British relay runners had plenty of success with 10 golds on the penultimate day of competition at the European Masters Championships.
The team started with gold in the W75 4x100m, led by three-time W85 champion Kathleen Stewart (competing in the 10-year-old age group) and three other gold medalists Sally Hine, Sarah Roberts and Emily McMahon.
The W70 race was closer as Doreen Craig, 800m and 1500m champion Anna Garnier, Anne Nelson and double sprint champion Helen Godsell saw Britain run 65.02 and Sweden 66.64.
Germany (63.21) narrowly won the W65 as Angela Kelly, Hilary West, Jeanette Ashton and Claire St John Coleman combined for second in 63.31, ahead of the Dutch in 63.44.
It was also close in the W60, with Germany in 57.38 ahead of the British team of Mel Garland, Julie Hicken, Annie Font Freud and triple jump champion Jo Willoughby, who ran 57.48.
Although Britain returned to the gold standard in W55. Juliet Sidney, Diane Wright, Stephanie Dornbusch and two-time sprint champion Christine Harrison-Bloomfield ran 53.84 and Germany 55.55.
In the W50 category, it was Sweden’s turn as they narrowly won with a score of 51.10. Great Britain were second again as shot put champion Paula Williams, Yvette Henry, 300m hurdles winner Sarah Lodes and 400m winner Tracey Ashworth ran 51.25.
Great Britain were also silver medalists in the W45 with Anita Saunders, Janelle Quinn, Lourdes Bradley and Louise Wallins running 52.45 and Germany 51.64.
There were 10 teams in the W40 that required two races. Holland won 49.85 to Britain’s 50.21. The British team was Catherine Peck, Lucinda Cash-Gibson, Naana Adusei and Lisa Boland.
Great Britain won a fourth women’s gold in the W35 as Alison Wilder, Krystle Balogun, Katie Lord and Stacey Downey ran 49.21 for France.
The first men’s relay, the M75, was won by Germany in 57.85 and Britain fifth in 64.17, but it should be noted that the team were all over 80, with Alan Force, James Smith, Mel James and Victor Nowell setting the British M80 record.
Great Britain’s M70 team took gold, however, as Wally Franklin, Adrian Essex, long jump champion Robert Stephenson and triple sprint champion Steve Peters ran 54.36 to beat Germany in 54.74.
After their dominance in the individual events, it was no surprise that the M65 team also dominated as Pat Logan, three-time sprint champion John Wright, Ricardo Huskisson and Andy Hunter combined for a 49.22 to beat Germany’s 52.49.
Great Britain (with the team of Wole Odele, Vincent Elie, Ron Hunter and Neil Vondy) won the M60 in 49.85, but it was only a bronze medal as Germany (48.35) and Italy (49.57) were faster in second place.
Great Britain also won bronze in the M55s through David Shortridge, John Munro, Michael Osunsamy and Leroy Golding as their 51.39 beat France’s 48.88.
He was also third in the M50s with hurdles and long jump champion Joe Appiah, Trevor Hodgson, Joshua Wood and Mike Coogan running a fast 46.16, but behind Italy (44.64) and France.
Great Britain ran a fast 44.32 on the M45 to claim gold again as Marvin Edwards, steeplechase champion Mensah Elliott, Oliver Poole and Alan Robertson left Ireland (45.22) almost a second behind.
Poland won the M40 in a slower 45.26 with Britain fifth in 46.98.
The fastest transfer, though, was the last, with Britain clocking 43.17 seconds, with France’s (44.18) team of Damen Benjamin, Byron Robinson, Nicholas Atwell and Dwayne Bovell.
Britain did not contest the medley V75 plus 4×400 relay, which was won by Germany, with the team of Cook, Roberts, Ian Willoughby and Godsell finishing second in 5:06.70 in the V70 to Germany in 4:57.21.
Sweden won the V65 relay in 4:35.66 with Britain’s Steven Kemp, Jeanette Ashton, Steve Taylor and Louise Jeffries third in 5:09.67.
Great Britain’s V60 team of Vincent Ely, 400m champion Virginia Mitchell, Wal Odell and sprint champion Lisa Thomas won easily in 4:04.77 from Ireland in 4:20.32. Odell and Eli both won medals earlier in the 4x100m relay.
Spain took the V55 honors in 3:56.45 with Britain seventh in 4:34.49.
Sweden won the V50 in a swift 3:44.59 with Britain second in 3:47.46, fielding a team of European individual champions in Scott, Lodes, new 800m winner Charlie Thurston and Ashworth.
Italy won the V45 in 3:49.72 with Britain seventh in 4:08.91.
Sweden came out on top in the V40 with a time of 3:39.33, with Britain fifth in 3:49.65.
However, again Britain saved the best for last as they paced the V35 gold medals thanks to Lewis Robson, Christy Balogun, Craig Cox and Cat Sutton and they clocked 3:36.07 to Poland’s 3:39.65.
