The Coburg Harriers had five teams involved in the Athletics Victoria Shield North West Region Final. In action were the club's 40 plus men, U20 men, U16 men, U16 women and U14 women. In warm conditions that made things tough for the middle distance runners, you can be proud of every athlete who pulled on a Coburg Harriers singlet

All athletes scheduled to compete were in attendance and with some luck better results might have fallen our way. The club’s U16 women, U14 women and Men’s 40 plus all finished in third place however Injuries to Rory Smyth and Shane Wilson ultimately cost our U16 men’s third place, finishing in fourth place, just a few points adrift of the team above them

So of the five teams that competed, our U20 men made it through to the AV Shield Final in Doncaster next week. This will be a fantastic challenge for the boys as they go up against some of the best young talent in the state

To the results and in M40 Ivan Galletti was second in the 200 m with Charles Clark third as was Tim Erickson in the 3000 m Walk. In M20, Michael Dziadkiewicz won the 200 m with Matt Mifsud third, Sam Dragon as second in the Long Jump as was Matt Smith in the 800 m

Tim Conway (M16) was second in the 200 m Hurdles while in the U16 women Chelsea Wright won the Shot Put with Megan Marsh third, Natasha Grgurovic was second in the 200 m as was Kira Davey in the Hammer and Stella Radford in the 3000 m

In F14, Bethanie Barbour was second in the 1500 m Walk, Simone Wright third in the Shot Put as was Amber Dominutti in the Hurdles and Leah Polycarpou won both the 800 m and 3000 m

In the 4 x 400 m relay, the men’s U20 team – Michael Clark, Steven Marsh, Matthew Mifsud and Matthew Smith – were runner up while the women’s U14 quartet of Maddy Black, Leah Polycarpou, Leigh Roux and Tyler Guerin came third. Both teams set club age group records in the process. The men’s 40 plus relay team – Mohammed Reese, Charles Clark, Phil Curtain and Len Hallett – were also runners up in their division

You will remember that our treasurer Diane Brimacombe was acting as an official on 21 January when she was struck by a Hammer. The latest is that Diane is still awaiting a bed on the neurology ward. However, I am advised that she has progressed to the point where she is able to walk for short distances to the toilet and such

Diane still has several surgeries ahead of her and some months in the hospital before she can be released, but the signs so far are positive that she has taken a few small "steps" on the road to recovery. The club is in regular contact with the family and when more is known, we will keep you updated on her condition