Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club’s young sisters Mabel-Rose and Willow Scales were among the club’s medal winners at the annual Surrey indoor track and field championships at the David Weir Leisure Centre, Sutton, over the weekend, writes Tom Pollak.

 

Teenager Mabel-Rose came closest of the club contingent in indoor action to taking a gold medal as she just missed out in the under 15 girls high jump. She shared the winning height of 1.50m but had to settle for the silver on count back.  She has just moved up age groups so that was a good start and ranks her 10th GB under 15 high jumper this year.

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Willow Scales Willow Scales

Younger sister Willow leapt a personal best of 3.99m in taking silver in the girls under 13 long jump. She added six centimetres too her previous best set outdoors at the same venue last August. She also moved up an age group.

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Mabel-Rose Scales Mabel-Rose Scales

Hercules Wimbledon’s Freddie Arkell, the England indoor and outdoor 200 metres under 15 champion in 2019, took the silver medal the 60 metres in his first championship as an under 17-year-old. The Wandsworth schoolboy clocked 7.09 in finishing just one-hundredth of a second behind the winner. Earlier, he won his semi-final in a faster 7.08.

 

Hercules Wimbledon’s two sprinters in the senior men’s 60m both got through to the final. Antonio Douglas was joint fastest of the five qualifiers in the heats winning his race in 7.07 to equal his personal best. But, he had to settle for the silver medal in the final despite clocking a faster 7.06.

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Hercules Wimbledon's Freddie Arkell (right) 200m silver medallistHercules Wimbledon's Freddie Arkell (right) 200m silver medallist

Devonte Casely-Hayford twice improved on his previous best of 7.31 as he finished third in his heat in 7.27 and then fifth in the final in a much faster 7.20.

 

Other Hercules Wimbledon athletes in action included teenager Romane McFarlane who cleared a personal best 1.55m in finishing fifth in the boys under 15 high jump and Darcy O’Shea who was sixth in the women’s under 17 long jump also with  a personal best of 4.56m. It added eight centimetres to her previous best set in January.

 

Hercules Wimbledon supervet Tom Cheetham complete a landmark of parkrun 5km racing with his 200th appearance in the series on Wimbledon Common on Saturday. Cheetham, who finished 29th of the 427 finishers in 21:37 was presented with a trophy to mark his achievement.

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Tom CheethamTom Cheetham

He was one of 15 Hercules Wimbledon runners in action. Best of the Hercules Wimbledon runners was veteran Simon Woodley who was 15th in 20:41 with clubmate Richard Evans, also a supervet, 17th in 20:46, the second highest age-graded performance of the race. Over 45 veteran Andrew Davies was 26th in 21:29.

 

Hercules Wimbledon’s Rhys Boorman headed home a 371-strong field in the Kingston parkrun in a personal best of 16:14, more than a minute ahead of the second runner. His time took nine seconds off his previous best for the event set last November.

 

Eloise Davies also clocked a personal best in finishing second woman in Dulwich Park in 20:08. It improved on her debut appearance time of 20:35 last August.

 

Hercules Wimbledon’s Ed Mallett took almost 50 seconds off his previous best for the distance when he clocked 15:11 in the Armagh International 5km Road Race in Northern Ireland.

 

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon’s cross country runners are in action in the English National championships at Wollaston Park, Nottingham, on Saturday.