PERTH CALLING

TOP VETERANS DESCENDED ON ALEXANDER STADIUM AHEAD OF NEXT MONTH’S WORLD MASTERS IN AUSTRALIA

REPORT: MARTIN DUFF PICTURES: DAVID GRIFFITHS

Mind over matter: Steve Peters enjoyed another successful British Masters

WITH OVER 800 entries, this event was the second biggest ever and gave the estimated 300 veterans who will travel to Perth for the World Masters Championships next month an early chance to test their fitness.

Conditions were ideal with little wind on the afternoon of the second day.

Familiar faces dominated the sprints. Steve Peters, who had recently returned from Rio with the GB taekwondo team, posted his usual treble in the M60 events. Starting with the 100m in 12.42, he followed with a 58.23 championship best in the 400m late on the first day before taking the 200m on the Sunday in a championship best 24.90. The sports psychiatrist said: “I’ve not raced this year as I partially ruptured my Achilles tendon last summer, but this was a good warm-up.”

Talking of his many British championships wins, he added: “I’ve only been beaten once over 400m in 23 years.”

Joanna Frost: 5.78m in W35 long jump

One age group down, Pat Logan, who is also a coach at Kingston & Polytechnic Harriers, built on his sprint doubles in both the British Masters Indoor Championships at Lee Valley and the European Masters Indoor Championships in Ancona, Italy, by winning the M55 100m in a wind-aided 11.80 and the 200m in 24.47.

John Pearson: CBPs in M50 hammer and weight throw

British M45 record-holder Darren Scott was a class apart in his 200m race, clocking 22.96 seconds.

W40 Diana Norman entered seven events but was prevented from competing following a serious injury a few days before. It was a similar situation for one of the more intriguing entries in the championship, that of former British senior pole vault record-holder Mike Bull. The Northern Irishman took Commonwealth pole vault and decathlon gold and came out of retirement to win the M40 pole vault in the World Masters Championships in Turku, Finland, in 1991 and now he is vaulting again. However, carrying an Achilles niggle, the 70-year-old pulled up in the warm-up here with a serious strain and was seen with an ice pack on his ankle.

Caroline Powell (770): sprints hat-trick for the W60

He is aiming to compete in the 2018 World Masters in Malaga, where he lives. His event was won by Mark Johnson with 4.20m.

Caroline Marler: W65 400m victory

When he hit the M60 age group five years ago, Dave Oxland swept all before him and continued so to do for three years before younger athletes joined the category. Now, graduating to the M65-69 age band, the Notts AC runner has regained his winning touch with recent national wins over 5km and 10km but here found the 1500m too fast as John Skelton won in 5:01.57. Skelton also won the 5000m in 18:21.66.

Tom Walsh: Oceania record of 22.20m to beat Olympic Tony Bowman: European M80 record for 80m hurdles

Oxland went the other way and blasted out a fast first 400m before winning the 800m in 2:28.93.

Anne Martin: six titles for W80 athlete

M55 winner Dave Clarke has only been running for five years and hitherto has been concentrating on marathons with a usual time of around 2:55. Here, he proved that he is in reality a middle-distance track runner. He made his debut at the 1500m here with a winning 4:46.81 and then won the 5000m by outsprinting Pete O’Connell, in 17:40.64.

Sue Richardson (née Hearnshaw): 1984 long jump bronze medallist won W55 high jump gold

Ian Richards has dominated the walks divisions in recent years but the former Olympian was disqualified in the 3000m. However, he aims to retain his world masters 5000m walk title in Australia at the end of next month. Richards was shown the red card three times, but M55 winner Francisco Reis had no such trouble winning his class over 3000m in 14:10.94.

Malcolm Fenton: M60 hammer gold

The experience of another former Olympian, Arthur Thomson, was also evident as he took the M80 3000m walk with 19:01.00, adding the 5000m in 31:44.55 on the Sunday. The best of the women walkers was Ann Wheeler, who took the W60 3000m and 5000m titles, the latter with 29:10.60.

W55 Fiona Matheson: wins at 800m, 1500m and 3000m

Another notable former international was 1984 Olympic long jump bronze medallist Sue Richardson (née Hearnshaw). Now in the W55 age group, she won the high jump with 1.30m, but limited movement kept her to a close second in her former specialty with 4.14m behind Teresa Eades’ 4.19m.

W55 triple jump winner Janice Pryce’s 9.75m was another championship best.

John Pearson won the M50 hammer and weight throw with a championship bests of 65.38m and 21.83m respectively. Malcolm Fenton won the M60 hammer with 48.77m.

One of the busiest athletes was W80 Anne Martin, whose six titles included the 1500m where she headed former multiple winner Pam Jones with 8:21.72. Martin, who is entered for 11 events in Perth, also won the 200m with 44.55, while Kathleen Stewart narrowly got the better of Iris Holder to win the W75 class 200m in 38.18.