9-10th July 2005

ENGLISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS - BIRMINGHAM

Ashleigh Nelson, Elliot Price and Alice Lennox led the way in a long list of outstanding results for City of Stoke youngsters at the English Schools Track and Field Championships.  Pride of place must go to 14 year old Ashleigh who ran a stunning 11.58 for 100m to win the Junior Girls 100m and obliterate Katherine Merry's record (set in 1989). Ashleigh's time was also a European age 14 best and a UK U15 record! Elliot in turn threw the discus out to an excellent 52.27m to demolish the opposition and win the Inter Boys competition. The multi-talented Alice jumped out to a superb 5.66m to win the the Inter Girls Long Jump. Behind these three outstanding winners were many more great performances: In the Senior Boys Pole Vault Alex Williams vaulted 4.65m for 2nd with Andrew Marsh emulating this position in the Inter Boys competition, vaulting 4.15m. Another of the club's amazing group of young sprinters Jasmine Rowe finished a powerful 2nd in the Inter Girls 200m final in 24.23. Third places in hotly contested competitions were achieved by Chelsea Cooper in the Junior Girls 200m where she ran 24.97 and Alex Derricott at last converting his cross country talents into a bronze medal in the Inter Boys 3000m in 8.48.83 These must rank as City of Stoke AC's best set of results in many years in the premier schools championship. This is without Alex Nelson and Emma Jackson who are away on world youth championships duty. Many of the performances were personal bests and this shows the ability of the coaches at Northwood to get the best out of their athletes at the right time. Let us hope that the club can support this astonishingly talented crop through to their long term potential. Full results at www.esaa.net Reports from UK Athletics: Day 1 and Day 2