Pontefract athletes in record breaking track and field form

Faye won the hammer competition, improving her own Pontefract club record for senior women by more than five metres with a throw of 43.37 m.

She won the discus with 32.98m and a third victory came in the shot putt with 9.97m while a second place came in the javelin (18.86m).

Eleanor Birden was also in outstanding form, coming away with three victories, one second place and one club record.

In her winning effort in the 100m hurdles, she set a club record for senior and U20 women with 19.5 seconds. Eleanor also won the 400m hurdles in 85.5 seconds. A personal best of 9.74m in the triple jump provided her third win and she was second in the long jump (4.61m).

Faye Lightowler won the 1500m in 5:07.0 and was second in the 3000m, setting a club record for senior women with 10:31.3.

Jane Williams won the B competition in the shot putt with 5.15m and recorded 19.2 in the 100m to establish club records in the women’s over 35, over 40 and over 45 age groups.

Alice Dolman came first in the B competition in the long jump with 3.95m and Raya Welsh won the B competition discus with 14.47m.

Will Carter once again spearheaded the men’s team. He competed in six events, winning three of them and taking two second places plus a third.

He won the pole vault with 3.30m, the 110m hurdles with 22.1 seconds and the long jump with 5.40m. He was second in the discus with 29.65m and second in the javelin with 36.11m. Due to the shot overlapping with the javelin, he was only able to take one throw in that and his 8.94m placed him third.

Callum Eastwood came first in the B competition in the long jump with 5.13m.

The Pontefract club was without several of their middle and longer distance runners due to the Pontefract 10K being held on the same date. Despite this, they still managed to finish fifth out of the eight clubs in the match and they ended the season in third – their highest since joining the North of England Track and Field League in 2016. Club chairman Cyril Jones is confident they will be able to go one better next season and finish in the top two for promotion.

In the Pontefract 10K on the roads, Joanna Sutcliffe was fourth in the women’s race, setting a club record for women over 45 with 39:02.

Alan Boys also ran well, setting a club record for men over 60 with 42:07.

Christine McCarthy competed in the York 10K and set a club record for women over 60 with 43:17.

In last Sunday’s Norton 9 Miles race, Alice Smith was second in the women’s race in 58 minutes exactly and Christine McCarthy came in fifth in 64:31.