MENDIP ATHLETICS CLUB

RECENT NEWS

MARCH 2009

11th March

This will be my last post as Webmaster as we move to Christchurch, Dorset tomorrow ! We will be staying in holiday accomodation for 6/8 weeks until our purchase of a bungalow is completed. Should any one need to contact me I can be reached at ken.hall@hotmail.co.uk or on mobile 07890 655237.

I would like to wish MAC and all its athletes and supporters all the very best for the future and hope 2009 is a successful season . I will remain as a non-active member and will be following this website whoever takes it on !

Birthdays for the rest of March include Agnes Dromgoole and Steve Njie on the 23rd , Matt Norton on the 28th and Chloe Martin on the 29th. Many congratulations - have a good day !

5th March

We now have a report on last Sunday's Wessex League meet plus a link to the results and current standings.. Go to WESSEX XC LEAGUE for all the information.

There is now a link to the results of the South West Schools XC championships at http://www.esaa.net/ . Use the left hand menu / 2009/ Inter Counrty Cross Country.

Birthdays next week for Aoife Thorogood on the 12th and Annie McConnell on the 13th. Louise Cowling and Maddie Williams , both on the 19th are the following week. Happy Birthday wishes to all of you - have a great day !

Tim Attwell proved his durabilty in competing in the Combe St. Nicholas 10K on Sunday morning prior to going on to the Wessex in the afternoon. His time was 41.40 but for once was not the first junior ! Also taking part in the Fun Run were James and Alex Williams, 4th and 14th, with times of 8.10 and 9.12.

Start of Combe St Nicholas Fun Run

2nd March ( 2 )

Please note the final Wessex League match has been brought forward a week to the 22nd March , still at the same venue, Avon Heath. Unfortunately this is as a result of a double booking by the Park so apologies for the short notice. Regrettably this clashes with the English Schools XC where a number of our runners will be so it is even more important that we get as many other members along as possible. Avon Heath is a good day out and very picturesque - I should know, it's near where I hope to be moving to !

In addition to mendipac@hotmail.co.uk we now have another hotmail address , mendipathleticsclub@hotmail.co.uk , both of these will get you a response to queries. It may well be that this website might be off line for a time due to a change of webmaster but hopefully not for long and not just yet !

2nd March

Mixed success at the Somerset Schools XC on Saturday at Taunton. Nathan Young came 3rd in his event helping Somerset to win the Senior Boys and it was good to see Dan Layton back albeit still suffering from glandular fever. Aoife Thorogood also took 3rd place in the Intermediate Girls for Avon . Adele Martin , although only 12th in the Junior Girls, was the first Somerset runner home and as the County XC was cancelled is therefore "unofficial" County champion ! There will be a report shortly and I am unable to upload the full results at the moment but we will have them soon . There are also some photos at 2009 PHOTOS .

The Tesco School Vouchers scheme starts again this week. MAC is registered to receive equipment and Kit from this scheme Vouchers for Schools and Clubs. so start collecting and hand them in at Training !

Tom Derrick will be competing during the forthcoming triathlon season with TEAM TRI UK. Many of you will know their shop, based in Lyde Road Yeovil which caters for all cycling, swimming and running needs. They put a lot of time and money into sponsorship of local events and athletes and it is good to see a promising junior like Tom getting the recognition he deserves. This is the team Doug Hall first started with before moving up !

This year's North Devon Young Athletes meeting will be held at Braunton on June 28th. I know a number of families enjoy this one and make a weekend of it. We will get further details in due course.

Committee meeting this Thursday at The Waggon and Horses for those involved...........

Castle Combe Race Circuit near Chippenham saw the South West Children Duathlon championships using a run, bike, run format at various distances for each age group. Chloe Martin took the TriStar 1 Girls title with some ease and sister Adele likewise took the TriStar 3 category against some stiff competition. Erin Martin was just pipped in her race to finish a close second and brother Ashley giving away both age and strength did well to finish halfway in the Youth race. Doug Hall went from marshalling transition for the junior races to then come 7th in the main race of 200 starters. Full results and splits at http://www.dbmax.co.uk/ under " Hot News" .There are also some photos available at 2009 PHOTOS

Categories

Cat.
Age

Distances

TriStar Start 8 years 400m run, 1.5k bike, 200m run

TriStar 1 9-10 years 1.2k run, 3k bike, 400m run

TriStar 2 11-12 years 1.8k run, 6k bike, 600m run

TriStar 3 13-14 years 1.8k run, 9k bike, 800m run

Youth 15-16 years 2 mile run, 10mile bike, 1 mile run

Junior

17-19 years

2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 1 mile run

FEBRUARY 2009

28th February

Some of you will be aware that Helen and I have been trying to move for some time now, and at long last we are at the exchange of contracts stage, with completion hoped for during March. We are moving to the Christchurch area in Dorset. This will mean this Website will require a replacement Webmaster. You do not need a great technical knowledge and if you are interested please contact David Wright or myself.

It is likely I will be without computer facilities as we will be in rented property to start with, so for the time being if you need to contact me , please use ken.hall@hotmail.co.uk . I have also set up a hotmail account at mendipac@hotmail.co.uk so use that as well for club matters.

The European Indoor Championships start next weekend and those of you with access to British EuroSport can watch the action live from 3 p.m. on Friday.

Birthdays coming up.... B'Al Martin is on the 6th March and we have a trio of elder statesmen, Peter Grosjean on the 3rd, David Wright on the 4th and John Young on the 9th. Congratulations to you all - have a great day !

Off to watch the South West Schools XC championships at Taunton now...............

   Becky Carver at Parliament Hill

24th February

Becky Carver's 12th place was the high light of the MAC performances at the National XC Championships ,held at Parliament Hill. Ian's report can be found at PARLIAMENT HILL . Well Done to all who travelled so far and hope you thought the spectacle of the race was well worth it ! The full results can be found at http://www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=48

There is also an excellent report on http://www.bristolandwestac.org/ about their results and the problems all teams have in getting a full set in each age group !

Closer to home,Tim Attwell proved his Junior credentials once more in being 1st Youth home in the Babcary race in the Somerset series. He was 35th overall in a field of over 200 with a time of 51.57. Mum Hazel was a bit lower down with 1.10.27.

This Saturday sees the South West Schools XC championships being held at Taunton Racecourse. There will be some excellent competition and we wish all those involved a good race. If you are are going to watch , wrap up well, it can be windy on the top of the hill there! First race Is 1.30 p.m. I think.

Sunday is the next Wessex League meet and this one is fairly close to home at St Michael's Mount near Ham Hill. Park at Stanchester School nearby and follow the signs. Best of Luck again to all those involved.

18th February

Last week's Street 5K saw a win for Nathan Young, running as Bristol and West AC, in a time of 16.28. Tim Attwell was 2nd junior home in 9th place , 18.22. Other MAC runners were Kieran Young, 19.03, Josh Timmins with a PB of 20.04, Ashley Martin, 20.34, Rose Penfold, 20.46, just outside her PB, and Rob Martin with 21.07.

In the Street junior races, Alex Williams and Chloe Martin came in together in the 1K race in 4.20.     In the 2K race , Shane Williams was 2nd in 7.37, James Williams , 8.04, Amy Reakes 8.28, Erin Martin , 8.30 and Simone Young with 9.37. These were personal best times for Shane, Erin and Simone.   Well Done !

Tim Attwell also took on the Inca Trail 7 on Sunday, which turned out to be nearer 8 miles due to flooding diversions ! No precise times yet but was about 6th but like last year, 1st junior as well. Rob Martin was also home in the Top 20 in a very muddy race !

Most of you will have now received Graham Norris's  letter concerning the Club's need to identify and involve more coaches. It does not have to be you individually or your parents, but perhaps someone you might know through work or school. If we are to have a successful track season it is very important that we have a satisfactory coach to athlete ratio to help all our members . The commitment can be as little as one session a week but please consider this carefully and contact Graham or your existing Coach if you have any ideas...........

Those of you interested in the Combined Events championships, in which we have had some success in recent years, are reminded that the rearranged dates for this year are 25th and 26th April at Millfield.

Birthdays coming up over the rest of the month......... Kieran Young is first , on the 21st, Ashley Williams on the 22nd, Johnna Carver , 26th, Youcef Kouidri, 27th and Jordan Fry on the 28th. Happy Birthday to you all and enjoy your day !

Good Luck to all of those taking part in the National XC Championships this weekend at Parliament Hill, North London !

For those able to sit in front of a television instead, next Saturday sees the UK Indoor Grand Prix at Birmingham showing on BBC1 , starting at 1 p.m.

Full results and report for the Inca races now available at http://www.yeoviltownrrc.com/reports_2009.shtml#inca

11th February

Dates for our Thursday Open Meetings at Millfield have now been agreed and these are as follows :    April 23rd, May 21st, June 25th and July 16th. Further details of programme etc. will be given nearer the time.

Our 2009 CALENDAR is taking shape with various new dates being added from various sources, including Bristol and West AC . Please take a look and make a note of those you should be involved in - if you are not sure have a word with your coach.

Following the cancellation of the Somerset Schools XC last weekend , the teams for the South West Schools championships has now been pre selected as there has not been time to re-arrange prior to the 28th February at Taunton Racecourse. Unfortunately this may mean some 'in form' runners who might have done well on the day not making the team. Congratulations to those MAC athletes selected, Kieran and Nathan Young, Adele and Ashley Martin, Becky Carver, Dan Wright, Emily Derrick and making a welcome return , Dan Layton. Reserves include Shane Williams, Erin Martin, Tom Derrick, Rose Penfold and Sara Geary. We wish them all the best of Luck !

One birthday next week for Jacob Gooch on the 17th ! Congratulations and best wishes !

7th February

There is a new website for the South West Athletics League.  This is still under development but have a look anyway at www.swathletics.org.uk

MAC were represented on 8^th February in the snowy Hinton St George ‘Slay the Dragon’ fun run by James and Alex Williams. James was 2nd with a time of 7.56 and Alex 3rd with a time of 8.36, Both were age category winners. Meanwhile mum and dad had to go a bit further with a multi-terrain 10K Marcus was 12^th and Louise was 41^st.

Street 5K and accompanying fun runs is this Wednesday, 11th February. Register at URC Church Hall at 7 p.m.

Unfortunately, due to the weather,the Somerset Schools XC was cancelled at the weekend. Hopefully it will be rearranged a.s.a.p. as the next stage, SW Schoools  XC is due to take place on the 28th February. More news as we get it.

The next race in the Somerset Series is the Babcary 7miles+ on the 22nd February plus a fun run alongside. Details at http://wellscityharriers.org.uk/

This Sunday, 15th February,is the Inca Trail at Ilchester, again with fun runs alongside, details at http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?ugn=6210&sp=&v=2

This years Cow Pat Canter events ( Somer AC ) will take place on Sunday, 17th May at 11:00am. The main course this year has been extended to approximately 12K. There will be NO entries on the day, so please download an entry form to enter the race.

Sadly the Miners Races also organised by Somer AC will not take place this year .See http://www.somerac.org.uk/miners/ for details.

2nd February

Two first places in the Wessex League meeting at Salisbury with Aoife Thorogood and Nathan Young leading from the front and winning convincingly. There were other good performances in the cold conditions and you can read the full story at WESSEX XC LEAGUE . Full results to follow shortly.

Whilst all that was going on, Doug Hall was winning the Blackmoor Vale Half Marathon in hilly Dorset in a time of 1.13.58 , a new PB for him which proves the worth of training running up and down Bath's many hills ! Tim Attwell was also taking part in the accompanying Fun Run , ( though at 5.25 miles it couldn't have been that much fun ! ) Tim's time was 38.51 giving him 1st Junior and second place overall.

We may have some spare tickets available for the Birmingham Grand Prix Meeting on 21st February. If you know of anyone who would like them, please let Graham Norris or Peter Grosjean know and they will get them to you! Prices as website ( £ 11 children, £ 17 adult we think! )

If anyone wants to meet the coach that is leaving from Weston super Mare, they would be welcome. Allow an extra £ 10 per ticket for that.

The Somerset Schools XC championships is this coming  Saturday, 7th February at Mudford Rec in Yeovil, first race starts at 2pm. This is the recreation ground behind the Athletics Track. We wish all our athletes who are taking part every success.

One Birthday coming up, Dan Barker on the 8th February. Congratulations and have a good day !

JANUARY 2009

31st January

Lots of news today ! Best of Luck to all those taking part in the Wessex XC at Salisbury tomorrow.

Our sister club, Bristol and West AC , now has an updated website with lots of recent news. Have a look at http://www.bristolandwestac.org/

There is another Team Bath Indoor Meet coming up on the 21st February and you can find details at http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dgw9pkh_128d98jt3ff

Talking of Team Bath AC , their official newsletter is called "The Bath Plug" and their next edition will be number 1000 ! Congratulations to them and you can read their website at http://www.cityofbathac.org/

Congratulations to Aoife Thorogood and Nathan Young who both achieved excellent 4th places in their age groups at the Midland XC championships. Further report to follow.....

A local race coming up, at Ilchester Sports Fields on the 15th February, is the 7 mile Inca Trail , with accompanying 3 mile and 1 mile fun runs . These are good fun and you also get me as a timekeeper ! Further details from http://www.yeoviltownrrc.com/

Belated birthday congratulations to Erin Martin, on the 30th and Brogan Sellar on the 31st. Sorry I missed you ! Hope you had a good day !

Somerset Schools Athletics will be holding a number of out of season T&F competitions, the first being “Jumps, Throws and Sprints Fests” – on Thursday (evenings) 26th February and 12th March at Yeovil Arena for U13 and U15's (School year groups 7 to 9). We haven't got full details yet but I'm sure we will have in due course !

Shane , Shaun, Mark, Kathy and Becky meet up with Christian Malcolm, one of our top Olympic sprint stars, at a recent visit to Westbury -sub - Mendip. Thanks to Kathy for sending me the picture. If anyone has any photos to share then send them to me and we will add them to the PHOTO ALBUM

25th January

No MAC athletes at the recent Yeovil Open though I did see Bristol and West mentioned and also Sara Geary listed as Yeovil Olympiads presumably due to her connection with Yeovil College. If you are interested to see what the opposition are doing early season the results are at http://www.yeovilolympiads.com/results%202009/match%203%20results.txt

Junior results from the last Street 5K can now be found at http://wellscityharriers.org.uk/ . Not a high turnout but good runs by Alex, Shane and James Williams with Chloe Martin being 1st girl home in the 1K race. Next set of races is February 11th.

International Athletics on BBC1 next Saturday at 2 p.m. - GB versus the USA,Sweden,Germany and a combined Commonwealth team.

22nd January

No one can say they don't have enough notice this year ! Our Annual Christmas Handicap Race and Social has been fixed for Sunday 13th December 2009 ! Put it in your diaries now to ensure we have the best turn out ever !

Congratulations to the 4 Sportshall teams under the guidance of Robin Callender and Denise Hoogesteger who travelled to the Aviva Festival of Athletics at Bristol. We had a first and a second and two fifths as far as the teams were concerned and lots of great individual performances !

Sportshall takes place at Wells Blue School on Thursdays @ 5.20 p.m. for Years 4 to 7, as a preparation for 'real' athletics so contact Robin or Denise if you have any younger siblings interested .

Next Wessex League XC is at Salisbury on Sunday 1st February. Please let Ian Humphreys know if you intend to be there and if you require a lift. We are also looking for volunteers as Marshals as well.

Another date to diarise is the May 24th South West Athletics League match . This will be at Millfield and MAC wil be acting as the hosts. This means we will require assistance with marshalling and officials as well as putting out as many athletes as we can on the track . It may be some way away but we want to make sure it goes well.

19th January

Birthdays this week for Daisy Bentley and yours truly, both of us on the 22nd. I shall have a good time and I hope Daisy does too !

15th January

Perfect conditions for the Mendip Schools XC saw Nathan Young win the Senior Boys race comfortably with Tom Derrick in 4th, just ahead of Dan Wright. Rose Penfold ran steadily to take 2nd in the Senior Girls. Rebecca Carver and Kieran Young were both 3rd in their respective Junior Races whilst Shane Williams, another 3rd place, was unlucky to be overtaken in the last few hundred yards having led all the way in the Year 7 race. Other MAC athletes I spotted were Hayley Carver , Amy Reakes and Simone Young.

The Somerset Schools XC championships, for which the above runners were qualifying, is due to be held on February 7th. It is rumoured to be somewhere in Yeovil ? If any one receives confirmation of the venue via their school , can they please let me know.

Qualifiers from that event then go on to the South West Schools XC to be held at Taunton Race course on the 28th February.

Last night's Street 5K saw Ashley Martin pip Tim Attwell as 1st MAC athlete home in 9th place in a time of 18.47. This also moves him to leading Junior over the series so far, ahead of Tim in 2nd place! Tim posted 19.01 with Rob Martin on 21.27 and Josh Timmins on 21.58. No 1K or 2K results yet but they should be on http://wellscityharriers.org.uk/ shortly.

Our updated membership information is now available at MEMBERSHIP for all prospective new members , as I am sure all our current members have already renewed.................Any queries please contact our Membership secretary, Katherine Robinson atmacmembership@btinternet.com

A bit longer than our usual distance but there is a Charity 5 mile  race for LADIES ONLY in Salisbury on the 19th April.

14th January

Are you an artist as well as an athlete ? Could you design a new 50p to commemorate the 2012 Olympic Games ? Check the Blue Peter website out for details at http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/central/getinvolved/index_competitions.shtml

We now have some extra dates for Track and Field. We will be able to take part in the AVON League as part of a joint team with our 'twinned ' club, Bristol and West AC , the dates being 26th April, 28th June, 12th July and 9th August . These are all at Yate, Bristol and do not clash with any of our own dates. There is a National Junior League match on the April date so the joint team will be looking for lots of athletes to fill the spots. Make a note of the dates and speak to your coaches.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to get the " Athlete of the Month" feature going again. Our first ATHLETE OF THE MONTH for 2009 is Dan Robinson , who moves into the U 17 age group this year and is looking forward to sprinting in the sunshine again ! If you would like to be featured, let me know the details.

12th January

Dan Robinson made his indoor race debut at the weekend's inaugural South
West Indoor Championships, held in conjunction with the Welsh Championships
at the Welsh National Indoor Centre in Cardiff. Dan contested two events in
the under 17 age-group, the 60m - where he clocked 8.15 seconds for 5th
place, and the 200m - where he finished third in his heat in 25.97 seconds.

All club members are reminded that subscriptions for the 2009 season are now due.                 Training fees, which have had to be raised to cover an increase in facility hire costs since last year, can be paid monthly by standing order. Existing members should all have received renewal forms but if not, and for any new members, please contact Katherine Robinson ( Dan's Mum ) at
tkdme@btinternet.com

We now have a fuller report of the South West XC at Bicton Park at SOUTH WEST XC CHAMPS BICTON

Congratulations to Peter Grosjean who last weekend completed his qualification as a Level 3 Speed ( Sprints) Coach. This adds to his recent Level 2 award for throws, which Kathy Williams also achieved ! It is important that our coaches develop and improve as well as our athletes and we are grateful for all the time and effort they put in. If any parent would like to consider getting more actively involved have a word with Peter or Graham Norris. It's not as bad as you think and the Club will assist with any fees involved.

Also Best of Luck to all those involved in the Level 2 Officials Course being held this coming weekend. Perhaps someone will let me know how you get on......

Street 5K and the junior races alongside this Wednesday - some of our athletes are doing well this series.

10th January

Live Athletics
International Cross-Country today : Jonathan Edwards introduces coverage of the Great Edinburgh International Cross-Country race at Holyrood Park, where an elite field of athletes, including Britain's Mo Farah and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, compete in the latest round of the IAAF season. Commentary by Steve Cram and Brendan Foster Today at 1 p.m.on BBC 1 .

Most of you will have received the Winter Newsletter directly by post and while this website seems unable to copy it exactly, we do have a text version if you threw yours out with the Christmas wrapping paper ! Go to WINTER NEWSLETTER 2008

Just got some details of the Yeovil Schools XC championships held at Montacute in December with MAC athletes featuring. Pride of place goes to Adele Martin taking first place in the Years 8/9 girls race. Her sister Erin was 3rd home in the Year 7 race, closely followed by Agnes Dromgoole in 4th. In the Year 10 race, Ashley Martin was third, just ahead of his WCH rival Cameron Rafferty. They all go on to the Somerset Schools XC Championships next month. Next Wednesday, it is Mendip's turn for their championships at Millfield....best of luck to all those involved !

Adele Martin gets a second mention and congratulations as she has recently selected by the Somerset Football Association Centre of Excellence for a team of regional players with the potential to progress to International Level ! What a great opportunity , and well deserved.

Birthdays this week for Olly Biddulph and Blake Parkinson, both on the 12th. Have a great day !

7th January

A very Happy New Year to all our members and supporters and to all those who visit this website. We hope that success and enjoyment come to you in your life as well as your sport .

Happy Birthday today, the 7th, to Lizzie Hecks and Simone Young. Also to Ellie Norris on the 8th and James Clothier on the 10th. Congratulations to you all and have a good day !

Next Meet for the Yeovil Arena Floodlit Open is Thursday January 22nd 2009 . Go to http://www.yeovilolympiads.com/ for more information.

Highlight of the South West Cross Country Championships held at Bicton
College on Sunday was a brilliant victory for the Mendip AC under 15 girls
team, with Aoife Thorogood leading the team of Adele Martin, Emily Derrick
and Ruby Kelly home in fourth place overall. Nathan Young won the club's
only individual medal by finishing third in the under 17 men's event. A full report                             from Ian will come shortly but in the meantime results can be found at http://www.ironbridgerunnerevents.co.uk/html/swxc.html

There is a report fom the Wessex XC meet at Langport , though no full results as yet.                         Go to WESSEX XC LEAGUE

DECEMBER 2008

29th December

Doug Hall took on the Stoke St Gregory Stampede 10K on Boxing Day and made 11th place , posting a time of 35.06 ; not bad after excess food and drink on Christmas Day and riding 10 miles to the start line!

Wessex League yesterday at Langport was once again all about quality rather than quantity ! We will have a report for you shortly but good results from Aoife Thorogood who ran away with the U15 Girls race , Doug Hall being outsprinted in the last 200 yards for 1st in the Mens race and several other MAC runners up near the front of their races. Thanks to Langport Runners ( and Ian ! ) for the excellent organisation.

Looking forward to Summer ( ! ) the dates for Star:Track are 10th to 14th August 2009 and the cost will be £50. Further details will be out shortly but put it in your diaries now !

21st December

Happy Christmas to all our athletes and parents and to all our fellow competitors in other local Clubs.

15th December

A website that I have used before but not one on our LINKS until now is http://www.ironbridgerunner.co.uk/ which is actually a sports shop in Exeter but has a wealth of information about athletics and events in the South West.

Another site I found is a weird one ; lots of information , mainly US based but they did have the results of the European Cross Country almost as quick as UK Athletics ! This could be a real timewaster but check it out at http://www.letsrun.com/.

Well done to the UK athletes in the European Cross Country championships, particularly to our local Frank Tickner in the top ten, Tom Russell of Bristol and West AC, who we are 'twinned' with and to the Women's U20 team, led by Steph Twell who took the first SIX positions in their race ! For full results and times go to http://www.ukathletics.net/media/news/december-2008/14-12-08-euro-xc/ and http://www.european-athletics.org/

Well Done to to Tom Derrick, who took 3rd place and 1st Junior, in the recent Burnham Esplanade 5K in a time of 18.03 !

Congratulations too, to Nathan Young, who recently won the South West Colleges Cross Country championships held at St. Austell, Cornwall. Sadly he was the only representative from Strode College, who still only pay lip service to Athletics and well done to Dad, John Young for driving him all that way ! Haven't been able to find any results yet - if any one tracks them down , let me know !

The Annual Handicap Races took place yesterday followed by the Christmas Social. First runners home were Simone Young in the 2K and Ben Millar in the 5K. Fastest times however , were Shaun Bateman with 7.34 and Nathan Young with 15.56. Shane Williams deservedly won the Fancy Dress prize ! For a full report and all the times , go to MAC XMAS HANDICAP RACE . Thanks to Ian and Denise for organising the races and the fun afterwards! See also the photos below taken by Graham Norris at the start.

At the Christmas Social Ian Humphreys was awarded one of the club's two London Marathon
entries - can any club member who would like to be considered for the second place please contact either Kathy Williams or Ian Humphreys as soon as possible.

This is the 2K start !

11th December

Only two MAC runners in last night's Street 5K ; Ashley Martin was 2nd junior behind his school colleague and rival, Cameron Rafferty. His time was 19.07 some way ahead of Dad, Rob Martin who finished with 21.43. The race was won ( again) by Jon Gilling of WCH. Full results at http://wellscityharriers.org.uk/

The 2009 CALENDAR has now been updated with the dates for next season's South West Athletics League Division 2 matches and the National Young Athletes League meetings with Bristol & West AC. There might be some changes of venue and start times later but make a note of the dates now in your new diaries !

Congratulations to Rebecca Carver, sister Hayley and Amy Reakes, representing Whitstone School in the English Schools XC Cup. They and their team mates Abi Gibbons, Naomi Marable and Alison Rowan only just missed out a place in the National Finals.

Does any one ( other than me !) remember Huish Episcopi getting to the English Schools XC  final with a team that included Charles Albrow, Doug Hall, Ashley Hanlon and Joe Tavner........where have all those years gone !

Your Committee,and particularly Graham Norris, have been active recently in updating the Club's Development Plan , setting out our aims in the short , medium and long term for the future of MAC . You can read the updated report at CLUB DEVELOPMENT PLAN. If you have any comments or suggestion then do let us know. Like many other facets of life, there is always a great deal of paperwork involved and running an Athletics Club is no different. We are grateful to all the Committee for their hard work, often unrecognised, that has to be done away from the track to ensure our Club is run correctly for the benefit and safety of its athletes and the confidence and support of their parents.

8th December

Well Done to Nathan Young and Aoife Thorogood for taking Somerset County titles at the AVON & SOMERSET XC CHAMPS at Bristol last Saturday. Also to Hayley and Rebecca Carver for making such an effort to be there on the start line and putting many other MAC runners to shame who did not make the trip ! Results can be found at http://www.gwent-league.org.uk/

1st December

Quality, not quantity , seemed to be the order of the day at Bournemouth for the first round of the Wessex League XC , with representation fairly low from a lot of clubs, including MAC .Notwithstanding that, some good results with second places for some of our teams and a win, by over a minute, for Nathan Young running in the Senior Men's race. Report from Ian to follow, but meanwhile provisional results at http://www.wessexleague.com/results_page/2008_9/Race1%20-%20Provisional%20Result.xls

  News more than 2 months old

can be found at   ARCHIVED NEWS