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Grimwade holds on at Port Gift
by Kym Morgan
Hills and Valley Messenger
18 Oct 11
VETERAN Tea Tree Gully front-marker Shane Grimwade held on to win a thrilling 120m Port Adelaide Gift at the start of the SA Athletic League season on Sunday.
Grimwade, who ran off 16.25m, ran 12.64 seconds to beat fellow front-marker Brad Schutz (13.5m) with back-marker and local hero Jordan Caldow (3.5m) storming home to run a brilliant third.
Caldow’s effort shows the talented Alberton-based 18-year-old is unlikely to suffer the second-year blues as he attempts to back up last season’s Bay Sheffield triumph and contends with a tough handicap.
Grimwade, who at 36 is eligible to run as a veteran, is self-trained and also has his own stable at Tea Tree Gully. His win was one of the highlights of an action-packed meeting at Alan Iverson Reserve, Port Adelaide.
In the women’s gift, the state’s top female sprinter Leanne Hodge (1.5m) made up 13.5m on front-marker Megan Letton (15m) to snatch victory on the line. Letton finished second behind Hodge - who is coached by her father, John - with Lauren Edwards (9m) grabbing third.
In the open mile, Flinders athlete Jacob Cocks (90m) also produced a brilliant back-marker performance but couldn’t catch front-markers Melissa Lloyd (285m) and Dillon Tee (185m). Lloyd finished in 4mins 7secs to beat Tee by two seconds with Cocks third, a further four seconds back.
In the women’s 550m Letton (72m) capped off a great day to beat Lloyd (56m), with Port Adelaide runner Catherine Robb (52m) third.
Middle-marker Matt Fallon (58m) took advantage of a generous handicap to win the men’s 550m by nearly a second ahead of Brad Jones (68m), with back-marker Michael Nitschke (38m) third.
In the over-35s 120m gift, former Bay Sheffield winner John Turner (15m) produced one of the stories of the meet by claiming his first sash in more than 20 years.
Turner, who founded the Hectorville Athletics Stable last summer, held on to beat former state 100m champion Tim Johnson (scratch), with Ross Hilbrown (19.5m) grabbing third.
The league moves to Flinders Athletics Club on Sunday October 30, where the distance runners will enjoy the limelight in the feature 3200m David Abbott Memorial race.
Grimwade holds on at Port Gift
by Kym Morgan
Hills and Valley Messenger
18 Oct 11
VETERAN Tea Tree Gully front-marker Shane Grimwade held on to win a thrilling 120m Port Adelaide Gift at the start of the SA Athletic League season on Sunday.
Grimwade, who ran off 16.25m, ran 12.64 seconds to beat fellow front-marker Brad Schutz (13.5m) with back-marker and local hero Jordan Caldow (3.5m) storming home to run a brilliant third.
Caldow’s effort shows the talented Alberton-based 18-year-old is unlikely to suffer the second-year blues as he attempts to back up last season’s Bay Sheffield triumph and contends with a tough handicap.
Grimwade, who at 36 is eligible to run as a veteran, is self-trained and also has his own stable at Tea Tree Gully. His win was one of the highlights of an action-packed meeting at Alan Iverson Reserve, Port Adelaide.
In the women’s gift, the state’s top female sprinter Leanne Hodge (1.5m) made up 13.5m on front-marker Megan Letton (15m) to snatch victory on the line. Letton finished second behind Hodge - who is coached by her father, John - with Lauren Edwards (9m) grabbing third.
In the open mile, Flinders athlete Jacob Cocks (90m) also produced a brilliant back-marker performance but couldn’t catch front-markers Melissa Lloyd (285m) and Dillon Tee (185m). Lloyd finished in 4mins 7secs to beat Tee by two seconds with Cocks third, a further four seconds back.
In the women’s 550m Letton (72m) capped off a great day to beat Lloyd (56m), with Port Adelaide runner Catherine Robb (52m) third.
Middle-marker Matt Fallon (58m) took advantage of a generous handicap to win the men’s 550m by nearly a second ahead of Brad Jones (68m), with back-marker Michael Nitschke (38m) third.
In the over-35s 120m gift, former Bay Sheffield winner John Turner (15m) produced one of the stories of the meet by claiming his first sash in more than 20 years.
Turner, who founded the Hectorville Athletics Stable last summer, held on to beat former state 100m champion Tim Johnson (scratch), with Ross Hilbrown (19.5m) grabbing third.
The league moves to Flinders Athletics Club on Sunday October 30, where the distance runners will enjoy the limelight in the feature 3200m David Abbott Memorial race.