|
Track and Field Options
Main Options
|
MATCH REPORTS 2009
Braintree & District AC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS 27.09.2009
For the second consecutive year the weather was kind and a glorious day was had by all at the Braintree & District A.C. annual Club Championships. Although, this is mainly a Fun Family Day it also gives athletes a last chance to improve their official Personal Bests(Pbs) for the 2009 Outdoor Season, which will be recognised by UK Athletics on their national ranking lists. This opportunity was not overlooked by several athletes who on the day performed to improve their Pbs and gain valuable personal points to win their respective age groups medals on the day. THe medals were awarded for the position they came in their track or field event plus a bonus of 6 points for gaining a Pb. This marking system encourages the less experienced athletes to compete against the more elite giving them an advantage to score greater points than the winner by obtaining a Pb. One of the most outstanding performances of the day was in the U15 Girls Hammer where Chloe Cockell broke the club record for the fourth time this season. Chloe, again broke her Pb in the Discus and is now becoming a technically good all round throws athlete which is a credit to the club's throw coaches. In the younger U13 Girls age group her sister Elle Cockell bettered her own Pbs in the Shot and Javelin. There were actually no fewer than 47 new Pb set across all the age groups from U11 to Senior. These Pbs are listed below: Under 11 Girls: Under 11 Boys Under 13 Girls: Under 13 Boys: Under 15 Girls: Under 15 Boys: Under 17 Women: Under 17 Men: Senior Women: Senior Men: After a fun, mixed age group Relay competition, medals were presented to all the individual age group winners by Club Chair Claire Rolewicz, at the end of another successful annual Club Championships: The following are the Individual Winners of each age Group:
East Anglian League Final at Bury St. Edmunds 20.09.2009 + Lee Valley Minithon @ Picketts Lock
East Anglian League - FINALS: For Braintree & District Athletic Club(BDAC) it was 'Ladies Day' in the Finals of the East Anglian League at Bury St. Edmunds on Sunday 20th September. BDAC Ladies showed they could compete at this very high level against eight of the strongest clubs in the East of England. To have reached the Finals was an achievement in itself but to finally finish in 6th place in the Under 13 Girls and 5th in the Senior Ladies sections was a credit to these dedicated athletes and their coaches. In the Under 13 Girls group the six competing athletes were able to cover all the track and field disciplines in their competition which resulted in three athletes, Jennifer Baldock, Ellie Savva and Elle Cockell improving their Pbs in the 1500mtrs, 200mtrs and Shot Putt respectively. The effort by all the girls enable them to take 6th with a total number of 59 points, place against the winners Chelmsford (129 pts), Colchester & Tendring (122 points), City of Norwich (110pts), Peterborough (81 pts) and Luton (62 pts). Nine Senior Women covered the 14 events in their age group with many athletes going close to their season and personal best times and distances. In the closing stages of this championships they gained valuable points in the 4 x 100mtrs Relay which brought their total points tally to 109 points to take 5th place behind Winners West Suffolk (145pts), Ipswich Harriers (140 pts), Peterborough (133 pts) and Colchester Harriers (111 pts).
LEE VALLEY MINITHON @ Picketts Lock - 2oth Sept. 2009. For the second season running a Braintree & District Athlete took the GOLD medal in the 12-13yr olds Minithon at Lee Valley Sports Centre, Picketts Lock. This is a competition which covers the whole of Southern England for 12-13yr old Boy and Girl athletes, who have to take part in three track or field events or a mixture of both, of their choice. Points are award for their position in these events and tallied up at the end of the day to find the outright winner in their gender groups. In 2008, Sophia Diss had the honour of winning this prestigious event and this years accolade was picked up by Clarice Parrott who was awarded her gold medal by Dwain Chambers after achieving 2 new Indoor Personal bests in winning the Long Jump and coming second in the 60mts Hurdles followed by a final 2nd place in the 600mtrs to take the victory laurels for the 12-13yr old Girls competition. This was a fitting end to Clarice's season which
has seen her pick up the Essex Schools AA Gold Medal for Junior Girls
Long Jump and progress up the Regional and Uk Rankings as a promising
Long Jumper and Hurdler. Colchester Open Medal Meeting and Peterborough City Games - 30 Aug
With the outdoor athletics' season drawing to a close several Braintree & District A.C. members took the advantage of competing at two Medal venues over the Bank Holiday weekend. The nearest meeting was at Colchester, with hosts Colchester & Tendring A.C., putting on their annual end of season Medal competition. Though not up to the usual standard of competition it gives athletes a chance to improve on their Personal bests (Pbs) and possibly win a place medal before the season comes to an end in September. The opportunity for Pbs and placing success was not lost on the small band of BDAC athletes who attend the Colchester meeting. The club has awhole achieved 17 Gold medals, 7 Silver Medals and 7 Bronze medals with 13 new Pbs being established. The following are the medallist plus Pbs on the day: Under 13 Boys: Under 13 Girls: Under 15 Girls Under 17 Girls Senior Women Senior Men Probably the two most outstanding results were from Chloe Cockell who once again broke the club's U15 Girls Hammer Record and an outstanding leap of 6.97mtrs by Mitchell Jarvis to break the club's Under 23 Mens Long Jump record. Mean while at the Peterborough City Games, Clarice Parrott
took the U15 Girls Silver Medal in the Long Jump with fellow club
athlete, 11 year old Ellie Savva achieving two Pbs
in the Long Jump and 100mtrs
East Anglian League @ Braintree Sunday 2nd August. 2009
In very windy conditions which were not suitable for the track athletes to achieve Personal Bests (Pbs) it was surprising that several members of Braintree & District A.C. did create new Pbs over their chosen distances. In the Under 13 Girls Ellie Savva stormed round the bend in the 200mtrs to break her previous best time in this event and then went on to win and equal her Pb in the 'A' string Long Jump with a distance of 4.10mtrs. Jennifer Baldock a vastly improved Long Jumper also won her 'B' string Long Jump with a new Pb leap of 3.96mtrs. Other victorious athletes in this age group were Sophia Diss in the Discus and Ellie Cockell in the Javelin. On the track April Castle and Sophia Diss had good runs in the 70 m Hurdles and Charlotte Reed had her first run in the 100mtrs as a scorer taking 3rd place in a very strong 'B' race. She also achieved a new Pb in the Long Jump as a non-scorer. Overall in this age group the team came 3rd which is a very good result against some very large prestigious clubs. The Under 15 Girls collected valuable points on the track where Kirsty Ronald turned in a good performance in the 200mtrs to establish a new Pb of 30.7s ably helped by second string runner Alanna Ranson. In the 100mtrs race Katie Bright showed she is coming back to form which again was reflected in her consistent jumping in the Long Jump event. Clarice Parrott was unlucky in the 'A' string Long Jump when she was leading up until the last jump and was just beaten by one of the top 3 Long Jumpers in the Eastern Region. In the hurdles, Kirsty Ronald and Clarice Parrott both ran respectable times into a very strong head wind. Chloe Cockell is now establishing herself as an important versatile all rounder with good throws in the Discus and Javelin plus a points gathering jump in the High Jump. Debbie Castle put her right arm to good use in the Discus and Javelin with some near Pb throws. On the track, middle distance runner Selina Caulfield was just short of a new Pb in the 800mtrs. The Senior Ladies gained several victories on the track and field which resulted in them gaining 2nd place in this age group. Notable winners were:
Emily Abbott - 100mtrs 'A', These were ably supported by Hannah Castle ( 3rd in 'B' Long Jump), Katie McCormick ( 2nd in 200mtrs 'B') and Mitchell Caulfield in the 800mtrs (4th) and 1500mtrs (3rd), Vicky Brockbank 400mtrs'B' (4th) and Lauren Blair 400mtrs 'A' (4th). Though there were no victories or new Pbs created in the Under 13 Boys section everyone worked extremely hard to accumulate valuable points for the club. Athletes competing in this group were- Cullum Remmington, George Hewitt, Jacob Parrott, Jordan Caulfield and Samuel Wilson. The Under 15 Boys with only three competitors gathered 4 Pbs between them - Felix Cousins gained 3 Pbs in Long Jump, Triple Jump and 100mtrs while the ever improving Andrew Gallagher lowered his Pb time in the 100mtrs 'A' race. Lewis Birks a 800mt runner was the third member and ran a respectable time over the two lap event. Richard Pollitt ran a new Pb time in the Under 17 Mens 200mts and then won the 800mtrs in a near new Pb time of 2m 02.0s. Marcus Ang is now establishing himself as a regular member of this squad with some fine runs in the 100mtrs and 200mtrs races together with the Long Jump. First year U17 Daniel Baldock continued to get good results which came in the 400mtrs and Discus to give the club enough points to take 4th place in this group. The club's strongest scoring group the Senior Men took 2nd place with some fine results from:
MItchel Jarvis - 1st in the 200mtrs 'A' and Long Jump, Southern Mens League @ Hillingdon
With a rather depleted team Braintree & District A.C. managed to secure third place in this last SML fixture of the season. Several younger club members were drafted into the team and their efforts were greatly appreciated by their much older team colleagues. Notable achievements by these youngsters were Personal Bests(Pbs) for Daniel Raven in the High Jump, Javelin and 800mtrs while fellow U17 club athlete Daniel Baldock improved his Pb in the Long Jump. Another in form U17 was Richard Pollitt who ran a good 800mtrs and showed his talents in the High Jump with a height of 1.40mtrs. In the field events, the Green brothers, Leighton and Bradley, amassed points in the Hammer, Shot, Discus, Pole Vault, Triple Jump and then turned their talents to the 100mtrs Hurdles where Leighton took the laurels in the 'A' race and Bradley was runner-up in the 'B'.
Mitchel Jarvis continued to dominate the Long Jump with a
leap of 6.61mtrs adding another victory in the 200mtrs with a respectable time
of 23.1s. Martin Pitts took the first spot in the 400mtrs with
the short sprints being left to Daniel Ranson and Damien
Hartshorne to pick up valuable points. Daniel Ranson
then went on to compete in the 1500mtrs and 500mtrs ably supported by Damien
Hartshorne in the 500mtrs
National Junior Athletes League (NJAL) @ Mayesbrook TEAM COBRA
Three of Braintree & District A.C. athletes competed for the combined Colchester teams and Braintree & District A.C. (COBRA) at the last NJAL meeting at Mayesbrook, Barking on Sunday 26th July. This meeting gives the older(U20) elite club athletes a chance to increase their experience against some of the best athletes in this region of the UK. Evie Castle had some excellent performances in the three throwing disciplines, Shot, Javelin and Discus, just falling short of her Personal Bests in all three events. Richard Pollitt once again proved his ability to in the 800mtrs when he took 2nd place in a time of 2m 3.3s against a very strong field in blustery, windy conditions.
This meeting was also an opportunity for Aleasha Kiddle to
gauge how her fitness levels had been effected by a recent hamstring injury.
In her opening event, the Long Jump, she was able to get three good jumps in
to take 1st place with a respectable 5.33mtr jump then went on to run the 100mtrs
after which she retired from further competition due to a tightening of the
injured muscles
Southern Womens League @ Chelmsford on Saturday 26th July 2009
With the foundation of the Women's Braintree & District A.C. team based on a strong Under 15 age group the club took 2nd place overall in this closely fought Southern Womens League match at Chelmsford. In the Under 15 age group there were no fewer than 11 individual victories and 2 new Personal Bests (Pbs) created. Individual victors were :
Clarice Parrott - 75 mtrs Hurdles 'A' , Long Jump 'A' Two Personal Bests were achieved by Under 13 Ellie Cockell in the 1500mtrs 'A' and Katie Bright in the 200mtrs 'A' race. The Under 17 Women were not to be out done with Emily Abbott establishing two new Pbs in the short sprints with a 100mtrs time of 13.3s and a new 200mtrs time of 27.5s. Evie Castle took 1st place in the U17 Womens 80mtr Hurdles and then performed well in the Shot and Javelin. The Senior Ladies produced a 1500mtr victory when Chloe Beckett came home in a time of 5m 21.7s. Lisa Potter took the 100mtrs Hurdles laurels while Lana Bond and Vicky Brockbank accumulated in the jumps and throwing events.
Praise must go to the whole team for their efforts, although their numbers were depleted members due to holiday and other personal commitments.
East Anglian League - Braintree & District A.C @ Great Yarmouth
With several established club athletes missing, due to holidays and other commitments, a very small team of BDAC athletes travelled up to Great Yarmouth to compete in an East Anglia League. Although, lacking in numbers and experienced competition athletes, Braintree & District athletes took equal second place overall after a day of varied weather conditions. This was an excellent result for such a small band of club athletes against some more recognised prestigious Eastern Region clubs. This type of meeting also gives clubs the opportunity of 'blooding' young athletes in a competitive scenario. In the Under 13 Girls age group April Castle and Emilia Rolewicz both had Personal Best results in the 100mtrs after gaining valuable points in the 'A' and 'B' Long Jump. In the throwing events Sophia Diss won the 'A' section Discus and Ellie Cockell took the laurels in the Shot 'A'. Sophia continued her success on the track taking 2nd place in the 1500mtrs while Ellie remained in the field to take 2nd place in the Javelin. These results were good enough to give the U13 Girls team second place at the end of the day. To take third place in the Under 15 Girls competition, with only 4 athletes covering as many events they could, was a great result for these athletes. Clarice Parrot ran well in the 75mtrs Hurdles, 800mtrs and Long Jump, Chloe Leach continued with her consistent running in the short sprints and throwing in the Shot Putt. Debbie Castle proved her worth with three fine results in the 75m Hurdles, Shot and Discus while debutante Alanna Ransom had a respectable run in the 100mtrs. The Senior Women team of 5 members, Emily Abbott, Lisa Potter, Evie Castle , Lucina Rolewicz and Vicky Brockbank, took second place. The only Pb being established in the 200mts by Lucina Rolewicz but seasons best were gained by much improved Lisa Potter in the 100mtrs and 100mtrs Hurdles. Evie Castle equalled her Pb in the 80m Hurdles while Emily Abbott came close to new Pbs in the 100 and 200mtrs sprints. The Under 13 Boys struggled somewhat with only 2 competitors but managed to spread their efforts over several events to take 4th place in their age group. Jacob Parrott established a new Pb in the 800mtrs, came 1st in the Long Jump and had a good throw in the Shot Putt. He was ably supported by Charlie Giles who competed in the 200mtrs, Long Jump and Javelin gaining valuable experience in only his second competitive competition. Ryan Dawson was a one man team at Under 15 Boy level, establishing a Pb in the 100mtrs, winning the 400mtrs in a new Pb time then taking first place in the 200mtrs. This much improved athlete is now establishing himself on the current Under 15 UK Rankings lists. A team of only 3 members in the Under 17 age, saw them take 3rd place overall. New boy Marcus Ang , came third in the Long Jump and 2nd in the 100mtrs 'A' and 200mtrs 'B'. Jack Pitts came 2nd in the 'B' 100mtrs and third in the 800mtrs 'A' in a new Pb time. Richard Pollit took the honours in the 800mtrs and ran a good 200mtrs to take 3rd place. Braintree's only victorious team was in the Men's section where Mitchell Jarvis and Martin Pitts dominated the short sprints with Martin taking the 100mtrs 'A' and 200mtrs 'B' and Mitchell Jarvis gaining 1st place in the 200mtrs then turned his talents to the Long Jump to record another victory in this event. Veterans Simon Mennell and Kevin Cockell amassed points by Kevin winning the 400mtrs and 800mtrs 'B' strings and Simon gaining first place in the 800mtrs 'A' and second in the 400mtrs 'A'. The greatest gatherer of points in this section was Richard Nott who performed well in the 100mts 'B', Long Jump 'b', Shot Putt 'A', Discus 'A' and Hammer 'A'.
Within the competition there were also races and field events for Under 11
competitors. These events are put on as non-scoring for young athletes, so that
they may gain valuable experience before they can compete as recognised Under
13 year olds. Braintree & District A.C. had two young girl members, twin sisters
Kelsey and Karys Paton who performed remarkably
well in their first outing for the club in the 80mtrs sprint, 600mtrs and Long
Jump. In the U11 boys section, BDAC also had Connor Culham
who had some great results in the sprints and middle distance races plus a fine
effort in the Long Jump.
Essex AA Relay Competition 14th July 2009 @ Braintree
Braintree & District A.C. played hosts to the Essex AA Relay Competition on Tuesday 14th July. This was a reinstatement of the competitions for all types of relay races from 4 x100mtrs, 3 x 800mtrs to medley relays of 2 x 200mtrs x 1 x 400mtrs x 1 x 800mtrs. It proved to be a highly popular night for all competing Essex Clubs. Braintree & District AC athletes gained three medals on the night, starting with the Under 13 Boys 4 x 100mtrs team of George Hewitt, Jacob Parrott, Bernard Mayo and Callum Remmington taking the Bronze Medal. Another Bronze medal was won by the U15 Boys 4 x 100mtrs team consisting of James Woolcott, Felix Cousins, Ryan Dawson and Andrew Gallagher who were just eased out of Silver in a very close finish on the line in a time of 48.6s. The U17 girls now stepped up to take Silver in the 3 x 800mtrs with a good run by all the members of the team, Kara Hannan, Yasmin Cox and Chloe Beckett.
In all the other relays BDAC performed well just missing out on a medal place in the Under 13 and Under 15 Girls. Both teams in this age group had members who will still be eligible to compete in the same age group next year.
Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL) @ Braintree Sunday 12.07.09
Once again there was a plethora of Personal Bests (Pbs) in all age groups for the young athletes of Braintree & District A.C. in the Eastern Young Athletes League match at Braintree. In the Under 13 age group the Girls managed to accumulate 7 new Pbs with Ellie Savva and Jennifer Baldock taking the honours with two a piece. Ellie improved her Long Jump and Shot while Jennifer showed her prowess on the track in the 800mtrs and then added a shot Pb to her tally. Another thrower, Ellie Cockel, increased her Pb in the Discus. On the track the hurdlers shone with new Pb established in the 70mtrs Hurdles by Sophia Diss and April Castle. Melanie Deer had a good run in the 100mtrs and 200mtrs sprints as did Emilia Rolewicz, Ellie Savva and Ellie Cockel. The Under 13 Boys with many new members competing did extremely well with debutante Connor Culham running a good 200mtrs and 800mtrs ably supported by Liam Eveleigh in the 800mtrs who also jumped well in the Long Jump competition. Jacob Parrott amassed valuable points in the Long Jump and Shot. Three Pbs were achieved on the day by George Hewitt, Alex Eveleigh in the Long Jump and James Murphy in the Discus. Bernard Mayo showed his versatility on the track with two fine runs in the 100mtrs and 1500mtrs. Jordan Caulfield showed his consistancy in the Long Jump with some fine distances getting closer to his Pb.Andrew Ronald was unlucky in just being a few centimetres short of his Long Jump Pb. Under 15 Girls Hurdlers Kirsty Ronald and Clarice Parrott had excellent results over the 75m barriers, a race which also brought out the best in Debbie Castle who gained a Pb in this event. Debbie was on good form as she also beat her old Pb in the Discus. Gemma Wright looked much faster on the runway in the Long Jump and recorded a new Pb jump for her effort. In the short sprints Chloe Leach and Katie Bright had a good day with Gemma Wright and Clarice Parrott having their first outings in the sprint endurance 300mtrs race. In the middle distance races Selina Caulfield and Daisy Solomon put up some good performances to gain valuable points for the team. The Under 15 boys really excelled themselves with some excellent results in the short sprints by Andy Gallagher, Joe Carlyle, Ryan Dawson and Ewan Bishop. Adam Wright gathered worthy points in the 800mtrs,Discus and Javelin. The only Pb of the day in this age group went to Felix Cousins who improved his distance in the Long Jump. The highlight of the day for this gender age groups was the 4 x 100mtrs Relay where James Woolcott, Joe Carlyle, Ryan Dawson and Andy Gallagher who stormed round the track to take 1st place in their first effort as a team. The Under 17 Girls continued in the Pb vein, gaining a total of 6 Pbs. Evie Castle was once again on form in the throws with Pbs gained in the Shot and Javelin while team mate, Louise Deer, performed a Pb in the Long Jump and 200mtrs.Katie McCormick lowered her Pb in the 200mtrs after a respectable 100mtrs race in which she was ably supported by fellow sprinter Lucina Rolewicz. Lucina had a good afternoon in the Long Jump with some good consistent jumping around her Pb range but saved her Pb in the Discus to the latter part of the day.. Chloe Beckett continues with her improving runs over the 1500mtrs and once again broke her Pb in the distance. Hannah Castle threw well in the Discus and shot.
In the Under 17 Men Daniel Baldock was the clubs only competing
athlete but he did a great job in accumulating points and a new Pb in the Discus
after running a good 400mtrs and throwing the Javelin.
Senior Mens League Match @ Braintree & District AC
With several of the younger members unable to attend this Senior Mens League meeting in Braintree, the host club had to rely on the more mature and veteran members to amass enough points to take third place in this League match. At this level of competition Personal Bests(Pbs) are not a common commodity but for in form Mitchell Jarvis the expectations of increasing his Pb in the 200mtrs were rewarded when he recorded a new time of 22.6s to take 2nd place in the furlong. The Green brothers, Leighton and Bradley were on song in the throwing events taking 2nd place in the Shot, Discus and Hammer A and B string respectively. Other throwers to recorded points were James Nelson in the 'A' Javelin and Daniel Baldock in the 'B' Javelin. Daniel,only 15 years old, had a brilliant day with an encouraging personal best run in the individual 400mtrs then as a member of the victorious 4 x 400 mtrs relay team against much older and more experienced runners. In the jumping events, veteran Barry Everton, in the 'B' string High Jump soared over the bar to bolster the score with Jim Turner gaining extra points in the 'A' string High Jump. In the Long Jump, Mitchell Jarvis to the victors laurels with Steve Smith gaining 2nd place in the 'B' section of the Long Jump. On the track, Martin Pitts recorded to victories in the 100mtrs and 400mtrs and Damien Hartshorne who is getting ever nearer dipping below 2mins recorded a 800mtrs time of 2m 04.5s to take 1st place. Dan Corr looked comfortable over the 'B' string 800mtrs then ran a good 5000mtrs to take 2nd place in this endurance race. Another endurance athlete, Simon Mennell, gained 2nd place in the 'B' string 5000mtrs. Mark Fibbens and Joe McEwan took to the track, competing in a distance of 1500mtrs which must have felt like a sprint to these two very good road running long distance athletes. The final race before the relays was the 3000m steeplechase, a real killer, but Ross Mclaren and J.Orrs completed the course to gain those vital points to the take 3rd place overall.
Both relays 4 x 100mtrs and 4 x 400mtrs, were won by Braintree & District A.C.
which was a good note to end on with such a depleted team
Eastern AA Championships @ Cambridge
Eight athletes from the Braintree & District A.C. had very fruitful and fulfilling results in the Track & Field Eastern AA Championships at Cambridge on Sunday 5th July. Seven Medals, 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze, were won on the day, together with 7 Personal Best (Pbs) being achieved. The Day started well for the Ladies with Lisa Potter taking the Silver in the U20 Women's Long Jump then a Bronze in the 100mtrs Hurdles. Under 13 Shot Putter, Melanie Deer, exceeded her Pb with a putt of 6.94mtrs to take the Silver Medal., while under 13 Boy, James Murphy increased his Long Jump Pb to 4.31mtrs, just missing out on the medals in 4th place but secured a Bronze medal in the 75mtrs Hurdles in a new Pb time of 13.83s. The Pbs just kept coming with Under 17, Emily Abbott, lowering her 100mtr time to 13.36s and her 200mtrs to 27.76 in the Final race. In the same 200mtrs race Katie McCormick ran a good furlong be just 5/100ths of a second outside her personal best. Under 15 Clarice Parrott created another Pb in the 75m Hurdles in a time of 13.06s. In the Under 17 Womens Triple Jump Louise Deer just missed out on the medals. The Golden lining of the day was brought about on the Track and Field by two Senior Men Athletes , Mitchell Jarvis and Martin Pitts. Mitchell proved to be the most success BDAC athlete with an exceptional Pb of 6.84cms in the Long Jump to take the Gold medal and an equally good run in the 200mtrs to take the coveted Silver Medal. These were two well deserved awards for a very dedicated athlete.
Martin Pitts, returning to the track for BDAC, during his
vacation from Wolverhampton University, took the Gold medal in the 400mtrs with
a Seasons Best of 50.91s.
Eastern Young Athletics League @ Basildon Sunday 28th June 2009
On a day suited to ice cream and long ice cool drinks, a somewhat depleted Braintree & District A.C. boys team had to rely on a strong team of girls and young ladies to raise their game to achieve a respectable final overall points tally. The girls mustered several Personal Best (Pbs) results over the three age groups competing. In the Under 13 Girls division April Castle had a good day with Pbs in the 70mtrs Hurdles and 200mtrs. Ellie Savva had a brace of Pbs one in the Long Jump and the other in the Discus. Another Long Jumper, Emilia Rolewicz, is now mastering the technique of jumping, resulting in Pbs being produced at every meeting she competes in. Ellie Cockell continued her recent success in the Shot with a new Pb and her team mate Jennifer Baldock also added another Shot Pb to her growing Pb collection. Sophia Diss, who recently had twice broken the U13 Club Discus returned to the track to record a new Pb in the 800mtrs and then had a good run in the 75mtrs Hurdles to equal her Pb. These meetings also give clubs an opportunity to encourage younger athletes to compete with many non-scoring competitions. Two U11 girls, Freya Woolcott and Ella Woodmore, had a good outing in their first ever EYAL meeting gaining experience in 100mtrs and Long Jump. Braintree's very strong Under 15 Girls age group continued to add precious points to the club's tally with Pbs being equalled or achieved by Clarice Parrott (=Pb) in the 75mtrs Hurdles, Chloe Leach continues to improve her Pb in the 200mts with a time of 30.2s, Chloe Cockell equalled her Pb in the High Jump and Gemma Wright launched the Javelin out to a new Pb. These girls were ably supported by their fellow U15s club athletes namely- Kirsty Ronald ( 75mtrs Hurdles - 100mtrs - Long Jump), Debbie Castle ( 75mtrs Hurdles - Shot - Discus) and Katie Bright ( 100mtrs - Long Jump - Discus). Victories in the U17 Girls were gained by Louise Deer in the Triple jump, Evie Castle took the laurels in the Shot while Emily Abbott equalled her Pb in the 100mtrs and Hannah Castle threw the Discus out to a new Pb distance of 15.64mtrs. Lucina Rolewicz, who has been absent from competing in the Long Jump, due to a slight injury, returned with an excellent series of jumps just below her personal best. Though, thin on the ground the boys and men who did compete for the club on the day had some excellent individual results. In the Under 13 age group George Hewitt and Jacob Parrott were just short of their Pbs in the Long Jump but Andrew Ronald exceeded his Pb in this event and then went on to record two other Pbs in the Shot and Discus. James Woolcott, though tired from a hectic week of school athletics, competed well in the U15 Long Jump but then went on to record a new Pb in the 100mtrs in a time of 12.1s.Joe Carlyle was yet another sprinter who succeeded in beating his Pb over the short sprint with a 100mtrs time of 13.3s. A new Pb was just reward for an ever determined Long Jumper Adam Wright who is quickly learning the art of how to jump.
The best results of the day came from U17 athlete, Richard Pollitt.
Richard ran a well judged 800mtrs race to take first place
in a new Pb time of 2m 01.6s then doubled his victory tally by winning the 400mtrs
in a respectable time of 53.4s. Daniel Baldock completed the
U17men's team and had two fine results in the 400mtrs, Long Jump and Discus.
Southern Women's League Match @ Braintree 27th June 2009
On a hot, energy sapping day the Ladies of Braintree & District A.C. excelled themselves in this Southern Women's League Match on their home track. Throughout the whole proceedings Braintree's ladies had fought a hard battle with Loughton, the eventual winners, with a total of 280points, closely followed by Braintree with 271 points. In a three tier age group competition, Under 15, U17, Senior Ladies, the home team completely dominated the U15 age groups gaining 10 individual victories plus a 4x 100 relay victory. On the track, Katie Bright took the honours in the 100mtrs 'B' race after Kirsty Ronald had taken 3rd place in the 'A'. Katie then tried her hand at the Discus and took 3rd place, gaining valuable points for the club. Daisy Solomon then took full points in the 'B' 200mtrs with Chloe Leach taking 3rd spot in her 'A' 200mtrs race. Daisy Solomon added another winning place to her total with a High Jump height of 1.25mtrs. Returning to the track, Kirsty Ronald went on to take the 'B' 75mtrs Hurdles race with the 'A' race being won by Clarice Parrott who went on to win the 200mtrs Non-Scorers race in a new Pb time of 29.15s Clarice then turned her skills to the field where she won the Long Jump 'A' with team mate Kirsty Ronald taking the 'B' string Long Jump laurels. In the throws events the U15 Girls showed their strengths with victories in the Shot Putt 'A' by Chloe Leach with a Pb putt of 7.48mtrs and Debbie Castle taking the 'B' string Shot Putt with a Pb throw of 6.95mtrs. Debbie didn't finish there, she improved her Pb in the Discus 'A' to take 2nd place after running a gruelling debut race in the 800mtrs. Under 13's Melanie Deer and April Castle, drafted into the higher age group did extremely well with Melanie gaining 4th place in the 1500mtrs 'A' before taking first place in the 'A' Javelin section.April ran a good 800mtrs race to add to the total points and Selina Caulfield ran well in the 1500mtrs to boost the final tally. With only two events covered in the U17 section, Evie Castle took the number one spot in the 80mtrs Hurdles and Louise Deer took 2nd place in the 300mtrs Hurdles. Evie continued to gain points in the Senior Shot taking 2nd place and 3rd place in the Javelin, with Louise also gaining 2nd place in the Senior Triple Jump. In the short sprints Emily Abbott once again came close to her Pbs in the 'A' 100mtrs and 200mtrs . Katie McCormick was successful in breaking her 200mtrs Pb after taking 2nd place in the 'B' 100mtrs with another Pb time. Coming back to form, Lisa Potter, ran a good 'B' 100mtrs Hurdles then took second in the Long Jump before gaining a Pb in the non-scoring 100mtrs. Returning to her home club, Lucy Unwin, showed she had not lost her competitive edge gaining a fine victory in the 100mtrs 'A' Hurdles. Hannah Castle was the next athlete to step up to the plate with a great run in the 400mtrs 'B race to take 2nd place, gaining the equivalent in the Senior 'B' Long Jump. Hannah's final event, the Discus, brought much needed points to the teams total. Older sister, Melisa Castle, took 3rd place in the Senior 'B' Hammer and 5th place in the 'B' Discus. In the middle distance endurance races a fine double victory was achieved by Michele Caulfield in the 1500mtrs 'A' Race and 3000mtrs 'B' Race leaving young Chloe Beckett to claim the victors honours in the 'A' string 3000mtrs. Yasmin Cox, a fine cross country and road runner, making her track debut for the club complete a fine double run in the 800mtrs and 1500mtrs.
Club Women's Captain, Vicky Brockbank, showed her versatility
gathering points in the Senior 400mtrs, 800mtrs (Pb), Shot Putt and Hammer.
East Anglian League - Colchester - 21st June 2009
Braintree & District A.C. athletes excelled themselves in this East Anglian League at Colchester, taking 4th place overall. The Under 15 Girls taking 1st place , the Under 13 taking 2nd place and the Ladies taking 4th in their respective age groups while all the boys and men groups took 4th place. This is an encouraging sign that BDAC are now beginning to be recognised as one of the most progressive grassroots athletic club in the Eastern Region. This is totally due to the hard work that all the volunteer coaches, administrative and management officials put in together with the talented prowess of the athletes living in the Braintree area. This talent is most evident by the number of new Personal Bests (Pbs) that are achieved at these meetings. With only half the season gone, the BDAC athletes still continue to improve on their own times and distances in the Field and Track events. It has become especially noticeable in the Throwing events where once again for the send time in a week Sophia Diss broke her own Club Record in the U13 Girls Discus with a distance of 22.31mtrs. For such a petite young girl this is an extraordinary achievement together with the fact that she has become quite an outstanding middle distance runner in her age group. Other throws Pbs were established in the Girls U13 age group by Melanie Deer and Ellie Cockell in the Shot, Danielle Holloway in the Javelin with Ellie Cockell once again adding a new Javelin Pb to her Shot.In the Women's U17 age group Melisa Castle improved her Pb in the Shot with her younger sister Hannah gaining 1st place as a non-scorer in the Javelin with a Pb throw. The Boys not to be out done, created Pbs in the U13 Boys Shot with Andrew Ronald proving his worth before creating another Pb in the Long Jump.,James Murphy came away with two new Pbs in the Discus, Javelin after running a Pb in the 1500mtrs . Adam Wright in the Under 15 Boys launched the javelin out to a new Pb and was just short of a new Pb in the Long Jump.Ewan Bishop in his first competition created a good base throw of 21.30mtrs. U17 Dan Raven picked up a brace of Pbs in the Discus and Javelin. These results are a great credit to all the qualified volunteer throw coaches in the Club, who spend countless hours tutoring these talented young athletes in the techniques of the different throws disciplines. Other Field and Track event Pbs were created by:
U13 Girls
U15 Girls
U17/ Women
U13 Boys
U15 Boys
U17/ Men This meeting is also designed to encourage the new younger members of clubs to compete as non-scorers so that they can experience what it is like to compete for the very first time. These events are based around the Under 11s age group and there were several good results from the following BDAC young athletes:
U11 Girls
U11 Boys National Junior Athletic League (NJAL) Match at Braintree on Sunday 14th June
Click here for External review Braintree & District A.C. hosted their first National Junior Athletics League on Sunday 14th June. This turned out to be a most successful day for the BDAC organisers and volunteers who helped the match to run smoothly and brought about many promising comments which could lead to further venues being held at Braintree. This league was founded in 1989 and was established as a League in which elite Under 17 and U20 athletes could compete against each other in a composite or club team. Several members of Braintree & District A.C. competed for Team Cobra notably- Evie Castle who established two new Pbs in the Womens Discus and Shot, while much improved Lisa Potter gained a Pb in the Discus 'B' match. On the track Tim Wormull completed a double in the 100mts (12.6s) and 200mtrs (25.1s) while Richard Pollit returning to good form ran a good 800mtrs in a time of 2m 02.6s. Young Daniel Raven still only an U17 performed well in his first outing for Team Cobra with a Javelin throw of 29.03mtrs. Another U17, Emily Abbott, fresh from her bronze medal win in the Essex Schools ran a good 100mtrs in 13.6s. Team colleague U17, Katie McCormick, also a debutante Team Cobra athlete ran a good 200mtrs in 29.4s. Louise Deer, Bronze medallist in the Essex Schools Intermediate Triple Jump had a respectable jump of 10.00mtrs in the Triple Jump after running a gruelling 400mtrs Hurdles race.
At the end of the meeting, Braintree & District A.C. Head Coach, Eddie Hawkins presented the Man and Woman of the Match awards to their respective winners. The match was won by The Saxons with the Woman of the Match award going to U17 Chelsea Coker (Saxons) who won or three throws disciplines and Man of the Match going to U17 Sam Bailey(Saxons) who completed his day with a Junior European Qualifying Height of 2.15mtrs in the High Jump.
Essex County Schools Championships @ Chelmsford Sat. 13th June 2009
Without any club competitions on Saturday 13th June, several members of Braintree & District A.C. competed in the Essex County Schools Championships at Chelmsford as members of their respective districts in the County. The majority of the athletes were competing for NW Essex with a few also representing the Mid-Essex district. The day started well, with one of the first field events, Intermediate Girls Triple Jump producing a Bronze Medal for Louise Deer with a three phase jump of 10.08mtrs. A fine Personal Best(Pb) throw of 20.55mtrs by Chloe Cockell saw her just miss out on reaching the Javelin Final for the Junior girls. This was especially rewarding as Chloe has another year in this age group, which hopefully, will bring about an improvement that could result in a medal position next year. On the track Ryan Dawson ran a Pb of 12.84s in the Junior Boys 100mtrs , just missing out in the qualification for the Final. While Emily Abbott proved her worth in the Intermediate Girls 100mtrs to take the Bronze medal in her first year as an Intermediate Girl. This result should now give her the confidence and belief that she could eventually represent her County at this level of competition. Katie Bright looked back to her old self in the Junior Girls 100mtrs recording a time of 14.41s to take third place in the heats but unfortunately just missed out as a qualifier for the Final. Likewise, Katie McCormick in the 300mtrs,,Kirsty Ronald in the 75mtrs Hurdles, Melanie Deer in the Year 7 100mtrs, Daisy Solomon in the Junior Girls 800mtrs and Emily Bulleid representing Mid-Essex in the 1500mtrs Junior Girls all had good runs but were unable to reach their respective finals. Chloe Leach again improved her 200mtrs time with a run of 30.41s in the Junior Girls section. In the Field events, Josh Alyward, returned to old competitive form with a leap of 1.63mtrs in the JUnior Boys High Jump. This equalled his Pb but he was unable to get into a medal spot in the Final. Connor Mennell had a regrettable day in the Intermediate Boys Long Jump when he had to withdraw with a hamstring problem after only two jumps.
The star Braintree & District Athlete of the day was young Clarice
Parrott, who in her first year as an Intermediate Girl, jumped a Pb
of 4.83mtrs to take the Gold medal. This was extra special as she had become
the Essex Schools Junior Long Jump last season and can now add the Intermediate
title to her claim to fame this season.
Eastern Young Athletics League (EYAL) @ Braintree 07.06.09
Hosting this EYAL with the majority of the major clubs in the Eastern region competing, Braintree & Distrct A.C. did remarkable well against very strong opposition. Once again it was the Girls and Womens section that had some very rewarding results with many athletes gaining Personal Bests and respectable placings in their events. It was noticeable in the throwing events that Braintree's girls were most successful. In the Under 13 Girls Ellie Cockell was victorious in the 'B' string Shot and Discus with two new Pbs of 5.73mtrs in the shot and 14.65m trs in the Discus. On the track, Ellie ventured into the 200mtrs sprintto record a time of 37.1s at her first ever attempt. In the 'A' stream Melanie Deer extended her Pb Shot distance to 6.13mtrs and Discus to 15.30mtrs.Later she ran a 800mtrs to take 2nd place in the 'B' race. In the non-scoring Discus Sophia Diss won this competition with a new Pb of 21.10mtrs while April Castle increased her Pb distance to 12.56mtrs just after equalling her Pb in the 70m hurdles. Sophia continued her success in the 1500mtrs when she took 3rd place against some very good opposition. Emilia Rolewicz as a non-scorer achieved two Pbs. In the Long Jump she lept to a distance of 3.14mtrs then ran a 100mtrs in 17.7s. She is now gaining more confidence in both these disciplines and should improve both Pbs considerably over the next few months. Jennifer Baldock once again showed her true potential in the 800mtrs with aPb time of 2m 46.7s to take 3rd place overall. Earlier in the day Jennifer had gained 4th place in the Long Jump and 5th place in the 200mtrs. Ellie Savva ran her first 800mtrs of the season in a respectable time of 3m 10.7s, which appeared to take the power out of her legs for the 100mtrs and Long Jump, even though she perform well in both these events. In the Under 15 age group there were 4 new Pbs - Clarice Parrott in the 100mtrs, Chloe Leach in the 200mtrs, Daisy Solomon in the 800mtrs and Chloe Cockell in the 800mtrs. In the 'B' 100mtrs, Discus and Long Jump Katie Bright showed she is returning to her old form while Kirsty Ronald and Chloe Leach continue to run close to their Pbs in the 100mtrs for non-scorers. Daisy Solomon equalled her Pb in the High Jump then went on to launch the javelin out to 18.34mtrs in the 'A' stream event. Chloe Cockell won the 'B' class Javelin and as a non-scorer took first place in Discus . Gemma Wright equalled her Pb in the High Jump then ran a good bend to come third in the non-scorers 200mtrs. Debbie Castle came close to a Pb in the Shot, 75 mtrs Hurdles and Discus while gaining valuable points for 3rd, 4th and 5th place in each of these events. Clarice Parrott continued her consistance in the Long Jump with a leap of 4.65mtrs just below her Pb. In the Under 17 Ladies events Emily Abbott took 2nd place in the 200mtrs and 3rd place in the 100mtrs. Her second string partner, Katie McCormick, gained first place in both 100mtrs and 200mtrs with some fine sprinting. Louise Deer took 2nd place in the Triple Jump with an extended Pb jump of 10.17mtrs. This Pb was achieved after running an excellent 300mtrs in a time of 49.4s and 2nd place in the 'B' string 80mtrs Hurdles. Chloe Beckett was another Pb candidate with a second place in the 1500mtrs in a new time of 5m 24.9s. The Castle sisters, Evie and Hannah, amassed even more valuable points with Evie taking 3rd place in the 'A' string 80mtrs Hurdles, Shot and 2nd place in the Javelin in a new Pb distance of 30.98mtrs. Hannah Castle increased the club's points tally with good results in the 'B' string Shot, Javelin and 'A' group Discus. The actual number of boys competing was somewhat reduced to other commitments on the day but those that did compete created several new Pbs and the experience of competing for the first time. In the Under 13 Boys age group Bernard Mayo created two new Pbs - 100mtrs ( 15.5s) and 1500mtrs (5m 35.4s). One other Pb was achieved by Andrew Ronald who increased his distance in the Discus. James Wadworth had a busy afternoon making his debut in the 100mtrs, 200mtrs and Long Jump while another debutante was G. Hewwitt who came third in his 75m Hurdles race in a time of 15.9s. Callum Remmington had an eventful day competing over a variety of events from 200mtrs, 800mtrs to Long Jump gaining much needed points. There was only one BDAC memeber competing in the U15 age group, Ryan Dawson, who achieved a new Pb in the 200mtrs and finished 4th in the 100mtrs. The Under 17 Mens division saw Danny Raven performing well in the 1500mtrs and Javelin. In the 'B' 1500mtrs S. Johnson created a new Pb while Daniel Baldock increased his Pb in the Discus to 19.65mtrs. Daniel then turned his talents to the track to run a respctable 400mtrs. Richard Pollitt, gradually getting back to full fitness had a good run out in the 800mtrs race. Connor Mennell, another athlete returning from a hamstring injury, jumped well in his Long Jump competition to win the competition with a distance of 5.62mtrs. Jack Pitts though himself into the sprints with good performances in the 100mtrs, 200mtrs and 400mtrs.
After only two EYAL meetings, Braintree & District A.C., are lying in 17th position out of 25 Clubs in the Eastern Region, which is an improvement on the placing this time last year.
Southern Men's League @ Ware 06.06.09
The Southern Men's League match at Ware was a closely contested competition which saw Braintree & District A.C.'s team finish third with 89 points behind Runners Up Herts Phoenix and eventual winners Bedford. On the day the BDAC team did extremely well against very strong opposition from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire . Mitchell Jarvis grabbed the limelight, winning the 'A' string Long Jump with a leap of 6.42mtrs then doubled up in the short sprints with victories in the 200mtrs 'A' in a time of 23.1s and a time of 11.4s in the 'B' 100mtrs, then added a 3rd place in the Triple Jump in his point gathering exercise. This vastly improved senior athletes is now gradually getting deserved recognition on the UK ranking list, for all the hard work he is putting into his training. Leighton Green and his brother Bradley Green gathered a multitude of points with Leighton gaining victories in the 110mtrs Hurdles 'A', Hammer 'A' and Long Jump 'B' following this up with good jumps in the High Jump (4th place) and Pole Vault ( 3rd place) and producing a strong arm in the throws gaining 3rd place in the Javelin, Shot and Discus. He was ably supported by his younger brother Bradley who took 2nd place in the 'B' High Jump, Shot and Discus following this up with a Third place in the Triple Jump, Javelin and finally 4th place in the Hammer. Martin Pitts made a favourable return to the Club away from his University studies at Wolverhampton, taking 2nd place in the 400mtrs in a time of 53.2s following a 2nd place in the 100mtrs in a time of 11.5s Damion Hartshorne recovering from a recent viral complaint ran well in the 200mtrs 'B' race to take 2nd place. This athlete is gradually gaining his strength by doing speed work over the shorter distances so that he can return fully fit to his forte of middle distance running. This point was proven when he took 2nd place in the 800mtrs in a respectable time of 2m 04.6s. Two other middle distance runners, Richard Pollitt and Mark Fribbens took 3rd place and 4th place in their respective 'A' and 'B' 1500mtr races. Later, Mark Fribbens went on to take part in the 5000mtrs where he returned a time of 21m 19.5s to take 3rd place. In the 400mtrs 'B' Richard Follitt added points to the teams score with a fine run to take 2nd place in a time of 53.8s. Ever energetic Richard Nott then boosted the points with a good run in the 800mtrs 'B' race and 400mtrs Hurdles 'B' before gaining experience as a non-scorer in the Long Jump and Discus. Neil Speed made his debut for the club as a non-scorer in the 110mtrs Hurdles. The veterans then came into play with their own contribution- Danny Perkins took 2nd in the 'B' 110mtrs Hurdles, 4th in the 400mtrs Hurdles while Simon Mennell had a good run over the 5000mtrs to take 3rd place. In the relays the 'A' string took 1st place in the 4 x 100mtrs and 2nd place in the 4 x 400mtrs. A team made up of 3 veterans, Danny Perkins, Robin Pitts, Graham Jarvis plus Richard Nott ran a 63.1s 4 x 100mtrs and with the replacement of Robin Pitts with Simon Mennell ran a 4m 54.3s 4x 400mtrs.
Once again BDAC's men proved they can still perform with these much larger clubs and with some younger members input they could once again start to climb the League tables.
Southern Womens League Match at Haringey Sat. 30th May
On a glorious weekend the Ladies team from Braintree & District A.C. were placed 2nd in their Southern Womens League match at Haringey, with a total number of 237 points against strong opposition from Eton Manor (210 points), Huntingdon (172 points), Biggleswade ( 151 points) , Harlow (123 points) and the eventual winners Loughton (258 points.) In the Under 15 age Group there were no fewer than 12 Personal Best (Pbs) with special praise going to Chloe Leach who created new Pbs in the 100mtrs, 200mtrs and Shot, Kirsty Ronald who successfully increased her Long Jump Pb and reduce her time for the 100mtrs. Chloe Cockell equalled her Pb in the High Jump then achieved three Pbs in the 100mtrs, Shot and Javelin. While April Castle had a brace of Pbs in the Discus and Javelin and her sister Debbie Castle completed a double Pb with a good run in the 75mtrs Hurdles and Putt in the Shot. After equalling her Pb in the High Jump, Daisy Solomon, ran a good 200mtrs to take 2nd place and record a new Pb then competed over the 800mtrs to take third place in a very tight race. Selina Caulfield ran in the 'B' string race of the 800mtrs, taking 2nd place in the final run in. In the Senior Ladies age group, although there were fewer Pbs there were some outstanding placing throughout the track and field events with 7 victories by the following athletes:
Chloe Beckett - 'A' string 3000mtrs, Four Personal Best were achieved by the following athletes:
Louise Deer - ' A' String Triple Jump South of England AA U15/ U17 Track & Field Championships
Clarice Parrott, was the only competing Braintree & District A.C.athlete in this South of England AA competition at Ashford in Kent. This is her first year as an Under 15 and her fine performances so early in the season seem to hold great promise for this 13 year old.
She competed in the Long Jump, against some of the top UK ranked girls in this discipline. Rising to the occasion to brake her previous Personal Best Jump on three occasions during the competition. Gaining a place in the Final, with a jump of 4.73mtrs - beating her previous best by 20cms. Unfortunately, this did not put her in a medal position but the experience will be priceless in building her confidence for next season.
Southern Mens League Match @ Picketts Lock, Haringey
Once again, due to the lack of competitors to cover all the track and field disciplines,the Braintree & District A.C.team just missed out on finishing in the top spot in the Southern Mens League meeting at Picketts Lock, Haringey. Those who did take part can claim a moral victory for their efforts and achievements in their individual events. Leighton Green proved to be a tower of strength in gaining four 'A' group victories in the field ranging from Hammer, Javelin to Pole Vault and High Jump then taking second place on the track in the 'A' 100mtrs and 110mtrs Hurdles. He was ably supported by his younger brother, Bradley Green, who won the 'B' string High Jump, came 3rd in the 100mtrs 'B' string and ran a good 400mtrs Hurdles. Mitchell Jarvis excelled himself in the Long Jump with a winning leap and new Personal Best(Pb) of 6.57mtrs then ran close to a new Pb in the 200mtrs in a time of 23.6s. This much improved Long Jumper is now gradually climbing the UK Rankings proving that all his pre-season and early season hard work is beginning to reap the rewards he deserves. Under 17 year old Connor Mennell gathered points in the 'B' string Long Jump then gained a 10second victory over his dad, Simon Mennell, in the 'A' string 1500mtrs. Simon had run a 400mtrs just prior to his run in the 1500mtrs which might account for the 10second interval between himself and his son. Damien Hartshorne, returning after recovering from tonsillitis, ran a respectable 200mtrs to take 3rd place in the 'B' race then turned his hand to throwing the Javelin taking 2nd place in the 'B' group. He then took to the track to complete the 800mtrs 'A' race in a time of 2m 20s to be placed 2nd. Two veteran road runners took to the endurance track events with Joe McEwan finishing the 5000mtrs in 22m 05s followed home by Neil Speed in 22m 36s, who then ran a well gauged 3000mtrs steeplechase race to finish in a time of 14m 21.6s. Richard Nott, accumulated valuable points in the 'B' section Hammer, Pole Vault (1st), 800mtrs (3rd) and 400mtrs (3rd).
Evergreen, Danny Perkins, powered his way though the 110mtrs
Hurdles and 400mtrs Hurdles to add much needed points to the team's total tally.
Braintree & District Athletes in London Marathon
Braintree and District Athletic Club had 7 runners in this year's London Marathon in April. The hot weather made this one of the hardest Londons in recent years as the change in temperature added a considerable challenge to the 26.2 mile route. Running in his second marathon, Lee Cousins completed the course in 4 hours and 30 seconds. Next in was Mark Fribbens, who did remarkably well in the heat to finish in 4hours 17 minutes. Lee Gardham knocked an amazing 21 minutes off his marathon best, finishing in 4hr 21m. He was followed by Paul Miller, who ran a great race in 4h 50m. First lady in for the club was Wendy Smalley, in 5 hours and 52 seconds.
Vicky Hadden and David Gethin ran the course
together in their first Marathons, finishing in 5h 59m. Vicky slowed down at
twenty miles with a knee injury, but completed the course as she and David were
raising over two and a half thousand pounds for Help The Hospices. Braintree & District Athletes in Suffolk County Championships
Five Castle sisters all members of Braintree & District Athletic Club competed in the Suffolk County Championships on Sunday at Ipswich. In the U13 Girls, April Castle ran a good 70mtrs Hurdles in a time of 14.7s then improved her Personal Best in the 100mtrs by recording a time of 15.8s. Her elder sister Debbie Castle had a good series of results in the U15 Girls 75mtrs Hurdles, 100mtrs and shot while in the same age group Hannah Castle took the Bronze medal in the Shot and Discus after having a good run in the 100mtrs. Evie Castle continued her success on the track with a fine Pb in the U17 Womens 80mtrs Hurdles and rounded off her field events with a Silver Medal in the Discus with a Pb throw of 25.03mtrs and then added a Gold Medal to her tally with a fine throw in the Javelin, reaching 28.59mtrs. The eldest of all the sisters, Melisa Castle, who has just recovered from a leg injury, took the Gold Medal in the U20 Womens 100mtrs and Discus and then recorded a Pb in the shot to take the Bronze Medal.
All in all a most success day for the castle Girls and BDAC.
Essex County AA Field & Track Comp. Days 2-3 - Chelmsford
Last weekend saw the ladies of Braintree & District A.C. gather no less than 8 medals in the Essex AA Championships at Chelmsford Arena , while the Men added two to the club's total of 10 County medals over the two days of competition. This was another remarkable achievement for an athletic club that is growing in numbers and producing talented athletes from such a small catchment area. When you compare these results alongside the likes of Chelmsford, Basildon and Mayesbrook. Clubs, who seem to dominate these Championships, then you start to appreciate the achievements of a club like Braintree & District A.C. With many of the younger athletes stepping up an age group their efforts to improve in their first year in their new age groups was well founded with Kirsty Ronald having a fine weekend in the Under 15 Girls section. She ran good 100mtrs and 75mtrs hurdles races just performing outside her Personal Bests (Pb) in both events but capped her first day with a new Pb in the Triple Jump with a triple phase jump of 9.49mtrs to take the GOLD medal. This was Kirsty's first attempt at this very technical event and her smooth, rhythmic technique was rewarded with her first ever County Gold medal. During the second day Kirsty claimed a finalists place in the Long Jump, coming a respectable 6th. In this same age group, just in front of Kirsty in the 75mtrs Hurdles and Long Jump, was another first year under 15, Clarice Parrott. She created a new Pb in the 75mtrs Hurdles with a time of 13.6s and just missed out on a medal in the Long Jump with a leap of 4.50mtrs giving her 4th place. To other girls in this age group, Katie Bright and Chloe Leach had good results in the 100mtrs, with Katie missing the cut for the final of the Long Jump. Another unlucky finalist, but this time in the U17 Ladies was Emily Abbott who just ran outside her Pb in the 100mtrs with a time of 13.7s. It was in the Triple Jump that the club gained their next Bronze medal with Louise Deer equalling her Pb of 10.05mtrs to take 3rd spot in this age group event. Lucina Rolewicz, found time from her studies to compete in the Long Jump and was just below her personal best with a distance of 4.33mtrs. The Ladies Under 20s squad managed 2 GOLD and 1 Bronze between the three of them. Hannah Bright returning from college to take part won the Gold medal with a new Pb in the Shot Putt, Aleasha Kiddle continued her success this season with another Gold medal jump in the Long Jump and Lisa Potter, who is continuing in her return to form,took a Bronze in the 100mtrs Hurdles. On the Sunday Aleasha Kiddle again showed her prowess in the sprints by taking the Silver Medal in the 200mtrs in a new Pb time of 25.2s. A new member of the club Lana Bond made her debut on Saturday gaining a Silver Medal in the Senior Ladies Triple Jump and Bronze Medal in the Long Jump. These results should give the confidence to improve even further over the rest of this season. MItchell Jarvis and Martin Pitts we the stars of the Senior Men with Mitchell creating a new Pb of 22.71s in the 200mtrs to take the Silver spot while Martin made seasonal improvements in his 400mtrs with a respectable time to take the Bronze medal.
Richard Pollitt, returning to the track after suffering from
a viral infection , gave a brave performance in the U17 Mens 800mtrs but was
unable to reach the final after running 4th in the heats.
Essex County AA - Track & Field Day 0ne 04.05.09 - Chelmsford
The first day of the Essex County AA competition, mainly for athletes in the Under 13 and Under 15 age groups, brought about several new Personal Best performances for the Braintree & District A.C. members who attended plus the bonus of a Silver Medal in the U13 Girls Discus which was won by Sophia Diss in a new Pb distance of 19.24mtrs. This was not the only success for Sophia she reached the Final of the Under 13 Girls 1200mtrs, recording a new Pb time of 4m 17.5s but was unfortunate not to reach her usual peak jumping ability in the High Jump. Other Under 13 Girls, Melanie Deer and Ellie Savva, came away from this prestigious meeting with added confidence through their personal performances. Melanie ran a good 150mtrs sprint in a time of 23.1s after a good series of throws in the shot putt. After a good run in the 150mtrs , eleven year old Ellie Savva showed her versatility by recording some good throws in the discus, before she increased her Long Jumping Pb to 4.02mtrs to end her day on a high. In the Under 13 boys James Murphy continued to provide another Pb in the 1500mtrs with a time of 5m 59.49s, went on to putt well in the Shot Putt then finished with some good jumps in the Long Jump with a distance of 4.11mtrs a few centimetres below his Pb. HIs fellow club competitor, Jacob Parrot did achieve a life times best in the same Long Jump event with a leap of 4.00mtrs Chloe Leach , the only under Under 15s Girls competing on the day had a good run out in the 200mtrs while in the U17 age group, Emily Abbott recorded a respectable time of 28.4s in her 200mtrs.
Richard Pollitt, recovering from a virus infection ran well
in the U17 Men's 1500 though the actual time was well under par for this promising
young County athlete.
Southern Mens League (02.05.09) @ Braintree
Opening their new season in the Southern Men's League with a home venue, Braintree & District A.C. team acquitted themselves admirably to take 3rd spot with an accumulated tally of 118 points. Huntingdon took the top spot with 137 points followed by West Suffolk AC with 122points. Man, or should it be super man for Braintree was Leighton Green who showed his versatility in no fewer than 9 events plus a relay. His main victories were on the track with two respectable sprints in the 'A' 100mtrs and 'B' 200mtrs following up with a second place in the 100mtrs High Hurdles. Leighton then set his sights on gaining as many points as he could in the Field events with points coming thick and fast in the HIgh Jump 'A' (2nd), Pole Vault 'A' (3rd), Shot Putt 'A' (3rd), Discus 'A' ( 2nd), Hammer 'A' (2nd) and to round off his day 1st place in the Javelin 'B' group. He was ably supported in the throwing events by Jonathan Harvey who won the 'A' Javelin, 'B' Hammer, and came 2nd in the 'B' shot Putt and Discus. Mitchell Jarvis was on form taking the laurels 200mtrs 'A' race and Long Jump then ran an exceptional leg in the 4x 400mtrs Relay. Two youngsters brought into the team gained valuable experience and Personal Bests (Pb) in their respective events, Danny Baldock creating a new Pb in the 400mtrs and came close to another in the 1500mtrs, meanwhile Danny Raven had successful runs in the 800mtrs and 1500mtrs then turned his hand to the Javelin as a non-scorerer and proving to be a potentially good athlete at this discipline. Endurance athletes, T. Sibley and S. Bentley, usually more at home on the road and cross country courses, had their first outing on the track and gained valuable points and experience in the 'A' and 'B' string 5,00mtrs.Another debutante in this competition was Danny Oliver who won the ' B' string High Jump, took third place in the 'B' Long Jump and ran a decent 100mtrs 'B' race. Richard Nott made a great contribution to the team picking up valuable points in the 3000mtrs steeplechase, Pole Vault but was unfortunately disqualified in the 400mtrs hurdles for handling the last hurdle of the race.
Great credit should go to veteran team manager and athlete, Danny
Perkins for his leadership and ageless enthusiasm to compete against
much younger hurdling athletes on the track. Danny took first
place in the 'B' string 100mtrs Hurdles and then after an enterprising opening
front running position in the 400mtrs Hurdles saw this advantage slowly taken
away from him on the final bend and home straight where he finally ran in third
place.
East Anglian League @ Ipswich 26th April 2009
With the success of the previous days results in the Southern Womens League the womens section of Braintree & District A.C. once again proved their strength in this first East Anglian League match at Ipswich. The Under 13 age group finished 5th in their group, with the Under 15s finishing 3rd and the U17/ Senior Ladies taking 2nd spot. Pick of the Under 13 was Melanie Deer with a victory in the Shot 'B' group and a new Pb in the 100mtrs with a time of 14.9s. Sophia Diss continued this trend with a victory in the Discus, , 2nd place in the 1500mtrs and 3rd spot in the High Jump. Ellie Cockel created a new Pb in the Shot as a winning non-scorer with a put of 5.55mtrs then took 2nd place in the Discus with a throw of 12.30mtrs. First year under 13, Ellie Savva continues to progress with a fine run in the 100mtrs, good leap in the Long Jump and distance in the Shot. Two other athletes, Emilia Rolewicz and Danielle Holloway, who have just started to perform in this age group committed themselves well in their individual efforts. Emilia in the Long Jump and 800mtrs together with Danielle's 100mtrs, Long Jump and Javelin. Evie Castle, once again continued to be successful with a victory in the U17/ Senior Ladies Group 80mtrs Hurdles in a new Pb time of 13.9s plus a new Pb in the Shot and second place in the Javelin. Pbs were achieved by Katie McCormick in the two short sprints, 100mtrs (13.9s) and 200mtrs (29.3s) while Hannah Castle obtained Pbs in the Shot and Discus. Sophie Hounsell ran a good 300mtrs to record a time of 54.7s and gained a new Pb in the Triple Jump with a distance of 8.89mtrs. Emily Abbott came close to her personal bests in both the 100mtrs and 200mtrs while in the middle distance races Chloe Beckett ran a time of 5m 29.6s in the 1500mtrs. Other athletes who continue to perform well were Lucina Rolewicz who recorded a Pb in the 200mtrs (30.1s) and a consistent length in the Long Jump (3.34mtrs), Vicky Brockbank good point gathering results in the Shot, Discus and Javelin. Home from Uni, Rachell Ball, showed she had not lost her appetite to compete when running in the 400mtrs and 800mtrs to lift the points tally to gain 2nd place in this age group. In the Under 13 Boys section - young Andrew Ronald achieved 3 new Pbs in the 100mtrs, Long Jump and Discus in his first season in athletics. James Murphy tried his skills at hurdling and gain 3rd place and then had a respectable Long Jump result while his team mate Jacob Parrot took first place in the 'B' string Long Jump with a leap of 3.83mtrs just after his debut run in the 100mtrs with a time of 15.6s. Another debut runner for the club was Bernard Mayo who performed well in the 100mtrs and 1500mtrs. Callum Remmington had a good day with fine runs in the 200mtrs and 800mtrs then made his first appearance as a High Jumper with a height of 1.10mtrs. There we only two competitors in the Boys Under 15 age group - Ryan Dawson who had a fine triple sprint combination taking 3rd place in the 100mtrs, 2nd place in the 200mtrs and 3rd place in the 400mtrs all in Pb times. Adam Wright also took his tally of Pbs to 3 with improved throws in the Discus and Javelin and length in the Long Jump. Martin Lee made his first appearance in the UNder 17s 100mtrs , 200mtrs and 400mtrs with Scott Johnson creating a new Pb in the 400mtrs in a time of 62.7s. Connor Mennell hampered with a slight hamstring injury took 3rd place in the Long Jump with an under par jump of 5.33mtrs. Jack Pitts made a rare appearance in the Shot to gain valuable points for the club. Mitchell Jarvis took first place in the Senior Men's Long Jump with a leap of 6.07mtrs then had a superb run over the 200mtrs to past the winning post in prime position in a new Pb time of 23.1s. Leighton Green completed the day with good throws in the Shot (10.32m), Discus (26.48m) , Javelin (42.02m) then rounded off his day with a high Jump of 1.60mtrs.
Once again a good performance for Braintree & District A.C. against some of the finest clubs in East Anglia.
Southern Womens League @ Sandy Sat 25.04.09 , East Anglian League @ Ipswich
The Women's Southern League match at Sandy on Saturday proved to be an all round success for the Ladies Team from Braintree & District A.C. Not only did they manage gain 22 individual first and a total of 20 Personal Bests (Pbs) they came away in second place out of a field of 6 clubs with a grand total of 212points.This placing has given them a good base to build from to hopefully gain promotion at the end of the season. Success will always breed success and several athletes exceeded their expectations by gaining creditable Pbs across the whole spectrum of events. In the Under 15 age group there were many stars with Kirsty Ronald gaining victories in the Non-scoring 100mtrs with a new Pb time of 14.4s, Long Jump with a new leap of 4.40mtrs and a final first place in the 75mtrs Hurdles in a new recorded time of 14.5s. Gemma Wright won the High Jump and then took the 'B' string Long Jump with a Pb jump of 3.66mtrs ending her day with a fine victory in the 'B' section Javelin with a Pb distance of 9.60mtrs. Not to be out done in the throws Chloe Leach took the 'A' division in the shot with a Pb put of 6.63mtrs with Chloe Cockell taking first place in the 'B' string, 2nd place in the Javelin and Debbie Castle making it a trio of victories by winning the Shot non-scorers section with a new Pb of 6.17mtrs. In the 100mtrs U15 Girls there was a duo of first in both 'A' and 'B' sections. Katie Bright took the 'A' string, Chloe Leach the 'B' string. This was followed up with Katie taking 2nd in the 200mtrs 'A' and Chloe 1st in the 'B'. Katie Bright also showed her prowess as a thrower with a Season's Best Discus throw of 12.66mtrs.Another sprinter and thrower, who made an impact with some excellent results was , 12 year old , April Castle in the 100mtrs, Discus and Javelin. The Under 17/ Senior Women's section reflected the achievements of the youngsters in the team. Evie Castle proved to be yet again the star of this section with triple victories in the 80mtrs Hurdles, Shot and Javelin all in new Personal Best times and distances.Emily Abbott and Katie McCormick gained respectable times and valuable points in both the short sprints with Louise Deer taking 1st place in the 300m Hurdles and 2nd place in the Triple Jump. Both Melissa and Hannah Castle added to the total with efforts in the Long Jump, Shot and Discus. On vacasion from College, Hannah Bright made a contribution by taking well earned points in the Shot, Discus and Hammer complemented by the team captain and manager, Vicky Brockbank's efforts in the Shot, Javelin and Hammer.
This was a tremendous effort by all concerned and has given the team a fine foundation for better things.
Eastern Young Athletics League. - Sunday 19th April @ BRAINTREE
In the Eastern Young Athletic League opening athletic meeting of 2009 saw many of the Braintree & District Athletic Club younger athletes, this year, moving up to a new age bracket. This baptism into a higher competitive competition helped them gain valuable experience in their first year in their respective age groups. Positional results were not at issue, it was the personal improvements in their chosen track and field disciplines that matter. The athletes did not let themselves down at this home venue with several athletes gaining new Personal Bests (Pbs) for their efforts. Some of the most outstanding results were in the Under 13 age group. Where, for the girls, April Castle gained two new Pbs in the 70n Hurdles and Long Jump. Ellie Cockee continued to improve Pbs in the short sprints (100 & 200 mtrs) to her throwing events prowess while Mel Deer reduced her time in the 800mtrs and increased her distance in the Shot.Sophia Diss reduced her 800mtrs time to 2m 48.6s. Respectable results were achieved by Ellie Savva in the Long Jump and 100mtrs with Jennifer Baldock making her return to the track with a fine run in the 200mtrs. Not to be out done, in the Under 13 Boys age group, Jacob Parrott showed his all round ability on Track and Field with 3 Pbs in the 200mtrs, 800mtrs and Long Jump. Andrew Ronald was another triple Pb candidate improving his Long Jump, Discus and 800mtrs Personal Bests. Season Bests plus new Pbs were established in the Long Jump and 200mtrs by Callum Remmington while debut runner Bernard Mayo established a new Pb in the 1500mtrs. Stepping up to the Under 15 age group with many of the athletes in their opening season in this age group many found the opposition much stronger for their extra years experience. There obviously did not deter the BDAC athletes and many came close to new Pbs with fine performances coming from Clarice Parrott, Gemma Wright, Kirsty Ronald, Chloe Leach, Emilie Bulleid and bonus Pbs gathered by Chloe Cockell (Shot), Daisy Solomon (High Jump & 200mtrs) and Debbie Castle (100mtrs). Adam Wright the only competing Under 15 Boy gained valuable points and Pbs in the Discus and Javelin.
Much needed competition points were amassed in the Under 17 Women's and Men's
events by Emily Abbott, Katie McCruick, Evie Castle, Hannah Castle,
Sophie Hounsell, Louise Deer, Dan Raven, Scott Johnson and Daniel
Baldock . Under 17 lady,Chloe Beckett more at home
over the Cross Country courses performed well in the middle distance races in
her first season with the club.
Pre-Season Track & Field Meetings Havering, Bedford and Chelmsford
This time of the athletic season, just before the real Track & Field League season starts, athletes are attending many of the Open Medal meetings to get some indication of how their training and progression has gone over the long Winter months. For the several members of Braintree & District A.C. this has proved a fruitful fortnight with many new Personal Bests(Pbs) achieved and in some cases medals rewarding their efforts. At the end of March at the Havering Spring Meeting held at Hornchurch Louise Deer achieved a new Pb in the Under 17 Women's Triple Jump with a triple phased - 20.66mtrs. While a week later Evie Castle gained three new Pbs at Barking in the Under 17s Womens 80mtrs Hurdles - 14.0s, Javelin 25.25, Shot - 7.57mtrs. Evie then went on to the Easter Meeting at Chelmsford and improved her Pbs in the Discus - 20.66mtrs, Shot - 7.87mtrs and gained a Gold Medal in the Javelin with a new Pb of 25.94mtrs. Her younger sisters, April, Hannah and Debbie also gained valuable track and field experience at both these meetings, which resulted in Debbie Castle gaining a new Pb in the U15 Girls 100mtrs in a time of 15.5s. Further afield at Bedford on the 4th April, Under 13 Girls, Sophia Diss was medal collecting, taking the Gold medal in the Discus with a throw of 18.81mtrs, a Silver in the High Jump in a new Pb height of 1.30mtrs. She added a 4th place in the 1500mtrs with a respectable time of 5m 44.4s.The two Cockell sisters, Ellie (U13) and Chloe (U15) did well in the throws events. Ellie Cockell achieved a triple of Pbs in the Shot - 5.30mtrs, Discus - 13.50mtrs and Javelin - 13.98mtrs while her older sister threw the Javelin 18.37mtrs and Discus 11.25mtrs. Katie Bright had a good opening to her season with a U15 Long Jump of 4.10mtrs while debutante Under 15 Daisy Soloman ran a 32.8s 200mtrs and High Jumped 1.30mtrs. At Chelmsford,a week late, Daisy improved her 200mtrs time to 31.8s and jumped below her Pb in the High Jump with a height of 1.25mtrs. The prestigious Chelmsford meeting at Easter, was somewhat marred by the fluctuating weather conditions plus over prescribed events which saw field event competing athletes having to wait more than a half an hour between throws and jumps. Which on a chilly day was not conducive to good performances. Though these factors played a big part in the days proceeding many BDAC athletes performed well. They achieved a grand total of 15 Pbs, 8 Gold Medals and 4 Silver Medals. The most outstanding individual achievement was by Aleasha Kiddle who collected three Gold Medals. Personal Bests and Medals were achieved by:
Under 13 Girls
Under 13 Boys
Under 15 Girls
Under 15 Boys
Under 17 Women
Under 17 Men
Junior Women
Senior Men Other BDAC athletes who performed well on the day were:
U13 Boys: Jack Roland
Inter Counties Athletics Competition - Lee Valley Sports Centre - Sunday 15th March
Three members of Braintree & District Athletic Club, Richard Pollitt, Mitchell Jarvis and Aleasha Kiddle , were selected to represent Essex AAAs at Lee Valley Sports Centre in an Inter Counties Competition between Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex. on Sunday 15th March. At the end of this closely fought tri-county competition, in which each county had two members in each discipline at Under 17 and Senior Level, Essex proved the victors in both gender groups. All three BDAC athletes contributed to these victories with some fine performances in their chosen events. Mitchell Jarvis, gained valuable experience in his debut outing for his county, produced some consistently respectable results at this level of Senior County Men's Long Jumping. Sixteen year old, Aleasha Kiddle, having to competing at Senior Ladies level took 2nd place in the Long Jump with a leap of 5.44mtrs then added a further second spot in the 200mtrs in a new Personal Best time of 25.89s. This 200mtrs race proved an even harder competition, as Aleasha was drawn in the outside lane which meant she had to run her own race with no idea of her position until entering the final straight.
A Personal Best of 2m 6.17s, was achieved by Richard Pollitt
in the Under 17s 800mtrs which was a close run race between the 'A' and 'B'
String Essex runners, resulting in Richard just being pipped on the line by
the number one ranked Essex runner. This was a tremendous achievemnet for Richard
in his first outing indoors in an Essex AAAs vest which saw him take the 1st
place for the first 'B' string runners
Eastern AA Championships - Chelmsford - 1st March 2009
Braintree & District A.C. athletes just keep going from strength to strength during this Winter Indoor athletic season. At the Eastern AA Indoor Championship held at Chelmsford Arena on Sunday, these local BDAC competitors amassed a total of 9 Major Medals ( 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze)and numerous Personal Best during this prestigious regional competition covering all the Eastern Counties of England. Most notable of the younger members was Sophia Diss, whose real forte is middle distance track and cross country but on this occasion she showed her versatility in the field events by winning three coveted medals, 2 Silver and one Bronze in the Under 13 High Jump, Shot and Long Jump respectively. An additional bonus to these results was that they were all gained with Indoor Personal Bests. Two other U13, Ellie Savva and April Castle, performed well in track and field events adding new Pbs to their athletic CVs while in the U15, James Murphy, Katie Bright and Debbie Castle acquitted themselves well in their chosen events. In the Under 17 Womens Shot, Evie Castle gained a precious first ever major Bronze Medal with a new Indoor Pb of 7.43m, following this up with a new Pb in the 60m Hurdles in a time of 10.7s. Her sister Hannah Castle was unlucky to just miss out on the medals in the U17 Shot, taking 4th place but earlier in the day she gained Pbs in the Long Jump then added a further Indoor Pb in the afternoon in the 60mtrs . Another unlucky result was in the same 60mtrs when in a personal best time of 8.6s, Emily Abbott, was just eased out of the Final qualifiers, coming in 3rd in her heat. Another young lady who has ended her Winter season with two consecutive Pbs was Lucina Rolewicz, who just missed out on a final place with a Pb distance of 4.35mtrs. Melisa Castle unfortunately landed awkwardly in the U20 Women's Long Jump and had to sit the rest of the day out as a spectator watching the more senior members of the BDAC squad gaining even more well earnt medals in their chosen events. Senior Man, Mitchell Jarvis, added another Silver to his season's Indoor Long Jump collection with some consistent jumping distances, which bodes well for the fast approaching Outdoor Summer season. In the Ladies Under 20s section Lisa Potter's return to form gained her a Silver Medal in the 60m Hurdles in a new Indoor Pb time of 10.0s and in the 60mtr sprint she gained a Bronze Medal. Two outstanding performances by Under 20 elite athlete, Aleasha Kiddle, saw a Golden Medal leap to another Indoor Pb of 5.61mtrs which now ranks her No.1 in the East and 8th in the UK, followed by a shared victory in the 60m sprint as the judges could not separate first and second with identical times of 7.9s.
This now concluded all the Major County, Regional and National Indoor meetings, during which time BDAC has amassed an all time record number of 21 medals - 3 Gold, 11 Silver and 7 Bronze and numerous Pbs.
This is a credit to all the athletes who have performed over the season together with all the hard work and time their respective coaches have put into helping develop these young people.
CAC Juniors Indoor Mini-Comp - Chemsford - Saturday 21st February 2009
Chelmsford Sport and Athletic Centre inaugurated and hosted the first Junior Indoor Mini Competition to be run in the County. This well supported exciting new competition for athletes covering three age groups aged 8-9 years old, 10-11 years olds and 12-23 year olds, was open to schools, clubs and any individuals who wanted take part in an athletics competition. For many youngsters this was their first taste of competitive athletics and gave them a good insight to what they can achieve at certain athletic disciplines. The main idea was to compete in 3 events out of a possible 4 in the 8-9 year olds this covered Long Jump, Turbo Javelin, Standing Long Jump and 60m sprint. In the other two age groups competitors could choose three events from High Jump, Shot, Long Jump, 60mtrs Hurdles and 60mtrs sprint. Scores were given for individual times and distances which were then totalled up to give an overall winner in each age group. The first three in each age group were awarded medals while all competing athletes received a certificate for their efforts. Braintree & District A.C.(BDAC) were well supported in this competition having a total of 11 young athletes competing over all three age groups. For many this was their debut in the colours of BDAC and they did the club proud with their efforts in their respective events. The brightest star on the day for BDAC was 13 year old Clarice Parrott who won her Long Jump with a Seasons Best leap of 4.49mtrs, came first in the 60mtrs Hurdles and second in the 60mtrs sprint. This gave her enough points overall to take the Gold Medal. This was Clarice's second Gold Medal over the past seven days, as she took the Gold medal in the Essex AAAs Indoor Meeting the Saturday before at Lea Valley. This competition proved to be a good guide to regular competing athletes on how their training progress has gone over the Winter months. The following athletes from BDAC all received certificates for their participation in this competition with many of them establishing new, beating or coming close to their Personal Bests:
Report by Eddie Hawkins UK Under 20s Aviva Championships Birmingham & Essex AAA Indoor Champs - Lea Valley - 15th February
In the prestigious U20 Aviva Indoor Championships at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena on Saturday 14th February, Aleasha Kiddle, a member of Braintree & District A.C., gained valuable experience amongst some of the finest athletes of her age in the UK. At the tender age of 16, being a first year competitor at this age, she achieved an Indoor lifetime best in the Long Jump with a leap of 5.37mtrs. Unfortunately, this was her first jump and of the wrong foot but still was good enough to get her into the final. After this first jump she was unable to get her runner up right and had five consecutive no jumps, placing her 5th in the competition. This was no disgrace as on the rankings list of competitors she was 5th so by this performance she justified her ranking position on the day. Later in the day she ran in the heats of the 60mtrs recording a Pb of 7.89s and then on the Sunday ran 4th in the Final of the 200mtrs. On the same weekend several members of Braintree & District A.C. were competing in the Essex AAAs Indoor Champs at Lea Valley collecting no fewer than eight Championship medals between them . A Gold medal went to Clarice Parrott who won the U15 Girls Long Jump with a new Pb indoor distance of 4.40mtrs. Not only was this medal a just reward for all her hard work throughout the Winter training period but her athletic heroine, Christine Ohuruogu, presented her with her medal. Silver medals went to Lucina Rolewicz in the U17 Long Jump - 4.32mtrs a new Pb, Richard Pollitt in the U17 Mens 800mtrs - 2.0833 in FInal, Connor Mennell U17 Mens Long Jump - 5.56mtrs and Mitchell Jarvis Senior Mens Long Jump with an Indoor Pb leap of 6.21mtrs. Bronze Medals went to Louise Deer in the U17 Ladies Triple Jump with a 9.64mtrs jump, Connor Mennell in the U17 Mens Triple Jump with a distance of 11.08mtrs and Lisa Potter in the U20 Womens 60mtrs Hurdles. There were also some outstanding results from other BDAC athletes who had entered their first ever Indoor competition with the the following results:
Report by Eddie Hawkins South of England AA Indoor Championships - Lee Valley Athletic Centre - 17th and 18th January
Several Braintree & District A.C. members took the opportunity to gauge their Winter training progress by competing in the prestigious South of England AA Indoor Championships at the Lee Valley Athletic Centre. This competition, which is spread over two days, encompasses all the elite athletes in the Under 15, Under 17, U20 and Senior age groups from the whole of the Southern Counties of England. It gives athletes a chance to compare their annual progress during their periodisation, ready for the outside season which starts in April. On Saturday 17th January, Mitchell Jarvis, competing in the Long Jump, as a Senior Man, enhanced his own Personal Best indoor distance to 6.14mtrs. This was an excellent achievement so early in the season with all three jumps over 6 mtrs. enabling him to take 8th place in a field of 14 competitors. Sunday 18th January brought about the first medal of the day in these championships for a Braintree & District A.C. member, when 16 year old, Aleasha Kiddle, now promoted into the Under 20s Ladies took the Silver Medal in the Long Jump with a new indoor Pb of 5.32mtrs. Earlier in the day she had qualified for the 60mtrs Sprint Semi- Final with a new Pb time of 7.90s but unfortunately did not make the final when she was run out in the Semi Final to take 4th place. She now knows what it takes to reach a 60mtr Sprint Final and with the next two years available for her to improve I am sure this experience will give her the confidence for a vast improvement over this period of time.. Another medal was achieved in the U20 Ladies Shot Putt when a below par throw gave Hannah Bright the Bronze medal. Stepping up an age group to the Under 15s, Clarice Parrott performed well in the Long Jump with an established Pb of 4.35mtrs to give her 8th place in a field of 19.
All the athletes who competed over the two days did remarkably well in their first competitive meeting of the Indoor Season. Which in turn will, I am sure, enhance their confidence and encourage them to improve these Pbs over the next two months of Indoor competitions.
|
: |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
