Last weekend was probably the busiest yet this season for AVEAC athletes competing at five venues in dfferent parts of the country. There were four atheltes taking part in the England Athletics U23 and U20 Championshps in Chelmsford, Essex which also included a number of U18 events for athletes chasing qualfication for the Commonwealth Youth Games. There were five of our junior athletes competing for Derbyshire in Stoke at the Inter County School’s Mason Trophy Championships. Our U11s, 13s and 15s were in action at the second Heart of England fixture in Nuneaton while three of our older athletes took part in Northern and Midland senior leagues for their higher claim clubs.
ENGLAND ATHLETICS U23 & U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS AND U18 TRIALS
Chelmsford, June 17-18
Michelle Yalekhue finished with a bronze medal in the women’s U23 triple jump on Sunday achieving a new personal best of 12.29m behind British senior internationals Lily Hulland (Thames Valley Harriers) and Georgia Forde-Wells (Woodford Green and Essex Ladies). The distance added two more centimetres on to her club record set recently at the Northern Championships. The bronze medal made up for a disappointing showing the day before in the U20 event where she struggled with her run up and finished 6th on 11.92m.
Ben Pitts took part in the U20 Men’s high jump on Sunday and for the third week in a row produced another excellent effort to finish in 7th place. Entering the competition at 1.83m, he had first time clearances right through to 1.97m before exiting the contest with several good attemps at a new personal best of 2.01m.
Jessie Brown was disappointed with her 5th place finish in the U23 Women’s javelin having gained the bronze medal last year. Her 42.95m was almost five metres down on her PB set earlier in the season. Reproducing that earlier performance would have easily placed her second.
Daisy Kaye was invited to the meeting to take part in a specially convened javelin event for U18 athletes on the long list of potential candidates for the Commonwealth Youth Games. She unleashed a throw of 39.69m to finish 6th overall. Considering that this was her first appearance at a national level competition the experience will have done her in good stead for more chmpionships to follow in the coming weeks.
Ben Pitts took part in the U20 Men’s high jump on Sunday and for the third week in a row produced another excellent effort to finish in 7th place. Entering the competition at 1.83m, he had first time clearances right through to 1.97m before exiting the contest with several good attemps at a new personal best of 2.01m.
MASON TROPHY INTER COUNTY SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Stoke, June 17
Five of our Under 15 athletes were in action at the prestigious Mason Trophy competition on Saturday involving ten counties across the Midlands and North West. The championship attracts some of the best young talent in the country and the level of competition at the event down the years has been extremely high; 2023 was no different!
Freya Kirby produced a throw of 33.19m to take a well earned silver medal in the Junior Girl’s javelin out of a large field of eighteen competitors. Conditions were not ideal and she did well to battle her way on to the podium. Also taking part was Jasmine Shore who threw 20.62m to finish in thirteenth place.
In the 800m Madeleine Turner ran a excellent race and returned a time of 2:23.34 to finish fourth in the A race, missing the bronze medal position by three tenths of a second.
Isla Hiscocks produced a season’s best of 13.01s to finish third in the B 75m hurdles. This weekend she will don her Derbyshire vest again when taking part in the Midland School’s Combined Events finals at Moorways Sports Village.
The club’s final athlete at the Mason was Gino Franco in the Junior Boy’s javelin. His effort of 32.94m placed him 10th overall in a field of sixteen throwers.
HEART OF ENGLAND LEAGUE MATCH
Nuneaton, June 17
Despite being slightly depleted due to several of the team competing at the Mason Trophy, AVEAC scored 385 points to finish first overall in the second Heart of England Division 3 match on Saturday. The team had ten points to spare over Nuneaton with Witney AC in third on 329 points.
In the U11 Girl’s match there were victories for Summer Biggs in the A 75m sprint and B howler javelin. Ruby Arnold won the A howler while Aimee Brackenberry took the honours in the B 75m.
Maximum points were achieved by several of the team in the U13 girl’s programme. Betsy Wilton scored a double, winning the A 100m and Long Jump, while Olivia Irvine finished first in the B shot. Ellie Ursell produced a fine effort the B long jump to place first as well with Isla Douglas doing likewise in the B 70m hurdles. Mamie Skipper also came first in the B javelin. The three girls were joined by Erin Beresford at the end of the day winning the 4 x 100m realy in fine style.
Joe Moss produced a treble leading the fields in the 100m, javelin and high jump. Particularly noteworthy was his clearance of 1.50m in the high jump which would have elevated him to second in the U.K. U13 age group rankings had it not been for an admiistrative error by the organisers which meant that England Athletics had not issued a licence for the meeting. Sebastian Taylor won the sprint hurdles while Marcus Parsons- Loades produced two victories in the B shot and javelin.
Ryan Ghai won the U15 boy’s A 100m and B 200m, Jack Moss was first in the A 200m while Corey Fisher’s victory in the A 300m meant that AVEAC had taken maximum points in all three sprint races. Newcomer Coen Fagg had a good start to competitive athletics placing first in the B shot. The four athletes then combined to finish first in the sprint relay.
In the U15 girl’s match Ella Bateman took maximum points winning the B 100m while Ailsa McMillan did likewise in the B 200m.
NORTHERN TRACK AND FIELD LEAGUE EAST 1S
Derby, June 18
Charlie Yates and Grace Young were in action for their higher claim club Chesterfield on Sunday. Charlie won the high jump with a clearance of 1.45m, finished 2nd in the triple jump on 10.11m and placed third in the A 200m with a season’s best of 28.49 seconds. Grace recorded two second places in the long jump (4.85m) and B 100m (14.12s)
MIDLAND COUNTIES LEAGUE TECHNICAL EVENTS DAY
Nuneaton, June 18
Multi eventer Alice Robinson took part in this specially convened technical events day involving athletes from across the four divisions of the Midland League. Her best performances came in the shot put which she won with a decent effort of 9.66m. There was also a personal best in the 100m hurdles in which she recorded 18.94 seconds in sixth place.
Credits
Report – Joe McColgan
Photos:
England Championships – England Athletics on Twitter
Mason Trophy – Chris Kirby