February 2008
| National XC Champs 2008 |
Monday, February 25 2008 |
| English National Cross Country Championships 2008 Athletes from all over the British Isles converged on Alton Towers for the National Cross Country Championships. The 2008 event, held in perfect weather conditions, was an extreme test of endurance with a challenging hilly course that was soft underfoot. The individual highlights of the day had to be the Parkes’ brothers, Anthony and Stephen, both finishing in the top 25 in their respective events. These were the best individual results for over 20 years and hopefully the family rivalry should produce exciting results for years to come. Tamworth Athletic Club fielded its strongest team for many years in most age groups with the under 13 boys once again producing the best club performance ever in the National Championships. This was all the more remarkable as all the Under 13 boys and girls and most of the Under 15’s team were all newcomers to this prestigious and testing competition rounding off the cross country season. The full report is on the 'Reports' section of the website.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Tamworth Games 2008 |
Monday, February 25 2008 |
| The Annual Tamworth Games will be held this year on 25th August Bank Holiday Monday 2008. Further details nearer the date.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Annual Presentation Evening |
Sunday, February 24 2008 |
| The Annual Presentation Evening will take place in the clubhouse on Friday 11th April at 7.30pm when awards for performance, achievement and service will be made. Come along and enjoy the presenting of the awards and trophies by the guest presenters, the supper, dance to the disco music, try your luck on the raffle, enjoy the drinks at the bar, chat with friends and have a good night out. Tickets will be on sale from the end of February from registration, the tuck shop and bar. Details of the guest presenter will be available soon!!
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| Posted by:chris |
| AGM Coming Soon |
Sunday, February 24 2008 |
| TAMWORTH ATHLETIC CLUB 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is given that this years AGM will be held in the Clubhouse on Monday 31st March commencing at 7.30pm. Further details are posted on the club notice board. C Graves (Mrs) Club Secretary Tamworth Athletic Club On behalf of Tamworth Athletic Club Committee
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| Posted by:chris |
| Sportshall Athletics Regional Final, Worcester |
Friday, February 22 2008 |
| Tamworth Athletic Club had athletes representing Staffordshire in all age groups at the Sportshall Athletics Regional Finals in Worcester.
The under 15 boys, who were represented by Nikita Shelyakin, Jamell Newill,
Nathan Christian, Stephen Parkes, Luke Roughley and Doug Spark, showed their future potential when they finished in third place overall in a tough competition.
Such is the strength of the Tamworth AC athletes that the outstanding performance within this age group was the 8 lap paarlauf where Stephen Parkes and Luke Roughley came close to beating the joint team of Birchfield Harriers and Solihull and Small Heath who represented the Birmingham team. The defending champions from Birmingham certainly knew they had been in a race. Individual medals in this group were achieved by Jamell Newill and Doug Spark who received
silver and bronze respectively in the shot competition.
The under 15 girls team was made up of Chloe Saunders, Lauren Saunders,
Nicole King, Iona Glenn, Josie Cassar and Amy Curry (Royal Sutton
Coldfield). The team performed well and finished fourth overall greatly helped by the performance of Nicole King, normally to be seen in cross country competitions, with her bronze medal in the 4 lap race.
The under 13 boys team had 6 Tamworth AC athletes namely Elliott Jones, James
Bacchus, Anthony Parkes, Kyle Norton, Ben Townsend and Kane Densley.
The Tamworth boys performed well to finish third behind the Birmingham and
Warwickshire teams. Individual medals were gained by Anthony Parkes with a
silver in the 4 lap race and bronze by Ben Townsend who pushed team mate Anthony all the way to the finish line.
Tamworth athlete Kane Densley, who at 11 was only just eligible to compete, won the only gold for his club for his excellent performance in the speed bounce competition.
The under 13 girls team worked hard to achieve fifth position overall in this tough age group competition. Fran Hughes, Jasmine Oliver, Catherine Smith, Claudia Farley, Maisha Newill,
Carmen Gameson and the young Chloe Williams made up a team that included experienced and newer team members.
Good performances from Chloe Williams, the youngster of the group and athletic all rounder, showed how valuable she will be next season in this age group. But the outstanding Tamworth girl has to be the new 'girl on the block' Catherine Smith. Her gutsy performance in
the final of the 4 lap race earned her a silver medal close behind the Birmingham champion. For information on training, competition and the reception squad for new athletes at Tamworth AC please contact Chris by email at tamworthac@aol.com or phone 01827 287177.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Silver Success For Tamworth Pair |
Tuesday, February 19 2008 |
Tamworth Ac runners Tom Challis and Ellie Redfern picked up silver medals at the Midland Indoor championships at the NIA.
Competing in the under-17 men's 400m, Challis won his heat in 52.11secs and went on to finish second in the final in a personal best time of 50.94secs.
Redfern, competing in the under-13 girls' quadrathlon, took second place with an overall score of 1,172points.
She had a putt of 4.90m in the shot, cleared 1.26m in the high jump, leapt 3.93m in the long jump, and completed her competition by clocking 8.98secs in the 60m.
Newcomer Claudia Farley made a promising start to track and field competition when she finished just out of the medals in fourth place with an overall score of 859 points.
Farley had a putt of 3.93m in the shot, cleared 1.17m in the high jump, 3.50m in the long jump and ran the 60m in 9.34secs.
Jasmine Oliver did well to overcome three no putts in the shot to score a total of 749 points over her remaining three events to take seventh place in the competition.
She had a clearance of 1.20m in the high jump, 3.44m in the long jump and was timed at 9.26secs for the 60m.
It's 'back to the drawing board' for Jordan Roach, who finished in fourth place in the under-17 men's high jump with 1.80m.
Milly Kellyman put up her usual good performances in the under-17 ladies' sprint events.
Kellyman took third place in her heat of the 60m in 8.21secs and went on to finish fifth in the 'A' final in a personal best time of 8.15secs.
In the 200m, Kellyman took third place in her heat in 27.91secs and second place in the 'B' final in 27.90secs.
Also in the under-17 ladies' 200m event was Sophie Taylor, with second place in her heat in 27.23secs and going on to win the 'B' final in 27.24secs.
Nikita Shelyakin took sixth place in the under-17 men's long jump with a personal best 5.44m and fifth in his heat of the 200m in 26.60secs.
Jamell Newill was in eighth place in the under-17 men's long jump with a jump of 5m and fifth in his heat of the 200m in 26.48secs.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Double Delight For Town Star Jessica |
Tuesday, February 19 2008 |
| Several of Tamworth AC's young athletes picked up good first places in the latest Birmingham Sports Hall event.
For the full report go to the Reports section of the website.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Fourth Midland Crown For Williams |
Tuesday, February 19 2008 |
Mark Williams claimed the Midland 10km Race Walking championship for a record fourth consecutive year at the weekend.
Williams (left) took the men's title with an impressive performance at the championships held in the grounds of Alexander Athletics Stadium in Birmingham.
The event had to be postponed for a month this time last year due to heavy snowfall on the eve of the event.
There were no such problems this year as the course was baked in glorious sunshine.
Williams was confident enough to start his race towards the rear of the field, keeping out of trouble as the athletes made a charge from the gun, before quickly moving through to join the early leaders and upping the pace to put some distance between himself and his nearest challengers.
Williams settled into a consistent pace, opening an ever-increasing lead and reaching the midway point in 23.23mins.
The Tamworth man had lapped the field by the 9km mark before recording an identical second 5km split time to take the victory 46.46mins.
Nuneaton's Steve Arnold walked well to claim second place in 53.21mins, ahead of Leicester's Mark Wall, third in 54.21mins, leading Leicester to victory in the team championship.
Tamworth AC's Gordon Chapman produced another solid performance to finish strongly.
Baxterly athlete Ann Wheeler, representing Nuneaton Harriers, made an impressive return to competition in her first race since recovering from injury at the end of last season.
In the women's 5km, Wheeler took an excellent fifth place in a high quality field.
Recording a time of 28.55mins, Wheeler showed excellent early season form and promise for the year ahead.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Tamworth AC AGM 2008 |
Tuesday, February 19 2008 |
| TAMWORTH ATHLETIC CLUB 2008 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is given that this years AGM will be held in the Clubhouse on Monday 31st March commencing at 7.30pm. Nominations are requested duly proposed and seconded for election to the Committee as detailed in Rule 5 (1), (iv) & (vi) of the Clubs’ Constitution. Such nominations must be made in writing to the Secretary no later than 5.00pm on Monday 17th March. Any member wishing to propose amendments to the Rules and / or Constitution of the Club should do so, in writing, to the Secretary no later than 5pm on Monday 17th March. Any senior member may offer themselves for election to the Committee or as an Officer of the Club, provided that they have been a member of the Club for at least 12 months. All fully paid up members are encouraged to attend but please note that no social members, 2nd claim members or members under 18 have voting powers. C Graves Hon Club Secretary Tamworth Athletic Club On behalf of Tamworth Athletic Club Committee
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| Posted by:chris |
| Beesley Wins in Style |
Monday, February 11 2008 |
| On a weekend when 21 English athletes achieved World Indoor Championships selection standards at the Norwich Union World Trials and UK Championships in Sheffield, Meghan Beesley, another teenager aiming for this summer’s World Junior Championships, caused an equally big surprise by winning the women’s 400m title. “My first senior indoors ... my first title ... I can’t believe it,” she smiled. Now the England Athletics Indoor Combined Events Under 20 Women’s champion will head for a triple test at the England Athletics U20 Indoor Championships at the NIA, Birmingham. She explains: “I’ve entered the 60 hurdles, 200 and 400. I’ll give them all a bash. They’re all nicely spread out. There’s at least an hour between races.” from report by Trevor Frecknall on the England Athletics website Congratulaions to Meghan on an outstanding performance .Her chances of making an appearance in the 2012 London Olympics become greater every week! Naturally this is an exciting and special time for the club where a number of coaches, including our coaching coordinator Andy Day, proudly remember back to a time when they coached Meghan as a young athlete. Now Meghan , who is coached by Trevor Marsay, has regular opportunities to train with top athletes such as Kelly Sotherton and was recently matched with top GB athlete Nicola Sanders for mentoring purposes as part of the UK Athletics programme for athletes with a high level of athletic potential!
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| Posted by:chris |
| Midlands XC Champs, Leamington Spa |
Sunday, February 10 2008 |
Tamworth Ac juniors faced tough weather conditions last weekend.
The Midlands Cross Country Championships course at Leamington Spa is renowned for being a wet course and so it was with some trepidation that the Tamworth athletes arrived after one of the wettest times on record.
Fortunately, most of the course was remarkably dry with the exception of one area in which the athletes had to negotiate water which was nearly three feet deep.
Tamworth had a team in the under-13 girls' section for the first time for many years and they finished 21st.
Jasmine Oliver had an excellent run in 94th with Beth Puffett in 114th, Chloe Williams 120th, newcomer Elisha Freeman 121st and Sophie Oldfield 128th.
This was a wonderful result from a very young squad against a large entry of teams this year.
The under-13 boys have also improved during recent years and this year they also achieved their best result.
Kristian Edwards has been on top form this year and his gutsy performance was rewarded with tenth position achieved despite suffering from flu.
Ellis Cross was in his first race as an under-13 and to finish 36th was astonishing.
Aidan Blythe is improving with every race and must be very satisfied with 49th.
Robert Stroud has only just become eligible for the under-13 category and he finished 65th with Ben Wright, suffering from the ill effects of a lingering cough, 92nd, and relative newcomers to Tamworth AC Zac Gray 98th and Josh Roughley 99th.
Stephen Parkes was the first Tamworth athlete to finish in the under-15 boys in 21st.
Luke Roughley is still recovering from the excesses of a trip to the Dominican Republic but still managed 41st with Richard Mahoney 65th.
Only two athletes were able to run for Tamworth in the under-17 ladies race with Elise Jinks finishing in 49th and Alison Bird 54th.
The under-17 men's team completed the event in seventh also a best for the club and showed the team spirit that has existed in this squad since they were very young boys.
There was an excellent tussle between Steve Deeley 42nd, Sam Micklewright 43rd, Matt Wood 46th, Jacob Hughes 67th and Joe Saddington 88th and all five managed to negotiate the water and the glutinous muddy banks with surprising ease.
If all athletes, who have been selected for the England Athletics National Championships at Alton Towers, turn up the club could possibly end the season with the best set of results in the 36 years.
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| Posted by:chris |
| 2 News Items on Sponsorship at TAC |
Sunday, February 10 2008 |
| Tamworth AC’s middle distance runner and team manager John Jenkins is switching to a new sport in aid of the Tamworth AC Indoor Facility Project when he will be taking part in a bungee-jump from the Middlesbrough Transportation Bridge in February of this year. The bridge , which has featured in several television programmes and films including Billy Elliot, was built in 1911 and is 260 metres long, 69 metres high and has 210 steps to the top! Jumpers Jenkins and fellow sportsman Matthew Hilton, who normally can be found chasing a ball around the hockey pitch, will be cheered on by friends from Tamworth who are travelling to Middlesbrough especially for the occasion. When asked how the idea of a bungee-jump first started Jenkins said “ At first the jump was for personal satisfaction but then Matt and I decided to raise money for the club as well. It is something I thought I would never have the nerve to do”. John who has already raised nearly £200, mainly from his work colleagues and club members, is looking for sponsors and maybe someone who might be willing to match his £200! Sponsorship forms are available from the club or by emailing John Jenkins at tamworthac@aol.com . Thanks to everyone who voted for our club, Tamworth AC’s Indoor Facility Centre, in the recent Norwich Union ‘Join Our Team’ project. The club was in the lead in the West Midlands region with the opportunity of winning £12,500 right until the last few days when it was pipped into second place by a disability group from Derbyshire. Nevertheless there was some good news for the club as it managed to win £1,000 towards the cost of the new indoor centre. The club now needs a major sponsor or sponsors to take it and our bunch of ‘best and up coming’ athletes, including 2 serious contenders for the London Olympics in 2012, namely Meghan Beesley and Nathan Woodward, forward into the future and to help the club encourage and provide opportunities for even more young athletes to experience the excitement of the sport at the grassroots. If anyone can help please phone 01827 287177 or email tamworthac@aol.com. Thanks.
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| Posted by:chris |
| Beesley Succeeds in Bratislava |
Sunday, February 10 2008 |
| England Athletics gave international opportunities to 21 athletes – some seeking qualification for the World Indoor Championships to be staged in Valencia, Spain, on 7-9 March; others seeking to re-establish their credentials after injury breaks; and youngsters deserving experience as they make the tough transition from Junior to Senior competition. Tamworth AC athlete Meghan Beesley produced fine performances for England in the Elan International indoor meeting at Bratislava.
Eighteen-year-old Beesley won her 200m race in 24.91secs and took second places in her two 60m races in 7.70secs and 7.68secs respectively.These were outstanding performances as athletes from 12 countries took part. The England Athletics team that competed at the Elan Meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Thursday 31 January were: Men – 60m: Danny Doyley (Blackheath and Bromley). 200m: Jeffrey Lawal Balogun (Kent AC). 400m: Conrad Williams (Kent AC). 800m: Ed Aston (Cambridge and Coleridge AC). 60m hurdles: Julian Adeniran (Charnwood AC). Triple jump: Gary White (Cardiff AAC). Women – 400m: Celia Brown (Rugby and Northampton AC) & Laura Langowski. 60m hurdles: Meghan Beesley (Tamworth AC) and Sara McGreavy (Sale Harriers Manchester). High jump: Vikki Hubbard (Grantham AC) and Jessica Leach (Birchfield Harriers). The teams were managed by Alan Richardson, the England Athletics East Midlands Region Coach Development Officer, and Carol Jackson, the vastly experienced high jump coach who organises the successful Bedford International Games each summer.
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| Posted by:chris |
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