The clubs youngsters were in fine form at the Area championships as their performances were overflowing with medals (21 in total) and personal bests throughout the various disciplines. The clubs top performer was Jazmin Sawyers as she collected three medals after striking Gold in the 75m hurdles and high jump, along with a bronze medal in the long jump. Here is a quick run down on the great depth and variety of junior talent we have at the club that was on display at these championships.

Sprints
Three times English School Champion Ashlee Nelson edged ever closer to the European Junior Championship entry standard of 11.80 as she comfortably won the U17 women’s 100m crown in 11.83. The sixteen year old whose form has improved every time she has race so far this season was the only athlete to run below 12 seconds with her nearest rival half a second back. On the men’s side their sprinting success came from the longest sprint of them all, the 400m. U15 Rob Wilson earmarked himself for a possible medallist early on as he broke 56 seconds for the first time ever in winning his heat and clocking a new personal best of 55.93. In the final he lived up to his form and collected a well-deserved bronze medal running 56.34.

Distance
Katie Holt enhanced her ever-growing reputation with a dominating performance in the U15 girls 1500m. Holt recorded a season’s best time of 4.37.2 to take the crown by just over 8 seconds. Elder sister Heather placed fourth in a highly competitive U17 women’s race in a new personal best of 4.47.68.

Star male performer was Tom Guy as he took home the U15 boys 1500m title and silver in the 800m. First up came the 1500m and a tremendous battle between Guy and Stephen Parkes (Tamworth AC). It was the Stoke AC vest that breasted the tape first with Guy taking the title in a new personal best of 4.21.20 that places him 5^th on the national rankings. Astonishingly Guys time is now 23 seconds quicker than he ran for the event last year! If his previous days exertions weren’t enough Guy returned the next day to run a heat and final in the 800m. Unfortunately and unprecedented double victory for the George Cooper coached athlete was denied by the fresher Thomas Purnell (Stroud and District) in 2.07.3 to Guy’s 2.08.9.

Hurdles
Brad Garside, who last year topped the U.K U15 boys hurdles rankings has adjusted well to his new age group and height of hurdles as he clocked a new personal best of 13.63 to take the U17 sprint hurdles title and in doing so moved himself up to 4^th on the current national rankings. Team mate Alice Lennox repeated the same form in the U17 women’s equivalent as she led home the opposition in a time of 11.77 in a race where all three medallist revised their personal bests. Jazmin Rowe completed a hat trick of hurdles titles for the club in the U15 girl’s race as she, like Garside and Lennox, recorded a new personal best to take the honour’s in 11.9 seconds.

Vertical Jumps
No doubt buoyed by her impressive jump of 1.62 at the previous weekends Young Athlete league fixture Jazmin Sawyers only needed a leap of 1.45 to collect her second gold medal of the championships. Elsewhere the Cooper brothers are continuing the clubs ever growing reputation for producing high quality pole vaulters as they both took home medals in the U17 men’s competition. Mark took the silver medal after clearing 3.60, while sibling James registered a new personal best of 3.50 to make it a double family celebration in securing the bronze.

Horizontal Jumps
Ben Williams and Matt Rollings made a clean sweep for the club in the U17 men’s category. 15-year-old Williams destroyed the opposition to take the title by a remarkable 95cm with a jump of 13.31. Rollings, who is tackling the long jump for the first time this season, propelled himself in into the countries top 10 for this age group with a new personal best of 6.60.

More success in the long jump came via Alice Lennox as she further added to her tally of medals with silver in the U17 women’s event with a leap of 5.29, while Rio Bailey (5.41) and Jazmin Sawyers (5.06) both took away bronze medals in their respective U15 competitions. 

Furthermore to the great success endured in the sandpit at the Alexandra stadium James Gardner provided the club with another medal at the North of England Championships. A PB leap of 13.05, the first time James has jumped over 13 metres outdoors this season earned him a much deserved silver medal. 

Throws
Impressively the club medalled in all the throwing events bar the javelin.  In the discus the clubs top rising junior throwing star Martin Bartholomew collected the silver medal behind his fellow training partner Elliott Price (Birchfield) in the U20 men’s discus with a throw of 39.96. Competing in the U15’s equivalent Najee Fox continued his unbeaten streak in his 2007 campaign with a comfortable victory. Despite holding a best of 37.98, Fox ‘only’ required 35.65 to take the title, with his nearest opponent over three metres adrift.

In the hammer, last years U15 champion Robert Dean added the U17 title to his list of honours after a close battle with Tom Pearson (Charnwood). Dean had to break the 50 metre barrier for the first time to secure the win, throwing a tremendous 51.67 to Pearson’s 50.38. Finally Jade Weston proved to be over a metre better than her closest opposition in the U17 women’s shot putt as she produced her second furthest throw of the season (11.22) to take the gold medal.


Stoke AC Results 

Midland Championships, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham: 

U20 Men 

Discus
2. Martin Bartholomew 39.96

Hammer
4. Glen Unsworth 38.92 p.b


U17 Men

100m
Heat 2
3. Brad Garside 11.72
7. Josh Barard 12.69 pb

400m
Heat 1
3. Liam Tracey 52.08

Heat 2.
4. Matt Scragg 53.83 pb

Final
6. Tracey 52.53

800m
Heat 1
7. Josh Kinch 2.10.44

3000m
Final
5. Dave Clarke 9.22.61 pb

100m Hurdles
Final
1. Garside 13.63 pb

Pole Vault
2. Mark Cooper 3.60
3. James Cooper 3.50 pb

Long Jump
Final
1. Matt Rollings 6.60 pb
6. Barard 5.95 pb

Triple Jump
Final
1. Ben Williams 13.31
4. Barard 11.50

Hammer
Final
1. Robert Dean 51.67 pb

Javelin
Final
5. Barard 43.90


U15 Boys

400m
Heat 1
1. Rob Wilson 55.93 pb 

Final
3. Wilson 56.34

800m
Heat 2
1. Tom Guy 2.11.76
6. Luke Kinch 2.41.99

Final
2. Guy 2.08.9

1500m
Final
1. Guy 4.21.20 pb
12. Joe Broome 4.57.32 pb

Long Jump
Final
3. Rio Bailey 5.41

Discus
1. Najee Fox 35.65


U17 Women

100m
Heat 1
1. Ashlee Nelson 12.15

Final
1. Nelson 11.83

1500m
Final
4. Heather Holt 4.47.68 pb

80m Hurdles
Heat 2
1. Alice Lennox 11.8

Final
1. Lennox 11.77 pb

Long Jump
Final
2. Lennox 5.29

Shot Putt
Final
1. Jade Weston 11.22
5. Lennox 9.52 p.b


U15 Girls

1500m
Heat 1
1. Katie Holt 5.08.79

Final
1. Holt 4.37.2

75m Hurdles
Heat 1
1. Jazmin Sawyers 12.17

Final
1. Sawyers 11.9 pb

High Jump
Final
1. Sawyers 1.45

Long Jump
Final
3. Sawyers 5.06

Full results from these championships can be found at www.athletics-results.co.uk/site/midland_u17_26_27_may_2007.pdf

North of England Championships, South Leeds :

U17 Men  

Triple Jump
Final 
2. James Gardner 13.05 pb 

U17 Women

100m
Heat 1
4. Beth Hicken 13.02 (+1.5) p.b 

Full results from these championships can be found at www.noeaa-athletics.org.uk/results/2007/track/u17_u15_full.pdf

Medal Count