INTER AREA CHALLENGE AUGUST 2ND 2026 YATE ATHLETICS TRACK
Teams competing:
Eastern Masters Athletic Club
Midland Masters Athletics Club
Northern Masters Athletics Club
Scottish Veterans Harriers Club
South West Veterans Athletics Club
Southern Counties Veterans Athletics Club
Veterans Athletic Club
Welsh Masters Athletics Ltd.
SCORES
Men
MMAC 308
SCVAC 284
VAC 241
NMAC 221
WMAL 209
SWVAC 190
EMAC 188
SVHC 163
(scored 55 of 57 events)
Women
MMAC 349
SCVAC 320
VAC 301
WMAL 236
EMAC 196
NMAC 196
SWVAC 126
SVHC 64
Combined
MMAC 657
SCVAC 604
VAC 542
WMAL 445
NMAC 417
EMAC 384
SWVAC 316
SVHC 227
112 out of 114 events scored
36 NMAC athletes travelled to Yate near Bristol for this important fixture -22 men and 14 women.
This is a small number to cover all the events in 4 age groups which was why we did not finish as high as I hoped.
The weather however,was really good which was great!
We were hit badly by injuries in the last 2 weeks and from the beginning struggled to get enough W60,W70 and M70 athletes. Apart from those categories, the events we failed to fill were mainly pole vault, walks ( only one athlete, David Murrie offered to do the walk) and Women’s middle distance (except W50 where Juliet Smith covered them all heroically!)
Hopefully the event will be closer next year which would help us. Also it won’t clash with The Commonwealth Games which didn’t help.
We were very grateful to those who moved down age groups to help us- these were Richard Higson-Blythe, Stephen Thorpe, Hazel Barker, Jeff Prest and Leeroy Golding.
We had 2 exceptional point scorers who piled on the points for NMAC.
The phenomenal Jo Rowland amassed 41 points covering 6 events plus relay. She was into her 4th event by 11am!
James ‘Biscuit’ Taylor scored 32 points winning all his throws, some by massive margins.
Winners of individual events were
Jo Rowland W35 Discus, 80m hurdles and Shot Put (plus 2nd in Long Jump, 3rd in Pole Vault replacing an absentee and 5th in the Hammer, not in her usual heptathlon!). She still had the energy to help the W35 relay team come 2nd .
James Taylor M35 Discus, Shot (4m ahead of the next competitor), Hammer and Javelin, staying late into the evening to finish.
Tracey Ashworth W50 100m (in a British W50 record of 13.00!) and 200m
Darren Scott M50 100m and 200m (also a 4th in the Long Jump and a leg in the winning M50 relay), amassing 21 points.
John Wright M60 200m and 400m
Caroline Marler W70 Shot and Discus
Danny Bennett M60 1500m (also 3rd in 3000m)
Debra Dasse W35 High Jump(also 3rd in Triple Jump)
The strong sprint wins by Tracey, Darren and John were backed up well by the following:
Liz Duke W50 2nd in 400m (another sub 60 clocking) ,4th in the 200m and in the W35 2nd placing relay
Andy Hunter M60 3rd in 100m
Chidinma Agwu W35 4th in 100m and in the W35 relay that came 2nd
Anita Saunders W50 nobly stepping into running the 400m at late notice and came 5th at the same time as competing in the Long Jump where she came 4th.
Richard Higson- Blythe, dropping down an age group for 100m and 200m held his own well and was in the winning M50 relay which came close to the NMAC record.
We were very grateful for the following who filled more sprint places:
Judi Hoskin doing W70 100m and 200m, the latter an unaccustomed event and also trying the Long Jump for the first time and gaining 4th
Nick Marler M70 just helping his wife out and doing the 100m (and also the Shot, Discus and Long Jump)
Hilary West, returning gingerly after major surgery but running the 100m,200m nd 400m.Wonder woman!
We missed the injured sprinters who couldn’t compete- Steve Peters, Andrew Halliday, Julie Hicken, Antony Burniston and Geoff Beattie.
We had a strong middle distance squad but there were big gaps in W35,W60,W70,M70
Apart from Danny Bennett, mentioned above we had good performances from
Rob Hodges M35 2nd in 1500m and 4th in 800m
Juliet Smith W50 who amazingly came 5th in 800m, 1500m and 3000m and later did a 100m relay leg. She is a machine!
Graham Webster M70, one of our stalwarts who can always be relied upon to do anything you ask of him- this time 800m (5th), but also 200m and 400m where he came 3rd
Neil Fowler M50 not only ran 800m but stepped in when 400m runner injured and ran both (6th and 5th)
Stalwarts Steve Taylor M60 1500m and Jed Turner M60 800m always run their hearts out and we had Steve Watmough too in M60 3000m!
Sarah Ormshaw, a newcomer to Inter Area was the only W35 middle distance runner ,she ran the 800m, came 4th in the javelin and ran her first ever relay leg, where the team came 2nd! Welcome Sarah!
We missed Mike Quinn M70 who got injured just before the meeting.
At late notice, Kristian Marsh stood in. As well as officiating, he came 3rd in the M50 High Jump ,7th in the Triple Jump and was in the winning M50 relay.
Women’s throwing was generally healthy. As well as Caroline Marler winning W70 Shot and Discus, we had Stalwarts Julie Wilson (W 60 2nd in Discus, 4th in Shot) and Hazel Barker , (5th in W50 Discus,7th Javelin and 8th in Shot, having moved done an age group to help us).plus Sara Ormshaw in W35.
Apart from the extraordinary James Taylor in the men’s throws , we had Tony Balko in the M60 Discus and Shot gaining us points and newcomer Jasyn Savage doing really well in the M50 Discus(4th) and Shot (2nd). Welcome Jasyn!
Decathletes Ian McPhail M50 and Rick Cordwell M35 (but only a year left in that age group!) did a great job. Rick did the 3’getting off the ground ‘events (Pole Vault, High Jump and hurdles) and Ian did throwing, vaulting, hurdling, relay – what versatile athletes!
Stephen Thorpe dropping down an age group did very well to get 4th in the Triple Jump and 5th in the Long Jump against the youngsters. He was in the winning M50 relay.
Wendy Valentine W50 is a similar talent, covering throwing, hurdling and jumping. She amassed 17 points, the 4th highest score of all NMAC athletes.
Thank you to all the athletes who made the long journey to Yate.
You all put 100% into your event and NMAC is proud of you
Thank you Jo for managing the Ladies team