Created by : Tom Shaw On : Tue, 09/23/2025 - 11:41
Posted in :
Over the weekend of 20/21 of September 2025, the Worksop Harriers combined events squad were well represented in the English Schools National Combined Events Championships at Chelmsford. To compete in this event, at this level, the athletes have to perform to a high level in Jumps, Throws, Sprints, Hurdles and have good endurance capabilities, and have to have qualified through the County and Regional Rounds. We are privileged to have such a large squad of athletes capable of reaching National Finals, and they are an excellent example to the other younger squad members, following on behind them.
For Nottinghamshire, Alicia Wells and Charlotte Ayton competed for the Senior Girls team in the Heptathlon with Summer Johnson, Darcey Croshaw and Amelia Read (a squad member but with Retford AC) all competing in the Pentathlon for the Junior Girls Team. Ben Lowe was our sole squad member in the Derbyshire Senior Boys Decathlon Team.
Alicia Wells had an excellent weekend being our highest placed finisher, in 6th place with a season's best score of 4286 points (just 10 points off her pb). After the four events on day 1 (100mh, High Jump, Shot and 200m) she was lying in 4th place. On day 2, Alicia dropped back to 8th after the Long jump and Javelin before moving back up to 6th with a very strong 800m, winning her heat in 2m 28.49s.
Charlotte competed alongside Alicia, finishing day 1 in 15th place, due to an excellent high jump pb of 1.56m, matching the jump of Alicia, and then holding her position on day 2 with a javelin pb and another strong 800m run.
Our three representatives in the Junior Girls competition also had an excellent weekend, finishing 4th in the team event and achieving 11 personal best performances between them, out of a total of 15 events, as well as all of them beating their previous best overall scores, so 14 pb's in total, an amazing achievement in a National Final.
Summer Johnson was the highest placed of our three athletes, in 27th position, achieving three very good pb's (75m hurdles, shot and high jump) and an overall score improvement of over 100 points to 2445 points. Her high jump pb of 1.53m being particularly pleasing to watch.
Darcey was the most improved, finishing in 32nd position with five personal best scores and an overall pb score improvement of almost 400 points. The highlight of her competition, amongst several, also being the high jump, where she improved from 1.32m in the regional round to 1.50m in the final.
Amelia finished just behind Darcey in 34th position with a further 3 personal best scores (75m hurdles, shot and High Jump) and an overall points pb improvement of 200 points. Her hurdles pb, by over 1 second, into a very strong head wind, was an excellent performance.
Ben had the longest competition of our 6 athletes, completing the Decathlon over 2 days and not finishing until 7pm on the Sunday evening. Ben just missed out on his overall pb score, with his 4295 points, which included pb's in his Pole Vault and 1500m, putting him in 16th position.
Scarlet Ashford was the only member of the Notts Teams not in our combined events squad and she also had a very good weekend finishing in 7th position overall, with 2785 points, as part of the Junior Girls team.
Results
Senior Girls Heptathlon
Alicia Wells - 6th - 4286 points
Charlotte Ayton - 15th - 3764 points
Junior Girls Pentathlon
Summer Johnson - 27th - 2445 points
Darcy Croshaw - 32nd - 2301 points
Amelia Read - 34th - 2152 points
Senior Boys Decathlon
Ben Lowe - 16th - 4295 points
Off the Track and out to the coast as the Harriers headed East to the Humber Coastal 10k for a GP race and some prize winning performances. Thankfully the projected heavy rainstorm passed early but runners were still left battling a significant headwind in the latter half as the runners headed South from Cleethorpes before looping around on to the flat but exposed coastal path for a battle down the last 4km in to the wind. A battle was no less than we got either as leading the Harriers Ladies home as well as bagging a spot on the podium and a PB of nearly 3 minutes, Hannah Miller was part of a trio of ladies battling out an exciting finale over the last 2km as she finished 3rd in a time of 38:32 with all three podiums finishing within a 9 second window. The first of what was an excellent day for our ladies as Claire Allsop also knocked minutes of her PB to run 46:32 (closing in on a silver standard), Lucy Binch ran a composed 49:18 as part of her long run and marathon training followed by another big PB and club standard from Nia Arthur in 50:49. Rachel Silcock made a welcome return to the squad in 54:11 whilst an East Coast Regular Carolyn Luckham finished the ladies team in 1:10:34.
On to our Men's team and Paul Parry bounced back from his recent BYU exploits to run a 10k PB in 37:36, narrowly missing the V50 prize whilst Adam Turner proved an exellent pacer for Claire in 46:29, with Roy Turner returned in 59:45 with an excellent run and a second narrow miss this time in the V75 category finishing 2nd by 50s.
Alongside the 10k, the Coastal Half took place with a further loop out South before and even longer battle in to the wind back along the coastal path. Madi Spencer was the sole Harrier in the half as she continued her Marathon Training with an excellent run in the conditions of 1:47:17 to finished 3rd in AG and 20th lady overall.
And nestled between the 10k and Half there was space for the Junior Fun Run with two excellent runs from two young Harriers as Oakley Allsop and Isla Arthur took on the one mile fun run, both running excellently in a field filled with Juniors much older than both of them.
