Athletes enjoy a night of celebrations - The Stratford Observer

Athletes enjoy a night of celebrations

Stratford Editorial 31st Oct, 2017 Updated: 31st Oct, 2017   0

A 280-STRONG audience celebrated another year of successes at the 2017 Stratford Athletic Club awards.

Achievements throughout all sections of the club were marked during an evening to remember at Stratford School.

The guests who presented the awards were Barbara Wood, the wife of Allen Wood who was the joint juniors founder with John Dell in 1979, Gwil Price, who is behind all schools athletics competitions and teams in Warwickshire, and Ray Morgan, the driving force behind much of what happens with county athletics and competitions in the county.

All the guests praised the success of the club, not just the winners and the many who represent the county, but in providing a wonderful, imaginative environment in which everyone feels valued and can achieve and exceed their own expectations.




Paul Bearman welcomed the audience and guests and said: “It’s been another full, exciting and successful year right across the club.

“We are reliant on our volunteers doing their jobs in their own time across the various sections of the club and, with such a big membership of more than 600, we need a lot of people involved – coaches, officials and administrators.


“On behalf of everyone at the club, if you’re a part of the various committees, a junior age group leader, supported the admin, if you’ve officiated at, helped or organised at an event, team managed, raked a pit, raised money for the track refurbishment, served tea and cake and in particular if you are a part of the brilliant various coaching teams out in all weathers, all year round – thank you.”

Bearman also mentioned the club is actively working with Stratford School on the project to refurbish the track, which received a massive boost from the Town Trust, which again stepped up to support athletics in the area when it awarded the project a grant of £40,000 earlier this year.

He thanked all the people in the club who are raising money to support the school to raise the considerable amount required for the refurbishment and made a special mention of the club’s Gravelsons family who braved the elements and climbed the three highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales in 12 hours, raising a fantastic £1,200.

One of the highlights of the evening was when David Jones stepped up to announce the latest five inductees into the club’s Hall of Fame.

These are athletes who have achieved international selection in 2017. Jones said: “What makes this so special is that, from the eldest to the youngest of these new inductees, there’s a remarkable span of more than 40 years, which shows how broad-based and successful our athletes are across the club.”

Hall of Fame Inductees 2017: Kate Sergent, Paula Williams, Lewis Byng, Oli Cresswell, Jack Sumners

Trophy winners:

Senior Grand Prix awards: Female – Lynne Hinson; Male – David Jones

Chris Claxton Memorial Trophy – Cadie Hibberd

Senior Shakespeare competition: Age groups female: 16-34 Emily Bannister; 35-39 Maria Haslam; 40-44 Emily Adams; 45-49 Sarah Odell; 50-54 Kate Wright; 55-60 Naomi Whittaker; 60-64 Ruth Calderbank; 65+ Maureen Birch

Age groups male: 16-39 James Coy; 40-44 David Maundrell; 45-49 Wayne Vickers; 50-54 Malcolm Bowyer; 55-60 Paul Green; 60-64 Mike Barrie; 65+ David Jones

Overall Female – Emma Bexson

Overall Male – Rob Minton

Track & Field:

Senior T&F Athlete of the Year: Male – Cavan Farrow

Senior T&F Athlete of the Year: Female – Paula Williams

Club Championships:

Female U11 – Lucia Cassidy

Male U11 – Fred Williams

Female U13 – Emily Cresswell

Male U13 – Freddie Clemons

Female U15 – Millie Leighton

Male U15 – Adam Farrow

Female U17 – Imogen Sheppard

Male U17 – Oli Cresswell

Male U17 – Jack Sumners

Female U20 – Jess Sheppard

Male U20 – Daniel Boyd

Senior Female – Paula Williams

Senior Male – Brian Gravelsons

Most Supportive Junior Person of the Year:

U11 Female – Antonia Leece

U11 Male – Harry McDonald

U13 Female – Ella Baxter

U13 Male – Callum West

U15 Female – Charlotte Gravelsons

U15 Male – Finlay Hutchinson

U17 & 20 Female – Daisy Musk

U17 & 20 Men – Matthew Ross, James Gionis

The Allen Wood Endeavour Trophy – Oli Cresswell, Anna Gionis

Junior Star of Tomorrow:

Male – Adam Farrow

Female – Georgie Campbell

Junior Triathlon Awards:

8-12 Dedication/Commitment – Theo Skirvin

13-16 Dedication/Commitment – Ellie Deaner

8-12 Performance – Jake Deaner

13-16 Performance – Abbie Wootton

Senior Triathlon Awards:

Tri Grand Prix Male – James Purdy

Tri Grand Prix Female – Caroline Gionis

Most Improved Male – Clive Shepherd

Most Improved Female – Caroline Gionis

Tri Athlete of the Year Male – James Cusack

Tri Athlete of the Year Female – Emma Bexson

Junior All-round Athletes:

Female – Emily Madden Forman, Imogen Sheppard

Male – Freddie Clemons

Cross Country Awards:

Junior Cross Country Most Improved:

Female – Kate Dufty

Male – Owain Jones

Junior Cross Country Awards:

Female – Georgie Campbell

Male – Alex Adams

Senior Cross Country Awards:

Female – Rachel Pearce

Male – Oscar Barbour

John Dell Presidents Trophy:

Female Best Performance over 300m or 400m – Anna Gionis, Jess Sheppard

Male Best Performance over 400m – Adam Bayliss

Most Improved Junior Athlete:

Female – Charlotte Gravelsons

Male – Lewis Byng, Cole Williams

Most Improved Senior Athlete of the Year:

Female – Lynne Hinson

Male – Neil Robertson

Senior Club Personality – David Jones

Junior Club Person of the Year – Daniel Boyd

Athletes of the Year:

Junior Female – Emily Madden Forman

Junior Male – Jack Sumners

Senior Female – Emma Bexson

Senior Male – Oscar Barbour

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