The older athletes were the outstanding performers this year, as they were last year when 83 year old, Harry Tempan, broke the 'Over 80' British 400m record in spectacular style. This year it was a slightly younger man of 72 who was the 'Star' of the day. Don Chambers (Born 23.5.37) who had been placed in 10 'M70' events at the British Masters Championships in Alexander Stadium, Birmingham in July. He won six 'M70' events at Kingsmeadow.
His 14.4/80m hurdles equalled the Championship Best Performance and straight after winning the 400m (80.6) he beat the previous CBP of 7.70 in the triple jump with 8.15. He revealed " My best time for the 110 hurdles as a young man was 14.50 and I was also fourth qualifier for the Olympics in 1956 in Australia so, I did not go from there to the games. I then gave up athletics to raise a family but long after in 2002, when the World Masters was in Australia my wife said to me 'Get back to it!'
He continued ' The hurdles is my event so I won the gold medal in the recent World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland (14.16). I can thank the British Masters for helping me to get moving after my trip from Australia'
    Bob Hale, a well known Kent official, at the tender age of 84 ran 30.18 for 5k smashing the CBP of 33.30 for the Over 80's. However, as 'Athletics Guru' Ron Franklin agrees with me that, if Steve Charlton, the Over 80 runner had not done the 1500 in the day and toed the line he would have reduced the Over 80 CBP by another three minutes!
    65 year old Terry Bissett, the Epsom and Ewell one lap runner, who gave up football at 60 and had for many years been a well known expert in his profession in prosthetics', again looked good as he set and M65 Championship Best of 27.3 in the 200 after winning the 100 in 13.4.
    Going down the age groups Brian Slaughter, who did a 1.50 high jump CBP in the 'M50' category also, won three other events which included a 100m hurdles in 16.0.
    In the even younger age groups Anna Critchlow (41), a London Heathside/West 4 runner, led all the way in the 5000 to record 18.17.5 and another leading from gun to tape was Mark Easton (46), once a 50k international. He recorded 13:59.1 in the 3k walk but did  remark that his job as Project Manger now does not give him the time for high mileage he used to do and his body would not take it while he was working so hard but for me he still appeared a very fast walker.
    As a footnote I would like to say one of the UK's best ever steepelechase technicians who competed as a international in the 1950's Eric Shirley, who not only was an Olympic finalist but won the 1956, 58 and 60' AAA's 3000m steeplechase ran as a guest at the age of 80 he managed to get round an 800m in 3:32.3 seconds, where as many people at that age could not contemplate doing that!