Gold Tops shine at sportshall octathlon

BADAC athletes do the business...
Life's a beach for BADAC on Boxing DayLife's a beach for BADAC on Boxing Day
Life's a beach for BADAC on Boxing Day

Boston and District Athletic Club opened its 2020 programme with the first-ever Junior Sportshall Athletics Combined Events competition at the B-Hive on Saturday.

Competitors contested an octathlon and were allocated points for performance according to the scoring tables in each of the events.

At under nine level, Devan Quantrill (BADAC) was the overall winner with an impressive 229 points from Noah Donnelly-Coles (BADAC) on 192 points.

The highest-placed girl was Lumin Myers (BADAC) who finished with a total of 190 points.

Devan’s best points scoring events were the hi-stepper (15.0 secs), speed bounce (41) and two-and-a-half lap race (30.7 secs).

He also won the vertical jump (33cm).

Noah harvested most points from speed bounce (39) and also did well in hi-stepper (16.1 secs).

Lumin amassed 38 points from two events, the speed bounce (40) and the hi-stepper (15.9 secs).

BADAC’s Caprice Rush was fifth with 88 points and Sienna Rush secured 54 points.

The under 11 age group saw Issy Reid (BADAC) securing first position with a total of 274 points, six ahead of Logan Rush (BADAC).

Damian McNally (BADAC) was third with a 235-point total.

Issy scored more than 40 points in three individual events, the balance test (37.5 secs), vertical jump (39cm) and speed bounce (42).

Winning boy Logan scored a massive 71 points in the balance test (60.0 secs) and accumulated 47 legitimate jumps in the speed bounce.

He also did well in the two-and-a-half laps (30.9 secs) and the vertical jump (33cms).

Damian’s best events were in the balance test (39.7 secs) and speed bounce (42).

Leah Holland (BADAC) finished with a total of 171 points.

Six youngsters battled for the top octathlon finishing positions in the under 13 age group.

In the final analysis, Eleanor Lyddiatt (BADAC) amassed a winning total of 391 points from her eight events, with Hayden Quantrill (BADAC) second with 362 points.

Eleanor achieved more than 70 points from both the balance test (60 secs) and speed bounce. She also gained 48 points from a 42cm vertical jump, 46 from a standing long jump (1.80m) and 45 as a result of a two-and-a-half lap run (29.0 secs).

Hayden also secured more than 70 points in two events, recording 65 in speed bounce and a maximum 60 secs in the balance test.

He also secured 53 points in the hi-stepper, completed in 14.2 secs, and 50 points in vertical jump with a leap measuring 44cm.

BADAC’s Zara Holland was fourth on 248 points, with clubmate Evie Milner recording 162 points.

Three under 15 contestants were locked together for much of the competition as the age group lead changed regularly.

At the end of the programme, Luke Saunders (Sleaford Striders) edged it by amassing a total of 413 points for an eight-point advantage over first girl and teammate Louise Hirst.

Megan Reid (BADAC) was third with 377 points.

Megan scored 80 points from her speed bounce, achieving a total of 73 jumps within the time limit.

A vertical jump of 49cm contributed 55 points and a 1.98m leap in standing long jump added a further 52 points.

Athletes attended the 35th annual Boxing Day training session on the beach at Skegness.

Twenty members of Boston and District Athletic Club braved the bitterly cold wind to complete a 90-minute training session, consisting of a variety of beach running, pairs activities, shuttle runs and cradle carrying, finishing with a game of athletics chess.

The braver members then went for a paddle in the sea.

On December 29, 11 members took part in the annual Christmas walk, completing a 10.2-mile round route in the Horncastle and Woodhall Spa area in mild overcast weather conditions.