England call-up for Harry and PANVAC Masters will be at Finals Day as Judith delivers a five-star display
Peterborough & Nene Valley AC’s masters athletes have made it safely though to the finals of the Eastern Masters Track & Field League after both the men’s and women's team won their final group match to top their league tables.
In recent years the levels of competition offered to PANVAC in the group matches has been mixed at best, and the club has qualified for the finals easily.
It's been a different story this year with PANVAC in a seven-team group which included a powerful Cambridge & Coleridge AC team and the ever dangerous Ryston Runners along with several other competitive clubs.
Only the group winners were guaranteed a place in the finals which will be held at Milton Keynes on September 15, and the ladies will compete there as reigning champions.
Judith Jagger won three over 60 events in the latest fixture at the Embankment track.
She threw the javelin 20.87m and also won the discus and high jump. Jagger stepped down to the over 50 age group for the 300m hurdles and triple jump and won both of those competitions as well.
Over 60 Ros Loutit won the 3,000m with a time of 12:04.6. Loutit also won the 300m hurdles.
Andrea Jenkins was at her imperious best winning the over 35 discus with a throw of 30.22m along with the javelin.
Sprinters Claire Smith and Wendy Day won the over 35 and over 50 200m races in times of 29.1 and 32.6 respectively.
The men's team was lacking star turns Dave Brown and Sean Reidy, both of whom had picked up injuries while competing the previous weekend.
However, the tremendous strength in depth possessed by the squad shone through with no PANVAC athlete finishing outside the top three in their events.
Julian Smith clocked 26.1 when winning the over 50 200m and Gerry Watson won the over 60 race in a time of 30.6.
The over 35 3,000 was won by Dan Lewis in a rapid 9:50.1 with Dave Knighton clocking 11:16.4 when winning the over 60 race.
Simon Achurch picked up maximum points in his two over 35 events. Achurch threw his discus 43.26m and achieved a distance of 39.73 in the javelin.
A throw of 24.45m was good enough to give Jim Gillespie a win in the over 50 discus. Karl Eve cleared 1.30m when winning the over 60 high jump.
INTERNATIONAL CALL
PANVAC star Harry Hewitt has been selected to run the 1,500m for England in an Under 20 Home Counties International which will be staged in London on Saturday, August 17.
It will be the first international appearance for the 19 year-old athlete who earned his call up when finishing fourth in the National Championship last month.
Hewitt ran a huge personal best of 3:45.09 earlier this summer which places him fifth in the national rankings.