Endurance athletes set pace at county championships
Newbury A.C enjoyed a successful weekend of action at the Berkshire A.A Track & Field Championships held at the John Nike Stadium, Bracknell.
The endurance athletes were in sparkling form with Twelve athletes claiming 11 medals and Seven personal best times between them. A very exciting under 17 Men’s 800m race saw Jacob woods clinch victory in the last few meters to set a new personal best time of 2min01.14, with teammate Matt Carter dipping under 2min 20 for the first time in 7th place2min17.11. Jacob returned the next day to record his best time to date in the 400m where he was placed 3rd with 52.79seconds. Also in the 800m Daniel Tuttle opened his season by winning the Senior Men’s race, Under 20 Maisie Jeger ran her fastest time outdoors 2min 17.36 to come runner up a position that was matched by Jenny O’Connor in the Senior Women’s with 2min 22.99. Bernie Gerard made a welcome return to middle distance racing with 5th place in the Senior Men’s 1500m.
In the longer races Matt Green soon took control to ease to victory in the Senior Men’s 5000m, which also saw Phil Marshall go under 18 mins for 3rd place. The younger athletes competing in the 3000m races all won medals in personal besttimes, Aston Howse 2nd in the under 17 Men’s with 10.11.76,Charlie Adams 3rd under 17 10.38.28, Josh Norton 3rd under 15 Boy 10.23.02 and Sophie Bhatt 3rd in the under 20’s with 11min 16.81.
In the jumps Jenny O’Connor claimed a Senior double victory in the High jump & Long jump, with Craig Beecham winning Bronze in the Senior Men’s Long jump.
Keith Williams earned 2nd place in the Men’s Discus with 31m92, Beth Palmer also won Silver in the under 15 Girls Discus with 19m.35, she also finished 5th in the shot putt, while Sophie Livingstone threw well for 4th in the under 17 Hammer 32m.38.
And in the sprints Phoebe Ryder–Benson claimed Bronze in the under 17 Women’s 200m with 26.86 and just missed out on another Bronze by 1000th of a second in the 300m when placed 4th in a new PB time of 42.74 seconds. Craig Beecham took Bronze in the Senior Men’s 200m in 25.51 seconds and James Nicholl opened his season with a personal best 56.42 seconds in the under 20 400m.