St Albans Athletics Club - Middle Distance & Cross Country
St Albans Half marathon,5km and 3km. Sunday 12th June
Jack Gentle and Robin O'Connor on their familiar training ground
Lots of success as our athletes dominate the winners podium. Races commenced at 9am with the rather challenging 5km resembling a Cross country race . The course weaved it's way across the fields adjacent to king harry lane and bluehouse hill with 2 long uphill sections. The race was even more exciting as Robin and Jack stuck together for the first 3km until the lake when Robin picked up the pace to come home in first place overall followed by Jack and a determined Andrew Wheatcroft powering in to take third place to give St Albans boys a clean sweep. Matthew Cloke also had a great run in 4th place.In the Girls race Laura Farrar retained her title to win the race overall and win the 17+ age group, Followed by Megan in second and winning the 13-16 age group, Hannah was third in 13-16 age group. Several other athletes had great runs and the race will certainly help our track runs over the summer so fingers crossed for some more pb's.
In the 3km we had loads of young athletes with a clean sweep on the female podium Tabitha,Eleanor and Jessica Laitner coming home in 1st,2nd and third respectively. Ricardo and Adam had a sprint finish with Ricardo being the first over the line.
In the half marathon we had a number of parents running and a few being debutants to the distance. Well done to all of them Tracey,Nicki,Ian,Colin , Nicki, Jonathan and myself and anyone else I have missed.
In the 3km we had loads of young athletes with a clean sweep on the female podium Tabitha,Eleanor and Jessica Laitner coming home in 1st,2nd and third respectively. Ricardo and Adam had a sprint finish with Ricardo being the first over the line.
In the half marathon we had a number of parents running and a few being debutants to the distance. Well done to all of them Tracey,Nicki,Ian,Colin , Nicki, Jonathan and myself and anyone else I have missed.
Watford open graded Meeting Wednesday 1st June
Excellent results for 7 of the squad at Watford with ideal racing conditions. 6 PB's and a season's best.
Tabitha Weddell 5.21.9
Hannah Hull 5.07.17
Ryan Allen 4.59.79
Megan Steer-4.55.76
Oliver Poulain 4.31.47
Robin O'Connor 4.13.80
Chris Hilton 4.15.79
Well Done to all of you
Tabitha Weddell 5.21.9
Hannah Hull 5.07.17
Ryan Allen 4.59.79
Megan Steer-4.55.76
Oliver Poulain 4.31.47
Robin O'Connor 4.13.80
Chris Hilton 4.15.79
Well Done to all of you
Herts county 1500 championships
Bank holiday monday was the 1500m champs and St Albans middle distance athletes won several medals. It was a lovely day but the strong wind made pb's hard to gain but championship races are all about medals!
under 17 men
Gold-James McMurray 4.13.7
Bronze Chris Hilton 4.32.1
Oliver - 4.43.8
Andrew Wheatcroft-4.57.1
Under 15 boys
Gold Robin O'Connor-4.25.4
Bronze Jack Gentle 4.32.4
Under 13
Andrew Shaw- 5.47.4
Under 17 women
Bronze Megan Steer 5.07.7
Hannah Hull 5.14.0
Sophie West 6.00.2
Under 15
Laura Edwards-5.18.9
Abbie West - 5.25.1
Niamb Quinn-5.26.7
Pippa Bailey -5.27.7
Madeleine Geers- 5.30.7
Naomi Baker -5.36.8
Under 13
Silver Tabitha Weddell 5.31.1
Emily Hack 6.04.1
Well done all
under 17 men
Gold-James McMurray 4.13.7
Bronze Chris Hilton 4.32.1
Oliver - 4.43.8
Andrew Wheatcroft-4.57.1
Under 15 boys
Gold Robin O'Connor-4.25.4
Bronze Jack Gentle 4.32.4
Under 13
Andrew Shaw- 5.47.4
Under 17 women
Bronze Megan Steer 5.07.7
Hannah Hull 5.14.0
Sophie West 6.00.2
Under 15
Laura Edwards-5.18.9
Abbie West - 5.25.1
Niamb Quinn-5.26.7
Pippa Bailey -5.27.7
Madeleine Geers- 5.30.7
Naomi Baker -5.36.8
Under 13
Silver Tabitha Weddell 5.31.1
Emily Hack 6.04.1
Well done all
World Cross Trials and Inter County Championships Cofton Park Birmingham 5th March 2011
Excellent representation from St Albans in the county team. Well done to all representatives and also reserves.
First race under 13 boys with Jack Gentle and Adam Wilmshurst
Under 17 women-Megan Steer
Under 13 girls-Abbie West,Tabitha Weddell and Laura Edwards
Under 17 men-James McMurray
Under 15 girls-Victoria Pritchard and Abbie Smith
Special mention to Jack on his 6th position and James on his 5th . An outstanding achievement in such a huge race.
Excellent representation from St Albans in the county team. Well done to all representatives and also reserves.
First race under 13 boys with Jack Gentle and Adam Wilmshurst
Under 17 women-Megan Steer
Under 13 girls-Abbie West,Tabitha Weddell and Laura Edwards
Under 17 men-James McMurray
Under 15 girls-Victoria Pritchard and Abbie Smith
Special mention to Jack on his 6th position and James on his 5th . An outstanding achievement in such a huge race.
National Cross Country Championships 2011 ALton Towers
Well done to all of you who went up to Alton Towers to take part in this national event. The report in this weeks Athletic Weekly "Muddy Hell" described the conditions we had to endure."Alton Towers last Saturday witnessed hundreds caked in mud struggling to stay on their feet as they trudged through a thick quagmire and that was just the spectators . For the runners an already testing course was made tougher by cold rain before and during the event which turned the course into a mudbath."
The other comment was how fantastic the St Johns Ambulance were as witnessed by 2 of our runners. They were so over worked they had to delay the under 15 girls race and change the course.
Well done to our 2 complete teams and to Jack Gentle for his top 11 finish!!
St Albans AC
Under 13 girls
91st Tabitha Weddell
274 Laura Edwards
366 runners
Under 13 boys
11th Jack Gentle
126 Adam Wilmshurst
180 Ben Pattison
290 Ed Anders 18th team out of 33
Under 15 girls
59th Victoria Pritchard
151 Pippa Bailey
163 Madeleine Geers
231 Alice Mulcahy 20th team out of 33
Under 15 boys
152 out of 326 Andrew Wheatcroft
Under 17 girls
35th Laura Farrar
135 Hannah Hull
137 Rebecca Pritchard
210 runners
Under 17 Men
22nd James McMurray
183 Chris Hilton
270 runners
'Hope I don't get too dirty'
pictures courtsey of Gary Mitchell
'Hope my knees are coming up high enough'
Mud glorious Mud
For the third Year running St Albans athletes have won the young athletes league for the Chiltern cross country division 2.
In the beautiful surrounding fields of Cottoshall School in Wing nr Leighton Buzzard the final race of this seasons Chiltern league took place. The courses took every onze of mental and physical energy with wind, hail, field upon field of heavy ground and deep mud which is characteristic of this regular fixture.
The day was started with the under 11 girls Eleanor Hobbs of Aboyne Lodge school arrived back in the home field in 4th place but her superior form saw her power up the long final climb to cross the line in a convincing second place . This run possibly the best of her season saw her finish the under 11 mob match (i.e. 1st and 2nd division) in an excellent 2nd place. She now looks forward to her progression to the under 13 next year. Our under 11 girls term comprising of Eleanor, Ellen Brookes, Sarah McCullough ,Caitlin Eckley , Freya Weddell and Bella Priestman Bennett won the team Bronze medal behind Windsor Slough and Eton and Chiltern Harriers.
In the under 13 girls our St Albans team won the gold medal with Abbie West taking the bronze individual award. With ten runners this had our largest team with Tabitha Weddell having another great performance and the rest of her Stags Cross country team running well in what is arguably the most challenging cross country. The most noticeable credit in this age group is the dedication to the cross country season with 8 of the team taking part in at least 4 out of a possible 5 fixtures Abbie West, Tabitha Weddell, Laura Edwards, Naomi Baker, Lauren Eckley, Emily Hack, Isabelle Bicknell and Jessica Edwards.
Our under 15 girl’s team again with strength in depth won the team gold award with a clean sweep in the individual awards Victoria Pritchard gold, Abbie Smith silver and Pippa Bailey in bronze position. Three other team members took part in at least 4 of the races Sophie West, Madeleine Geers and Meghan Hobbs.
The under 17 girls took home team silver, however this award encompasses the junior women (under 20) as well as the younger age group so this is a good achievement as some of the team are only 15 years old. Megan Steer took individual bronze medal.
In the boys competition it was Andrew Shaw and Alex Spilling who took part in at least 4 of the races and both of them saw there placing steadily improve as they got more experienced in cross country and indeed more competitive. The beauty of these large league competitions is there are individual goals for every runner whether it is to beat that boy from Windsor or to win the race!
Jack Gentle again had a superb race and won the mob match by 20 seconds. Every week he is getting stronger and he looks forward to taking on the rest of the Country next weekend in Alton Towers at the National Cross country Championships.
James Down, Andrew Wheatcroft, Ryan Allen and Sam Jones made up our gold winning under 15 Boys team. James took individual silver whilst Andrew individual bronze.
The under 17 men took team gold comprising of James McMurray,Oliver Poulain and Chris Hilton. James took the individual gold . This age group also took third place in the whole league 1st and 2nd division a tremendous achievement in such a large competition.
This has been our most successful season not just with the amount of trophies and individual medals won but also retention of the older athletes and the tremendous sense of comaradie. Although athletics is primary an individual sport this shows how working together as a team in both training and competition results in success both on and off the field.
Under 17 Men
1 JAMES MCMURRAY 21.28 761 M17 1
3 OLIVER POULAIN 23.23 764 M17 3
7 CHRIS HILTON 24.36 762 M17 7
Under 15 Boys
4 JAMES DOWN 16.42 778 M15 4
8 ANDREW WHEATCROFT 17.18 780 M15 8
10 RYAN ALLAN 19.26 779 M15 10
Under 13 Boys
1 JACK GENTLE 11.34 767 M13 1
7 ADAM WILMSHURST 12.58 760 M13 7
14 BEN PATTISON 13.46 761 M13 14
18 ADAM PRITCHARD 14.12 759 M13 18
21 MAX WILLIS 15.00 758 M13 21
23 EDWARD ANDERS 15.11 765 M13 23
Junior/U17 Ladies
4 MEGAN STEER 22.38 755 F17 2
5 HANNAH HULL 23.38 756 F17 3
Under 15 Girls
1 VICTORIA PRITCHARD 13.14 767 F15 1
2 ABBIE SMITH 14.03 771 F15 2
6 PIPPA BAILEY 14.26 768 F15 6
7 MADELEINE GEERS 14.31 766 F15 7
10 MEGHAN HOBBS 14.53 773 F15 10
12 KATIE HARPER 15.41 772 F15 12
Under 13 Girls
3 ABBIE WEST 11.29 778 F13 3
4 TABITHA WEDDELL 11.33 752 F13 4
5 ALEX BENTLEY 11.40 757 F13
7 GEORGIA ROBINS 11.49 769 F13 6
11 NAOMI BAKER 12.29 775 F13 10
12 LAURA EDWARDS 12.33 773 F13 11
13 LAUREN ECKLEY 12.43 780 F13 12
14 JESSICA BARNES 13.12 772 F13 13
15 LIZZIE MARKWELL 13.13 754 F13 14
20 EMILY HACK 14.12 751 F13 19
Under 11 Boys
14 BEN MITCHELL 6.17 767
29 ALEX SPILLING 6.48 768
Under 11 Girls
2 ELEANOR HOBBS 6.16 751
20 CAITLIN ECKLEY 6.52 755
28 BELLA PRIESTMAN-BENNETT 7.03 757
39 FREYA WEDDELL 7.24 752
42 DEVON PEARCE 7.30 758
43 ELLEN BROOKES 7.31 754
44 SARAH MCCULLOUGH 7.33 753
For the third Year running St Albans athletes have won the young athletes league for the Chiltern cross country division 2.
In the beautiful surrounding fields of Cottoshall School in Wing nr Leighton Buzzard the final race of this seasons Chiltern league took place. The courses took every onze of mental and physical energy with wind, hail, field upon field of heavy ground and deep mud which is characteristic of this regular fixture.
The day was started with the under 11 girls Eleanor Hobbs of Aboyne Lodge school arrived back in the home field in 4th place but her superior form saw her power up the long final climb to cross the line in a convincing second place . This run possibly the best of her season saw her finish the under 11 mob match (i.e. 1st and 2nd division) in an excellent 2nd place. She now looks forward to her progression to the under 13 next year. Our under 11 girls term comprising of Eleanor, Ellen Brookes, Sarah McCullough ,Caitlin Eckley , Freya Weddell and Bella Priestman Bennett won the team Bronze medal behind Windsor Slough and Eton and Chiltern Harriers.
In the under 13 girls our St Albans team won the gold medal with Abbie West taking the bronze individual award. With ten runners this had our largest team with Tabitha Weddell having another great performance and the rest of her Stags Cross country team running well in what is arguably the most challenging cross country. The most noticeable credit in this age group is the dedication to the cross country season with 8 of the team taking part in at least 4 out of a possible 5 fixtures Abbie West, Tabitha Weddell, Laura Edwards, Naomi Baker, Lauren Eckley, Emily Hack, Isabelle Bicknell and Jessica Edwards.
Our under 15 girl’s team again with strength in depth won the team gold award with a clean sweep in the individual awards Victoria Pritchard gold, Abbie Smith silver and Pippa Bailey in bronze position. Three other team members took part in at least 4 of the races Sophie West, Madeleine Geers and Meghan Hobbs.
The under 17 girls took home team silver, however this award encompasses the junior women (under 20) as well as the younger age group so this is a good achievement as some of the team are only 15 years old. Megan Steer took individual bronze medal.
In the boys competition it was Andrew Shaw and Alex Spilling who took part in at least 4 of the races and both of them saw there placing steadily improve as they got more experienced in cross country and indeed more competitive. The beauty of these large league competitions is there are individual goals for every runner whether it is to beat that boy from Windsor or to win the race!
Jack Gentle again had a superb race and won the mob match by 20 seconds. Every week he is getting stronger and he looks forward to taking on the rest of the Country next weekend in Alton Towers at the National Cross country Championships.
James Down, Andrew Wheatcroft, Ryan Allen and Sam Jones made up our gold winning under 15 Boys team. James took individual silver whilst Andrew individual bronze.
The under 17 men took team gold comprising of James McMurray,Oliver Poulain and Chris Hilton. James took the individual gold . This age group also took third place in the whole league 1st and 2nd division a tremendous achievement in such a large competition.
This has been our most successful season not just with the amount of trophies and individual medals won but also retention of the older athletes and the tremendous sense of comaradie. Although athletics is primary an individual sport this shows how working together as a team in both training and competition results in success both on and off the field.
Under 17 Men
1 JAMES MCMURRAY 21.28 761 M17 1
3 OLIVER POULAIN 23.23 764 M17 3
7 CHRIS HILTON 24.36 762 M17 7
Under 15 Boys
4 JAMES DOWN 16.42 778 M15 4
8 ANDREW WHEATCROFT 17.18 780 M15 8
10 RYAN ALLAN 19.26 779 M15 10
Under 13 Boys
1 JACK GENTLE 11.34 767 M13 1
7 ADAM WILMSHURST 12.58 760 M13 7
14 BEN PATTISON 13.46 761 M13 14
18 ADAM PRITCHARD 14.12 759 M13 18
21 MAX WILLIS 15.00 758 M13 21
23 EDWARD ANDERS 15.11 765 M13 23
Junior/U17 Ladies
4 MEGAN STEER 22.38 755 F17 2
5 HANNAH HULL 23.38 756 F17 3
Under 15 Girls
1 VICTORIA PRITCHARD 13.14 767 F15 1
2 ABBIE SMITH 14.03 771 F15 2
6 PIPPA BAILEY 14.26 768 F15 6
7 MADELEINE GEERS 14.31 766 F15 7
10 MEGHAN HOBBS 14.53 773 F15 10
12 KATIE HARPER 15.41 772 F15 12
Under 13 Girls
3 ABBIE WEST 11.29 778 F13 3
4 TABITHA WEDDELL 11.33 752 F13 4
5 ALEX BENTLEY 11.40 757 F13
7 GEORGIA ROBINS 11.49 769 F13 6
11 NAOMI BAKER 12.29 775 F13 10
12 LAURA EDWARDS 12.33 773 F13 11
13 LAUREN ECKLEY 12.43 780 F13 12
14 JESSICA BARNES 13.12 772 F13 13
15 LIZZIE MARKWELL 13.13 754 F13 14
20 EMILY HACK 14.12 751 F13 19
Under 11 Boys
14 BEN MITCHELL 6.17 767
29 ALEX SPILLING 6.48 768
Under 11 Girls
2 ELEANOR HOBBS 6.16 751
20 CAITLIN ECKLEY 6.52 755
28 BELLA PRIESTMAN-BENNETT 7.03 757
39 FREYA WEDDELL 7.24 752
42 DEVON PEARCE 7.30 758
43 ELLEN BROOKES 7.31 754
44 SARAH MCCULLOUGH 7.33 753
St Albans athletes continue to dominate at the Hertfordshire Cross country Championships
On a blustery morning in Verulanium Park the cross country competition season continued with the Hertfordshire Schools championships. All but one of the races had representatives from the club in contention for county medals and selection for English Schools All England Championships next month in Nottingham.
In the senior girls race Laura Farrar continues superb form and totally dominated the race looking strong and relaxed. Although after the race she commented on the biting head wind they all faced on the climb up Bluehouse hill. A comment indeed repeated by most of our medallist especially the age groups who had to race over 3 laps of our familiar training ground. Included in the same race were the intermediate girls , school years 10 and 11. Megan Steer took 5th place and selection for English schools. In the intermediate boys race James McMurray took the gold medal. The school championship races have the habit of uncovering raw, undiscovered talent but after running with the pack for the first couple of laps his greyhound like strides extended showing the calibre of athlete James has become. Oliver Poulain’s performance demonstrated how the combination of rugby training for speed and strength together with the endurance we work on at the club produces excellent results.
Abbie West after winning the pre junior race in 2010 went on run confidently and took a convincing 2nd place in the junior age group (yrs 8-9 ) this year. In the boys equivalent race Jack Gentle after a steady first lap went on to tick off all but one of the field to come home in 2nd place. After the race he was thrilled at the progress he has made since joining the club last May “If you’d told me then I’d be Herts. under 13 Champ and come second in the schools a year young I would have laughed”
St Albans girl’s school dominated the pre junior race and lucky for us they are all club members. Tabitha Weddell 1st, Alex Bentley 2nd Georgia Robin 3rd and Jessica Barnes 8th were our highest places runners. . They are now in a good position to head up to the North East for the English Schools Cup final in March. In the pre junior boys race Adam Wilmshurst continues to flourish and came home in 2nd place.
In the primary schools races the club had several young athletes all making great debuts .Excellent performances by Eleanor Hobbs, Ricardo James and Andrew Shaw.
Our next competition is the last Chiltern Cross country race next weekend at Wing followed by the National Cross country in Alton Towers the week after.
On a blustery morning in Verulanium Park the cross country competition season continued with the Hertfordshire Schools championships. All but one of the races had representatives from the club in contention for county medals and selection for English Schools All England Championships next month in Nottingham.
In the senior girls race Laura Farrar continues superb form and totally dominated the race looking strong and relaxed. Although after the race she commented on the biting head wind they all faced on the climb up Bluehouse hill. A comment indeed repeated by most of our medallist especially the age groups who had to race over 3 laps of our familiar training ground. Included in the same race were the intermediate girls , school years 10 and 11. Megan Steer took 5th place and selection for English schools. In the intermediate boys race James McMurray took the gold medal. The school championship races have the habit of uncovering raw, undiscovered talent but after running with the pack for the first couple of laps his greyhound like strides extended showing the calibre of athlete James has become. Oliver Poulain’s performance demonstrated how the combination of rugby training for speed and strength together with the endurance we work on at the club produces excellent results.
Abbie West after winning the pre junior race in 2010 went on run confidently and took a convincing 2nd place in the junior age group (yrs 8-9 ) this year. In the boys equivalent race Jack Gentle after a steady first lap went on to tick off all but one of the field to come home in 2nd place. After the race he was thrilled at the progress he has made since joining the club last May “If you’d told me then I’d be Herts. under 13 Champ and come second in the schools a year young I would have laughed”
St Albans girl’s school dominated the pre junior race and lucky for us they are all club members. Tabitha Weddell 1st, Alex Bentley 2nd Georgia Robin 3rd and Jessica Barnes 8th were our highest places runners. . They are now in a good position to head up to the North East for the English Schools Cup final in March. In the pre junior boys race Adam Wilmshurst continues to flourish and came home in 2nd place.
In the primary schools races the club had several young athletes all making great debuts .Excellent performances by Eleanor Hobbs, Ricardo James and Andrew Shaw.
Our next competition is the last Chiltern Cross country race next weekend at Wing followed by the National Cross country in Alton Towers the week after.
Chiltern Cross Country fixture 4 Luton
I was slightly worried about turnout for yesterday's fixture in Luton as I hadn't done the usual email and relied on you all looking at message board or looking at your chiltern league hoody!! I had no need to worry as again you were there in force to suffer all the mud that Luton could throw at you. Well Done you and your parents.
Some great individual performances were by Andrew Shaw,James Down,Megan Steer,Abbie Smith,Isabelle Bicknell,Lizzie Markwell and Ellen Brookes.
This is the stage that the Chiltern league gets exciting, as with one fixture left we can have an idea of what positions individuals and teams will get . The great news is that we have neally 30 athletes who have done 3 or 4 races and have therefore got a position in their age group.
We have several who are in top 3 places after 4 events
Eleanor Hobbs
James Down
Andrew Wheatcroft
James McMurray
Victoria Pritchard
Sophie West
Pippa Bailey
Abbie West
There are also a few who could jump into medal winning places if they run well at Wing!!
Lets try and get a full squad out next month at Wing so we win the young athletes league in style!!
More great photos on Gary Mitchells website
ST. ALBANS
Under 17 Men
1 JAMES MCMURRAY 19.05 761 M17 1
4 OLIVER POULAIN 21.34 764 M17 4
Under 15 Boys
2 JAMES DOWN 16.10 778 M15 2
4 SAM JONES 16.26 752 M15 4
7 ANDREW WHEATCROFT 16.45 780 M15 7
9 JAMIE JONES 17.14 753 M15
12 RYAN ALLAN 18.13 779 M15 11
Under 13 Boys
5 ADAM WILMSHURST 13.33 760 M13 5
14 MARIUS BELL 14.48 771 M13 14
20 ADAM PRITCHARD 15.48 759 M13 20
23 MAX WILLIS 16.23 758 M13 23
Junior/U17 Ladies
5 MEGAN STEER 17.33 755 F17 3
7 REBECCA PRITCHARD 18.20 757 F17 5
8 HANNAH HULL 18.34 756 F17 6
Under 15 Girls
2 ABBIE SMITH 16.44 771 F15 2
4 PIPPA BAILEY 17.02 768 F15 4
5 SOPHIE WEST 17.16 770 F15 5
7 MEGHAN HOBBS 17.36 773 F15 7
10 KATIE HARPER 18.10 772 F15 10
11 ALICE MULCAHY 18.14 774 F15 11
Under 13 Girls
3 ABBIE WEST 12.03 778 F13 3
4 TABITHA WEDDELL 12.03 752 F13 4
5 ALEX BENTLEY 12.06 757 F13
8 LAURA EDWARDS 12.30 773 F13 7
13 NAOMI BAKER 12.57 775 F13 12
14 JESSICA BARNES 13.02 772 F13 13
15 LAUREN ECKLEY 13.07 780 F13 14
17 JENNIFER ALLEN 13.43 753 F13 16
21 JESSICA EDWARDS 14.15 774 F13 20
23 EMILY HACK 14.22 751 F13 22
24 ISABELLE BICKNELL 14.23 776 F13 23
25 LIZZIE MARKWELL 14.25 754 F13 24
Under 11 Boys
8 RICARDO JAMES 9.51 765
10 ANDREW SHAW 9.57 766
27 ALEX SPILLING 10.40 768
Under 11 Girls
8 ELEANOR HOBBS 10.08 751
19 CAITLIN ECKLEY 10.43 755
25 ELLEN BROOKES 11.07 754
30 SARAH MCCULLOUGH 11.16 753
31 BELLA PRIESTMAN-BENNETT 11.20 757
39 FREYA WEDDELL 11.33 752
Hertfordshire Cross country Championship Results
Well done every one of you who represented the club yesterday and ran your hearts out , it was so hard and you all did incredibly well to cross that finish line!! . But what results St Albans AC gold medal winners in the under 11 girls, under 13 girls and under 17 women as well as silver under 11 boys, under 13 boys, under 15 girls and under 17 men and bronze for the under 15 boys. Not to mention two county Champs Jack Gentle and James McMurray as well as Silver medal winner Victoria Pritchard and Laura Farrar and Bronze to Ricardo James and Tabitha Weddell.
I know some of you may have been a little disappointed with your runs , unfortunately this is all part of the learning curve with being an individual athlete and it will help you be stronger and to appreciate the good runs when everything goes to plan and you feel you are flying round the course!!
Results
Under 11 Girls
4th Eleanor Hobbs
5th Caitlin Eckley
8th Bella Priestman Bennett
12th Rhiannon Ellis
14th Ellen Brookes
15th Sarah McCullough
18th Freya Weddell
Under 11 Boys
3rd Ricardo James
9th Andrew Crawford
11th Alex Spilling
Under 13 girls
3rd Tabitha Weddell
5th Abbie West
8th Laura Edwards
18th Lauren Eckley
19th Jessica Barnes
21st Naomi Baker
25th Jennifer Allen
26th Jessica Edwards
27th Clare Wilde
28th Isabelle Bicknell
29th Lizzie Markwell
Under 13 boys
1st Jack Gentle
4th Adam Wilmshurst
18th Ben Pattison
21st Max Willis
24th Hugh Thomas
Under 15 Girls
2nd Victoria Pritchard
8th Abbie Smith
10th Meghan Hobbs
12th Niamh Quinn
16th Pippa Bailey
18th Sophie West
21st Madeleine Geers
22nd Alice Mulcahy
26th Katie Harper
Under 15 boys
8th James Down
11th Sam Jones
18th Ryan Allen
19th Andrew Wheatcroft
Under 17 women
2nd Laura Farrar
6th Megan Steer
7th Rebecca Pritchard
8th Hannah Hull
Under 17 Men
1st James McMurray
9th Chris Hilton
14 th Oliver Poulain
Well done every one of you who represented the club yesterday and ran your hearts out , it was so hard and you all did incredibly well to cross that finish line!! . But what results St Albans AC gold medal winners in the under 11 girls, under 13 girls and under 17 women as well as silver under 11 boys, under 13 boys, under 15 girls and under 17 men and bronze for the under 15 boys. Not to mention two county Champs Jack Gentle and James McMurray as well as Silver medal winner Victoria Pritchard and Laura Farrar and Bronze to Ricardo James and Tabitha Weddell.
I know some of you may have been a little disappointed with your runs , unfortunately this is all part of the learning curve with being an individual athlete and it will help you be stronger and to appreciate the good runs when everything goes to plan and you feel you are flying round the course!!
Results
Under 11 Girls
4th Eleanor Hobbs
5th Caitlin Eckley
8th Bella Priestman Bennett
12th Rhiannon Ellis
14th Ellen Brookes
15th Sarah McCullough
18th Freya Weddell
Under 11 Boys
3rd Ricardo James
9th Andrew Crawford
11th Alex Spilling
Under 13 girls
3rd Tabitha Weddell
5th Abbie West
8th Laura Edwards
18th Lauren Eckley
19th Jessica Barnes
21st Naomi Baker
25th Jennifer Allen
26th Jessica Edwards
27th Clare Wilde
28th Isabelle Bicknell
29th Lizzie Markwell
Under 13 boys
1st Jack Gentle
4th Adam Wilmshurst
18th Ben Pattison
21st Max Willis
24th Hugh Thomas
Under 15 Girls
2nd Victoria Pritchard
8th Abbie Smith
10th Meghan Hobbs
12th Niamh Quinn
16th Pippa Bailey
18th Sophie West
21st Madeleine Geers
22nd Alice Mulcahy
26th Katie Harper
Under 15 boys
8th James Down
11th Sam Jones
18th Ryan Allen
19th Andrew Wheatcroft
Under 17 women
2nd Laura Farrar
6th Megan Steer
7th Rebecca Pritchard
8th Hannah Hull
Under 17 Men
1st James McMurray
9th Chris Hilton
14 th Oliver Poulain
13th November 2010
Record turn out from St Albans Runners in an excellent Cross country weekend.
A record 51 young athletes took part in this weekends 2nd league match of the Chiltern Cross country calendar. Cassiobury Park was the much welcome local fixture after last month’s trip to Oxford; however road works on the surrounding roads meant a little stress for some of the parents.
Events kicked off with the girls under 11 mob match Eleanor Hobbs again keen to maintain her 2nd position in the league had a superior finish to out sprint her next rival from Bedford and finish in 2nd place. Caitlin Eckley had another solid run building in confidence to become our second scorer and debutant Bella Priestman-Bennett was our third home. In the boys race again we fielded a full team our first scorer was Ricardo James in 16th place with an excellent run by Ben Mitchell just behind in 17th.
Our strength was definitely in our under 13 and under 15 girls teams even though several of the teams had school commitment in the English Schools cup we fielded large experienced teams with outstanding performances by Victoria Pritchard 1st, Abbie West 2nd and Sophie West in 3rd in the under 15 race. We already have a convincing lead in these two age groups after 2 fixtures.
Fresh from his success in last weeks National Cross Country relays Jack Gentle ran in his first Chiltern cross country to secure 1st place in the under 13. National Cross country Champion James McMurray eager to race his first Chiltern as an under 17 controlled the race from start to finish and found the extra distance to his liking!!
Record turn out from St Albans Runners in an excellent Cross country weekend.
A record 51 young athletes took part in this weekends 2nd league match of the Chiltern Cross country calendar. Cassiobury Park was the much welcome local fixture after last month’s trip to Oxford; however road works on the surrounding roads meant a little stress for some of the parents.
Events kicked off with the girls under 11 mob match Eleanor Hobbs again keen to maintain her 2nd position in the league had a superior finish to out sprint her next rival from Bedford and finish in 2nd place. Caitlin Eckley had another solid run building in confidence to become our second scorer and debutant Bella Priestman-Bennett was our third home. In the boys race again we fielded a full team our first scorer was Ricardo James in 16th place with an excellent run by Ben Mitchell just behind in 17th.
Our strength was definitely in our under 13 and under 15 girls teams even though several of the teams had school commitment in the English Schools cup we fielded large experienced teams with outstanding performances by Victoria Pritchard 1st, Abbie West 2nd and Sophie West in 3rd in the under 15 race. We already have a convincing lead in these two age groups after 2 fixtures.
Fresh from his success in last weeks National Cross Country relays Jack Gentle ran in his first Chiltern cross country to secure 1st place in the under 13. National Cross country Champion James McMurray eager to race his first Chiltern as an under 17 controlled the race from start to finish and found the extra distance to his liking!!
Here is some photos supplied by professional photographer Gary Mitchell Photo.
You can view/purchase these (and more) from his website. Click on the groups for link to his website for all the photos taken.
U11 Girls, U11 Boys, U13 Girls, U13 Boys, U15 Girls, U15 Boys, Jnr Women, Jnr Men.
To buy any photos from Gary Mitchell Photo click here.
This photographer is in no way connected to the St Albans Athletics Club.
You can view/purchase these (and more) from his website. Click on the groups for link to his website for all the photos taken.
U11 Girls, U11 Boys, U13 Girls, U13 Boys, U15 Girls, U15 Boys, Jnr Women, Jnr Men.
To buy any photos from Gary Mitchell Photo click here.
This photographer is in no way connected to the St Albans Athletics Club.
Some more photos were taken by Film41 professional photographers.
If you would like to see (and purchase) any photos taken by Film41 then please click here for small sized free photos and click here for the link to the full resolution photos which you can purchase.
This photographer is in no way connected to the St Albans Athletics Club.
If you would like to see (and purchase) any photos taken by Film41 then please click here for small sized free photos and click here for the link to the full resolution photos which you can purchase.
This photographer is in no way connected to the St Albans Athletics Club.
Saucony English Cross Country Relays Mansfield 6th November
It is a great experience for young athletes to be able to compete in the same days racing as Olympic and commonwealth athletes and this is what happened last weekend in Mansfield.With some of the best national runners in all age groups St Albans can hold their heads up high to have solid team performances as well as 2 top ten individual fastest legs James McMurray under 17 and Jack Gentle under 13 .
The competition is made up of teams of 3 each leg running between 2 and 3km over undulating parkland and woods.
Under 13 Girls
Abbie West, Naomi Baker and Ellie Clarbour 29th team
Tabitha Weddell, Jess Barnes and Georgia Robin 41st team
Under 15
Pippa Bailey, Madeline Geers and Katie Harper 65th team
Under 17
Rebecca Pritchard, Megan Steer and Laura Farrar 21st team
Hannah Hull, Sophie West and Catherine Mackintosh 38th team
Under 13 boys
Jack Gentle, Ben Pattison and Ricardo James 31st team
Ed Anders
Under 15
Ryan Allen, Andrew Wheatcroft and James Down 72nd
Under 17 James Harper, James McMurray and Oliver Poulain 57th team
It was a really enjoyable day of team building and experience which hopefully has the lasting effect of helping young athletes to keep up with their sport!!
South of England Road Relays September 2010
Again we were lucky enough to have a sunny day for our 3rd visit to this annual event but this time the club sent 10 teams. So 34 runners made the journey to Aldershot many had never raced before and thanks to the nature of Road Relays they all found the whole experience fun and beneficial. Great way to encourage team building and friendships. Our main achievements were 3 athletes getting top12 fastest legs Jack Gentle,Abbie West and James McMurray. Results below
Under 13 boys
12 St Albans A.C. 47:25
Jack Gentle 10:40 5 5
Adam Wilmshurst 11:45 8 9
Adam Pritchard 12:37 9 20
Ben Pattison 12:23 13 22
St Albans A.C. B Team 12:05
James Ricardo 12:05 28
Under 13 Girls
17 St Albans A.C. - A Team 27:41
Abbie West 8:40 5 5
Ellie Clarbour 9:12 11 17
Naomi Baker 9:49 17 35
24 St Albans A.C. - B Team 28:16
Eleanor Hobbs 9:20 29 27
Tabitha Weddell 9:21 24 23
Laura Edwards 9:35 24 27
43 St Albans A.C. - C Team 29:53
Alice Bentley 10:07 63 56
Jessica Barnes 10:06 55 41
Georgia Robin 9:40 43 30
Under 15 Girls
27 St Albans A.C. - A Team 37:01
Victoria Pritchard 11:31 15 15
Niamh Quinn 12:41 23 30
Alice Mulcahy 12:49 27 32
40 St Albans A.C. - B Team 39:08
Pippa Bailey 12:49 50 45
Meghan Hobbs 13:34 45 43
Sophie West 12:45 40 30
51 St Albans A.C. - C Team 42:39
Madeline Geers 12:19 41 37
Hollie Gamble 17:12 61 54
Katie Harper 13:08 52 38
Under 15 Boys
37 St Albans A.C. 46:51
Sean Baccas 12:45 56 45
Ryan Allen 11:47 51 36
James Down 11:11 40 24
Andrew Wheatcroft 11:08 37 26
Under 17 women
11 St Albans A.C. 34:29
Megan Steer 11:25 15 14
Hannah Hull 11:47 14 16
Laura Farrar 11:17 11 8
Under 17 Men
17 St Albans A.C. 53:22
James McMurray 12:20 9 6
Christopher Hilton 13:35 22 23
Sam Jamieson West 13:41 19 17
Oliver Poulain 13:46 17 19
Under 13 boys
12 St Albans A.C. 47:25
Jack Gentle 10:40 5 5
Adam Wilmshurst 11:45 8 9
Adam Pritchard 12:37 9 20
Ben Pattison 12:23 13 22
St Albans A.C. B Team 12:05
James Ricardo 12:05 28
Under 13 Girls
17 St Albans A.C. - A Team 27:41
Abbie West 8:40 5 5
Ellie Clarbour 9:12 11 17
Naomi Baker 9:49 17 35
24 St Albans A.C. - B Team 28:16
Eleanor Hobbs 9:20 29 27
Tabitha Weddell 9:21 24 23
Laura Edwards 9:35 24 27
43 St Albans A.C. - C Team 29:53
Alice Bentley 10:07 63 56
Jessica Barnes 10:06 55 41
Georgia Robin 9:40 43 30
Under 15 Girls
27 St Albans A.C. - A Team 37:01
Victoria Pritchard 11:31 15 15
Niamh Quinn 12:41 23 30
Alice Mulcahy 12:49 27 32
40 St Albans A.C. - B Team 39:08
Pippa Bailey 12:49 50 45
Meghan Hobbs 13:34 45 43
Sophie West 12:45 40 30
51 St Albans A.C. - C Team 42:39
Madeline Geers 12:19 41 37
Hollie Gamble 17:12 61 54
Katie Harper 13:08 52 38
Under 15 Boys
37 St Albans A.C. 46:51
Sean Baccas 12:45 56 45
Ryan Allen 11:47 51 36
James Down 11:11 40 24
Andrew Wheatcroft 11:08 37 26
Under 17 women
11 St Albans A.C. 34:29
Megan Steer 11:25 15 14
Hannah Hull 11:47 14 16
Laura Farrar 11:17 11 8
Under 17 Men
17 St Albans A.C. 53:22
James McMurray 12:20 9 6
Christopher Hilton 13:35 22 23
Sam Jamieson West 13:41 19 17
Oliver Poulain 13:46 17 19
2010 May - Hertfordshire Track and Field Championships 2010
Several of the squad joined the best of the county in the county champs over 2 weekends in May. Even though the events were very early in the season we celebrated great success. The 1500 champs were first on Bank holiday monday
Under 13 Laura Edwards 2nd
Naomi Baker 3rd
Under 17 Laura Farrar 2nd
Under 17 men James McMurray 1st
At the main championships on 9th May Under 17 Men 800m
under 13 girls 800m James Mc Murray 1st 1.57.63
Laura Edwards 1st 2.36.54 Chris Hilton 2nd 2.02.66
Naomi Baker 3rd 2.47.59 400m 53.43 pb
Under 15 girls
Niamh Quinn 2.35.40
Pippa Bailey 2.42.69
Under 17
Megan Steer 400m-1st 59.72
800m 2nd 2.18.29
Laura Farrar 800mts 3rd 2.21.77
Catherine Mackintosh 2.23.76
Hannah Hull 800m 2.30.01 pb
Under 13 Laura Edwards 2nd
Naomi Baker 3rd
Under 17 Laura Farrar 2nd
Under 17 men James McMurray 1st
At the main championships on 9th May Under 17 Men 800m
under 13 girls 800m James Mc Murray 1st 1.57.63
Laura Edwards 1st 2.36.54 Chris Hilton 2nd 2.02.66
Naomi Baker 3rd 2.47.59 400m 53.43 pb
Under 15 girls
Niamh Quinn 2.35.40
Pippa Bailey 2.42.69
Under 17
Megan Steer 400m-1st 59.72
800m 2nd 2.18.29
Laura Farrar 800mts 3rd 2.21.77
Catherine Mackintosh 2.23.76
Hannah Hull 800m 2.30.01 pb
Laura Farrah
Naomi Baker, Laura Edwards
James McMurray
Chiltern League 2010 celbrations at OA's
Chiltern League 2010 celebration at OA's
Intercounties Championships-Cofton Park Birmingham 13th March 2010
Great day for the squad as 7 young athletes are selected to represent Hertfordshire in this prestigious event incorporating World cross trials. Such an important event that it even attracts 4 hours worth of coverage on Sky Sports 4 . Fab conditions with firm ground and an interesting undulating course. It was great to take part with top national athletes like Mo Farah and Steph Twell.
Well Done to James Down , Niamh Quinn, James McMurray,Chris Hilton,Naomi Hodson, Megan Steer and Laura Farrar on their selection.
Special mention to Laura who had a good run finishing 70 out of 265 and also James McMurray finishing 1st out of 297
Well Done to James Down , Niamh Quinn, James McMurray,Chris Hilton,Naomi Hodson, Megan Steer and Laura Farrar on their selection.
Special mention to Laura who had a good run finishing 70 out of 265 and also James McMurray finishing 1st out of 297
Spreading the word 'James won again'
English Schools Championships Saturday 20th March Heston Park Manchester
Congratulations to all our athletes who made the journey north to represent Hertfordshire Schools. In deep mud and rain I think most of them enjoyed the experience as the season really nears the end.
Herts team Junior girls Naomi Hodson
Inter Boys James McMurray and Chris Hilton
Inter Girls Laura Farrar
Senior Girls Emily Huxley
Herts team Junior girls Naomi Hodson
Inter Boys James McMurray and Chris Hilton
Inter Girls Laura Farrar
Senior Girls Emily Huxley
Right Emily Huxley Senior Girls
