MENDIP ATHLETICS CLUB

2005

Details of the Club's Annual Awards can be found at ANNUAL AWARDS

16th August 2005 -

AAA NATIONAL U15/U17 CHAMPIONSHIPS - Birmingham Saturday 13 / Sunday 14 August

Three local youngsters, all members of Mendip Athletics Club, made the trip to Birmingham to contest the National under 15 and under 17 championships at the weekend and acquitted themselves well. First to run was Rose Penfold from Westbury-sub-Mendip who was entered in the under 15 girls 800 metres. Having run in the English Schools finals last month at the same venue Rose was hoping for a quick run that would see her progress to the semi-finals late on the Saturday afternoon. Despite running well to clock a nippy 2 minutes 24 seconds, Rose could finish only 6th in her race, such was the quality of the competition. East Horrington's Harry Isherwood had a similar experience in the under 17 boys 400 metres. In only his first year in the age-group, Harry ran well to equal his personal best of 52.5 seconds to finish 6th in his first round heat.

Last of Mendip's trio to run was Nathan Young from Shepton Mallet. Like Rose, Nathan had also run in the English Schools finals, and like Harry was at the bottom of his age group. Lining up against the strongest field of any event other the weekend, including six of the first seven at the English Schools, the Welsh champion and the Irish Champion as well as last season's big rival Ben Caldray of Gloucester, the under 15 boys 1500 metres looked a daunting prospect. In Saturdays qualifying round Nathan cruised round to finish in second place in a fairly modest 4:24 to leave him one of 14 finalists for Sunday afternoon, once again as the only 13 year old in the field. After a very even paced first three laps Nathan held a good position at the bell, but couldn't quite match his older rivals for pace round the last lap as he produced yet another PB for a brilliant 5th place in a sparkling 4 minutes 17.08 seconds.

DENNETT TROPHY - Yeovil, Sunday 14 August

Mendip Athletics Club's under 13 boys' team returned from Yeovil Track on Sunday victorious after lifting the prestigious Dennett Trophy in a closely fought battle with host club Yeovil Olympiads. Despite the cool breeze, conditions were good and most of the Mendip athletes came away with new personal best performances. William Lovelace proved to be the star of the team, producing a PB 14.18 for 2nd in the 100m, winning the 75m Hurdles in a PB 14.48 and high jumping 1.35 metres for 3rd for yet another new best. Just ahead of William Ashley Williams also jumped 1.35 metres, gaining 2nd on countback, before long jumping 4.17 metres fir 3rd and putting the shot 7.43 metres.

Laurie Olive produced a strong run in the 800 metres, finishing 6th
Overall with a time of 2:45.72, then finished 5th in the 200 metres with 31.12 seconds. George Froud gained a 3rd in the 100 metres with a quick 14.83 seconds, 6th in the long jump with 3.65 metres and put the shot 6.64 metres. The team’s last member, Ashley Martin ran in a useful 2:57 in the 800 metres.

While the under 13's had much of the attention the best candidate for
"man of the match" must surely have been Mendip's under 15 throws sensation Kieran Wall, who won all three throws. Kieran produced throws of 27.02 metres in the hammer, 10.55 metres in the shot and 34.92 in the javelin. Nick Rideout was in fine form in the sprints, clocking a PB of 12.15 in the 100 metres, before running 25.48 seconds in the 200 metres, both gaining 2nd spot. Tim Attwell had a busy afternoon, coming away with two personal bests, finishing 3rd in the 3000 metres with 11:14.44 and 4th in the hammer with 17.32 Metres. He also finished 3rd in the 400 metres with 68.9 seconds to help the team finish 3rd.

Under 17 Harry Isherwood, fresh from his outing at the AAA championships, kept himself busy with a new PB for 2nd in the 200 metres (23.79) after just missing his best in the shorter sprint with a time of 11.83 seconds in which he finished 4th. He also gained another 2nd place in the long jump with 5.86 metres. In Harry's absence Dominic Henry flew the flag in the one lap sprint, finishing 2nd in 54.99 seconds to trim over a second from his previous best. Mendip's sole representative in the senior events was Charles Albrow, who looked smooth throughout his 3000 metres, finishing 4th in a nippy 9 minutes 36.

While the boys were victorious in the team event, the under 13 girls narrowly failed to defeat the Yeovil side by just 3 points, while the under 15's finished second to a strong Poole side. New members Lois Edwards and Jasmine Channon produced a spate of new personal bests between them, Lois jumping 1.20 metres for 3rd in the high jump, 4th in the 200m (32.46) and 6th in the long jump (3.59 metres) and Jasmine 1.15 metres for 4th in the high jump and 33.72 seconds for 5th in the 200 metres. Alice Grosjean ran well for 5th in the 100 metres with 15.07 seconds, long jumped 3.88 metres for 2nd in the long jump and gained 3rd in the shot putt with 6.45 metres. The three girls were joined by Kate Geary in the 4 x 100 metre relay, Which the girls won in fine style.

Rose Penfold ran her second 800 metres of the weekend, striding away for a convincing victory in 2 minutes 27, then produced PB 4.60 metres for second in the long jump behind team-mate Sarah Geary whose 4.63 metres was also a new best. Sarah also gained a new PB in the high jump where she finished 2nd with 1.41 metres, before finishing 4th in the 200 metres with a quick 28.53 seconds.
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2nd August 2005 - Mendip AC athletes produced a string of wins and personal best performances at Sunday's National Young Athletes League match held at Bath University track. Under 13 boy Dan Wright, fresh from lifting the South West 800 metre title, Dan led from the front in the 1500 metres and never looked like losing as he cruised to a new best of 5:03. Will Lovelace won the 75 metre hurdles in a quick 14.4 seconds, then finished second in the 200 metres with 30.3, a time matched by Sam Norris who won the B string event. For good measure Sam also won the B string 100m and putt the shot 8.33 metres. The final member of the under 13 boys team, Ashley Williams jumped to a new personal best of 1.41 metres in the high jump and cleared exactly 4 metres in the long jump competition.

Alice Grosjean took part in her first ever shot putt competition and won the under 13 girls event with 5.72 metres, before putting in another winning performance in the B string 100 metre sprint. Fellow under 13 Emily Derrick finished 2nd in the B string 1200 metre distance event, clocking 4 minutes 36 seconds. In the next age group up Ottalie Day finished 4th in the 300 metres in a new PB time of 49.4 seconds, then finished 2nd in the B string 800 metres with 2:42.4. Sarah Geary won the under 15's Long Jump with 4.34 metres, placed 2nd in the 300 metres with 47.1 and 4th in the 800 metres with 2:40.4, both times being new personal bests. Just behind Sarah Rose Penfold jumped 4.29 metres in the B string event.

Kieran Wall once again dominated the under 15 boys throwing events as
he produced three new personal bests in winning his three events, taking the Shot with 10.85 metres, the Javelin with 38.13 metres and the Discus with 32.40 metres. Dan Layton once again produced a fine distance running display, leading from gun to tape in the 300 metres, clocking just outside his recent best with 10:01.5, while Tom Derrick was close to his best, recording 5:02 for a win in the B string 1500 metres.

Two under 17 boys competed. Dominic Henry finished within a couple of
strides of his best in the 800 metres, finishing 2nd in a time of 2:06, while one lap specialist Harry Isherwood grabbed a new PB of 24.1 seconds in the 200 metres, before clocking 53.6 in the 400 metres.
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26th July 2005 - A total of 16 members of Mendip Athletics Club were among 21 local athletes that represented Somerset in the South West Inter-County Championships at Exeter last Sunday. The match ended with a win for Devon but a day long battle between Somerset and Cornwall ended with Somerset finishing second only 12 points ahead.

In the under 13 girls events Lauren Tunnel finished 5th just outside her best for the season with 2:44.6, while Emily Derrick had stepped into the team as a late reserve to record 5:57.7 for 4th. Under 13 boy Dan Wright became the clubs first South West Champion by running out a convincing winner of the 800m in a new PB of 2:29.2, while Will Lovelace narrowly lost out in the 75m Hurdles, setting a PB of 13.9 seconds in finishing 2nd. Ashley Williams was a little below his best form in the high jump, finishing 6th with 1.28 metres.

Under 15 girls captain Rose Penfold competed in two events. She started off with a 3rd place in the 800m with a nippy 2:22.9, and then long jumped 4.37m for 5th. Ottalie Day ran well for 4th in the 1500m event, stopping the clock at 5:33.2. Thirteen year old Nathan Young continued his dominance of the distance running scene, winning the metric mile in 4:26.3 with Tom Derrick stepping into the team on the day to finish 3rd in 5:02.7. Nick Rideout produced a PB of 24.3 seconds in finishing 3rd in a very quick 200m race. Best club performance of the day was probably Dan Layton's huge PB in the 3000 metres. With the event combining with the under 17's Dan had some serious competition, which pulled him around in 9:54.5 for a well deserved victory in the under 15 event, over 20 seconds inside his previous best.

Harry Isherwood was the first of three under 17s who competed at Exeter. Running in the difficult outside lane in his 400m event, he was disappointed to finish 5th, though his 53.0 second effort was excellent considering the strength of the wind. Dominic Henry just missed his best time in the 800m, finishing 3rd in 2:05.9, while Alex Hall competed in both the High Jump (3rd, 1.74 metres) and Long Jump (5th, 5.60 metres) despite struggling with a niggling injury. Finally senior lady Nicki Cummings came away from Exeter with a South West title in the 100m, with a time of 13.4 seconds, and second places in both the 200m (28 seconds) and long jump (4.63 metres).

Several other local athletes competed for the Somerset team. Devon Waine (Shepton Mallet) produced a new PB of 11.8 seconds in finishing 5th in the under 15 boys 100m, and long jumped 5.14 for 4th. Ben Gibb (Biddlecombe) won two under 15 titles with 1.79 metres in the high jump and 12.95 metres in the shot, and finished 5th in the javelin with 34.49 metres. Robert Hockedy (Wells Harriers) finished 2nd in the 80m Hurdles in a new best of 12.3 seconds, while older brother Tom won the under 20 mens 400 metres with 50.2 seconds. Laura Whitehead, also of Wells Harriers, finished 3rd in the under 20 women’s 400 metres in a time of 64.5 seconds.

The fourth round of the National Young Athletes League was held at Cardiff on the previous Sunday. With Cardiff enjoying home advantage, the combined Yeovil and Mendip team did well to finish second overall to keep themselves in the top half of the league table. As full results from the meeting were not available at the time of going to press only selected results appear.

Nathan Young followed up on his English Schools performances by finishing 3rd in a low-key 3000 metres, though he did record a new Personal Best of 9:40.9 to add to B string efforts in the Shot (3rd, 5.91m) and Hammer (2nd,19.04m). Fellow under 15's Kieran Wall, Tim Attwell, Dan Layton and Nick Rideout all had good days. Kieran won the javelin and shot (with 10.47m) and was 2nd in the Hammer with a PB 29.72m. Tim ran well to win the 800m B string event with 2:30, while Nick's results included a win in the 200m with a nippy 24.8 seconds. Under 17 man Dominic Henry ran a new best of 56 seconds when finishing 2nd in the 400m, then went on to record 2:07.7 for 3rd in the 800m. Ray Cussmans had a busy afternoon, winning the B shot (8m), finishing 3rd in the javelin (22.77m) and 6th in the B 400 (PB 6.5s).

Mendip's under 13 boys were out in force, with Ashley Williams winning the B long jump with 3.99m before jumping a new PB of 1.40m for 2nd in the high jump. Will Lovelace won the B 200m in 30.4s and recorded a PB of 14.3 for 2nd in the 75m hurdles. Sam Norris won the B shot with a PB 8.32, finished 4th in the 200m with 30.2s and was 6th in the 100m. Dan Wright contributed good points with a 2nd in the 800m.

On the girls side, under 15 Sarah Geary gained 2nd in the B long jump with 4.14m and was 4th in the high jump with 1.20m. Under 13 girl Emily Derrick finished 8th in the 75m sprint with a time of 13.3sec, before running a PB of 2:47.7 in the 800m.
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19th July 2005 - The fourth round of the National Young Athletes League was held at Cardiff on Sunday. With Cardiff enjoying home advantage, the combined Yeovil and Mendip team did well to finish second overall to keep themselves in the top half of the league table. As full results from the meeting were not available at the time of going to press only selected results appear.

Nathan Young followed up on his English Schools performances by finishing 3rd in a low-key 3000 metres, though he did record a new Personal Best of 9:40.9 to add to B string efforts in the Shot (3rd, 5.91m) and Hammer (2nd,19.04m). Fellow under 15's Kieran Wall, Tim Attwell, Dan Layton and Nick Rideout all had good days. Kieran won the javelin and shot (with 10.47m) and was 2nd in the Hammer with a PB 29.72m. Tim took over 5 seconds off his previous best for the 800m to win the B string event with 2:18.6, while Nick's results included a win in the 200m with a nippy 24.8 seconds. Under 17 man Dominic Henry ran a new best of 56 seconds when finishing 2nd in the 400m, then went on to record 2:07.7 for 3rd in the 800m. Ray Cussmans had a busy afternoon, winning the B shot (8m), finishing 3rd in the javelin (22.77m) and 6th in the B 400 (PB 66.5s).

12th July 2005 - Three of Mendip Athletics Clubs rising stars were among the 25 athletes selected to represent Somerset at the English Schools Athletics Finals, held in Birmingham's Alexandra Stadium at the weekend. While the standards at the meeting are frighteningly high, all three acquitted themselves well in their first taste of competition at this level.

Rose Penfold, of Wells Cathedral School, ran well in her heat of the Junior Girls 800 metre event behind the eventual schools champion, crossing the line in sixth place in a time just outside her recent personal best of 2:22.94. While Rose was happy with her performance, the highlight of her weekend may well have been the team parade on the Saturday lunchtime in which she had been selected to lead her Somerset team-mates around the track.

Alex Hall, of St Dunstans, after producing a remarkable series of personal bests on the run-up to his selection for the Inter Boys High Jump had been troubled with a recurrence of a rugby injury. After jumping well in the warm-up the injury flared up again and hampered his efforts in the competition proper. After clearing 1.77 metres, Alex was unlucky to go out on the next height as he just skimmed the bar with a stray elbow after clearing the bar on his last attempt.

Mendip's final competitor was thirteen year old Nathan Young, of Whitstone school. Despite gaining the honour of representing the English Schools team at Cross Country over the winter, the task at hand was always going to be tough as several of his fellow international team mates had failed to qualify for the Track and Field Championships. Looking for a place in the final, Nathan ran a mature race crossing the line in 3rd place in Friday's qualifying round to take the final automatic slot. His time of 4:18.45, ranking him 4th fastest into the final, represented a three and a half second improvement on his previous best time. When the boys returned the following morning for the final it was clear that the three faster qualifiers and pre-race favourite Matthew Withey of Gloucester would be running some very fast times and Nathan went into the race looking for a 5th placed finish. Always well placed, Nathan was at the head of the chasing pack as the lead four runners made a break for the line just before the bell, and rounded the last bend just ahead of sixth position. Such was the noise in the stadium that Nathan was unaware of the final efforts being made by the closest two runners and was taken by surprise as they swept past. In the ensuing frantic sprint for the line the three all but caught Withey who had been run ragged by the end and the four crossed the line separated by only half a second. Despite finishing seventh Nathan was pleased with his effort, which reduced his PB by a further second and a quarter to 4:17.28 and must surely have set up a possible appearance as the favourite in next years race. As a result of his run at Birmingham Nathan now moves into the top ten in the UK Under 15 Boys rankings, over 10 seconds clear of the only other Under 14 to clock inside 4:30.

The clubs next competitive outing is in Cardiff this weekend in the
National Young Athletes League when they are representing the composite Mendip and Yeovil team. All selected team members should have been contacted, further information can be gained from Graham Norris on 01749 689141.

The following Mendip AC athletes have been named in the Somerset team
for the South West Inter-Counties on 24th July at Exeter:

U13 Girls - Charlotte Anthony (100m)

U13 Boys - Dan Wright (800m)

U15 Girls - Rose Penfold (800m)

U15 Boys - Nick Rideout (100m/200m/Long Jump), Nathan Young (1500m),
Dan
Layton (3000m), Kieran Wall (Shot)

U17 Men - Harry Isherwood (400m), Dominic Henry (800m), Alex Hall (High
Jump/Long Jump)
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5th July 2005 - Mendip Athletics Club is poised to sign-up its 200th member sometime in the next few weeks, with the club giving away a free set of kit to the lucky number 200. Despite being only 18 months old, the club has rapidly
Become the largest junior based club in the south west, and is now one of the biggest athletics clubs in the region, with many mums and dads joining in with their children. Over 80 members regularly attend training sessions, held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with dedicated coaching groups in High Jump, Long Jump, Sprints and Hurdles, Javelin, Shot, Discus, Hammer and distance running. The club has members as young as 7 years old and as old as 60. Anyone wishing to join please contact Graham Norris on 01749 689141.

Can all club members note that after tonight the track at Millfield will be out of operation for the rest of the summer for some much needed enhancement work. All training until further notice will take place at St Dunstans School in Glastonbury, sessions starting at 6pm. While we will have the inconvenience of having to resort to grass training for the rest of the season we should have access to a brand new track in the autumn. Next Thursday (13th) the usual training session will be replaced by the annual Swim and BBQ at Greenbank, from 7pm. Tickets are 3 pounds to include swim and food.

SOUTH WEST ATHLETICS LEAGUE

The third round of the South West Athletics League took place at Exeter
Arena on Sunday. A rather depleted team turned out, finishing fifth in the match from the ten clubs entered. While the club was not at full strength it was good to see the middle distance squad dominating the longer races throughout the afternoon.

Under 13 girls captain Megan Smith had a busy day, finishing 5th in the 100m (15.4), 200m (32.3) and 4th in the High Jump (1.25m) while Alice Grosjean was 3rd in the B 100m (15.0) and Aoife Thorogood finished 4th in the B 200m (34.1) and just missed her best finishing 3rd in a very competitive 800m race with 2:45. The team, bolstered by Ruby Kelly finished an excellent 3rd in the relay with 62.2 seconds. Rose Penfold used the under 15 girls 800m race as her final warm-up for this week-end's English Schools Finals and romped to an easy victory in a quick 2:25.6. Sara Geary clocked 29 seconds for 5th in the 200m, then had two 3rd places in the High Jump (1.35m) and Long Jump (4.39m).

With Hazel Attwell sidelined with glandular fever it was left to Nicky Cummings to amass the points for the senior ladies in a very busy afternoon that saw her win the opening event, the 400m Hurdles in 75.1 seconds, finish 2nd in the 100m (13.2) and 200m (28.6), gained 3rd in the Shot (7.5m) and Triple Jump (8.52m) and fifth in the 800m with 2:53.9. For good measure she also finish 2nd in the B Javelin with 14.59m behind Hazel Attwell's 15.55m for 5th in the A event. Finally budding marathon mum Selina Day completed the 3000m in 3rd place to pick up some valuable points with a time of 14:08. With another of the mums volunteering at the last minute the ladies finished a relay team in an encouraging 66 seconds for 4th place.

The under 13 boys continued to vie for the league trophy by finishing second by a single point to Dorchester, with Sam Norris scoring well with 4th 100m (14.6) and 200m (29.9) and winning the shot with 8.03m. In the 100m he was joined by new member G Froud who finished 2nd in the B event with 14.9 seconds, while Dan Wright followed up on his PB victory in the 1500m (5:07.7) with 2nd in the B 200m (32.9). Kieran Young was also at his best in the 1500m as he recorded 5:31.1 to win the B event. Ashley Williams competed well, winning the B shot with 7.45m and gaining 4th in the Long Jump with 4 metres. Chris Cussmans finished 2nd in the B Long Jump with 3.49m. Several of the boys put in non-scoring guest performances, including Ashley Williams (100m 15.2 and 200m 38.1), Chris Cussens (100m 15.7; 200m 35.7 and shot 4.38m), Dan Wright (Long Jump 3.64m) and Ben Gowland (Long Jump 2.93m and 1500m 6:13). The boys relay team clocked 61.2 seconds for 3rd.

The under 15 boys distance squad were out in such force that National
Cross Country Champion Nathan Young was promoted into the under 17 men’s team to make room for the others. Dan Layton took early charge of the 1500m race and produced a confident looking victory, just missing his best time with a 4:39.8 clocking. Pat Day moved through the field strongly on the closing lap to finish second overall with a new PB of 4:43, while guest runner Tom Derrick broke the 5 minute barrier with an excellent 4:58.2 ahead of Tim Attwell whose 5:08.6 was also a new best performance. Earlier Pat had trimmed his 400m time to 60.9 seconds in finishing 3rd, while Tim Attwell also PB'd with 66.6 for 4th in the B race. Dan and Pat had earlier teamed up to keep the under 15 team on-track to win the league trophy by gaining valuable points in the long jump, Dan jumping 4.23 to Pat's 3.93. While first year under 15 Seb Gripper continues to perform well, throwing 22.72m to win the B Discus and 13.28m for 2nd in the B Hammer, new member Kieran Wall is proving a revelation. After winning both the Hammer with 29.39m and Discus with 30.29m, he showed he has a fair turn of speed as he cemented a great 4x400m relay victory by running the team's second fastest leg, the team clocking a nippy 4:18.6.

The Mendip domination of the distance events continued with a one-two in the under 17 boys 1500m event, as Nathan Young won easily in 4:25.9. Dominic Henry was rewarded with new figures of 4:34.5 as he came through for maximum points in the B event. Earlier Nathan had finished 4th in the 400m with 58.9 seconds and put the shot 5.36m for 3rd B. The team's remaining competitor, Ray Cussmans, had a busy day, finishing 6th in the 200m in 27.5, 4th in the Shot with 7.68m and 6th in the Javelin with 21.37m.

Mendip's chances of beating Dorchester for 4th in the match effectively
evaporated when coach Graham Norris pulled up injured at the end of his
opening event, the 400m. While parents Frank Attwell (3rd Hammer 20.91m, 3rd B Discus 18.1m) and John Young (3rd B Hammer 12.29m and 4th Discus 20.05) performed well in the throws it was left to distance coach Ian Humphreys to fill-in with the remainder of the running and jumping events, the best being the Steeplechase where he finished 3rd in a dreadfully slow personal worst of 13:11.7.

The match finished with South Devon in 1st (983), Poole 2nd (957),
Armada 3rd (949.5), Dorchester 4th (753), Mendip 5th (691), City of Bath 6th (655.5), Wimbourne 7th (621), Weymouth 8th (551) and Langport 9th
(239). That leaves Mendip in 5th place overall with the under 13 boys 2nd, one point behind Dorchester, and the under 15 boys in the lead two points clear of Dorchester.
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28th June 2005 - National Young Athletes League, Swindon - Nathan Young was declared the "Athlete of the Match" for the second time this season in the latest round of the National Young Athletes which was held at Swindon on Sunday as he swept to the head of the League Rankings for 1500 metres. Nathan was one of nine Mendip AC youngsters competing in the combined Yeovil and Mendip team in the Midland West first division of the league. Current division leaders Camarthen AC were easy winners of the fixtures, with Yeovil and Mendip narrowly missing second as host club Swindon AC prevailed by a single point. The good weather produced a crop of excellent performances, with several athletes recording new Personal Bests.

Running in a combined under 15 and under 17 boy’s race, thirteen year-old Nathan sensibly ignored the fast early pace and started to move through the field as the runners swept into their third lap. Producing his usual fast last 300 metres Nathan passed all his rivals and almost caught the leading under 17 on the run-in to the line, clocking a nippy 4:22.9, just one second outside his recent PB. Behind Nathan Tom Derrick ran well to record a PB of 5:04. For good measure Nathan also finished 3rd in the "B" 200 metre sprint in a PB 27.1, beating the time posted by the "A" competitor and claimed 2nd in the Hammer with 18.04 metres. Tim Attwell threw the hammer 30 cm further to claim victory in the "B" event, ran second in the "B" 400 metres, though was slightly below par in his 800 metres, completed in 2:31. Throws specialist Seb Gripper contributed two second places in the Discus and Javelin.

In the under 17 events 14 year old Dominic Henry looked impressive as he carved another 2 seconds from his 800 metres best to finish 3rd in a time of 2:05. Alex Hall finished 3rd in the 100 metre sprint, but struggled with a painful hip in the high jump, finishing 2nd in a below-par 1.70 metres. Ray Cussmans had a busy day, competing in the 200 metres and Javelin. Sam Norris improved yet again in the under 13 boys Shot, throwing a PB of 8.11 metres to claim victory, while Chris Cussmans had a good day out that included a 3rd place in the 100 metres.

Finally Ottalie Day, competing in the under 15 girl’s team, fresh from her recent victory in the Somerset Schools Championships ran another superb tactical race to claim victory in the 1500 metres event with a new best time of 5:31.1. For good measure she also finished 3rd in the "B" long jump. Full results will be published in next week’s journal.

English Schools Championships

Mendip Athletics Club's three Somerset Schools representatives for this year's English Schools Finals learned over the weekend what they have to expect when they travel to Birmingham on July 8th and 9th. Nathan Young looks forward to the junior boys 1500 metres as the youngest competitor in the 20 strong entry. His recent PB of 4:21.9 ranks him in the top dozen in the national lists so he should be looking to qualify for Saturday's final from his heat, when the first two and 8 fastest losers will make it through from the two heats. Rose Penfold has a more daunting task, with 26 athletes entered for the junior girls 800 metres and a single qualifying round before the final. Only the four heat winners and 4 fastest losers will make Saturday's final. Lastly Alex Hall is hoping to reproduce his best form in the Inter Boys High Jump on Saturday. While his best of 1.87 metres just missed the qualifying mark for the championships, he has been improving rapidly and can usually raise his performance when it matters.
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17th May 2005 - Mendip athletes had a hugely successful County Championships at a damp and dreary Yeovil Athletic Ground on Saturday. With a final medal tally of 25 medals, the club's young athletes won medals in 75 percent of all the events they contested, setting many personal bests along the way. After an excellent 3rd place in the 70mH in 14.0 seconds (13.49 heat), under 13 girls captain Megan Smith was delighted with her win in the U13G 200m, with a new best of 31.0 seconds. For good measure she narrowly lost out on a bronze in the high jump on countback with 1.15metres. Her victory followed on from wins by Charlotte Anthony in the 100 metres (with a PB 14.0) and Lauren Tunnel who impressively front ran the 800 metres to take 5
seconds off her previous best with 2:44.1, ahead of good back-up from Aoife Thorogood and Lydia Ruff who recorded the 5th and 6th fastest times in the event (2:53.4 and 2:59.2). The under 13 medal haul was completed by silver and bronze in the long jump, with Kate Geary jumping 3.50 metres to Alice Grosjean's 3.40 metres. Other Mendip performances were Emily Derricks 5th 1500m 5:59.0 and 13th Long Jump 2.66m; Alice Grosjean 8th 100 15.9sec 15.8 in heats); Rachel Andrews 100m (16.0 in heats); Lydia Ruff 6th Shot 4.02m and 100m (16.3 in heats); Rachel Andrews 5th Shot 5.03m.

Kate's older sister Sara won two bronze medals in the under 15 girls
200 metre sprint and long jump running 29.5 seconds and jumping 4.36 metres behind Rose Penfolds silver winning jump of 4.59 metres. Rose went on to demonstrate a strong piece of front running at the end of the day by taking the U15G 1500m in a time of 5mins 17.20 seconds; Ottalie Day finishing 6th in the same race with a time of 5mins 32.40 seconds. Rebecca Denham finished 6th the 100m final with 14.7sec after recording 14.4 in the heats, and clocked 30.3 in the heats of the 200m.
Three of the under 13 boys came away with medals as Dan Wright
continued his excellent start to the season winning the U13B 800m by a clear 6 seconds from the rest of field and came home with a National Standard Grade 2 time of 2mins 29.1 seconds. Captain Sam Norris finished third in the 200 metres with 29.7 seconds, and looked impressive in the shot against much bigger opposition, throwing 7.27 metres for silver. Ashley Williams tied for second in the high jump with 1.15 metres and gained two 4th places in the long jump (4.11 metres) and shot (7.01 metres).Laurie Olive came close to a medal in the 1500 metres, recording 5:31.0 for 4th place.

Other under 13 results included Dan Wright 5th 75m Hurdles 18.25sec,
10th Long Jump 3.63m; Peter Hawkins 8th 800m 2:39.5, 22nd Long Jump 3.30m; Sam Norris 6th Long Jump 3.86m; Chris Cussman 6th 100 15.34sec; 8th 200 (29.8sec in heats), 24th Long Jump 3.10m; Callum Stewart 14th 800m 2:51.9, 25th Long Jump 2.73m; Christian Young 26th Long Jump 2.24m; It was business as usual for Nathan Young who continues to dominate all the races he enters. He ran as strongly from the front and was a clear 23 seconds ahead in his U15B 1500m, winning in 4mins 25.10, another National Standard Grade 2 performance. He was followed in by Pat Day, who came in 3rd with a time of 4mins 48.70 seconds, another 6 seconds inside his recent personal best! For good measure Nathan also showed he is developing a fine turn of speed, recording 27.4 seconds in the heats of the 200 metres. Dan Layton, another of the club's emerging middle distant talent produced a gusty sprint finish to just take first place in the U15B 3000m, with a time of 10mins 13.4 seconds and was followed in by Tom Derrick who ran in with 4th place in 11mins 3.7 seconds. In the sprints, Nick Rideout finished second in the 100 metres with 12.5 seconds before going one better to win the 200 metres with 26 seconds, after running 25.8 in the heats. Nick also gained a bronze medal in the long jump with a 5.16 metre effort. In the vertical jump David Mosely continues to put in some strong performances, finishing second in the high jump with 1.43 metres. David also they the javelin 25.55 metres for 6th.

Other under 15 performances came from Kieran Dudden 5th 100m 12.9sec
(12.7 in heat); Tim Atwell 200m 30.6 in heat, 16th Shot 6.37m; Finlay
Callender-Wood 18th Shot 5.69m, 20th Long Jump 3.51m; David Mosely 7th Triple Jump 9.26m; Tom Derrick 21st Long Jump 3.42m.

One of the most exciting races of the day saw Dominic Henry fighting
for first place in the U17B 800m, where he was just beaten in the last 5 metres, but still recorded an impressive 2min 10.8 seconds. Alex Hall matched his silver medal in the long jump with a best of 5.89 metres, while sprint sensation Harry Isherwood warmed up with a 3rd place in the 100 metres after first setting a PB of 11.9 in the heats, then went on to blast to a great victory in the one lap sprint, stopping the clock at 53.7 in his heat and following up with a 53.9 in the final.

With Isherwood, Rideout and Anthony turning out in their school
colours, Mendip AC officially finished the competition in 7th place overall – one place ahead of Taunton AC, with Yeovil Olympiads the only club to finish with a higher total. With such a strong team performance now behind them, the club now looks forward to their next South West League match at Yeovil on May 29th where, on paper at least, they could come close to toppling league leaders Poole AC.

Full results from the county championships can be found on the internet at www.somerset-athletics.co.uk.
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9th May 2005 - A large group of Mendip AC members competed in the various races at Glastonbury last weekend, and included many category winners. First place overall in the Mile Fun Run was Keiran Young with a very fast time of 5:55. First girl home was Shannon Kurle in 4th place overall with a time of 6:28. Abigail Locke was first year 4 girl to finish in a quick 6:47, ahead of first year 5 girl Ruby Kelly (6:50). Cameron Kurle was the first of the year 3's in 7:31, and Simone Young first of the year 3 girls in 8:01 - just beating her father John, who won the first round of the Mendip AC Dad's Challenge series ahead of Frank Attwell and club chairman Robin Day. Other Mendip runners in the fun run were: Luke Dowding (6:41), Kate Geary (6:48), Neil Derrick (7:07), Christian Young (7:10), Jack Day (7:32), Charlie Morgan (7:48), Emily Derrick (7:49), Phoebe Kelly (9:34), and Mike Kelly (9:34).

While many in the 3K race that was misdirected were unhappy with their unscheduled detour, race leader Nathan Young was disappointed to have missed out on the opportunity of a 5K time as he successfully completed the correct route ahead of the marshalling error in a new record time of 10:08. The other Mendip AC runners, being predominantly in the leading pack were all adversely affected. Due to the difference in the position of the 3K start, the times recorded were probably worth 45 seconds better than those recorded by the 5K runners. Possibly first of the runners directed towards Edgarley was Tom Derrick, who ran on to the finish in 21:48 with Tim Attwell timed at 23:23 and Laurie Olive on 24:40. Possibly first among the year 8 girls was Ottalie Day who ran well to record 25:37, just ahead of Yazmin Kurle who was later awarded the prize for the best Glastonian runner. Natalie Quinlan finished in 26:03, with Finlay Callendar-Wood on 27:20 and Wilhelm Roper on 32:30. Club Officials Secretary Karen Derrick was responsible for pointing out the marshalling error to those responsible at the top of Cinnamon Lane and completed the correct route in 17:19.

While none of the awards in the 5K race were affected by poor marshalling, Mendip AC's under 17 Matt Parsons turned down the fun run route and ran on for several hundred metres before realising his error and recovering to regain 3rd place by the finish in a respectable 19:52. Rose Penfold was the first of the girls to finish with 22:20, while Mendip's Paris Garratt won the first Glastonian category in 23:32. Sara Geary ran well to record 25:49, with Jamie Bowditch 26:31 and Sam Broom 33:26. Junior coach and dad Robin Callendar not only took the entries for the fun run event, but also Managed to run the main race, finishing in 150th place with a time of 47:29.

BMC PB CLASSIC

The bank holiday Monday saw the annual British Milers Club "PB Classic" at Millfield Track. A number of Mendip athletes were in action. In the accompanying sprint races Harry Isherwood ran well, recording a PB equalling 24.2 seconds in the 200 metres. In the 800m races, Dominic Henry was a little off form as he struggled with a fast early pace to record 2:13, just outside his recent best. Three under 15 runners took part in a long series of 1500 metre races. First to go was Patrick Day, who ran a sensible early race and found himself with a useful group of runners to aim for around the final lap. Pat was delighted with his finish, taking a massive 10 seconds from his previous best with his 4:54.12 clocking. In the next race Dan Layton ran well, but again struggled with a faster pace and completed in 4:54.5. Thirteen year-old Nathan Young lined up in the men's "D" race, with an English School's qualifying mark of 4:22 in his sights. After settling back after the usual fast start, Nathan sat back in the main pack and hit the bell in 8th place, seemingly with no chance of a fast time. Never one to disappoint, Nathan unleashed his trade-mark finish from 250 metres out and in the words of the national athletics press correspondent "came from nowhere to claim 2nd place". While he was delighted to take another three seconds from his PB, his 4:22.49 still leaves him a second adrift of an automatic qualification for the English School's finals.

NATIONAL YOUNG ATHLETES LEAGUE

Mendip athletes took part in the first National Young Athletes League match in Yeovil on Sunday, as part of combined MAC and YOAC team. They made a very significant contribution to the team with a few pbs gaining valuable points to the overall score. Best performance goes to Alex Hall in the U17 boys Long Jump. His leap of 6.12m, a new pb is well inside the county standard. He also ran well in the 200m, recording a time of 25.2s and narrowly losing the race on the line. Several under 15 boys performed well, with Dan Layton winning the 3000m with a new best time of 10:30.3, and Nick Rideout 2nd in a fast 200m with 25.7seconds.

Sam Norris gained maximum points in the U13 boys Shot Putt, with a throw of 7.36m, Ashley Williams, also an U13B came second in the high jump with a jump of 1.25, only losing on count back. However, he too set a new pb, jumping 3.95 to come second in the Long Jump. Under 13 girl Megan Smith also came second in the High Jump with a jump of 1.15m, while Lauren Tunnel won the 800m in a PB 2:47.3, and Emily Derrick finished 2nd in the 1200m after leading most of the way with 4:40.9.

Some of our U15 Girls had their first competition of the season, and they were lead by Rose Penfold who produced her best ever jump, with a leap of 4.66m, where she took 2nd place to add to a classy win in the 800m in a PB of 2:29.1. She was supported by Lydia Harris, who came second in the B string with a jump of 4.25m. Sara Geary also contributed to the team score with a 3rd place in the high jump (1.25m) and Ottalie Day 4th in the 1500m with 5:39.

Further results from the Young Athletes match will be given next week
After the full results have been sent out to clubs.

SOMERSET COMBINED EVENTS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Last Saturday MAC athletes were in action during the Annual Somerset
Schools Combined Events Championships. Many were competing for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed competing during the one and two day competitions. A strong U17B challenge was put in by Alex Hall, Robert Colghan and Harry Isherwood, who finished 7th, 11th and 17th respectively. During the competition there were some fine individual performances, with Harry scoring a massive 659 points for his 53.4s 400m and Alex Hall scoring 523 for his Long Jump of 5.70m.

The U15s were represented by Tim Attwell, who scored 937 points to finish 20th, and Lydia Harris and Yasmin Jones who came 22nd and 28th.

With 2 full teams in the U13s, best performance went to Sam Norris, who came 3rd in the U13 boys scoring 708 points (with a new pb in the shot, of 7.47m). Dan Wright produced the best performance of the day with a very quick 2mins 32s in the 800m on his way to his 9th place and Ashley Williams and Laurie Olive came 12th and 16th. The girls battled hard all day, with Megan Smith finishing highest for MAC with a score of 324 for her 13th place, beating Rachel Andrews (16th) and Lydia Ruff (18th).
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3rd May 2005 - Mendip Athletics Club kicked off its second summer season with a sixth place in the opening South West Track and Field League at Bournemouth's Kings Park stadium on the last Sunday of April. Coming so early in the season the club struggled with some youngsters still in the last thoes of the winter football and rugby leagues, and many of the girls unavailable. As it was the club's three boys sections, under 13, under 15 and under 17 showed what an impact the club could have for the remainder of the season when some full teams are available for matches by convincingly winning their respective age group sections.

Only two under 13 girls turned out for the team, with Charlotte Anthony just outside her recent 100m personal best in the short sprint. Unfortunately Charlotte fell heavily just before the line as she tried to catch the winner, and despite crossing the line second in 14.7 seconds, was too shaken to compete in any further events. Megan Smith, who matched Charlotte's second in the "B string" 100m sprint with 15.7 seconds, went on the win the 200m with 32.5 seconds and gained 5th in the high jump with 1.2 metres. With no under 15 or under 17 girls making the trip to Bournemouth, team manager Hazel Attwell turned in some useful performances in the senior ladies events, finishing 7th in the 100m with 15.1 seconds and 800m with 3:03.9, and gaining a second in the shot with 7.25 metres.

Star of the under 13 boys team was new captain Sam Norris, who finished 2nd in the 100m (15.1 seconds) and won both the 200m (30.6) and the shot (7.37m). Ashley Williams also won two events, long jumping 3.74 metres and taking the "B" shot with 6.42. Dan Wright was a convincing winner of the 1500m with a new PB of 5:13.8, with new member Chris Cussmans second in the "B" string with 6:14.1, to add to his win in the "B" 200m with 33.9 seconds. David Hart contributed two "B string" second places, in the 100m (16.6) and the long jump (3.25metres). As a bonus Keiran Young, as a year 5 too young to make the team, ran a useful 1500m as a guest, finishing around 5 and a half minutes. The relay team went on to finish a close second.

Last years under 13 boys look set to dominate the under 15 scene this
year. Nick Rideout, who has grown some six inches over the winter, carved a massive two seconds off his 200 metre best time with a 25.2 second victory, and jumped a PB 5.36 metres for second in the long jump. Distance star Nathan Young trimmed his recent best in the 400m to gain 2nd in 59.3 before demolishing the field in the 1500m with a big improvement to 4:26.7. Nathan also turned his hand to the hammer event to gain another second spot with 15.78 metres. Pat Day had a good afternoon, running 4th in the "B" 200m with 29.9seconds, winning the "B" 400m with 63.5seconds and finishing 2nd in the "B" 1500m with a new PB of 5:04.8. The final member of the team, Tim Attwell
covered well, winning the "B" hammer with 12.23metres, long jumping
3.57metres for 7th "B string" and gaining 3rd in the discus with 13.25metres. The boys went on the win the 4 x 400m relay by a large margin in 4minmute 29.6.

The under 17 boys produced two wins, both from Harry Isherwood, with a 24.2 second 200m and a 53.3 second 400m. For good measure Harry also threw the javelin 28.81metres for 2nd in the "B" event. Robert Colgan was 2nd in the "B" 400m with 59.6, 2nd in the javelin with 29.5metres and 3rd in the triple jump with 10.46metres. New member Ray Cussmans had a successful day with 2nd in the "B" 200m (28.5) and 3rd in the shot (8.41metres). The teams final member, Dominic Henry, finished a competitive 1500m event in 2nd place with a PB 4:39, before helping the team to victory in the 4 x 400m relay with 4:08.2. With no under 20's on duty, several of the team managers and parents took part in some of the senior mens events. Ian Humphreys tested his legs a week after he struggled home in the London Marathon in 3hrs 36mins by running the 400m in 66.1, while Graham Norris threw the discus 22.97metres for 4th place. John Young threw 18.98 metres for 3rd in the "B" discus and won the "B" hammer with 15.69metres, while Frank Attwell threw 20.71metres for 3rd place in the "A" event.

With local club Poole Runners winning the match on 1010 points, Mendip must be pleased with their 552 points in sixth place from the ten teams. With less than half a team out on this occasion, the team should show a huge improvement when they host the second fixture at Yeovil's Mudford Road track on May 29th.
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26th April 2005 - The summer Track and Field season got underway last weekend when over 100 local athletes gathered at Millfield track for Mendip Athletics Club's first open meeting of the season. With this being the first opportunity for many to race after a hard winter's training, there were a large number of Personal Bests recorded.

Best among the under 10's (school years 3 and 4) were Ben Millar (Mendip AC and St Joseph's school) who won the 600m by a massive margin in 2:08.4, won the long jump with 3.11 metres and finished third in the 60 metre sprint. Mendip's Ellie Norris, a year 3 pupil of Wells Central school, was a convincing winner of the soft hammer with a huge 20.94 metres, and won the girls 60 metre sprint in 10.8 seconds. Joanna Callender-Wood (Mendip AC and St Benedicts school) was the pick of the under 11's. Jo had travelled to Exeter the previous weekend and had come away from their first open meeting with fine wins in the sprint and 800m. On this occasion she won the 80 metre sprint with 11.9 seconds, and the long jump with 3.67 metres. Luke Dowding (Mendip AC and Upton Noble school) won the boys sprint in 12.5 seconds and long jump with 3.77 metres; while Keiran Young (St Aldhelms) showed he is taking after his older brother by winning a competitive 800 metre race in a fast 2:46.3, from St Joseph's year 6 cross country star Aoife Thorogood who recorded a new best time of :50.4.

Several Mendip AC under 13's showed some excellent early season form. Megan Smith (Elmhurst) won the long jump with 3.43 metres, and the high jump with 1.20 metres, and finished second in the 100 metres behind Charlotte Anthony's excellent 14.4 seconds. Sam Norris also won two events - the Long Jump (3.76 metres) and the Shot Putt (6.86 metres), and finished second in the 800m (2:43.2) behind schoolmate Daniel Wright who produced an excellent 2:32.9.
The under 15 events showed several of Mendip AC's nationally ranked youngsters are set to continue their dominance of local events this season. Nick Rideout produced a nippy 12.8 seconds in the 100 metres, Seb Gripper threw the javelin (now the heavier 600g weight) 33.63 metres. David Moseley also threw well to record 30.31 metres, before winning the high jump with 1.30 metres. Several runners recorded big PBs in the 800 metres, including Dan Layton (2:22.3) Pat Day (2:26.6) and Rose Penfold (2:31.8). Mendip's best under 15 prospect, Nathan Young, moved up to try himself against the older athletes and was well rewarded. First he produced new figures of 59.9 seconds in the 400 metres behind Harry Isherwood's fast 54.4 seconds. He then ran in the 800 metre event, in which some strong pacing by Dominic Henry drew both boys to big PB's, with Dominic crossing the line first with 2:10.6 to Nathan's 2:11.4. Finally Nathan started the open 3000 metres event, aiming just to run to half way. Some awesome early pacing by Langport's Charles Albrow and Mendip triathlete Doug Hall inspired the whole field to run on to new personal best figures, with Albrow running 9:16.7, Hall 9:29.7, Young 9:51.2 and Yeovil Olympiad veteran ladies Becky Lee 12:07.1 and Tracey Halliday 12:14.8. Other under 17 winners included Narry Isherwood in the 100 metres (12.3 seconds) and Alex Hall (Long jump - 5.64 meters and Shot putt 9.34 metres).
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4th April 2005 - Mendip Athletics Club's rising star Nathan Young from Whitstone School in Shepton Mallet put his school on the international sporting map last Saturday. After his superb run in the English School's Cross Country Championships last month, where he finished in 5th place in the junior (years 8 and 9) boys event, Nathan was the only year 8 pupil to be selected to run for the England team in the annual home counties international. Held annually between teams of eight from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, this year the event was being held in North Wales on a rolling course that was to prove a good test of the runners abilities on a day when the temperatures would have done any August day proud.

From the gun the pace at the front was as hot as the weather and Nathan found himself having to pick his way through the runners from near the back. By half-way he was running just outside the top half of the field, but tenaciously picked off a number of runners on the back half of the second of two laps to leave himself within sight of two of his English team-mates on the final climb towards the finish. Saving just enough for a spirited sprint for the finish line Nathan grabbed another three places on the run-in to finish a highly creditable 11th and final scorer in the victorious England team. For good measure he was also the first year 8 runner to cross the line to confirm his standing as the UK's leading under 13 runner of the season.

With the Easter holidays and the recent flu epidemic badly affecting
Local runners, Mendip AC were only able to field an under 15 boys team for the National Road Relays, held in Birmingham's Sutton Park. Held over three hilly laps of 3,800 metres, the event is always well attended and saw over 90 teams lined up for the start. Mendip were led off by Dominic Henry, who bravely completed despite feeling unwell out on the course in 15:45. Next off for the team was Pat Day, who picked off several runners on his 15:38 circuit round the park. The teams final runner, Dan Layton, was also the fastest with a nippy 14:48, lifting the team several more places to finish in 64th place.

While the youngsters were away racing, half a dozen mums and dads were attending an officials course at Millfield Track, held thanks to a grant from the UK Athletics Clubs:Futures scheme. Frank and Hazel Attwell, Jane Callendar-Wood, James Gripper and youngster Robert Colgan took the field judges course, while Alan Day took the track judges course. At the end of the day the attendees took the grade 4 written exam which should see them fully qualified for officiating at athletics matches this summer. With a further six parents qualifying last October Mendip AC can now boast 20 fully qualified officials - possibly the largest such group in the county. It is hoped that a further group will be able to attend another course planned later in the summer.

The summer track and field season is about to kick off with outdoor
Training restarting next Tuesday at St Dunstans School, Glastonbury from 5.45pm. Thursday training continues at Millfield Track on Thursdays, also at 5.45pm. The first Open Meeting of the season will be taking place on Thursday 21st April. This meeting is open to all, and children who are not members of a club are most welcome. There are events for children in school year 3 all the way up to seniors, including sprints, jumps, throws and distance races. Numbers can be collected from 5.30pm with the first race due to start at ten past six. The cost for up to three events is 2 pounds per athlete.

Can all Mendip AC members note that the first league match of the
season is on Sunday 24th April, and the open meeting will be used to select teams for this event.
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22nd March 2005 - Mendip Athletics Club's domination of regional junior athletics continues to gather pace as the club lifted both under 13 team titles at last weeks final Wessex League fixture of the year, and added a second place in the under 17's category.

Spring had certainly arrived for the race at Ferndown with dry, almost dusty, conditions greating the runners. It was therefore highly appropriate, after the strong winds and rain of previous races that Mendip took along their new club tent! The course was flat but challenging, with a half mile loop around the sports centre pitches and several larger loops around the local heather moor which featured some narrow paths and many twists and turns.

First to show in her bright purple and yellow harlequin vest was Simone Young in the under 11 fun run. Running once around the playing fields Simone did well and enjoyed her 24th place. The first league race proper was the under 13 girls event. With the Mendip team unbeaten all season the girls were relishing the final race of the season. After a tentative start around the playing fields the girls, led by girls captain Ottalie Day, started to move through the pack as the runners left for their tour of the heather. As they re-appeared for the run-in, eleven year old Aoife Thorogood had got clear of Ottalie and just held on as the pair crossed the line in 8th and 9th places. Third in for the team was another year six pupil, Lydia Ruff, who completed in 16th position - just outsprinting the youngest member of the squad, Ruby Kelly. In a very tight team race, Mendip won via a better last scorers finishing position as they scored the same number of points, 33, as local club Poole AC, with New Forest Juniors a further three points behind.

Under 13 boy's captain Nathan Young made it six wins out of six, despite arriving back from his great run in the English Schools Championships at midnight the night before. In a typical display of front running, Nathan gradually pulled away from the opposition to win by half a minute to confirm his individual title. Meanwhile Tim Attwell and Dan Wright were both enjoying their best Wessex League races, moving through the field in confident manner after a steady start and crossing the line in 6th and 7th places. Nathan's younger brother Keiran had his usual solid run to finish 17th, two places ahead of a distressed Sam Norris - who had "won" the "second" under 13 boys race. With a marshal missing at a critical turn, the back half of the field went on a half mile detour before regaining the correct route and came in some distance adrift of the others. Nontheless Sam ran well over a much longer distance than normal and outsprinted several of the other wayward runners to claim his personal victory. With the team scoring an excellent 14 points, Mendip had their most convincing victory of the season, with Southampton second and Salisbury third.

With under 17's Joe Tavener (English Schools) and Doug Hall (an elite
triathlon squad training weekend) both missing, under 15 boy Dominic
Henry was drafted in to support Matt Parsons in an attempt to steal the under 17 men's team title from Bridport as Mendip held a slender one point advantage going into Sundays race. With several teams putting in strong performances, Mendip were to miss out as Bridport scored a convincing win on the day. Matt continued his excellent recent form in finishing 6th, while Dominic found the extra mile and a half hard work in 13th. In his absence Doug Hall was elevated to 2nd place overall for the season. To keep the spectators amused while they waited for the presentations Team Manager Ian Humphreys contested the senior mens event and had his best run of the season in 21st position, confirming his 4th position in the overall M40 veteran's category.
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14th March 2005 - YOUNG NATHAN EARNS FIRST INTERNATIONAL VEST - Last Saturday a number of local youngsters competed for the Somerset Schools team at the English Schools Cross Country Championships at Norwich. These included two Mendip AC members. Joe Tavener was competing in the
Inter-Boys event, running well to finish first of the Somerset runners in 73rd place. Year 8 pupil Nathan Young, from Whitsone school, was running in the event for the first time, giving a year away to most of his rivals and running over a distance nearly a mile further than the usual 3000 metres used for under 13 events. After finishing 2nd in the South West Schools event behind last year's English schools 4th placer Matthew Withey of Gloucester, and winning the National AAA under 13 title, Nathan was hoping for another good
run. Shunning his usual front running style, Nathan was content to sit in around 30th place for the early part of the race as Withey set about creating the largest winning margin of the day. As the runners entered the final mile Nathan made a determined surge that took him past his local rival, Gloucester's Ben Cauldray - winner of the UK Inter-Counties event the previous week-end - and into the top ten. Over the closing stages Nathan briefly climbed into 4th place, before losing a place on the final sprint. Such was the closeness of the race Nathan missed a bronze medal by less than 3 seconds, and crossed the line only 5 seconds down on the second place finisher.

Nathan's reward for such an outstanding performance was to be named in the English Schools team for the International Schools race to be held in North Wales on 2nd April. He will be the only year 8 pupil in the team. All his club mates and coaches wish him every success at the event.
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8th March 2005 - UK INTER-COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - Last Saturday saw the culmination of the cross country season for many of the countries aspiring club athletes at the UK Inter County Championships, held at Nottingham's Wollaton Park. Among them were a number of local runners, including five members of Mendip Athletics Club, competing for the joint Avon and Somerset county team. With the course in excellent shape for the early races, freek weather conditions saw the light rain turn into a snow blizzard by mid afternoon, yet the senior men ran in muddy sunshine at the end of the day. First off were the under 17 men, with Mendip AC triathlon specialist Doug Hall toeing the line along with sometime training partner Charles Albrow (Langport Runners). In a highly contested race Charles ran strongly to finish in 87th just over 20 seconds clear of Doug, who succeeded in his aim of beating several of his big triathlon rivals in finishing 151st, just outside the top half of the field. The team finished 9th out of the 42 that completed.

Mendip's remaining runners were contesting the under 13 events, with two in the girls event. Ottalie Day ran well to finish 196th as 4th member of the team, while Lauren Tunnell enjoyed her experience, completing in 236th position. The closeness of the races was such that not much more than 10 seconds eperated the girls at the finish. The main local interest was centered on the under 13 boys race, as Mendip's Nathan Young was clearly one of the big race favourites, along with Gloucester's Ben Cauldray and East Scotland's Miles Hollingshead. Throughout the season the three boys had been battling in the Reebok Series, with Ben just ahead of Nathan and Miles. With Miles winning the Scottish title, and Nathan pipping Ben for the English title, it was bound to be close. Preferring the hills to Wollaton's flat grassland, Nathan used the course's only hill - at the end of the opening straight - to get into an early lead as the runners swept away to the far end of the woods. As the runners can back into sight, Ben had made a big effort and opened 20 metres on Nathan, with the rest of the field already well stretched out. From then on Nathan never looked his usual comfortable self, and was too far adrift to notice how much the effort was hurting his big rival. As the runners turned for the finish Nathan relaxed and settled for second place, to become Avon and Somerset's highest placed runner of the day. For good measure Nathan also picked up the 2nd place award for the season's Reebok series. Meanwhile, following his 11th hour call-up (actually at 8.45 the evening before as he got home from scouts) Tom Derrick enjoyed his big race debut with a very useful 208th from the 300 runners who started the event. Sadly for the team, Tom was replacing Yeovil's Charlie MacLean who had finished 14th in the National two weeks earlier. Despite his absence the team was the most successful of the day, finishing 4th. With Charlie running the boys would have been virtually certain of lifting the counties first under 13 or under 15 team title at these championships.
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1st March 2005 - This Saturday sees the UK Inter-County Cross Country Championships take place at Nottingham. This year, in addition to the usual smattering of county team members, the Mendip area has a number of leading contenders for the coveted Inter-County titles.

Favourite among these is Mendip Athletics Club's Nathan Young, who has
been dominant all winter and is rounding into the shape of his life - having
comprehensively beaten his main rivals at the English Cross Country
Championships only two weeks ago. Two other under 13 boys from the club
have been selected as reserves for the event in Tom Derrick and Tim Attwell.
Ottalie Day runs in the under 13 girls event, while Lauren Tunnel must
wait as the first reserve for the team. In the under 17 mens event the late
withdrawal through illness of Joe Tavener means that Mendip's only
competitor will be triathlon specialist Doug Hall. All athletics fans with access
to Sky television can follow their exploits as the Sky Sports 3 channel
will be carrying four hours of live action from Nottingham on Saturday
afternoon.

The following weekend, the club look forward to the final race in this
year's Wessex Cross Country League, with three teams looking to cement
an excellent season by winning the league titles. The under 13 boys team
hold a four point lead over local rivals Wells, and as they have never been
out of the first two should comfortably win. The under 13 girls are in an even
stronger position, having won four events on the trot, while the under
17 men now hold a one point lead over Bridport. Please contact Ian
Humphreys for transport and timing details.

With the winter season almost behind, Mendip AC are now looking forward
to an active summer season. With the track and field league's kicking off
at the end of April a parents / athletes meeting has been organised on
Thursday March 17th, starting at 6.30pm, to give an overview of the coming
season. Can all club members please make an effort to attend. Following on from
the great success of their summer open meetings last year the club has set
dates for this years meetings. These will be on Thursday 21st April, Thursday
19th May and Thursday 16th June. The meetings will start at 6pm and include
events suitable for children from age 8 up to adults. Everyone is
welcome to come along, whether they are a regular athlete or just want to have a go.

A course for budding officials is being planned for either Sunday March
20th or Sunday April 3rd. This is being thrown open to anyone who is
interested in gaining a qualification in officiating at a track and field meeting.
For further details please contact Ian Humphreys on 01749 675100.
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22nd February 2005 - NATIONAL CROSS COUTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - Following on from his recent wins at the Reebok Cross Country at Cardiff and the South of England Championships in London, Mendip Athletics Club's Nathan Young faced his biggest challenge to date as the club travelled to Birmingham for the English National Championships.

The races, being staged in Cofton Park - just a stone's throw from Rover's
Longbridge car factory - were to finally bring together all of Nathan's main
rivals on a course that was sure to prove a worthy test for a national
championships. From the gun, nearly 350 under 13 boys raced towards the
base of the first of several stiff climbs. Starting well away from his main
rivals on the start line, Nathan gradually pulled level to hit what was to be the decisive climb on level pegging with several other runners including Chris Lambert of Milton Keynes, Steve Nash of Bristol and Ben Coldray of Gloucester. After the first 100 metres of the climb Nathan had made a small break, which he extended further as the runners crested the hill and found themselves running into the teeth of a cold wind. From then on the only serious challenge was to come from Coldray, who threw everything into the chase on the downhill sections of the 3000 metre course, though it never looked as though Nathan could be caught as he maintained a healthy 50 metre margin - finally crossing the line to great acclaim five seconds clear. Further back Tim Attwell was producing another solid run to finish just outside the top half of the field in 178th position, while Nathan's younger brother Keiran, showed signs of following in his elder siblings footsteps with his best run to date. Giving away three years to some of his fellow runners Keiran ran a sensible race, keeping something back for a spirited sprint for the line to complete in 215th, while Zach Hall closed the team with a solid 246th placing. The team finished in 26th position. Several hours before the boys ran, it was the turn of the under 13 girls. With a similar number of runners to the boys Ottalie Day started steadily over the opening climb, with Lauren Tunnell around 50 metres adrift for much of the race. Producing her usual strong finish, Ottalie gained to finish in 177th, with Lauren crossing the line in 242nd.

RESULTS:

Girls - 177 Ottalie Day 14:37, 242 Lauren Tunnell 15:17.
Boys - 1 Nathan Young 11:24, 178 Tim Attwell 13:15, 215 Keiran Young
13:31, 246 Zach Hall 13:48.
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14th February 2005 - Mendip Athletic Club's under 13 teams look themselves to within a whisker of lifting the Wessex League titles on Sunday as the club travelled to Upton Manor Park on the outskirts of Poole. With the clubs under 13 girls, under 13 boys and under 17 men all topping the league, Poole was a great opportunity to put the league titles beyond doubt.

Before the league got underway proper, it was the under 11's who first
tested the course in the traditional league 'fun-run'. First home was
Jack day, with Simone Young just getting the better of brother Christian
around the 1100 metre course.

The under 13 girls race was a keenly fought affair, with the runners
closely packed as they swept around their first small lap before going out into
the park itself. Performance of the day went to new signing Yazmin Kurle,
making her Wessex League debut. Always in contention, Yazmin produced a
spirited last quarter mile to snatch 4th place away from Leanne Chappel,
Yeovil's recently crowned county champion who was running in the blue and white of the Wells team. Not too far back, team captain Ottalie Day led the
usual Mendip charge of Purple and Yellow, crossing the line in 12th place.
Shannon Kurle, enthused by her strong run in last weeks junior schools race at
Shepton Mallet, produced another gutsy run two places down, with schools winner Aoife Thorogood finding herself behind on this occasion in 15th.
Mendip's final runner, Ruby Kelly, ran well over a strong second half to complete in 23rd. With yet another strong team performance Mendip should have cemented their position at the head of the league and may only need to turn out at the last fixture to win.

Nathan Young produced another flawless front running display to lead
home the under 13's. Mendip's boys were suffering through the absence of
several of their leading runners through injury and illness, so it was left to
Tim Attwell in 8th and Keiran Young in 12th to keep the team title hunt
alive. Callum Stewart started the race, but was forced to retire after the
first lap with a troublesome heal injury. Despite an excellent team total of
21 points, Mendip were pipped by the Wells/Yeovil team - but still carry a
substantial lead into the final fixture. In the older age-groups Mendip were thinly represented. The under 17's missed an opportunity to take the team title, with only Matt Parsons turning out. Matt used the absence of Joe Tavener and Doug Hall to post his best run to date, as his training is showing dividends. Matt spent most of the race chasing third spot, before easing in well ahead of the rest of the field. Team Manager Ian Humphreys was once again Mendip's only senior - running the mens event as vital speedwork on his way to the London Marathon.

The next outing for the club's running is on Saturday, with the English
National Championships at Birmingham Seneleys Park. Details from Ian
Humphreys on 01749 675100.

SOUTH WEST SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS- Mendip Athletics Club had five regulars representing Somerset Schools at the South West Championships the previous weekend at Blaize Castle in Bristol. Several others were due to compete, but were forced to miss through illness.Best run of the day by a Somerset runner was from Nathan Young (Whitstone), who found himself in the unusual position of following someone else around the course. On this occasion Nathan is at the bottom half of the age-group and the winner, Gloucester's Matthew Withey, is one of the favourites for the English Schools title after finishing 4th in last years event. Dan Wright (Wells Blue) ran well for 38th in the minor boys race, with Joe Tavener (Hugh Sexey) 16th in the Inter boys event. Yazmin Kurle (St Dunstans) was 43rd in the junior girls, while older sister Zoe (Sexey's, Bruton) 36th in the senior girls.

AVON & SOMERSET COUNTY TEAMS - Following performances at last months county and area championships, the following local runners have been selected for the Avon and Somerset squads for the UK Inter-County Championships on March 5th. Final team select will be made later this week, following the National Championships on Saturday.
Further team and transport details are available from Senior County Team Manager Ian Humphreys (01749 675100).
U13 Girls - Leighanna Chappel (Yeovil/Wells), Ottalie Day (Mendip),
Yazmin Kurle (Mendip), Nattalie Parker (Yeovil/Wells), Lauren Tunnel (Mendip),
Alice Woods (Yeovil/Wells). U13 Boys - Tim Attwell (Mendip), Tom Derrick (Mendip), Charlie MacLean (Yeovil/Wells), Ben Venus (Yeovil/Wells), Nathan Young (Mendip). U15 Girls - Hannah Forrest (Yeovil/Wells), Laura Parker (Yeovil/Wells). U17 Women - Emma Crowe (Langport), Zoe Kurle (Mendip).U17 Men - Charles Albrowe (Langport), Doug Hall (Mendip), Chris Ramsey
(Wells), Joe Tavener (Mendip) U20 Women - Claire Griffin (Yeovil/Wells), Sarah Jones (Yeovil/Wells), Laura Whitehead (Wells) U20 Men - Tom Priest (Yeovil/Wells)Senior Women - Karen Buckley (Bristol/Wells), Amber Gascoigne (Wells), Emma Whittaker (Bristol/Frome) Senior Men - Andrew Baker (Yeovil/Wells), Andrew Hennessy (Wells), Carl Morris (Wells), Ben Tickner (Wells), Frank Tickner (Wells) Wells Harrier members Claire Martin and Vicky Tester will be running in the 4K race at Nottingham.
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1st February 2005 - Nathan Young scored the biggest victory of his career on London's Hapstead Heath at the weekend as he swept to a fine win in the under 13 section of the South of England Cross Country Championships. The venue, at Parliment Hill playing fields, was the scene of one of Nathan's two victories in this winters Reebok Challenge series, so he was hopeful to repeat that performance.

With the London based national press seeingly ignorant of anyone west
of Watford, Nathan found himself in the company of pre-race favourite
Ollie Aitchison as the pair raced to a 20 metre lead over the opening climb.
As the runners wound their way into the country Nathan, always out front,
saw his lead grow and shrink as the 200 runners battled with the course. At
the end of the final significant climb, just as the course turned back
towards the finish, Nathan made his move and quickly opened a decisive gap
which he held through to the finish. Meanwhile Mendip AC's other athletes were
being led around by Tom Derrick, who enjoyed a solid run to finish in 94th
place, while Dan Wright produced a blistering finish to gain 20 places in the
final quarter mile to complete in 119th. With several of the usual team out
with heavy colds it was left to Nathan's younger brother Keiran to complete
the team. Still only a year 5 at school, and technically too young to
compete, Keiran showed he has all the talent of his older brother by finishing a
very creditable 161st over this demanding course. With four boys over the
line Mendip finished in 18th team position.

In the under 13 girls race, Ottalie Day and Lauren Tunnell locked horns
once again, though on this occasion Ottalie produced a vintage performance
and obviously relished the tough conditions by finishing an excellent 67th.
Lauren ran well to hang on to 80th, while Olivia Patrick - having only
arrived on course with minutes to spare - ran well without the benefits
of a warm-up or a walk round the course, finishing strongly in 114th
position.

RESULTS:

Under 13 Boys: 1 Nathan Young 11:40, 94 Tom Derrick 13:26, 119 Dan
Wright 13:51, 161 Keiran Young 14:35

Under 13 Girls: 67 Ottalie Day 14:55, 80 Lauren Tunnell 15:15, 114
Olivia Patrick 16:00

Six Mendip athletes were named in the Somerset Schools team that will
be competing in the South West Schools Championships being held at Blaize
Castle in Bristol on Saturday. Good runs at these championships could
lead to a run in the English Schools championships in March. Lauren Tunnell
goes in the Minor Girls event, having finished 4th in the Somerset Schools
championships, with Dan Wright in the Minor Boys (5th). Rose Penfold
makes the team in the Junior Girls (8th), with Ottalie Day as a reserve
(11th). Nathan Young has been named in the Junior Boys team, having beaten the schools champion by nearly a minute in several outings this winter. Joe
Tavener goes into the Inter Boys team as county schools champion, and
Doug Hall in the Senior Boys after finishing 4th at the county championships.
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20th January 2005 - AVON & SOMERSET CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sunday saw hundreds of cross country enthusiasts descend on Clifton
College Sports Ground in Bristol for the annual county cross country
championships. Among them were ten from Mendip AC, some of them hoping for county medals and others trying to impress the selectors and win a place at the UK Inter-County championships being held in Nottingham on March 5th.

Clevedon Athletics Club had done a fine job with the course, a mixture of playing fields near the start/finish area and pasture. The going was firm over the rolling terrain - though thankfully for some the big hills of recent events were absent. At the time of going to press the official results had still not been published so many positions reported are provisional.

First off the start line were the under 13 girls, running over 2,500 metres. For most of the race there was little to separate the runners, with Mendip's Lauren Tunnell enjoying perhaps her best run to date vying for a place in the top half dozen a little way ahead of team captain Ottalie Day who was being chased hard by Olivia Patrick. On the run-in Lauren ensured a comfortable top ten finish, with Ottalie opening a small gap on Olivia - both girls finishing in the top 15.

Nathan Young started his campaign to lift the UK Inter-County title by having a relaxed run-out as he eased to a comfortable victory in an under 13 race that was dominated by boys from south of the river Avon. Tim Attwell found the distance a bit short and missed the hills, but was otherwise happy with his top ten placing. First year runner Dan Wright ran well to finish in the top half of the field.

Rose Penfold recovered from the 48 hour bug that caused her to miss
Thursday's school's event in time to run in the under 15 girls event.
Since a change to the cross-country rule book at the start of the summer, the girls now find themselves running 4km rather than the 3km that they have been used to in the past. Nevertheless Rose acquitted herself very well, only losing touch with fifth place on the final run-in the finish line.

Mendip's only competitor in the under 15 boys race was Dan Layton, in
Only his second race back following several months off with an injury. Dan pronounced himself happy with his run, particularly as his injury seems to be holding up to the extra stresses of racing.

Sixteen year-old Joe Tavener found himself running in isolation for much of the under 17 event, but was well rewarded by picking up the medal for the third placed Somerset runner behind Huish Episcopi school-mate Charles Albrow of Langport. In the final race of the day team manager Ian Humphreys found the 11km a hard but useful work-out.

Three days beforehand saw many of the clubs runners involved in the
Mendip Area Schools championships, held at Millfield Prep School in
Glastonbury. Dan Wright was the first of several winners as he eased to victory in the year 7 event, while Lauren Tunnell was well to the fore in the year 7 event.

Nathan Young romped to a convincing victory in the junior boys race,
With Dan Layton enjoying his first run back after injury in 4th place. Ottalie Day ran well in the junior girls race. Triathlon specialist Doug Hall provided a final Mendip AC victory in the Senior boys race.