2025 Chris Preston Winter Handicap
The 2025 Chris Preston Winter Handicap saw 21 teams and 82 competitors take part in a tightly contested series. West Loughborough HC Purple Nasties emerged victorious with a total score of 248.07, followed by Eton 1 with 243.20 and Hull A with 225.83. The winning team – Taylor Campbell, Jack Paget, Owen Merrett, and Jabez Berry – achieved the following results: 84.00m (63.00), 84.00m (63.00), 78.95m (59.21), and 83.81m (62.86). Eton 1’s top scorer was Jake Norris with 87.00m (65.25), while Hull A were led by Dave Smith with 56.82m (62.50). Prizes will be awarded at the Hammer Circle Reunion in Hull, 27–28 September 2025.
Full resultsNote about Safety Issues and “Dropping” of Hammer Event
Note from The Hammer Circle in response to recent reported instances of hammer and discus events being dropped from League Meetings. Our event has long been too readily placed in the “Too difficult” box by individuals responsible for athletics training and competition. This is not an approach which sits well with values of fairness and ethics, which should be at the heart of Sport.
This year in particular, our Association’s attention has been drawn to several allegations, where fair treatment of our event seems to have been in short supply. The result has been that the hammer event has either not been included in club and league competitions at all, or has been withdrawn from meetings, on occasion at very short notice. In some cases, we are told, alternative venues have been available for our event, but despite being suggested, such venues have not been used.
Our Chairman, David Smith, who has extensive knowledge and experience of issues at venues, particularly but not solely relating to health and safety, has now produced set of support documents setting out some of the issues and offering suggestions and support to help overcome the challenges to our event. Much discussion has taken place between the Hammer Circle and England Athletics to achieve these, and one of the documents is in fact a fundamental England Athletics document. I should like to note our appreciation and gratitude to both David Smith and to Ed Hunt of England Athletics for their considerable efforts on behalf of the hammer throw event, as well as the consequent improvements in safety for all present when our event is taking place.
No-one can push back this unwelcome tide alone, but equally, individuals who love our sport must be prepared to challenge, using reason, integrity, courtesy, and knowledge. Here is a link to the Issues and Actions Document which sets out some of the issues raised with The Hammer Circle and suggested actions you can take. This document will also be uploaded in the very near future to our website www.hammercircle.com .
This site will also carry the full set of papers produced by David Smith and England Athletics so as to provide you with an enormous amount of help in dealing with the challenges you face. May I say that this is a very complex matter and will require careful reading and consideration to enable you to take forward challenges to our event. Please take ample time to thoroughly read and consider the documents before contacting David Smith for support, which he has most generously offered.
I urge you to help The Hammer Circle rise to this challenge, as hammer throwers so often do so well in the face of all the obstacles we encounter. Very best wishes for your success, whatever your role in our wonderful event!
Yours in Sport,
Alan Woods
President