Maribyrnong Gift 2nd
March 2014
A warm afternoon and a well prepared track greeted the
athletes and officials for the Maribyrnong gift at Pennell reserve Braybrook on
Sunday. The club provided a band of enthusiastic assistants for the regular VAL
official and a good crowd was on hand to witness the day’s athletics. The
Maribyrnong gift is another Melbourne suburban carnival, along with Northcote,
St Albans and Avondale Heights, that is becoming increasingly popular with
athletes.
Top GN Logistics
Open 70 metres.
Gus Carty-Cowling (4m), after a slow start to the season, is
running in a special vein of form in the VAL sprint events. With recent
placings in the Ballarat and Stonnington gift finals combined with a classy
sprint win at Avondale Heights Gus was always going to hard to beat at
Braybrook. Carty-Cowling won his heat in “second gear” to record 7.86 and
although a metre behind the faster heats, his run was the best form indicator
going into the semi finals. Nicholas Repalust (5.25m) won the first semi in
7.75, Cam Dunbar (5.25m) the second semi in 7.76 and Carty-Cowling the third in
7.73. In the final there was no mistake as Carty-Cowling, carrying the red
jacket, was quickly in control and raced away over the final stages to win by
nearly a metre from Jonathon Rogers (8.25m) and Simon Carey (9.5m). The winning
time was 7.66, a quick run on the Braybrook football ground.
120 metres Open
Gift
The main event at Maribyrnong turned up an amazing result
when the two slowest qualifiers for the final quinelled the event with William
Little (12m) defeating Tim Rosen (14.5m). Both went into the final as outside
place chances but proved the semi final form wrong by holding their form better
than the more fancied runners. Little won the first semi final but with a run
of 13.25 would have struggled to gain a placing in the remaining semi finals.
These went to Carl Morehouse (5.25m) in 13.06 and Nick MacGibbon in 13.10. Also
qualifying were Cam Dunbar (7.75m) and Simon Jackson (9.25m) with runs of 13.08 and 13.12. Third place
in the final went to MacGibbon. With a steady rise up the straight track, quick
times were never expected and the winning time of 13.18 was the slowest of the
season.
VRTA under 20
800mts
The under 20s was run as a straight final with a field of
fourteen to face the starter. Meg Deane (156m) was the out marker and led the
field along to the bell from Kyle Hilson (130m) and Jessica O’Hara (138m). As
the field raced into the back straight Dylan Moore (92m) surged to the front
and immediately opened a gap on Luke Bain (94m) who had moved into second place
and looked a solid danger. Ryan Bain (94m) and Ryan Antidormi (50m) made a dash
at the leading group after leaving the back straight and looked likely
placegetters. But in the run to the line Moore held on grimly to score by one
metre from Luke Bain with Antidormi in third place. Dylan, coached by Nick
Fiedler, adds Sundays win to his recent 400 metres victory at Trinity. His
winning time was 2.01.26
Hounds of Shii
1600m Open
The might of the Hipworth Athletic Club was tested and
proved wanting at Maribyrnong when a lone young Tasmanian lass took them on and
relegated the state’s premier distance stable to minor placings, second through
to sixth. Jacqui Dalwood (275m) was sitting in sixth place with two laps to
travel but still a fair margin from the leading group of Greg Whitecross (400m)
Tony Rendina (395m) and Gary Blake (375m). By the time the bell was rung
Dalwood was in third place and about to surge to the lead by the 300 metres
point. There she opened a clear margin over Peter Spence (105m) and Alex
Bacalja (85m) and never seriously looked in danger from there on to the finish.
She raced to the line with fifteen metres to spare over Bacalja and Spence with
the Hipworth stable mates Shane Thiele (100m) James Deane (100m) and Ian
Burrows next in. Dalwood’s winning time was 4.22.2.
Sunshine
Collectables Women’s 120m
Sonya Pollard (17m) made it three women’s gift wins for the
season with her win in the Sunshine Collectables 120 metres final on Sunday.
Sonya recorded the fastest heat with a run of 14.74 which gave her a clear
margin on her nearest rival Susan Sinclair (10.5m) who’s heat time was 14.92.
Megan McMahon (17.25m) “revved up” her home town supporters with a heat win in
15.25 but unfortunately for Megan it was the slowest of the heats. In the final
Sonya Pollard quickly raced past McMahon and was untroubled to win from Tarryn
Fisher (15m) and Angela Phillips (10.5m) in 14.87.
This week at Bendigo the committee have moved the finals of
the Women’s Black Pearl and Women’s 120 metres to Sunday.
Braybrook Sporting
Club 300 metres Open
Andrew Drummond (44m) was another athlete to “notch” his
third win for the season with a good win in the open 300 metres. There were
eight heats, and with a final of ten runners, Andrew went into the final as a
fastest loser, although his actual time was the second fastest of the early
rounds. The fastest heat of 35.52 went to Luke Stevens (8m) who was unable to
make ground in the big field on the turning track in the final. Drummond, the out marker in the final, looked
under pressure coming to the home turn but was able to give a late “kick’ to
hold out the fast finishing David Fenollar (20m) with Conor Nunn (21m) in third
place. Drummond is coached by Peter O’Dwyer at Ballarat and ran the final in
35.75.
St Andrew’s
Cricket Club women’s and Veterans’ 300 metres
Ten heats of the women’s and veterans’ 300 metres meant that
there were no second chances for unlucky losers. Tarryn Fisher (52m) recorded
the fastest heat with a run of 37.87 but there were plenty of rivals with times
in the low thirty eight second range. In the final Tarryn Fisher quickly moved
past Kaitlyn Bryce (56m) and opened a handy lead but Jessica Payne (40m) Leigh
Rowbottom (29m) and John Hilditch (34m) emerged from the pack before the home
turn to challenge. Payne quickly took the lead in the straight and with a fast
finishing burst Rowbottom just missed. Chris Roche (17m) made good ground in
the home straight to take third place from Fisher. The Shane McKenzie coached
junior recorded a winning time of 38.23. Former top grade 400 metre athlete
Katarina Dressler continues to adapt to handicap running in the VAL with a good
heat win in 38.11
VRTA Under 17
120metres
Hamish Adams (12.5m) opened his winning account with the
Victorian Athletic League in the VRTA under 17s at Pennell reserve on Sunday.
Hamish, in his first season with the VAL, clocked 13.12 in his heat and went
into the final as one of the main chances. He proved that form right with a
solid performance to defeat Nicholas Repalust (7m) and Troy Carey (13.75m). Racing
up a handy incline the winning time was a very commendable 13.21. Hamish is 15
years old and goes to Yarra Valley Grammar where his sports teacher is the
VAL’s very own Cam Dunbar. And to further emphasis the VAL influence in
Hamish’s career he is coached by Mark Howard. Mark until last year, ran the VAL office and is about to release a book
on his experiences in the VAL. The chapters will include (1) but I posted my
entries on Friday (2) The cheque is in the mail (3) Did I really run 10.6 at
Albert Park, I thought that was the temperature. (4) I’m never running again,
what time is the first heat on Saturday. (5) Bill Sutton, “this is my last
season” (6) I’m just running to keep fit
for football (7) I’ve had a hard week on the track (8) the track’s worth two
and I’ll go better on race day (9) I was right on the winner’s shoulder, and
many more.