June 2006

Duo Ready to Take on the World Wednesday, June 28 2006
Tamworth Ac athletes Meghan Beesley and Nathan Woodward warmed up for the world schools championships in Athens by producing top ranked British 400m hurdles performances when they both won the Midland under-20 titles at Birmingham last weekend.
  Sixteen-year-old Beesley won the under-20's 400m hurdles in a championship record time of 1:00.18mins, which is the second best British performance of all time by an under-17 lady athlete.
  She also went on to pick up another medal in the 200m event by finishing third in the 200m in 25.21secs.
  Woodward, also aged 16, won the men's 400m title in a personal best time of 53.42secs, which is the best time in Britain by an under-17 male athlete this year and places him in the all time top ten list of British athletes.
  Tom Adams picked up his first Midland championship medal when he finished third in the under-20s 2,000m steeplechase. Adams clocked 6:11.5mins, a personal best time, to earn his well deserved medal.
  Laura Langowski finished second in her heat of the senior women's 400m in 56.11secs and was fourth in the final in 56.12secs.
  Dan Cash finished third in his heat of the under-20 men's 400m in a personal best time of 51.02secs and improved his time again to 51secs flat in the final for an excellent fourth place finish.
  Also in top form was Liz Checkley, who finished second in the under-20 ladies' heat of the 400m in a personal best time of 58.77secs and went on to finish fifth in the final in 59.52secs.
  Alex Berrow just missed out on the medals in the under-20 men's hammer event with a throw of 44.79m, giving him fourth place.
  Alana Smetham picked up a good fifth place in the senior women's hammer with a throw of 37.51m and Tom Burton was eighth in the under-20 men's 110m hurdles in a personal best time of 15.76secs.
  Sarah Williams finished fifth in the under-20s ladies' pole vault with a clearance of 2.80m and Mike Pierpoint cleared 3m in the men's event.
  Ben Jones recorded 11.46secs for fourth place in the senior men's 100m heats and 23.20secs for the same position in the 200m heats.
Posted by:chris
Under Strength Squad Shows Grit Friday, June 16 2006
A Very much under-strength Tamworth team pulled out all the stops in this latest National Junior League Premier Division match at Tipton to finish in a very creditable fourth place to keep their overall third place in the league table.
  Personal bests were recorded by Alex Berrow (hammer and shot), Tom Burton (110m hurdles and high jump), Sarah Williams (pole vault and high jump), Liz Checkley (pole vault and discus), Tom Adams (200m steeplechase and 400m hurdles), Hollie Owen (400m), Rachael Line (800m), Gemma Wheelhouse (discus), Laura Taylor (high jump), David Levett (hammer), Claire Free (triple jump), Simon King (800m) and Martyn Naunton (800m).
  Top performances of the day were produced by Berrow, Owen and Burton, who all achieved qualifying standards for the AAA under-20 Championships at Bedford in July, which are also the World Junior Trials (see page 108).
  Berrow produced a tremendous throw of 52.31m in the hammer to take second place and then went on to gain another second in the discus with a throw of 31.14m. He also claimed third place in the shot with 11.99m.
  Owen clocked a fast 58.6secs to win her 400m event to qualify for Bedford, even though she is still in the under-17 age group.
  Burton finished fourth in a fast 110m hurdles in 15.8secs, fifth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.70m and the same position in the 400m hurdles in a time of 1:03.8mins.
  Adams, who has also qualified for Bedford in the 3,000m steeplechase, finished second in the 400m hurdles in 1:02.1mins and third in the 2,000m steeplechase in 6:18.8mins.
  Williams and Checkley both had busy afternoons with Williams finishing second in the long jump with 4.50m and recording fifth place finishes in the pole vault with a clearance of 2.90m, the 400m hurdles in 1:33.5mins, and the 3,000m in 15:50.3mins.
  Checkley won the pole vault with 2m, finished second in the 400m in 1:00.5mins, and finished fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 8.09m and the discus with a throw of 15.49m.
  Williams completed her day with a clearance of 1.35m in the high jump for second place.
  Wheelhouse picked up her usual good points in the throwing events, claiming third place in the discus with a throw of 30.95m, sixth in the shot with 8.98m and the same position in the hammer with a throw of 23.66m.
  Taylor finished second in the long jump with a leap of 4.86m, sixth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.35m and the same position in the 100m in 13.2secs.
  Levett also had a busy afternoon, winning his hammer with a throw of 39.28m, finishing third in the discus with a throw of 21.70m, the same position in the shot with 9.09m, seventh in the `100m in 13.6secs and eighth in the 400m in 1:04.9mins..
  Free finished sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 9.55m, seventh in the 200m in 28.5secs and eighth in the 100m in 14secs.
  Line finished fourth in the 800m in 2:36.8mins and seventh in the 200m in 29.8secs.
  Naunton took third place in his 800m in 2:03.3mins and seventh in the 1,500m in 4:31.2mins, with King finishing fourth in the A 800m in 2:01.4mins.
  Stephen Tonks gained some good team points in the jumps with first place in the triple jump with a leap of 12.47m and second in the long jump with 5.62m.Tonks also picked up seventh in the 200m in 24.7secs.
  Megan Jacobs finished second in her first ever 1,500m steeplechase in 6:10.4mins and was fifth in the 800m in 2:37.1mins, while Reanne Wood gained a good second place in the hammer with a throw of 20.87m.
  Tom Hardman picked up third place in the javelin with a throw of 44.05m and he had good back up from Chris Smith, who was second with a throw of 32.90m in the B event.
  Marianne Pritchard was sixth in the 400m hurdles in 1:31.6mins and the 1,500m in 6:14.6mins, and finished seventh in the javelin with a throw of 13.56m.
  Claire Perry was seventh in the javelin with a throw of 20.64m and the shot with 6.30m.
  Ben Storey finished second in the long jump with a leap of 5.16m and the triple jump with 11.20m, and finished sixth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.50m, while Steven Harris was fourth in the 1,500m in 4:59.1mins.
  Ben Horsley finished fifth in the 200m in 25.3secs, while Sam Micklewright was sixth in the 3,000m in 11:00.5mins.
  Mike Pierpoint gained good points for the team with third place in the pole vault with 2.85m, eighth in the 100m in 13.7secs and the same position in the 400m in 62.1secs.
 
Posted by:chris
Third in YAL Premier Division Friday, June 9 2006
Tamworth's young athletes produced a hard fight to finish third behind Bristol and Charnwood in the latest meeting in the National Young Athletes League - Premier Division.

Twenty nine of the squad recorded 42 personal best times.

In the under-13 girls' age group, personal bests were set by Francesca Hughes (75m, 150m and 70m hurdles), Lauren Whitehouse (75m), Josie Cassar (70m hurdles) and Hollie McCabe (shot).

Hughes won her 75m in 10.9secs, the 150m in 21.2secs and finished second in the 70m hurdles in 13.2secs.

Whitehouse won the 75m in 10.8secs and Cassar was victorious in the 70m hurdles and fourth in the high jump with a clearance of 1.10m.

McCabe won the shot with 6.70m, while Alyiah Reid won the 150m in 21.1secs and finished third in the high jump with 1.05m.

Hannah Owen and Chloe Saunders claimed third places in the long jump competitions with jumps of 3.83m and 3.55m respectively.

Emma Farrell finished third in the shot with 4.64m and fourth in the 800m in 3:09.5mins.

Hughes, Whitehouse, Chloe and Lauren Saunders won the 4x100m relay in 58.3secs.

Personal bests in the under-13 boys' age group went to Anthony Parkes (800m and long jump), James Thacker (100m), Kristian Edwards (1,500m) and Robert Farrell (high jump).

Parkes won his 200m in 30.1secs, was second in the 800m in 2:34.5mins and another second in the long jump with a leap of 3.62m.

Thacker was second in the sprints, clocking 14secs in the 100m and 29.8secs in the 200m.

Edwards won the 1,500m in 5:13.1mins and Farrell finished third in the high jump with a leap of 1.15m.

Newcomers Aaron Cooper and Patrick Heaney both won their events on their debuts.

Cooper won his 100m in 14.6secs and Heaney the long jump with a leap of 4.15m.

Jack Childs won the 800m in 2:36.2mins and finished third in the 75m hurdles in 18secs.

Richard Mahoney won his 1,500m in 5:14.2mins and was third in the shot with 4.78m.

Bret Cash took three fourth place finishes with 17.3secs in the 75m hurdles, 5.32m in the shot and a clearance of 1.15m in the high jump.

Parkes, Cooper, Thacker and Jake Notman won the 4x100m relay in 57.1secs.

Personal bests in the under-15 girls' age group were recorded by Hannah Sargeant (75m hurdles, high jump and shot), Milly Kellyman (100m and 200m) and Sophie Taylor (100m and 200m).

Sargeant won the high jump with a leap of 1.40m, finished second in the 75m hurdles in 13secs and fourth in the shot with 6.03m.

Taylor won her 100m in 13.8secs, 200m in 27.7secs and finished second in the long jump with a leap of 4.49m.

Kellyman won the 100m in 13.4secs, the 200m in 28.4secs and finished third in the long jump with a leap of 3.84m.

Sam Storey was second in the 75m hurdles in 14.8secs, third in the javelin with a throw of 7.91secs and fourth in the discus with a throw of 7.61m.

Sally Warren was second in the shot with 5.74m and fourth in the javelin with 8.29m.

Elyse Jinks cleared 1.20m for third place in the high jump and took fourth spot in the 1,500m with a time of 5:52.5mins, while Amy Williams was third in the 800m in 2:42.7mins.

In the under-15 boys' personal bests were set by Stephen Parkes (800m and shot), Craig Farrell (80m hurdles and pole vault), Tom Challis (long jump), Tom Adams (400m), Matthew Wood (1,500m and discus), Jordan Roach (hammer), Jacob Powell (hammer) and Adam McGee (100m).

Parkes won the 800m in 2:13.5mins, took third place in the shot with 6.33m and fourth in the 80m hurdles in 19.9secs.

Farrell picked up second places in the pole vault with a vault of 2.30m and the high jump with a leap of 1.40m, and finished fourth in the 80m hurdles in a time of 15.3secs.

Wood won the 1,500m in 4:43.1mins and was second in the discus with a throw of 15.57m.

Challis won the 400m in 55.2secs, finished second in the long jump with a leap of 5.50m and third in the 200m in 24.8secs.

Roach was second in the hammer with a throw of 19.79m and the pole vault with a vault of 1.70m, and finished third in the javelin with a throw of 25.88m.

Adams, in his first competition of the season, won his 400m in 57.8secs and Jacob Powell finished second in the hammer with a throw of 17.99m.

McGee was second in his long jump with 3.86m, fourth in the 100m in 13.5secs and fourth in the 800m in 2:44mins.

Luke Roughley was second in his 1,500m in 4:54.6mins and fourth in the 100m in 13.5secs.

Ted White was third in all his three events with 15.91m in the discus, 8.64m in the shot and a clearance of 1.45m in the high jump.

Parkes, Roughley, Adams and Wood teamed up to win the 4x400m relay in 4:05.7mins.

Personal bests in the under-17 women's age group went to Faye Palmer (100m and 80m hurdles), Hollie Owen (300m), Faye Mccabe (hammer) and Charlotte McDonough (high jump).

Owen won the 300m in 41.2secs and Palmer finished second in all her three events with 13.9secs in the 100m, 14secs in the 80m hurdles and 52.6secs in the 300m hurdles.

McDonough also picked up three second place finishes with 17.9secs in the 80m hurdles, 10.07m in the triple jump and a clearance of 1.40m in the high jump.

McCabe was second in the javelin with a throw of 25.07m, fourth in the discus with a throw of 20.27m and the same position in the hammer with 16.55m.

Also taking part in three throwing events was Meghan Beesley, who won the javelin with a throw of 22.7m, finished second in the discus with 20.16m and fourth in the shot with 7.14m.

Laura Taylor won the long jump with a leap of 4.95m, finished second in the 100m in 13.5secs and fourth in the shot with 7.11m.

Megan Jacobs won her long jump with a leap of 3.54m, and finished third in the 800m in 2:37.2mins and the 1,500m in 5:26.5mins.

Sophie Cash finished second in the 300m hurdles in 59.7secs and third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.30m.

Clare Hedderman was third in the A 3,000m in 15:33.3mins and Alyson Bird was first in the B event in 16:26.1mins.

Taylor, Jacobs, Cash and Owen won the 4x300m relay in 3:02.6mins.

Personal bests in the under-17 men's events were set by Stephen Harris (800m and 1,500m steeplechase), Simon King (200m and 400m), Nick Crawford (200m and 400m), Ben Horsley (100m), Ben Storey (100m) and Marcus Yoxall (hammer).

Crawford won his 400m in 55.6secs, finished second in the long jump with 5.42m and was fourth in the 200m in 24.4secs.

King won the 1,500m steeplechase in 4:52mins, finished second in the 400m in 53.5secs and third in the 200m in 24.6secs.

Harris was second in the 1,500m steeplechase in 5:14.9mins, third in the 800m in 2:14.3mins and fourth in the long jump with a leap of 4.15m.

Horsley finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 10.30m and fourth in the 100m in 12secs.

Yoxall won his hammer with a throw of 21.14m, finished third in the discus with a throw of 17.40m and the same position in the shot with 7.12m.

Nathan Woodward won the 100m hurdles in 14.4secs and the 400m hurdles in 54.4secs with Ashley Smethan finshing second in the hammer with 34.21m.

Ben Storey cleared 1.50m for second place in the high jump, finished in the same position in the triple jump with a leap of 11.46m and was fourth in the 100m in 12.7secs.

Chris Smith finished third in the javelin with a throw of 36.09m and fourth in the discus with 21.35m.

Mark Brookes won the javelin with a throw of 32.57m, cleared 1.45m for second place in the high jump and finished fourth in the shot with 9.11m.

Sam Micklewright won his 1,500m in 5:00.8mins and finished second in the 3,000m in 10:55.8mins.

Joe Saddington completed an excellent team effort with a couple of third place finishes, clocking 2:16.9mins in the 800m and 4:53.4mins in the 1,500m.
Posted by:chris
TAC Men's Leagues Friday, June 9 2006

There were mixed results for Tamworth Athletic Club's men's athletics clubs in their latest league matches.
  While the A team managed to finish sixth in the Midlands League Division match at Telford, the B team were victorious in their match to maintain top spot in Division Five.
  Personal bests were recorded in the A team event by Alex Berrow (hammer and discus), Tom Adams (400m hurdles and 3,000m steeplechase), Martyn Naunton (800m), Chris Mawbey (200m), Dan Cash (400m) and Ricky Hallam (pole vault).
  Mawbey won the 200m in 23secs, took third place in the high jump with 1.75m, finished second in the 100m in 11.6secs, third in the triple jump with 10.85m and fifth in the long jump with 5.93m.
  Hallam was second in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.90m and third in the 110m hurdles in 20.7secs.
  Tom Adams finished fourth in the 400m hurdles in 64.2secs, fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase in 10:01.5mins and seventh in the 1,500m in 4:39.2mins.
  Cash finished third in the 400m in 51.3secs and third in the high jump with a leap of 1.75m.
  Berrow was fourth in the hammer with a throw of 42.44m and eighth in the discus with 26.31m.
  Naunton finished fourth in the 800m in 2:03.7mins, seventh in the 1,500m in 4:24.9mins and seventh in the 3,000m in 10:49.8mins.
  Greg Richards took sixth place in the 200m in 23.6secs and Nick Spargo finished in the same position in the 400m in 53.2secs.
  Tom Hardman was seventh in the javelin with a throw of 43.85m, while Paul Tasker was eighth in both the 800m in 2:02.9mins and the 3,000m in 9:30.3mins.
  Matty James finished fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 11.23m, the same position in the 110m hurdles in 20.3secs and eighth in the 400m hurdles in 1:06.5mins.
  Richard Wileman was third in the javelin with a throw of 39.14m and Gavin Showell picked up his usual good points for the team. He was fourth in the pole vault with a vault of 2.55m, the hammer with a throw of 23.08m, the long jump with a jump of 5.35m and the shot with 9.48m. Showell was also seventh in the discus with a throw of 25.02m.
  Meanwhile, the B team enjoyed their victory with newcomer Rob Scattergood having a busy afternoon.
  He won the 110m hurdles in 22.6secs, the shot with 8.48m, finished second in the hammer with a throw of 22.02m, third in the javelin with 32.56m and fourth in the discus with a throw of 27.19m.
  Dave Williams won his 400m hurdles in a personal best time of 1:06.2mins and the 3,000m steeplechase in another personal best of 11:03.9mins.
  Youngsters Nick Crawford and Ben Storey also did well. Crawford won his long jump with a personal best of 5.48m, and took second places in the triple jump, with another personal best of 11.27m, and the 200m in 26secs.
  Storey won his triple jump with a leap of 11.01m, the long jump with a personal best of 5.51m and finished third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.50m.
  Neil Rudd won the 400m hurdles in 1:05.2mins and claimed fourth place finishes in the 200m in 24.7secs, the 110m hurdles in 21.4secs and the 100m in 12.4secs.
  Matt Hargreaves finished third in the 1,500m in 4:48.3mins and fourth in the 800m in 2:13.8mins.
  David Levett was second in the hammer with a throw of 30.78m, sixth in the discus with a throw of 17.80m and picked up some valuable points for the team by claiming third place in his 800m in 3:06.4mins and fifth in the 400m in 1:10.6mins.
  John Culshaw won the shot with 10.15m and finished third in the javelin with a throw of 41.58m. He was also third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.55m.
  Michael Pierpoint was third in the pole vault with a vault of 2.85m, won his 3,000m steeplechase in 12:53.1mins and finished fourth in the 3,000m in 11:06.8mins.
  Nick Lane finished third in the 100m in 12.6secs, Nick Wilkins gained the same result in the 400m in 57.7secs and Nigel Fisher was fourth in the 3,000m in 11: 41.4mins.
Posted by:chris
Beesley and Woodward to Compete in World Schools Championships Monday, June 5 2006
London 2012 hopefuls Meghan Beesley and Nathan Woodward will be heading to the birthplace of the modern Olympics later this month to compete in the World Schools Championships.
  The talented Tamworth AC twosome are among just 20 athletes from across the country - ten boys and ten girls - chosen to represent England at the prestigious event.
  And they cannot wait to test themselves against the world's best as they take another step along the road to international athletics stardom.
  "I should make the final in Athens and I think I have a chance of a medal," said Woodward, who will compete in the 400m hurdles - the event in which he is both Midlands and Warwickshire champion."It is going to be a big stage but I am getting used to the big events now."
  Coleshill High School pupil Woodward is midway through his GCSEs at the moment, as is Tamworth team-mate Beesley who will fly out to Athens just three days after her final exam.  The two 16-year-olds are close friends off the track and Beesley believes that will be a big help when they head off for international duty.
  "It is nice to know someone else in the squad and great for the club that two of us have been selected," said the Great Britain under- 20s international, who will also be competing in the 400m hurdles in Greece.
  "The whole atmosphere is different when you compete in internationals, you feel like you are involved in something bigger. It is more relaxed when you are with Tamworth.
  "I am happy with what I have been doing this season but I was not expecting to be in this event."I have been mostly taking part in 300m hurdles race so this is a serious competition for me."
  Multi-talented Beesley, who is coached by Trevor Marsay, is the current Midlands champions over 60m, 200m and 300m.
  She is also the Warwickshire hurdles champion over 80m and 300m, as well as the long jump.
  Woodward (pictured right) is coached by Matt Hargreaves and has ten titles to his name already this year.
  He is the reigning National Indoor champion for both the 800m and combined events.
  He added two more medals to his collection at last weekend's Midland Under-17s Championships.
Posted by:chris
Midland Under 17's Championships Monday, June 5 2006
Tamworth AC members gave a very good account of themselves as they turned in some excellent performances in the Midland Under-17s Championships at the Alexander Stadium last week.
  Nathan Woodward picked up both the 400m and 400m hurdles titles, clocking 50.08secs and 54.35secs respectively.
  Brett Byrd produced a fine series of throws in the javelin, culminating in a winning distance of 55.20m which was also a personal best.
  Tom Challis and Simon King picked up silver medals in the 400m and 1,500m steeplechase respectively.
  Challis took second place in his heat in 54.41secs and occupied the same position in the final with a personal best time of 53.58secs.
  He also took second place in his 200m heat in 24.92secs and was fourth in the final in a lifetime best of 24.23secs.
  He completed a busy weekend with fourth place in the triple jump, again with a personal best of 11.49m, before leaping 5.42m to finish fifth in the long jump.
  King, meanwhile, took second place in the 1,500m steeplechase when he clocked the useful time of 4:50.65mins.
  Two athletes who just missed out on the medals were Laura Taylor and Ashley Smetham.
  Taylor, in her first ever Midland Championships, went over the five metre mark for the first time as she claimed fourth place in the long jump.
Smetham also picked up a good fourth place in the hammer with a throw of 33.43m.
  Two other athletes who made their debut in the Midland Championships were Charlotte McDonough and Sam Micklewright.McDonough continued her improved form in the triple jump with a personal best of 10.30m, good enough to give her a ninth place finish.
  Micklewright was sixth in the 3,000m in a personal best time of 10:41.53mins and ninth in the 1,500m in 5:18.49mins.
  A trainer who can certainly feel pleased with his efforts is 400m coach Matt Hargreaves, who coaches double title winner Woodward, indoor champion Challis and Laura Langowski, who won selection for the Loughborough International meeting last week in the 400m.
Posted by:chris