Congratulations to all the following athletes, who have been selected by their County Schools Associations to compete at this years English Schools Track & Field Championships, to be held in Manchester during 8/9th July.
Now that the season is well and truly underway, we thought it would be a good opportunity to share an update, and to expand on any of our regular social media posts.
Read on for details of our recent league performances, plus some spectacular individual performances at the British Championships, and what we have managed to find out so far about the many athletes selected to compete at English Schools this year.
First. A plea for help.
This Saturday (July 3rd) we will be hosting the second National Athletics League competition for our Senior Athletes, but we are missing a few volunteers, and need support for the following:
Please do consider getting involved and lending a hand. You will receive full support by qualified officials who will help and guide you. Please let Andrew our Official’s Secretary at yateacofficials@gmail.com as soon as possible. This will be a great opportunity to get up close to some fantastic senior performers .
NAL will provide a packed lunch for anyone who volunteers – and also note that volunteers don’t count towards an athlete’s plus one.
Our first set of quad kids saw action at the Avon Track & Field League on 13th June. Our girls came in in second place and so did our boys – so well done everybody – looking forward to seeing more of you and your smiling faces in action this Sunday!
Our Lower Age Group Squad (U13 and U15) performed brilliantly in the first event of the season, leaving us in second place:
|
|
Lower Age Group |
Match Points |
League Points |
|
1 |
North Somerset AC |
238.0 |
4.0 |
|
2 |
Yate & District AC |
197.0 |
3.0 |
|
3 |
Bristol & West AC with Mendip AC © |
171.0 |
2.0 |
|
4 |
Team Bath AC |
66.0 |
1.0 |
Competing as the composite ‘Team Avon’ with Bristol & West, Team Bath and Mendip. The team, which was packed full of Yate athletes, has run away with the competition on both matches to date:
|
|
Upper Age Group |
Match 1 |
Match 2 |
League Points |
|
1 |
Team Avon © |
396.0 |
378 |
10 |
|
2 |
Cheltenham & County Harriers |
150.0 |
126 |
6 |
|
3 |
North Somerset AC |
144.0 |
146 |
6 |
|
4 |
East Wales © |
142.0 |
191 |
6 |
|
5 |
Hereford & County AC |
53.0 |
61 |
2 |
This is our Seniors first season competing on a national level in the brand new NAL. Because of COVID, all of our matches are held at a local level, competing with local teams, but our match results make it onto the national league table, where we compete in the National Division One (it’s actually the third division in real money, because as we are new to national competition we need to start in the lowest division and work our way up). These are the clubs that we will be competing against next year, so it’s great to us fairing so well.
|
|
National Athletics League |
Match Points |
League Points |
|
1 |
City of Portsmouth AC |
361 |
6 |
|
2 |
Belgrave Harriers |
295 |
5 |
|
3 |
Yate & District AC |
274 |
4 |
|
4 |
Marshall Milton Keynes |
260 |
3 |
|
5 |
Yeovil Olympiads |
177 |
2 |
|
6 |
Southend AC |
65 |
1 |
Previously, our Seniors (with U17s) have competed as a composite team with Bristol & West in the Midland League, but this season we have had to go it alone due to a change in league rules. Once again competition has been restricted to local teams, and we have performed exceptionally well – currently in first position:
|
|
Midland Athletics League |
Match Points |
League Points |
|
1 |
Yate & District |
341 |
5 |
|
2 |
Gloucester AC |
285 |
4 |
|
3 |
Bristol & West AC |
264 |
3 |
|
4 |
Cheltenham & County |
240 |
2 |
|
5 |
Forest of Dean AC |
62 |
1 |
We’re also doing really well leading the way in our local league for all age groups, and we’ve even broken a long-standing league record: Jodie Dale 600g Javelin Throw 40.11m – well done Jodie.
|
|
Avon Track & Field |
Match Points |
League Points |
|
1 |
Yate & District |
899.5 |
6.0 |
|
2 |
Bristol & West |
727.0 |
5.0 |
|
3 |
Team Bath AC |
617.0 |
4.0 |
|
4 |
North Somerset AC |
221.5 |
3.0 |
|
5 |
Gloucester AC |
250.0 |
2.0 |
|
6 |
Forest of Dean |
185.0 |
1.0 |
We’ve had great success with a number of athletes meeting the qualifying standards to take part in the U20 and U23 British Championships. Adam Brooks and Owen Merrett coming home with medals – Adam being crowned the U23M British High Jump Champion, and Owen winning the bronze in a tightly fought hammer competition.
On top of this Ellie Leather (1500m) and Adam Brooks (High Jump) were invited to take part in the British Senior Championships last weekend. Ellie (back in the UK from University in the USA) qualified for the final, finishing in 10th position, and Adam also finished 10th in the men’s high jump. We are so very proud of you all, and delighted to see Yate Vests on show on the live stream.
Congratulations to Liam Hillier (our Quad Kid’s team manager) who has qualified to take part in the National Combined Events Final. Liam earned the bronze medal whilst representing Avon Schools in the Decathlon at the South West Combined Events Championship last weekend.
Steph Brooks, who has recently joined Yate AC, finished fifth in the heptathlon, and also qualified for the national final in September. A big well done to both of you!
Finally, we have received news that a remarkable number of our athletes have been invited to take part in the English Schools championships. Qualification was even harder than usual this year – so well done all of you – and good luck in the championships.
|
Senior Boys: |
Senior Girls: |
Inter Boys: |
Inter Girls: |
Junior Boys: |
Junior Girls: |
|
Max Elliot 200m Avon |
Rosie Hamilton James: 3000m Avon |
Seamus Robinson 3000m Avon |
Grace Horswell 300mH Avon |
Adam Merrett Hammer Wilts |
Phoebe Havard 100m Avon |
|
Toby Conibear Hammer Avon |
Kirsty Treglown: 100m Wilts |
Matt Page Hammer Avon |
Felicity Whiteway Hammer Avon |
|
Laura Chance 1500m Avon |
|
Owen Merrett Hammer Wilts |
Fiona Barclay: High Jump Gloucs |
Luke Ball High Jump Avon |
|
|
Sophie Page Hammer Avon |
|
James Viner Hammer Wilts |
|
Adam Nolan Pole Vault Avon |
|
|
Evie Moir High Jump Avon |
|
|
|
Theo Spurell Javelin Wilts |
|
|
Arisa Burgess Pole Vault Dorset |
|
|
|
Dylan Menhennet Hammer Hereford & Worcester |
|
|
|
Some of the counties have been very secretive
Please let us know if you have been selected and can’t see your name listed (we can’t find the Gloucestershire list).
Some great successes, some exceptional performances and the season is only just warming up.
Going back to the Avon Track and Field League, our excellent U13 and U15 team manager Sam Smith is stepping down next season. (She will be focusing all her efforts next season on the Lower Age Group YDL.) Now is the ideal time for some new volunteers to step forward to take on this role. It could be covered by two, or even four, people, each taking a gender/age group. If you’re son/daughter would like to participate in these teams next season, or even if you don’t have children competing but would like to take on this role, please do consider stepping forward now, so you can work along Sam in the next couple of months to help ease the transition. Contact Sam.ac.coach@gmail.com.
Finally, as you know, Yate and District Athletic Club is lucky to have many volunteers covering coaching, officials, committee and helping out at events and on the bar. As we get more successful it really does help to share the work so it you are able to help in any capacity for however long it would be really appreciated as we seek to be the premier club with premier facilities in the South West.
Keep up the good work everybody!
Yate & District AC Committee
PS Don’t forget you can keep right up to date with all our news by following our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube (links top right)
This year is the first since World War Two that the ESAA Championships have been cancelled.
To try and fill the gap, they are offering an exciting and innovative virtual athletics competition
DAY 1
What a great first day at the English Schools Track and Field Championships, where 14 Yate AC athletes competed in their county teams!
The English Schools is considered one of the biggest athletic fixtures on the calendar. Wikipedia states it as being the fourth largest athletics event IN THE WORLD!
The highlight of the Schools athletics season, The English Schools Championships, take place on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th July. These Championships are said to be the fourth largest athletic event in the world and are now in their 87th year, having first been contested in 1925, only stopping for the Second World War. This […]
Over the last month or so, athletes all over the country have been trying out for the opportunity to represent their County in the English Schools National Championships Final on 8th and 9th July at Gateshead. This is the 4th largest athletic event in the world!!
June 11th saw hundreds of athletes try out at YOSC to represent their county and following a selection of approximately 150 (over two counties) approximately 30 athletes were Yate and District Athletes… But that’s not all!
Those Athletes then travelled to Exeter on 18th June to compete again to earn selection for the final teams… from the 27 Yate & District Athletes that went, 14 are going to Gateshead tomorrow!
Your family at Yate wish you the very best of luck!
ESAA Finals @ Gateshead
Catching up on the finals at the ESAA National Championships @ Gateshead yesterday the results are as follows.
Inter Girls 1500m, all our girls got into the finals!
Ellie Wallace was 3rd in her heat in 4.45.17 then finished 4th in the final in 4.37.62 missing a medal by a mere 0.65 sec!
Hannah Hobbs was 5th in her heat in 4.46.14 and followed that up with 6th in the final in 4.38.95!
Ellie leather was 4th in her heat in 4.42.10 and 7th in the final in 4.39.41! An excellent result for all of them well done!
Daniel Brooks was 6th in the JB 100m final in 11.52, whilst Adam Brooks was 13th in the IB high jump final with 1.87m well done to them both. It is great to see so many of our athletes competing at National Finals to my reckoning thats 10!!! but please correct me if I have missed any one out.
AT&F
AT&F @ Gloucester 12/07/15, on a bright but windy and showery day we had a really great time! With many away at the ESAA National Final, it was great to see a mix of regular and new athletes in the team. What was also evident to see, as well as Pb’s and good performances was such a great team spirit, from the U11’s right through to the seniors, team managers and officials. Many athletes were also throwing or running distances not their first choice (or second or third)! as well as their preferred event & it was really fantastic to see the end result with our ladies winning the U15, U17 and senior 4*100m relay! for example. We won’t mention any one by name as you all did so well for the team, but all we can say is thank you very much to all the athletes, team managers, parents,helpers and officials, we hope you enjoyed the day.
Results are not out yet but as soon as they are we will let you know. Next round is back at home @ Yate on 02/08/15 please respond asap to team selections and make it even better!
At the end of day 1 at the ESAA finals at Gateshead the results are as follow:
Yvette Westwood Third in her IG 100m heat in 12.52sec then 4th in her semi final 12.79sec.
Daniels Brooks 11.70sec in his JB 100m heat and is into the final tomorrow.
Josh Snook 50.26sec in his IB 400m heat (which would have been good enough for the final) but in his semi he could not quiet replicate that and did a 52.46sec.
Mark Cottam 49.17sec in his SB 400m heat.
Ben Holbrook 6th in the SB long jump final with 6.34m
We done to them all and best of luck for the finals tomorrow and Jack Holbrook in his event tomorrow.
Don’ forget you can follow the results via the ESAA web site via the link on our web site, which is under ‘home’, then under ‘links’.
