Medway and Maidstone AC win 32 medals at extra-competitive 2014 Kent County Athletics Championships
08:00, 28 May 2014
updated: 10:46, 28 May 2014
The changing face of athletics was demonstrated when 26 different clubs won medals at the annual county championships at the Julie Rose Stadium, writes Alan Newman.
Medway and took 32 medals for the fifth-highest total but Ashford AC topped the table with 23 golds ahead of Blackheath and Bromley Harriers (22) and Tonbridge AC (19).
Championship records were broken as a result of superb throwing by James Whiteaker (Judd School) in the under-17 javelin (72.59m) and Divine Oladipo (Cambridge Harriers) in the under-17 3kg shot (14.66). Both performances topped the rankings for 2014.
Amber Durrant (M&M) won the under-15 high jump with a personal best (1.69) to go second on the current lists.
There was an inaugural best achieved by Natasha Scott (M&M) in the newly- introduced under-15 girls’ triple jump (10.16).
Medway and Maidstone’s champions on the track were Shauna McFarlane (200m, 26.23sec); Michael Watson (under-20 200m, 23.22); Cameron Corbishley (under-20 3,000m walk, 13min11.63sec); Joseph Burton (under-17 400m, 50.93); Jacques Cunningham-Marsh (under-15 800m, 2.11.57); William Milham (under-15 300m, 38.19) and Megan Walsh (under-15 300m, 43.22).
In the field, Laura Arnold (under-17 500g javelin, 31.47) added a county title to the record-breaking exploits of Durrant and Scott. The under-15 high jump was M&M’s best event as Jade Oni (1.60), Ashleigh West (1.50) and Scott (1.50) filled the top four places behind Durrant’s championship best.