County success continues

The theme of WADAC success continued on the 2nd day of county championship action in Portsmouth with once more the sun coming out to shine on black and gold performances.
nHere are things as they happened.
nEmma Shedden (coach Gary Bettridge) took the club’s first gold of the day taking over a second off her pb in the 1 lap U20W hurdles. This was quickly followed by gold in the U17W 300m hurdles for Abi Belward (coach Andy Fisher) with Lucy Smith (coach Gary Bettridge) taking bronze. There then followed a series of female 200m races either finals or heats. The senior womens race was a straight final with Kathryn Miles (coach Elias Mtshweni) coming home in 6th. The age groups below U20 were heats or semi-finals and in the U17W age group Elsie Brindle (coach Mark Upton) and Carys Jeffries (coach Andy Fisher) made it through to the the final. In the U15G age group, Bethan Bewick (coach Gary Bettridge) was unfortunately disqualified for a lane infringment, Chloe Poore (coach Andy Fisher) had better luck in quaifying for the semi-finals by winning her heat. For the U13G age group, Francesca Bertacchini & Holly Poore (both coached by Andy Fisher) along with Lyra Doyle (U13 Academy) didn't make it through the semi-finals but ran well.
nOver to the field events where Gus Bowden (coach Andy Fisher) jumped a new pb to take the U20 mens high jump title and in the U17 age group Charlie Lewis (coach Andy Fisher) also jumped a pb to take silver on his debut for the club. The mens hammer was also a great source of medals as Sam Clifton (coach Jermey Clifton) took gold in the senior mens event from Leslie Parkes (self coached) who made his debut for the club after returning to the sport with a fine silver medal. Charlie Elford Pond (coach Eric Davison) dominated the U20 age group to take gold with Harry Jones (coach Martin McBriar) taking silver in the U17M age group and Reuben Noott and Daniel Parr (both coached by Martin McBriar) taking silver and bronze respectively in the U15B age group. Over to the pole vault where Janet Littlewood (coach Elias Mtshweni) won the senior womens title.
nNext in the field were the womens long jump where Grace Colmer (coach Andy Fisher) won the U20W long jump gold ahead of training partner Amy Wall (coach Andy Fisher) in silver. Mia Judd (coach Tony Bateman) did the jumps double to win the U17W long jump title in a new pb ahead of Carys Jeffries (coach Andy Fisher) who also recorded a pb to take silver. Completing something of a theme Gracie Osman (coach Andy Fisher) won the U15G title ahead of Hattie Nott (coach Ernie Chambers) who took silver with a new pb.
n Back to the track where Zac Reynolds (coach Andy Fisher) made light work of the U15B 300m final to take gold in a new pb with Thomas Beck (coach Mark Upton) also recording a new pb for 7th place. In the heats of the U20M 400m, Alex Beck (coach Mark Upton) and Ollie Withers (coach Andy Fisher) both made it safely through their semi-final to the final later in the day. The U17M race was a straight final and Oliver Wye (coach Mark Upton) smashed his pb to take a fine 3rd place for the bronze medal. Eve Bailey (coach James Mann) made it through to the U17W 800m final with training partner Isla McAulay (coach James Mann) just missing out. In the U15G 800m semi-finals, Poppy Talor (coach Nick Anderson) made it through to the final along with Francesca Joslin (coach James Mann) with Ellie Jepson (coach James Mann) just missing out. The U15B 1500m was a straight final with Ivor Martin (coach Nick Anderson) running a fine race to take silver with Tom Savill (coach James Mann) finishing 11th.
nNext in the field was the U15G javelin where Abi McBriar (coach Martin McBriar) threw a new pb to take silver ahead of Bethany Mballa (coach Heather Sheffield) who took bronze. In the U13G long jump Lexie Divers (coach Andy Fisher) was 10th and in the U15B high jump Sam Evans (coach Andy Fisher) was 6th.
nMoving back to the track for the male 100m heats. Rohan Gray (coach Mark Upton) safely made it through to the U20M final with training partner Henry Shadbolt (coach Mark Upton) just misssing out. For the U15B Rhys Wye (coach Dave Sherry) made it through to the final on his birthday with training partner Monty Brindle (coach Dave Sherry) just missing out. Jackson Purdie (coach Andy Fisher) just missed out on making the U13B 100m final. Chloe Poore safely negotiated the U15G 200m semi-final to make it through to the final.
nIn the field next was the mens shot putt where Charlie Elford-Pond took silver in the U20 mens age group. Harry Jones was 4th in the U17M age group. Then in the U15B javelin Ned Scott (coach Martin McBriar) showed what great progress he has made this season by taking the gold medal with Zac Reynolds enjoying a good day taking the bronze. Next up in the U15G discus, Abi McBriar was having a good day, throwing another pb and breaking the club record to take the gold ahead of Bethany Mballa in silver and Darcey Thorne-Henderson 4th.
nNext on the track were the womens 3000m and came the performance of the championships as Helen Hall (coach Nick Anderson) broke the championship best performance and Louise Damen's 16 year old club record to put in a scintillating run of 9 mins 33.02 secs to take gold. Training partner Lily Neate (coach Nick Anderson) took the U20W gold medal from the same race. Jackson Purdie (coach Andy Fisher) then took the boys 75M hurdles gold. The U13B 1500m final followed next where Luke Furby (coach James Mann) took an agonising 4th place. In the U13G 1500m final Millie Honan (coach James Mann) finished 5th ahead of Evie Smith & Amy Drabble (both coached by James Mann) in 8th and 9th place respectively.
nOn to the field events and Sam Jerrett (coach Ernie Chambers) won gold in the U20M triple jump with a new pb and Leo Davies-Pratt (U13 academy) took gold in possibly the quickest U13B high jump competition I have ever seen (6 mins). Another U13B medal followed quickly afterwards with Jacson Purdie taking shot putt bronze with a pb putt.
n Up next on the track were the U13 800m finals. Leo Davies-Pratt (U13 academy) was 8th for the boys and Aoife Uniacke (coach James Mann) and Francesca Bertacchini were 5th and 7th respectively for the girls. Then came the womens 200m finals where Elsie Brindle smashed her pb to take the silver medal in the U17W race and Carys Jefries was 4th. Chloe Poore held on to take gold in the U15G race and in a nice moment received the special trophy awarded for this event from training partner Lucia who won it last year. Then came some very exciting 400m male finals. The U20 mens race was a very high quality affair with Alex Beck taking the title with Ollie Withers in 3rd.
nThe last events in the field then took place. In the womens javelin, Jasmine Grodon (coach Martin McBriar) won U20W silver and Abi Belward took U17W gold ahead of training partner Rebekah Smith (coach Andy Fisher) who won silver. At the other end of the stadium, in the final field event of the day, Erin McBriar (coach Martin McBriar) won U17W discus gold.
nThe track culminated firstly with the mens 1500m finals where Thomas Evans (coach James Mann) finished 5th in the U20 mens race. Will Atkins (coach Nick Anderson) did the middle distance double running a pb to add the U17M 1500m to his 800m crown he won the day before. Then came the male 100m finals where Rhys Wye was 8th in the U15B version. Rohan Gray was 4th in a bizarre U20m race which was run twice. So it came to the womens 800m races to finish the championships and Poppy Taylor joined training partner Will Atkins in celebrating a middle distance double, Poppy kicked with a lap to go and the rest of the field had no answer leaving Poppy taking gold with Franceca Joslin running a huge pb for 4th. Eve Bailey was 8th in the U17W race and training partners Amelia Moore & Clara Jackson (both coached by Nick Anderson) were 4th and 5th respectively in the U20W age group. The final race of the day saw Sian Lewis (coach David Vosser) produce a scintillating finish to take 3rd place on the line in the Senior womens race and in doing so broke her own V35 club record.
nElsewhere in County champs action in Surrey Arabella Wilson (coach Andy Fisher) took 3rd place in the SW 400mh race but followed this with an astonish run to destroy the field in the U17W 200m running a lightning quick 24.46 secs. This breaks one of the best club records on the books Holly Croxford's 17 year old U17W 200m record and given Holly was a GB international this gives Bella's time some context and is just .16 outside the commonwealth youth games 200m qualifying standard. Training partner Jess Howells (coach Andy Fisher) was 5th in the same race.
nWell I count well over 100 county champs medals this year with around a half of them gold, these are astonishing times for the club with the breadth of performances across run, hurdle, jump & throw something we have never seen before in the club’s history.
nA big thank you to the officials and organisers who the championships couldn't have taken place without and congratulations to everyone involved, parents, coaches but most of all the athletes themselves who have done the club proud.
nI was in bed early last night but what a weekend of athletics I had the pleasure to watch.