Following a 7^th place at the opening fixture in Cardiff, a slightly improved Stoke team travelled to Eton for the second match of the season. However, the standard of the opposition also increased and full strength teams will be necessary if relegation is to be avoided.

After several years out of the sport, the return of Craig Ellams in the hammer gave the team a boost and put some good early points on the board. His best effort of 56.45m earned him second spot and was backed up by an improving Greg Nixon in the B event.

The team’s only victory of the day came from young sprint sensation Alex Nelson. In an event marred by several false starts Alex held his nerve to claim the A event in 10.53 seconds. Martin Chomanicz, also a junior, followed this with a 10.91 clocking for 4^th place in the B event.

The 110m hurdles pairing of Roger Skedd and Nick Gayle again scored good points. Roger’ s 14.83 gave him 4^th in the A event, whilst Nick’s 15.01 placed him second in the B string. Once again Roger was the teams top points scorer, as he also placed 3^rd in the B shot, 4^th in the B discus and 5^th in the A long jump. Fellow decathlete Sam Bishop also scored well with a 5^th in the A high jump and 3^rd in the B pole vault.

Back on the track, Steve Bazell’s busy afternoon included a fine 4^th in the A steeplechase. With team numbers less than ideal, many athletes showed a great team spirit and willingness to double up at short notice. James Dohnal’s 400m with just 5 minutes notice was just one example of the battling qualities of this young team. The next fixture at Hendon on June 25^th will be crucial in deciding the team’s fate.

For full results visit www.bal.org.uk

Stoke Results

100m
A 1 Alex Nelson 10.53
B 4 Martin Chomanicz 10.91

200m
A 8 Martin Chomanicz 22.5
B 7 Nick Gayle 23.04

400m
A 7 James Dohnal 53.25
B 7 Andy Prophett 71.38

800m
A 5 Tom Gayle 1:54.82
B 7 Andy Prophett 2:00.47

1500m
A 6 Tom Gayle 4:01.56
B 7 Steve Bazell 4:25.42

5000m
A 6 Alex Hall 15:32.85
B 7 Pete Benyon 16:15.27

3000sc
A 4 Steve Bazell 9:51.63
B 6 Adrian Thiemicke 11:33.90

110H
A 4 Roger Skedd 14.83
B 2 Nick Gayle 15.01

400H
A 8 Steve Bazell 70.11
B 7 Adrian Thiemicke 86.48

High Jump
A 5 Sam Bishop 1.90
B 5 James Dohnal 1.80

Pole Vault
A 7 Alex Williams 4.50
B 3 Sam Bishop 4.00

Long Jump
A 5 Roger Skedd 6.74
B 6 Chris Harvey 6.12

Triple Jump
A 8 Chris Harvey 11.71
B

Shot
A 6 Greg Nixon 12.42
B 3 Roger Skedd 11.76

Discus
A 6 Greg Nixon 41.29
B 4 Roger Skedd 40.73

Hammer
A 2 Craig Ellams 56.45
B 5 Greg Nixon 34.54

Javelin
A 5 Rob Eggleton 50.19
B 7 James Dohnal 40.25

4x100
7 Stoke 43.51

4x400
7 Stoke 4:40.77

Match Result

League Table