At the Bedford International Stadium, on Saturday 18th August) the Harriers took part in the British Athletic League(BAL) Jubilee Plate Final. 8 top non-BAL clubs from all over the UK competed.

 

The Harriers were severely hit by pre-match injuries and non-availabilty of some specialist event Harriers. Because the Plate competition only comprises 11 events instead of the normal 34 the loss of Pole Vaulting, Steeple Chasing & Sprinting Specialists made it very difficult for the Harriers. In spite of this problem the Harriers did very well finishing 4th. The small points difference between the first four teams indicates how close the match result was. Bolton United Harriers 1st 78 pts, Woking 2nd 68 pts, 3rd North Down (from NI) 66 pts,  Harriers 4th 62 pts. The other teams had significantly lower point scores.

 

Hammer thrower Jon Milum won his event and smashed his PB (again!) with a throw of 49.54 metres.

Triple jumper James Cook finished 3rd in a tough event and he also smashed his PB with a jump of 13.07 metres.

Sprinter Dan Buss was 2nd in his event losing out by only one 200th of a second in a 'photo finish'.

Veteran (50 plus) Dave Robinson equalled his 2006 SB with a great Pole Vault of 3.0 metres - sadly he was 'outgunned' by young men half his age.

 

All the other team members performed strongly in very windy conditions against some of the very best non - BAL athletes in the UK.

 

"The Climax of the Harriers 2008 season is a month away (September 15th) when we attempt to get into the 2008 British Athletic League in the Qualifying Play Off  at Abingdon. These precious 3 weeks, or so, gives the athletes time to recover from injuries and end of season tiredness to prepare for one more huge effort. The competition will be super tough but we are up for it."