Jaguars go forth: Superb Premier Division debut for Scots at Eton

Monday 3rd June 2024

Dean Patterson on his way to a new 200m PB of 21.05

Report by Moira Maguire

Photos by Gordon Innes

Glasgow Jaguars were delighted with a fourth place finish in this first fixture of the National Athletics League – their Premier Division debut.

The Scots finished behind winners Harrow, Thames Valley Harriers and Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow but ahead of Woodford Green and Essex Ladies, Birchfield, Sale Harriers and Blackheath and Bromley.

Despite swapping glorious sunshine at home for cool and gusty conditions in Eton, there were no fewer than seven new club records and inaugural records in Women’s 5000m and 3ooom Steeplechase.

The next match is on Sunday 7 July, hosted by Woodford Green at Ashton playing fields.

On his debut for the team Dean Patterson showed his class by taking the win in the A 200 in an outdoor PB of 21.05 – into a -1.4 wind, a club record.

Finlay Waugh finished second in the B event (21.98) following a third place in the B 100m (10.98).

Dean, Ethan Pottie, Ben Heron and Struan Linton took a fine third place in the 4x100m relay (41.82).

In the women’s 100m Lois Garland was close to her PB of 11.90 with a 11.98 run into a -0.4 wind and in the B event it was a strong fourth place finish for Charlotte Bevan, making her debut for the team.

In the 200m A race it was a blanket finish with Lois just pipped for third place with a 24.83 run, a club record. Lois, Charlotte, Freya Cowan and Erin Campbell were runaway winners in the 4×100 (46.56) and with more favourable conditions the Scottish Club records of 40.19 from 1988 and 45.2 set in 1970 could be in danger.

In the 110m Hurdles Scott Conal recorded a PB of 14.29 and a club record into a -1.0 wind to finish second in the A race and it was a PB for Euan Wallace (16.02) for a third place finish in the B event, also contending with a -1.5-wind reading.

In the 100m hurdles there was another strong performance for Erin Campbell, who finished in third (14.3) and a fifth place in the B event for Maya Stewart (15.3) in her debut for the club. Maya also gained valuable points in the B 400m Hurdles as Kati Hulme made her debut in the B event.

Callum McKenzie, a late call up to the team, recorded a fine PB of 48.53 for a fourth place finish in the 400m B event and Kathryn Christie was close to her season’s best with a fourth place in the A 400m.(55.75).

Callum was joined by Ben, Struan and Connor Henderson all in their third events of the day to bag good points with a fourth place finish.

Ben had earlier made his debut in an individual event with a fifth place finish in the A 400m Hurdles (53.72) with Connor also securing good points with his fourth place finish in the B event and stepping into the individual A 400m at the last minute.

Struan had his first taste of the 400m as he came into the team as a late replacement, having already run the guest 100m and the short relay.

The women’s 4×400 relay team of Kelsey Stewart 54.8, Georgia Morrison 62.0 Kathryn Christie 55.8 and Abbi McLeod 56.3 broke the existing club record with 3.48.96 to finish in fifth place.

The 800m events saw Charlotte Clare, making her debut, running a season’s best of 2.13.47 for fifth in the A event, matched by a fifth place finish In the B event for Anise McAuley Orr and it was a season’s best of 1.55.34 and sixth place for newcomer Aidan Page in the A 800 event, a position, matched by Jamie Smith, also making his debut for the team, in the B race with 1.58.31

There was a five-second PB for Carolyn Cameron (4.37.61) in the A 1500m and a season’s best for Margot Wyroll (4.41.37). The men’s 1500m was a tactical affair and it was a fourth place for Ross O’Brien (3.55.48) in the A race.

Glasgow Jaguars athletes seized the opportunity to score highly in the steeplechase events with Magnus Tait finishing a fine fourth in the A event and Sam Fernando acquitting himself very well at this level, in his debut for the team, with a second place finish in the B event.

Women’s team captain Lauren Stoddart was a winner of the of B 3000m event but was beaten on this occasion by teammate Alicia Paton who took a fine second in the A event.

It is 10 years since Jayne Nisbet was a finalist in the High Jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and in a remarkable change of focus Jayne recently completed the London Marathon in under 3 hours, finished top of her age group in the London Hyrox event and heads to Nice next weekend to take part in the World Hyrox Championships.

On Saturday Jayne donned the pink and black and made her 5k track debut in a very respectable 17.53.84 to take fourth place in borrowed spikes, as her carbon trainers are not allowed in track races.

There was a season’s best for Mark McDermott of 16.16.90 in his first 5K on the track since 2022 and both Jayne and Mark’s performances were club records.

On the field it was for a win for Men’s team captain Andrew Peck in the A Discus event (50.72) and a solid fifth place for Dakota Sattar in the B event. (34.71) close to his PB.

There was a club record in the Javelin where Andrew McFarlane threw 56. 82 to take sixth place in the A event, backed up with a valuable third place finish in the B event for William Bailey (49.72).

A solid ffith place finish for club stalwart Euan Urquhart in the A Shot event ensured the points were coming in on the field, where the standard is extremely high.

Dawn Russell, after a busy few weeks on Scotland duty continued to show good form with second in the A javelin (44.28) and it was a fourth place in the B event for Amy Kennedy (28.75) who also competed in the Shot (13.18) for sixth in the A event and High Jump (1.55) fifth and a season’s best.

There were more points from Teddy Tchoudja with a second place in the B Shot (12.60). Keira Maxwell was not far from her lifetime best with a throw of 43.31 in the discus and Meghan Porterfield added to the points tally with third in the B event (42.29).

For James Hayward and Hanna Gay, making their debuts in the Hammer it was a baptism of fire with extremely strong fields but a learning experience for both and for Robyn Connolly and Dakota.

The standard in the jumps is also very high and Sam Kane (6.71) acquitted himself well at this level and enjoyed his debut for the team while Euan Wallace gained more valuable points with a fifth place finish in the B event (5.89).

With a sixth place finish in the A Long Jump (5.69) team stalwart Hannah Wallace and Briagha Cook, a newcomer to the team, with a fifth place finish in the B event (5.23) ensured the points were continuing to amass.

It was sxith places for Laura Buchan (10.60) in the A triple Jump matching the sixth for Kieran Halliday (12.65) in the men’s triple and Hannah Wallace sixth B and Amit Kumar fifth B delivered solid performances.

It was PB time again for Sara Barbour in a very high-class vault and her delight in clearing 3.90m and finishing fifth was probably matched by the excitement of competing alongside gold medallist from the indoor World Championships in Glasgow, Molly Caudrey. Eve MacCallum gained valuable points in the B event with a 3^rd place finish (3.10)

The men’s high jump was the last event to be added to the scores on OpenTrack and Matthew Tait’s 2.00m clearance for fifth in the A event, equalling the club record and Amit Kumar’s 1.90m clearance ensuring third in the B event.

The points there then confirmed an excellent fourth place finish overall, a remarkable achievement and a huge step forward for the team with the men out-scoring the women for the first time.

Huge thanks to the officials, who gained maximum points for the team and to the coaches, team managers, who travelled with the team.

Live updates, photos and videos were being posted throughout the meeting on X @glasgowjaguars and Instagram.

The club continue to be indebted to Glasgow Life and Joma for their sponsorship and are delighted to have made such a strong start to the season.