Stoke AC bag 5 medals
in Sheffield
by Tom Gayle
The cream of the clubs elite junior talent descended upon
Sheffield for the 73rd staging of the English Schools
track and field championships. The event saw Andrew Marsh, Alex
Williams and Alex Nelson take Gold, Silver for Emma Jackson and
Elliot Price and a whole host other impressive performances by the
rest of the club members on show.
The first event of the
championships saw the club collect its first title as Andrew Marsh
took the Junior Boys Pole Vault crown. Going into the event as UK
number one didn’t unnerve Marsh as he ensured the crown stayed
in Stoke AC hands, taking off from where Alex Williams succeeded
last year. Marsh continued the clubs impressive record in the
event as he became the fourth Stoke AC athlete to win the title
since Alan Jervis won the title back in 1998 with a vault of
3.30m.
The same format was repeated in the
intermediate boys equivalent. The event in which Steven Lewis took
victory last year, saw Alex Williams collect his second English
School’s title with a new personal best of 4.15. Despite being
the smallest in the field his impressive speed and technique
allowed him to collect his second English Schools title in two
years, with his nearest rival Gareth Lipsins (Lancashire) 10cm
adrift, and like Marsh, Williams will still be eligible to defend
his crown at next year’s championship.
In the sprints Alex Nelson was
another to collect his second English School’s title. From the
opening round Nelson made it clear that anyone who wanted to take
the crown would have to run exceptionally well; he took heat 3 in
a wind assisted 10.63 (his nearest rival 0.60 adrift), and
followed that up with another comfortable win in his semi final
clocking 10.75, which indicated his recent groin injury was no
behind him. In the final, he was joined by club and county team
mate Martin Chomanicz who had progressed through placing second in
both his heat and semi final, and based on the semi final it
seemed the medals would be shared between the Stoke duo and, Rion
Pierre (Middlesex) and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Surrey).
The tall Nelson saved the best till
last as he came with in a mere 0.09 of Mark Lewis Francis’s
Championship taking victory in 10.63 to go 5th on the
U.K All time list for the event. Martin Chomanicz dipped under 11
seconds legally for the first time but agonisingly wound up
fourth, with Pierre and Aikines-Aryeetey splitting the City of
Stoke double act. Under Chris Brackstone’s guidance the two have
been in great form all season. After last year’s impressive
exploits Nelson impressive form has hardly been surprising:
Chomanicz on the other hand has been a revelation this year.
Coming into the season he had a 2002 best of 11.37; he left
Sheffield with a new best of 10.91!
An athlete who will hope to go one
better next year will be Emma Jackson who took silver in the
intermediate girls 800m. Despite a frustrating winter Jackson has
been in sensational form from the off this season, and went into
the event unbeaten over this distance. She continued this format
throughout her heat and semi final always looking in control,
winning both with ease. In the final she was again to the fore
from the off, and at the bell it was a Staffordshire one, two, as
Jackson’s team mate Stacey Johnson set the pace with the Alan
Morris coached athlete on her shoulder.
The pace seemed to drop between 500
and 600m, which allowed the group to bunch. At 600m though Nicki
Hamblin (Dorset) made her move and unleashed her effort for the
finish, which only Jackson was able to go with. The two entered
the home straight with inches between them with Hamblin, last year’s
Junior Girls 1500m champion, just edging out Jackson by 0.47.
Jackson who was knocked out in the heats of the Junior Girls event
last year, put her winter frustrations behind her clocking with a
new personal best of 2.10.65 for silver and along with Williams
and Nelson booked a place in the England team for the schools
international next weekend.
Elliot Price continued his
sensational season with a Silver medal in the Junior Boy’s
discus. In far from ideal conditions Price added another metre
onto his previous club record (I have lost count of the times he
has broken this season) to place second with a throw of 45.38
behind last year’s eighth placer Matthew Townsend (Berkshire)
who was simply too good with a throw of 46.57. Under the careful
tutelage of Mike Morris he has been in phenomenal form all season
in both the discus and shot (his personal best would have been
good enough for silver in the Junior boys shot), but is still
learning the event having only throw the javelin competitively a
handful of times, which suggests that when he renews his rivalry
with Townsend at the National AAA’s in August there could be
even more improvement.
Nicholas Gayle and Jasmine Rowe
seem to simply fall foul of the exceptional talent available in
their respective events. For Gayle the Senior Boys 110m hurdles
main appeal was the exceptional talent Edward Dunford
(Warwickshire) who was going for his ninth English Schools title.
Gayle though handed Dunford, the reigning champion in the event a
sound warning that the title was a for gone conclusion by
comfortably beating him in the opening heat. For the first 55
meters of the final it seemed that the title was going to go to
either Gayle or Dunford, the two suddenly became four as slow
starters Robert Henry (Humberside) and National AAA’s Silver
medallist William Sharman (Northamptonshire) came into contention.
The title wasn’t decided until
the final hurdle as the fast finishing Henry piped Sharman for the
title, while the battle between the long time leaders saw Dunford
snatch the Bronze by 0.04 from Gayle, as the first four all went
into the top 25 all time lists for the event (Henry 6th,
Sharman 7th, Dunford 19th and Gayle 24th).
While that was Gayle last
appearance at the English Schools, Jasmine Rowe started with
exciting promise for the future. Like Gayle though her exceptional
performance in the Junior Girls 200m was matched by the opposition
in other encouraging example of the depth of talent on show at
these championships. Despite being just 13 years old she handled
her heat and semi final in a mature manner that suggested a sound
confidence in her ability. When the final came it proved to as
much a test of her concentration as well as physical capability.
An injury to an athlete competing in the Intermediate Girls 300m
which left her spawned across the track in wait of medical
attention. This left the eight girls lining up for the final with
an anxious wait till it was resolved. The race was eventually won
by Joey Duck (Northamptonshire) in a exceptional 24.06 (a time
which was quicker than both the winning times in the Intermediate
and Senior Girls 200m races), and lead the first four finishers
into the top 20 U.K all time lists.
Rowe who didn’t have the best of
starts produced a great last 80m to take her from sixth to fourth
clocking new club record figure of 24.75 to go 18th on
the U.K all time lists. It is worth noting that Rowe’s friend
and Staffordshire team mate, Abi Tyson, finished second in the
Junior Girls 100m, Rowe beat Tyson convincingly at the County
championships which suggests that she could possibly strike gold
in either the 100 or 200m at next year’s championship.
England Schools Cross Country
international Alex Derricott was force to take the race by the
scruff of the neck in the Junior boys 1500m heats to ensure a
place in the final, as after a leisurely first lap he took the
inchoative to raise the pace. Despite fading to fifth he was able
to qualify as a fastest loser. In the final a cagey approach to
the race saw the whole field still bunched together after a 1000m.
The last lap charge was lead by Gary Bradbury (Surrey) who was
eventually pipped on the line by Josh Mulvany (Oxford). Derricott
couldn’t respond to the change in pace and wound up tenth.
A disappointed Derricott will now
turn his attentions to the 3000m, which I believe is probably his
best chance of success on the track given his impressive form over
the cross country during the winter, with Carl Shubotham’s Club
record of 9.29 being his primary target.
Sean Lewis finally produced the
kind of distance he is capable of in the Intermediate boys hammer.
Entering the contest with a frustrating best of 50.12, Sean who
was competing in his third consecutive English Schools, finally
pulled it together to launch the hammer out to 54.89 to take sixth
place as victory went to Alex Smith (Humberside) who was 5 meters
ahead of his nearest rival.
As for the rest in the Intermediate
age group, Daniel Gregory was forced to run a personal best just
to make it past his opening heat, unfortunately an out of sorts
Alistair Candlish and Daniel Townson couldn’t progress beyond
their respective heats over the 100 and 400m hurdles, while Alex
Fotheringham was 5 metres down on his personal best and had to
settle for eleventh in the Junior Boy’s hammer.
Overall this was a great
championship for the club, the best for a very long while to my
knowledge. Looking ahead to next year Nelson, Williams, Marsh,
Jackson, Rowe, Lewis and Gregory are all still eligible for the
same age group next year, the medal count could be even higher!
Stoke A.C Results
Junior Boys
1500m
Heat 2
5. Alex Derricott (Staffordshire) 4.19.26
Final
10. Derricott 4.25.78
Pole Vault
Final
1. Andrew Marsh (Staffordshire) 3.30
Discus
Final
2. Elliot Price (Staffordshire) 45.38
Hammer
Final
11. Alex Fotheringham (Cheshire) 33.36
Junior Girls
200m
Heat 4 (+3.6)
1. Jasmine Rowe (Staffordshire) 24.78
Semi Final A (+2.0)
2. Rowe 25.01
Final (+1.2)
4. Rowe 24.75
Intermediate Boys
100m
Heat 2 (+3.2)
1. Alex Nelson (Staffordshire) 10.63
Heat 4 (+3.3)
2. Martin Chomanicz (Staffordshire) 10.99
Semi Final A (+2.3)
1. Nelson 10.75
Semi Final B (+0.9)
2. Chomanicz 11.01
Final (+0.8)
1. Nelson 10.63
4. Chomanicz 10.91
400m
Heat 4
3. Daniel Gregory (Cheshire) 50.56
Round 2 Heat 1
6. Gregory 51.83
100m hurdles
Heat 3 (+3.0)
7. Alistair Candlish (Staffordshire) 14.37
400m hurdles
Heat 3
6. Daniel Townson (Staffordshire) 58.17
Pole Vault
Final
1. Alex Williams (Staffordshire) 4.15
Hammer
Final
6. Sean Lewis (Staffordshire) 54.89
Intermediate Girls
800m
Heat 3
1. Emma Jackson (Staffordshire) 2.18.63
Semi Final A
1. Jackson 2.14.23
Final
2. Jackson 2.10.65
Discus
Final
Emily Clowes (Staffordshire) DNS
Senior Boys
110m hurdles
Heat 1 (+3.4)
1. Nicholas Gayle (Staffordshire) 14.51
Final (+1.8)
4. Gayle 14.25
Full results and photos from the
championship can be found at www.esaa.net
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