July - September 2007
Heart of England League match 3 at Tamworth
Disappointingly, AVAC finished 7th out of 8 teams in this concluding match in this league. First place positions were thin on the ground and these came from James Morley (U13B 75mH), Zach Hooper (U15B 100m and 800m) Nick Rowton (U17M discus), Claudia Rogers (U17W 400m) and Ryan Newton (U15B 200m B string).
U11B 5th U11G 8th
U13B 7th U13G 3rd
U15B 6th U15G 8th
U17M 6th Women 7th
All out of 8 teams
Overall Male 6th
Overall Female 7th
The final results overall after 3 matches have not yet been received but it is anticipated that the better team performances earlier in the season have enabled the club to remain comfortably in Division 1.
County Honours at Cudworth
Thirteen AVAC athletes were selected to represent Derbyshire in the annual U13 & U15 Young Athletes Inter-Counties match, this year hosted by South Yorkshire at Cudworth. Along with their county teammates from Chesterfield DAC and Derby AC they put up a spirited show with many late-season PB's and event victories. From the outset it was clear that Warwickshire would again be the main opposition, but for much of the time Derbyshire had the lead. However in the closing events Warks were able to close a small gap and won overall by 50 points.
Awarded U13 male field Athlete of the Match was Tom Bridge for his marvelous shot putt of 10m 28. James Morley recorded a rare 75m hurdles defeat but in doing so lowered his PB yet again. Both Tom and James have performances that will rank them against the best in the country. Andrew Fenwick ran a PB in the U13B 800m ( 2nd B) as did Jessica Turner in the equivalent girls race (3rd A). Rory Chambers jumped a PB in the U13B long jump for a second place in the A string.
Kelly-Jay Payling took 2nd place in the B string shot putt whilst Keira Gee had a convincing win in the B string 100m. At U15 there were B string 2nd place finishes for Ryan Newton in the 100m, Alex Nix in the 1500m and Michael Bosworth in the 800m. Jake Taylor ran a PB for A string 3rd place in the 100m and Zach Hooper recorded 1st in the A string 400m and 2nd in the 200m. Abbie Langley finished 5th in the 100m.
Athletes were carefully selected for this match from their performances at this years Mini League matches and County Championships.
Match result 1st Warks 537, 2nd Derbys 486, 3rd S Yorks 429.5, 4th Notts 413.5, 5th Lincs 413, 6th Humberside 387. Full results can be found on www.dcaa.org.uk
Amber Valley and Chesterfield win promotion to Midland Premier Division.
In its first season the combined Chesterfield and
Amber Valley team (known as Team CDAV) have won promotion to the Midland Premier
Division for U20 athletes. Team CDAV were one of 8 midlands teams competing at
Moorways Stadium on Sunday 2nd September in the National Junior League midlands
play-off match. All teams had either finished in the top two places of their
local divisional leagues or were facing relegation from the Premier Division and
fighting for a chance to stay up. With a balanced squad of Chesterfield and
Amber Valley athletes Team CDAV were one of the favourites to gain promotion but
with some injuries and key athletes being unavailable it was always going to be
a closely fought battle. In addition, Amber Valley had to split their squad
between this match and the final Heart of England match at Tamworth to ensure
the Club retained its Division 1 status in this popular league.
In the early stages of the competition the leading slot changed hands and the points tally was very close but gradually Team CDAV began to pull away eventually winning overall by 37 points from Cannock & Staffs who also gained promotion. Full team results were:-
1. Amber Valley & Chesterfield (Team CDAV) - 465 points - promoted
2. Cannock & Staffs AC - 428 points - promoted
3. Solihull & Smallheath - 422 points
4. Charnwood AC - 420 points
5. Derby AC - 408 points
6. Border Olympians - 286 points
7. Bristol & West - 270 points
8. Cheltenham and County - 238 points
The team spirit in Team CDAV has been excellent from the outset and reinforces the close links between Amber Valley and Chesterfield. Looking forward to next season the opposition will be tough and includes the likes of Mansfield, Notts AC and Birchfield Harriers. However, with many of the Amber Valley athletes in particular being lower end U17 athletes we are looking to maintaining a strong squad to build on.
There were many excellent individual performances but overall this was a magnificent team effort and congratulations to all those involved.
Amber Valley athletes in the Team CDAV squad were :-
Tamara and Leila Armoush, Cassie Blount, Alex Turner, Kim Jenna, Charlotte Noonan, Chloe Smith, Emma Komocki, Louise Feeney, Andrew and Richard Szarkowski, Shaun Rathbone, Jack Elliot, Rob Love, Sam Stone, Craig Bethnall,
East Mids Selections
U17 sprinters Emma Komocki and Claudia Rogers have been selected as part of the East Midlands team for the UK School Games. Both will compete this weekend against the best athletes drawn from other regions in the country.
The UK School Games is a multi-sport event for the most talented young people in the country of school age and athletics is one of eight of the sports featured.
Each of the eight sports will be combined into a four-day Games environment designed to replicate the feel of major event such as the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Emma competes in the 80mH and Claudia in the 300m. Good luck to both!
Heart of England League
Match 2 results of Division 1 (hosted by Oxford City AC) can be found on www.oxfordcityathleticclub.com and follow links to the league.
On the day (all out of 8 teams):
U13G 2nd U15G 6th Women 5th
U13B 3rd U15B 6th U17M 1st
Congratulations to Tom Bridge who set a new club record on the day in the U13B discus, throwing for the first time!
Overall results in the league have not yet been received but unofficially AVAC would appear to be in 3rd place going into the third and final match this season at Tamworth on 2nd September.
CDAV in Promotion Battle
Team CDAV, the composite team of Chesterfield & District AC and Amber Valley AC, won a place in the National Junior League's Midlands Region promotion match when finishing as runners-up behind main rivals Charnwood AC, after the Trent Division final match, hosted by the clubs at Derby's Moorways Stadium.
The team (featuring U17 and U20 athletes) is hopeful of promotion to the Midlands Premier Division, in order to obtain a higher standard of competition than the regional one has provided, where the top two clubs have been miles ahead of the rest. Match result: Charnwood 544, Team CDAV 480, Coventry 187, Team Arrows 149, Rugby 145, Leamington 138, Nuneaton 87.
The Promotion match is on Sunday 2nd September at Moorways.
All Welcome at Club Championships
AVAC's annual informal Club Championships is on Saturday 22nd September, 10.30am start. This is the last track and field competition of the year and is always a good way of rounding off the season. Open to ALL club members, the U11 to U17s have a 3 -event triathlon (1run, 1 jump, 1 throw) with trophies and medals for age group winners. U20's and seniors can enter the Mile Handicap race with a winners trophy for this too.
Entry forms are available from training now or to download here for the U11 - U17's.
Entry forms for the Mile Handicap race can be downloaded here.
Please note that normal training on this day is cancelled.
Bronze for Bosworth
Michael Bosworth came away with a surprise bronze medal in the Northern Combined Events Championships at Stoke on 18th September, competing in the U15 boys pentathlon. The competition was also joint with the English National Combined Events where he also faced tougher opposition to finish 9th overall.
Constant rain and heavy winds put paid to top-notch performances but he did manage a PB of 4.97m in long jump. In only his third combined events competition and still with another year in the age group it was useful preparation for next months English Schools Combined Events Final in Exeter.
Derbyshire Mini League Match 4, 11th August, Moorways
Amber Valley came out on top in the final match this season. Emerging as match winners it wasn't enough though to prevent Derby AC from taking the overall title and winners trophy this year.
With over 50 young athletes from the club taking part, in particular this time it was the turn of some the boys to really impress. Tom Bridge, in only his second competition for the club, broke both the League and the club record for U13 shot putt with his 9.61m throw, won the 200m and came 2nd in the 100m!
Other newcomers to shine were a trio of U15 boys, who have only been with the club a matter of weeks. Jake Taylor and Ryan Newton recorded the same time to share the 100m first place with the fastest time in the league this season. Jake recorded a respectable 1.60m to take 2nd in the high jump. Along with newcomer Tom Houghton and the experienced Michael Bosworth the quartet equaled the 4 x 100m League record and broke the existing club record!
Andrew Fenwick continued his fine form by winning the U13 boys 1500m whilst brother Jayson won both the 600m and turbo javelin in the U11 age group.
Not to be outdone, the girls gave a good showing, in particular Abbie Langley who won another 100m and 200m double at U15. Kelly-Jay Payling equaled her recently set PB in the high jump to win this event and take second in shot putt. The U11 girls dominated their events.
Imogen Cresswell won the 80m and came second in the 150m, Megan Bruce won the long jump and Hannah Blount came second in the turbo javelin. Diminutive Kennady O'Brien was worthy of the spectators applause as she lead from gun to tape in the mixed boys and girls 600m.
Full results can be found on www.dcaa.org.uk
Athletes in the U13 and U15 age groups will be hearing soon if they have been selected for the County team for the Young Athletes Inter-Counties match at Cudworth on Saturday 8th Sept.
Mini League
Young athletes are reminded that this seasons final match in the Derbyshire Mini League is on Saturday 11th August at Moorways Stadium, Derby. First events start at 10.30am and athletes should report to Julie and Judy team managers by 10am at the latest, £1 payable on the day.
Entries can still be made to Julie by email Just send your name age group and the events you want to do, by Friday 8pm.
U11 80m, 150m, 600m, HJ (boys), LJ (girls), turbo javelin, relay
U13 100m, 200m, 1500m, sprint hurdles, LJ (boys) HJ (girls), shot, relay
U15 100m, 200m, 400m (Boys only), 1500m, HJ (boys), LJ (girls), shot, javelin, relay
Selections for the County Team (U13 and U15's) takes place shortly after the event and selected athletes will be notified as soon as possible.
Training Cancellation
VERY SORRY, BUT DUE TO ALL RECREATION COACHES BEING UNAVAILABLE ON SATURDAY 25TH AUGUST, TRAINING FOR THE RECREATION GROUP WILL BE CANCELLED.
PLEASE LET OTHER MEMBERS KNOW WHERE YOU CAN.
Robin Hood Adventure Challenge
Dear Club Member
I am emailing to inform you and your fellow club members of a new exciting event day brought to you by One Step Beyond Promotions. On the 29th September 2007 One Step Beyond will be launching The Robin Hood Adventure Challenge, within the grounds of Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire. The day will consist of the following events:
The Robin Hood 10km Run – This event is open to anyone over the age of 15 yrs old, all abilities welcome, this is an inclusive 10km run which offers fantastic scenery through Robin Hood’s beautiful forest. The course will follow the internal roads within the park providing competitors with a safe enjoyable event, whether you are chasing down a fast time or simply enjoying the woodland.
The Maid Marian 5km Run – If you do not fancy taking on ‘The Robin Hood 10km’ why not give this a go. Again this event is open to anyone over the age of 15 yrs old and we expect to see lots of mixed abilities, ages and hopefully some fancy dress! Whether you are training to get fit, raising money for charity or simply fancy setting yourself a challenge why not try this 5km run in Sherwood Pines.
The Little John 2km Fun Run – It did not seem fair to organise all these events without doing something for the kids, so here it is. The Little John 2km fun run is for boys and girls up to the age of 15 yrs old. We expect children of all abilities to take part, and hopefully this event will be full of fancy dress! Set within the safety of the park this is the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to a fun running event.
The Evil Sheriff Off Road Duathlon – This will be a challenging off road Duathlon course, consisting of a 6km run 18km bike 3km run. This event has some technical up hill sections and will undoubtedly live up to it’s name of being an ‘Evil Off Road Duathlon’! However don’t let this put you off the course is great fun and we expect to see competitors of all abilities competing on mountain and cyclo cross bikes.
All competitors will receive an exclusive Robin Hood Adventure Challenger event t-shirt and will receive a £5.00 Sweatshop voucher to spend in any store Nationwide - www.sweatshop.co.uk (Vouchers for Duathlon, 10km & 5km entrants only). We will also be issuing winning and spot prizes throughout race day. Aside from the events we will have fun activities and workshops for all the family, offering the opportunity to learn about the woodland that you have just raced around.
Come on do not miss out register to become an Adventure Challenger today!!!
Full event details and online entry can be accessed at www.onestepbeyond.org.uk or by emailing robinhood@onestepbeyond.org.uk
Tamworth AC Open Meeting 27th August.
Always a good meeting on the Bank Holiday Monday, the Tamworth Open is for athletes in all age groups.
With electronic timing, winners medals and T-shirts and good standard of competition, it's worth a go for late season performances.
Entries close 8th August and should be made direct to Tamworth AC. More details can be downloaded here and here.
Merrill and Shelton Striders 10K and Fun Run
Dear Runners
We are holding the Merrill and Shelton Striders 10K and Fun Run again this year on Sunday October 7th. In addition the race this year is hosting the Midland Masters Championships.
We are hoping that we shall have some of your runners entering again this year, including perhaps the team event.
So that you are able to notify your club members I am attaching a poster and entry form to help.
If you need any further information please let me know: carlynng@aol.com
Looking forward to seeing you at the races.
Best Wishes
Lynn Greenhouse (Mrs.)
Race Secretary
Heart of England League, match 2
The venue for the above match on Sunday 5th August has now been confirmed as the Horspath track, Horspath Road, Oxford.
Athletes traveling on the bus should meet at Belper Leisure Centre at 8.45am.
Have Your Say on the Young Athletes League
A series of road shows take place soon where coaches, athletes, officials and parents can have their say on the Young Athletes League. This is your opportunity to have your say on the future of the league with the hope that the conclusions will form a proposal for change to be approved at the AGM if necessary. Representatives from the league will be present.
Should it change in any way? Do you travel too far? Are there too many matches? Are there too many events? Should we ‘lose’ an age group? Etc
The meetings will start with the findings from the questionnaire and give some news from a recent meeting with UKA and their thoughts.
The local meeting takes place at Moorways Stadium, Derby on Wed 15th August starting at 7.00pm and should last no more than two hours.
Final NYAL League Match at Corby
A day of mixed fortunes for Amber Valley AC & the Athletes, the Club finished runners up to Corby.
Match Result:
Corby 386 points
Amber Valley 307 points
Daventry 225 points
Nuneaton 217 points
We were badly effected by the Holidays especially with the Boys, also short of Officials. A big thank-you to Edward Komocki Louise Komocki Gayle Riley Mike Rogers in their roles as Field Helpers, Geoff Lowry & Fred Maier as Track Officials and Grant Barker, John Davies & Trevor Jolly as Time Keepers. Special Mention to John Anderson ex Gladiators referee for helping out on Javelin.
Girls Individual performances:
A great debut for Kimberley Jenner U17 winning all 3 her events 800M 1500M Javelin as a B string. Emma Komocki U17 won 300M Hurdles & the 80M Hurdles. Claudia Rogers U17 won 300M with Chloe Smith winning B string, Keira Gee U13 won both 75M & the 150M race. Kelly-Jay Payling U13 won A string Shot with Amy Holloway winning B string Shot. Ellie Rogers won 71M Hurdles with Rhiannon Barr won B string 70M Hurdles. There was a PB for Kelly-Jay Payling in High Jump 1.33M
Boys Individual performances:
Zach Hooper U15 winning the 200M & 100M, Tony Grimes U13 won 800M with Jerome Richards winning B string 800M. Jack Elliott U17 won 3000M, Rory Chambers U13 won 75M Hurdles, Jordan Martin U17 won 400M & David Narborough U13 won 1500M.
Jack Elliott & Dean Bower with first & second in the 1500M Steeplechase - thank-you lads for an eventful race especially Dean with a forwards summersault off the Barrier into the water caught on phone camera.!
But the day was totally overshadowed by the freak unfortunate accident to Rhiannon Barr who was just jogging around the Track, tripped up & fell over breaking her wrist / arm, we all wish her a speedy & full recovery. A big thank-you to Dawn Lockwood who took Rhiannon to the Hospital, no First Aid cover at the Track.
Mixed Fortunes at English Schools
Five AVAC athletes competed at the weekend at the prestigious English Schools Finals at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham. The two-day spectacular is often the pinnacle in a young athletes career and the rigorous qualifying standards ensure that only the top athletes in the country take part. With several thousand spectators and TV coverage during part of the proceedings it really is a taste of high profile athletics for those taking part.
The conditions on day one were atrocious, with almost constant rain for the athletes to contend with. Despite this, Zak Hooper finished 2nd in his heat of the junior boys 400m, in the highly respectable time of 52.05, slicing one second off his PB. Conditions for his final on the following day were somewhat better and Zak gave the race his all, but had to settle for 4th place. He now sits at 4th place in the national rankings well inside the Power of 10 UK target.
Also making an event final was Emma Komocki who also ran a PB in the inter girls 300mH. This is all the more remarkable given that Emma has only recently contested the long hurdles event and her heat was only her fourth ever race at the distance. Sadly, in the final her crucial timing to the first hurdle didn't go to plan and she was unable to complete the rest of the race. Emma now sits in eighth place in the national rankings, still with another year left in this age group.
Claudia Rogers competed in the inter girls 300m and ran a competitive race but failed to progress further against tough opposition. Also not able to progress from the heats was Alexander Turner in the Inter girls 800m, and Tamara Armoush finished 11th in the inter girls 3K. All three still have another year in this age group.
Water Good Idea!
AVAC has teamed up with it's local water provider to encourage all athletes to make sure that they are prepared for training and competition. Severn Trent Water has given the club 150 refillable water bottles and these are being distributed to those athletes currently attending training. Keeping hydrated is important when training particularly when the weather is warm and the club encourages athletes to bring water to training.
Senior Success
Geoff Lowry recorded his first major success on the local road running scene by winning the Colin Potter Memorial 10k on 29th June, recording 35.01.
Further good performances were recorded by AVAC athletes in the 4-match Holme Pierrepoint Heritage Grand Prix. Joanne Clamp finished an excellent 4th place overall in the women's event, whilst Richard O'Sullivan finished 6th in the mens series, with Andy Marriott finishing in 21st place, and 8th Vet 40.
On Course For Promotion Match
Team CDAV, the joint Chesterfield & District AC/Amber Valley AC, remains on course for a top two finish in the National Junior Athletic League's Trent Division and a place in September's Midlands Region Promotion Match, after another second place behind arch-rivals Charnwood AC at Loughborough recently. Match result: Charnwood 575, Team CDAV 429.5, Team Arrows 201.5, Rugby 201, Coventry 197, Leamington 154, Nuneaton 75. League table after 3rd of 4 matches: Charnwood 23 points, Team CDAV 22, Coventry 16, Rugby 15, Team Arrows 14, Leamington 8, Nuneaton 7.
Mighty Performances at Mini League
Over 50 young athletes took part in the Derbyshire Mini League match at Moorways on 7th July. In a closely fought competition AVAC again finished runners-up to Derby, with Chesterfield in 3rd.
The U11's were particularly successful this time round. Rory McColgan won the 80m, Jethro McGraw won the 150m and came second in the 600m, Mark Rathbone won long jump, and the collective efforts of Rory, Mark, Jethro and George Raines set a new club record in the 4 x 100m relay. Newcomer Kennedy O'Brien showed potential by winning the girls 600m in her first ever race for the club, and Imogen Cresswell took two second place finishes in the 80m and 150m.
At U13 Jessica Turner continued a winning streak in the 800m, as did James Morley in the 75mH. There were second places for Keira Gee (100m and 200m), Rosie Blount (70mH), Kelly-Jay Payling (shot) and Andrew Fenwick (800m).
Zak Hooper set a new League Record in the U15 boys 200m, whilst Abbie Langley had a winning sprint double in the 100m and 200m, with Leanne Cartledge earning maximum points for the club in the 800m.
Athletes in the U13 and U15 age groups need to be aware of the Inter-Counties match at Cudworth on Sept 8th. Selections for this match will be made shortly after the fourth and final match in the league (Aug 11th). Selectors will be looking for the best athletes from a range of events, and taking into account all performances achieved at Mini League 07, not just those event winners. Information about the match on August 11th will be given out at training over the next few weeks, and on this site.
Tipton Young Athletes Match
Sorry... still no news or results from this match despite contacting Tipton Harriers direct.
Young Athletes League match 4, 24th June, Tipton
The match at Tipton turned out to be not quite what we had expected, for all sorts of reasons. The predicted downpours never materialised and we seemed to find a pocket of sunshine all afternoon. The host clubs failure to notify us of a change of venue could have caused us huge problems had it not been for an eagle-eyed parent surfing websites the night before! A unexpected double-header match (8 teams rather than 4) lead to a good atmosphere and a busy track, and the anticipated showdown between ourselves and close rivals Wolverhampton and Bilston, plus host club Tipton fielding mostly full sides, lead to an exciting match and sometimes unpredictable races.
At the time of writing full results have not been received nor are they on the website, so an accurate team result cannot be given.
Given the tight situation at the top of the league we asked much of our athletes on this occasion. Many competed in unfamiliar events, sometimes with pleasing results. Without doubt the team effort was 100% and team spirit on a high as usual.
At U13 Jessica Turner had another good run to win the 800m in a new PB, Kelly-Jay Payling received Athlete of the Match award for her winning shot putt, Rory Chambers won the long jump, James Morley had another hurdles victory, David Narborough won high jump and Andrew Fenwick kept his unbeaten 1500m form. Of particular note was newcomer Keira Gee. In her first competition for the club appears to have set a new club record for the 75m (to be confirmed when full results received).
At U15 Josie Lockwood won the discus, Michael Bosworth won both long jump and 800m and Zach Hooper had an easy victory in the 400m.
There was success for English Schools hopefuls in the U17 age group. Claudia Rogers had victories in the 200m and 300m, Alex Turner also doubled in the 800m and 1500m, Tamara Armoush had an easy victory in the 3K and Emma Komocki took first place in the 80m hurdles. Jack Elliott set a new club record in the U17 3000m.
The next and final match in this league is on July 22nd at Corby.
Schools Inter-Counties Combined Events Championships, 23/24 June, Nuneaton
Chloe Smith and Michael Bosworth earnt their first ever English Schools qualifiers this weekend. Competing for Derbyshire Schools they both finished in 5th place in the Midlands area Final, Chloe in the Intermediate Girls Heptathlon and Michael in the Junior Boys Pentathlon. Both go through to the National Finals in Exeter in September.
Michael, in only his second-ever pentathlon and still with another year in this age group, started the one-day event well taking 3 seconds off his 80m Hurdles. A good performance in the shot and a 30cm improvement in his long jump took him to 6th overall going into the high jump. A disappointing early exit from the high jump however, dropped him to 11th place. Fortunately his strong run in his best event, the 800m, saw him shoot his way up to 5th place and on his way to Exeter.
Chloe's two-day event saw her start the event in 8th place overall after a PB in the hurdles, and finish day 1 in 7th. A good second day, in which she set a new club record in the javelin, and ran a PB in the 800m, saw her climb up to 5th place overall, and scoring an overall points PB too.
Nick Rowton, in his first combined events County representation finished in 10th place overall and managed 5 PB's in the 8-event Intermediate Boys Octathlon. Louise Feeney, in her last ever County Schools event, couldn't do enough to get to the Finals as she did last year, finishing in 6th place in the Senior Girls heptathlon, but further increased her overall points PB.
English Schools Selection Joy for Club 5
It was relief all-round for five of the clubs high achievers as they learnt of their selections to represent Derbyshire in the English Schools Finals on July 13 and 14th. Set to compete against the top young athletes in the country will be Intermediate Girls Tamara Armoush, Emma Komocki, Claudia Rogers and Alexandra Turner, with Zach Hooper in the Junior Boys. Good luck to all!
Get Your Free Water Bottle!
We all know how important it is to keep the body hydrated, especially when exercising. Severn Trent Water have kindly donated a large quantity of re-fillable water bottles and these will be distributed to athletes at training sessions as from Saturday 30th June (until supplies are exhausted, only 1 bottle per person).
LATE CHANGE OF VENUE.
Please note that the National Junior League match this Sunday 1 July is now at Loughborough with Charnwood AC hosting.
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