Hardly a week goes by at the moment without a Blackheath & Bromley athlete being selected for a representative fixture or actually competing in one. This last seven days proved no exception with Divine Oladipo the latest to be picked for an International event.

She has been chosen to represent England at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in September. She is picked for both the discus and shot following some excellent performances this season. Missing from last weeks report from Bedford was her new Club Record with the 3kg shot . She broke 15 metre for the first time with a throw of 15.37.

The Hylton sisters Cheriece and Shannon, who have featured in the Daily Mail recently, secured selection for the European Under 20 championships at Bedford and also for the GB squad who competed at last weekends Mannheim International in Germany. They both ran well with Shannon second in the 200 metres in 23.16 and Cheriece runner up in the 400 in 53.69.

This weekend many of the Club’s senior athletes will head to Birmingham for the Sainsbury’s British Championships which take place from Friday evening through to Sunday. The Championships act as the Trials for selection for the Great Britain team for the World Championships which take place in Beijing in August. At least 26 Club members have been invited to the Midlands.

Many have been putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the Trials with some notable performances. European Indoor 60 metre hurdle bronze medallist Serita Solomon competed in the Paavo Nurmi Games at Turku in Finland. She won both of her 100 metre hurdle races in times of 13.03 and 13.22. Also in action was Kieran Daly who timed a windy 10.56 for the 100 metres as well as a legal 10.62.

Fellow sprinters James Alaka and Tremayne Gilling were in Bilbao in Spain with James setting a seasons best of 10.53 for the 100 metres. He also ran 21.70 for the 200. Trem clocked 10.67 for the 100.

Jermaine Olasan has shown a useful turn of speed this Summer having run 10.65 for the 100 but he stuck to his main event the long jump at Montelimar in France. He leapt 7.51 for second place with the benefit of a rather strong +6.4 metre per second wind.

However, you don’t have to travel the World to run fast times as Graham Rush and Phil Sesemann proved at the British Milers Club Grand Prix at Watford. They both set personal bests in the 5000 metres of 14.09.19 and 14.21.26 respectively.

On the womens side Katy Ann McDonald broke the Club under 17 1500 record which has stood since 1989. She timed 4.22.96 and she is only in her first year in the age group. Seniors Carolyn Plateau and Kelly Grant set seasons best of 4.24.50 and 4.26.08.

Katy Ann’s performance came just three day after she had broken the Club Under 17s 800 record at the BMC and Cambridge Harriers Open Meeting at Sutcliffe Park. She just dipped under the record she set last year as an under 15 as she timed 2.06.45.

It proved a very successful evening for the Club’s middle distance runners with many setting personal best. Henry James Cowie was just outside his under 15s 800 metre Club record with 2.00.85 while Angus Harrington set a new best of 2.02.74 and Peter Guy timed 2.08.40. Oscar Hussey set a new best of 2.09.66 as did Yasmin Marghini with 2.21.43 while Kelsi Cornish timed 2.22.36.

Richard Webb was under four minutes again in the 1500 with 3.59.87 and there were personal bests for Joss Barber (4.05.62), Bertie Harrington (4.46.34) and Sophie Hoare (4.59.22) plus a seasons best for Dan Kennedy (4.12.60).

Louis Mascarenhas was just outside his best for the discus as he threw 56.20 at the London Inter Club Challenge at Allianz Park. He remains tantalisingly close to the 57.50 he needs to qualify for the European Junior Championships. Training partner Divine Oladipo threw 43.19 and also 13.63 for the shot.

Jonathan Ilori leapt an impressive 15.63 in the triple jump and Mark Cryer gave himself a good work out as he returns from injury. He ran 15.33 for the 110 hurdles, leapt 6.86 in the long jump and went over 1.80 in the high jump.

Both Louis and Divine were back at the same venue the following day competing for the Club in the latest round of the UK Development League Upper Age Group Premier 1division. The Club finished in third place on the day and remain in second position in the table with the top two teams guaranteed a place in the National Final in September.

Both throwers were in winning discus form in the under 20 age group with distances of 54.72 and 42.33. Further field success came with victories for Kerri Davidson in the triple jump with a leap of 12.30 and Helena Coleman in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.20.

Significantly Carys Marsden’s throw of 32.55 in the B string discus would have won the A string had Divine not thrown and it was a similar story on the track as Vivien Olatunji (12.33) and Charmont Webster Tape (12.38) were the two fastest 100 metre runners.

Niamh Bridson Hubbard scored an impressive double victory in the 800 and 1500 with times of 2.14.00 and 4.49.01 and Will Fuller was a comfortable winner of the 3000 in 8.52.97.

Last under 20 victory of the day was the womens 4x100 team of Jamilya Robinson Pascal, Charmont Webster Tape, Toyin Orelaja and Vivien Olatunji who timed 49.60. Three of these are under 17s and the strength in depth in this age group was demonstrated by the fact that the under 17s team of Elizabeth Ibinduni, Parris Johnson, Magda Cienciela and Olivia Richer were even quicker as they won their age group race in 49.17.

Parris had earlier won both A string 100 and 200 metre races in 12.40 and 26.27 with Magda and Charmont winning the B strings in 12.55 and 25.15 both of which would have won the A strings. In fact Charmont was significantly quicker. More sprints success came with Will Pope winning the 400 in 52.69.

Jessica Keene scored a middle distance double as she won both the 1500 and 3000 metres in 4.41.60 and 10.15.65, with Amy Leach securing maximum points in the 3000 B string.

Isabella Hilditch nearly achieved a double win as having won the 300 hurdles in 44.38 she was second in the 80 metre hurdles in 11.72 which was impressive given it was into a -1.2 metre per second headwind.

To complete the hurdles success, Yasmin Austridge won the 1500 metres steeplechase in 5.10.55 As well as throwing in the under 20s discus, Divine Oladipo also competed in her own age group winning the shot with her second furthest ever throw of 14.85. Anastasia Davies was also just outside her best in winning the triple jump with a leap of 11.11; Jamilya Robinson Pascal won an exciting long jump contest by a single centimetre with a leap of 5.01; and Anna Barnett won the discus with a throw of 33.81.

A quartet of Elizabeth Ibidunni, Roisin Atkins-Dyke, Georgina Taylor and new double Club record holder Katy Ann McDonald rounded off the afternoon with victory in the 4x300 in 2.54.73.

Two under 20s were unavailable for the match as they were competing in the Welsh Senior Championships with Cameron Starr 4th in the 100 in 10.70 and Matthew Jones 8th in the 400 in 50.94.

There is no National Final for the Masters age group, only a Regional event which takes place in September. The women’s team took a big step to qualifying for this at the latest Kent Masters League match of the season at Ashford. They finished second on the night and barring a disaster in the remaining fixture will fill one of the two Area qualification places.

After a fourth place at Ashford the men need to rally for the final fixture to secure qualification. They are now third in the table, one league point and seven and a half match points behind second placed Dartford.

Carole Penlington had a busy and successful evening in the over 35s age group winning the 400 and 3000 metres as well as being part of the winning 4x400 metres team with Helen Godsell, Jackie Montgomery and Jenny Neal.

Jackie had earlier won the over 50s 400 metres and although she didn’t win the high and triple jumps Helen Godsell competing as an over 50 rather than an over 60 was just outside her over 60 Club Records.

For the men Gareth Evans won the over 35s 3000 metres by over 10 seconds with Tim Nash winning the over 50s race by 24 seconds. In the field Allan Williams, who is an over 60, won the over 50s pole vault with a clearance of 3.20. Another veteran Shaun Lightman finished in 17th place in the National 10km walking championships at Hillingdon cycle track. The 1968 Olympian timed one hour three minutes and fifty two seconds.

The previous Wednesday there was a bumper turn out of members for the Johnson Bowl race walk. Roger Michell was third in 38.13 with Shaun Lightman 4th (41.01), Peter Hannell 7th (44. 10); David Hoben 8th (45.27); Nolan Simmons 9th (50.49); and Club President Dave.Cordell 10th in 58.16 in his first ever race walk.

Niamh Bridson Hubbard is the latest recipient of a Jack Petchey Achievement Award. Naimh has shown great character in overcoming long term injury to run faster than ever before over the country, road and track.