NSW Relay Championships were held at Campbelltown Athletics Centre over the weekend of 19th-20th November.
Nowra had 29 teams entered which we believe was a record number of teams for our Club at these championships. It was a great weekend of athletic competition and friendship, and Nowra certainly made their presence felt amongst the much bigger City Clubs, claiming a total of 14 medals – 3 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze. For a small Regional Club, this was a massive achievement!
Nowra kicked off the weekend of competition with the women’s 160+ shot put team. After a change of timetable for the event, and a missing team member, Darlene Musgrove was phoned on route to the venue and asked to fill in. Unprepared to compete, Darlene borrowed a singlet and competed in her denim shorts. It may not have been the plan, but the combination of Mel Jennings, Katrina Ward, Mel Mustapic and Darlene Musgrove achieved a silver medal nonetheless, with a combined distance of 25.07m.
It was great to see some new master’s women competing on the track at State competition. Loretta Norris, Katrina Ward and Jo Higgins joined Erin Smart in the master’s women’s 4x200m team and together earned themselves a bronze medal in 1.57.34.
Three of these women then backed up in the 4x800m team. Loretta swapped out for Cathleen Chang and the women ran strongly to take silver in 11.33.89.
The men’s under 18 4x800m team had a great race and finished 3rd to take the bronze medal. Will Dyball, Cooper Barrett, Toby Dyball and Harrison Baxter ran a combined time of 8.25.97.
The masters men team of Mark Thirwall, Gavin Dyball, Marcus Baxter and Katrina Ward dug deep in the 4x800m 160+ event and took a bronze medal in 10.10.04.
In the mixed relays, Loretta Norris, Mark O’Leary, Paul Musgrove and Erin Smart combined to add another bronze medal to the Nowra tally. Unfortunately as Paul Musgrove finished his leg of the race, he suffered an injury and just managed to pass the baton to Erin before then having to use a wheelchair to leave the track. We wish him a speedy recovery.
On Sunday, the under 16 boys of Toby Dyball, Nic McGill, Cameron Baxter and Oliver Baxter put in a strong performance to take the bronze medal in the 800m in 9.19.34.
In the field, the masters women combination of Mel Jennings, Leanne O’Leary, Tori Sayer and Mel Mustapic not only speared a gold medal in the 160+ javelin they also claimed a new javelin record for the Championships with a combined measurement tally of 80.22m.
Like the annual 4x100m Country Championships relay challenge, the men’s 800m also had an A and B team challenge on the track. The teams were decided purely on age dispersion, to ensure both teams met the 200+ requirement after the withdrawal of Peter Dooley due to injury. Both teams put in solid performances and the race commentary described how closely contested both teams were and praised the depth of the competition at Nowra. In the end, it was the B team of Glen Mustapic, Mark O’Leary, Marcus Baxter and Harry Davis who took out the challenge and the silver medal whilst the A team of Matt Watson, Erin Smart, Geoff Crook and Gavin Dyball were relegated to third place for the bronze medal. The difference between the two teams was less than 4 seconds, with the B team clocking 11.56.10 and the A team clocking 11.59.48.
The men’s 4x800m under 18 team of Cooper Barrett, Toby Dyball, Will Dyball and Harrison Baxter ran well to take the bronze medal in 4.24.11.
The men’s 4x400m 160+ team dominated the field, taking a convincing win. Matt Reid made the 400m look easy, striding it out and setting the team up for an early lead. Erin Smart then continued this lead with another great lap. Marcus Baxter and Harry Davis both gave it everything they had to retain the lead and bring the race home for that gold medal in 4.24.11. They finished ahead of Ryde Athletics who crossed in 4.37.53 and Hornsby who clocked 4.38.17.
The combination of Will Dyball, Harrison Baxter, Cooper Barrett and Nic McGill earned a silver medal in the Under 18 1500m. The boys completed the event in 18.44.36, running in 2nd behind a very strong Randwick Botany team who clocked 17:28.02.
In the last race on the program for Nowra, the 160+ 1500m, the masters men added a final gold medal to the weekend’s haul. Gavin Dyball, Marcus Baxter, Harry Davis and Matt Watson again had the ANSW commentary team applauding the participation and competition level of Nowra athletes, and an out-of-breath Matt Watson was interviewed after the race to comment on the success of our Club. Matt made a great ‘acceptance speech’ and it was a perfect ending to a fantastic weekend of athletics for Nowra Athletics Club.
Thanks to everyone who competed and supported the relays. The resilience, dedication, and courage of the athletes was outstanding.
