Herne Hill Harriers round-up: Kristal Awuah wins Wandsworth award

Kristal Awuah won the Sports Person of the Year accolade at the Active Wandsworth Annual Awards evening, writes Geoff Jerwood.

Herne Hill Harriers’ World Athletics Championship sprinter took the mantle off last year’s winner, England rugby World Cup finalist Kyle Sinckler.

Awuah represented Great Britain at both the World Championship in Doha and the European U23 Championship in Sweden in 2019 as she stepped up successfully from the junior ranks to top level senior athletics competition.

Herne Hill’s throws coach Anthony Soalla Bell was awarded the Volunteer of the Year for his work with the club’s young shot putters and also as a coach to their Italian international thrower Michella Obijiaku. Soalla Bell is also a team manager for the London Schools Athletics team at the English Schools Championship annually.

Harriers played host to the annual Frank Harmer 10km road race at Brockwell Park. Jeff Cunningham led the winning Harriers team, placing third in 36:10. Eoin Brady ran well to come fourth on Sunday in 36:41. Jonathan Ratcliffe completed the club scoring A team in sixth and first M50 in 38:10.

Julia Wedmore brought home the winning women’s team and her 38:57 was just one second outside her best time set on a similar course in the same park. Wedmore placed second woman, Helen Oldfield was third woman and first W45 in 42:54 and Karen Ellison fourth woman in 43:38.

At The Vitality Big Half, which finished by the Cutty Sark, Nick Bester went sub-70 for the first time placing 56th in a strong field in 69:41, followed by good PB runs from Andrew Grigg 71:43, Jack Brotchie 72:45, and a massive PB for Marc Geraghty (75:26).

Next to finish saw excellent PBs from top women Steph McCall 75:41 (14th woman), Jessica Craig 76:12 (16th woman) plus chases home by Eric Dol (76:50) and Paul Calver (77:09). Joe Elliott was next in 77:43 followed by Matt Cartwright (79:39), Richard Keeble (79:44) and Duane Matthews (80:02).

Other runners were Charlie Osborne (82;07), Robert Edwards (84:17), Mark Preskett (85:01), Fraser Hagell (85:12). Lara Langston (88:04), Patrik Ewe (90:14), Craig Barney (90:18) and Rob Harrison (93:14).

Andrew Warburton ran a big PB of 31:59 in the Trafford 10k.

Fiona de Mauny ran another outright 200m PB of 27.88 indoors at the Lee Valley Masters Inter Area match. The W35 European double silver medalist followed this up with an indoor 400m PB, her 58.53 being faster than she ran outdoors last year when winning a European medal.

European Masters M50 outdoor 200m champion Giuseppe Minetti won his 200m race in a season’s best 24.62.

M45 Simon Coombes ran 1,500m in 4:18 and 3,000m in 9:16 and M55 Gary Ironmonger clocked 4:42 for 1,500m which was a season’s best followed by a very good 800m in 2:17 finishing strongly with a 67 seconds final 400m.

These athletes will again be competing at Lee Valley this coming weekend at the BMAF British Indoor Championship.