Havering’s two-time champion senior men bagged bronze at the Essex Road Relays in Colchester on Saturday.

Romford Recorder: Havering's under-13 boys and girls won gold and silver at the Essex Road Relay event in Colchester (pic Mick Ford)Havering's under-13 boys and girls won gold and silver at the Essex Road Relay event in Colchester (pic Mick Ford) (Image: Archant)

Late replacement Kieran O’Hara ran well in a 17.13 opening leg to hand over in ninth place to James Stewart, who ran 17.25.

Rob Warner then took up the baton and clocked 16.31 to lift the team to fourth, with Ben Davis anchoring them home with a 16.05 leg to make the podium.

The M50 squad also won bronze, with Matt Bland (17.46) setting them on the way on the first leg, which proved the age group’s fastest of the day.

Gary Atkins (19.25) and Tony Pecoraro (19.56) gave able support to secure third place, as the M40 trio of Steve Rand (18.03), Jason Lendon (18.26) and Rob Trevor (18.03) finished just outside the medals in fourth.

Romford Recorder: Havering's M50 team won bronze at the Essex Road Relay event in Colchester (pic Wendy Gordon)Havering's M50 team won bronze at the Essex Road Relay event in Colchester (pic Wendy Gordon) (Image: Archant)

The second senior team of Louis Berrett (18.21), Elliot Cordery (20.26), Luke Chester (18.45) and Richard Rowe (22.36) were 13th and the M50 trio of Gary Robbins (26.34), Russ Middleton (22.18) and Paul Berrett (21.08) were 14th in their age group. Late withdrawals meant Martin Chester (18.38) was the sole runner for the M40 B team.

The hosts also organised a young athletes’ junior relay event before the main competition and Havering teams won two medals.

Oliver Taylor-Bush’s swift opening leg of 10.01 gave the under-13 boys the lead and they never looked back, as Findlay McLaren ran a very fast 9.04 leg and Nathan Hart brought them home to gold.

The under-13 girls added silver behind a strong Chelmsford trio as Leila Jones ran a strong 10.33 leg, before Charlotte Evans (9.55) and Hannah Evans (9.52) kept them in second place, while the B team of Rosie Warner (11.50), Ruby Tillson (10.15) and debutant Grace Tilson (10.55) placed eighth.

*Havering AC was sad to hear that former chairman Terry Collins had passed away recently aged 66 after a short illness.

A late starter, he was discovered aged 18 at Mayesbrook Park by Bob Mortimer at Essex Beagles in 1972 and rapidly posted impressive sprints and long jump marks for that club.

Joining Havering AC in the 1980s he was track & field captain from 1988-1993, British League team manager in 1994 and chairman in 1991-2 and again in 1998.

The club offer sincere condolences to his long-term spouse Simon Kilminster, our former records officer, whom Terry married last summer.