Joy ran in the record setting relay.
Stephen Taylor came 3rd in the 1500m and got a 6th in the 400m.
Good to see Tom Grantham running, in the 60m and 400m, getting 4th in the latter.
We could have done with more of our top class athletes but we had many who covered multiple events or the trickier events to gain us points-
Graham Webster, after a Park Run earlier covered all the M70 running events and he got us 15 points.Amazing.
Carol Beattie was our only W70 runner and competed heroically in the 200m, 400m and 800m gaining many points.
Kate Scott, as mentioned before, competed in a lot of events, (hurdles, 400m, 800m, Long Jump and relay)and gained 14 points in her individual events. So versatile and willing.
Wendy Valentine (past winner of The President’s Trophy for the Outdoor Inter Area best contributor) did the hurdles, High and Triple Jumps, Shot Put and relay. We are so lucky to have her as a member.
Debra Casson served the club well and got good points , doing 60m , 200m and 400m.
No one enjoys the Walk, but Afroditi Kalamouca bravely completed it successfully, got 5th and afterwards did the long jump and a relay leg.
Thanks to the others who came and competed for us, Neil Fowler with a good run in the 800m, Malcolm McPhail solid runs in 60m and 200m .
A small team for the Indoor Inter Area is not unusual as athletes can be put off travelling to London again after the BMAF Champs.
Let’s now look forward with eagerness to the Outdoor Inter Area at Yate near Bristol on August 2nd where we will try to regain the Trophies we won at York last year.
For that to happen, we need all our athletes to put the date in their diaries and commit to it.
Let’s keep those Trophies!
¾ OF THE 4X200M W35 RELAY TEAM WHO SMASHED THE NMAC RECORD- 1:51.84. Jo Rowland, Debra Dasse & Rebecca Perry (Faye Sharpley was getting over her fall)Below :
4×200 W50 relay team.Wendy Valentine,Kate Scott, Afroditi Kalambouca & Joy Hickman set a NMAC record of 2: 37.17