STRATFORD AC athletes claimed two silver medals and a bronze as eight of the club’s junior section took part in the English Schools National Track and Field championships in Manchester representing Warwickshire and Gloucestershire.
One of the club’s new members, Joel Masters, took silver in the under-15 100m with a blistering time of 11.42 seconds having qualified by just one hundredth of a second for the semi-final and then sixth fastest for the final.
And Catherine Reynolds won silver in the senior girls’ 400m with a time of 56.76 secs as she set a new personal best (PB).
Stratford’s Freddie Clemons helped the senior boys’ relay team to a bronze medal, running the third leg, having finished fifth in the 110m hurdles in 15.77 secs.
Caitlin Buckley was the first Stratford athlete in action as she set a new PB of 12.52 secs in the senior girls’ 100m race to come home sixth.
Team captain Millie Leighton also achieved a new PB of 11.36m in senior girls’ triple jump, finishing 11th.
Alex Adams produced an impressive display in the boys’ 3000m to take seven seconds off his PB to finish ninth in 8 mins 53.7 secs.
And Zach McKenzie was similarly impressive in the triple jump as the recent Forest Green Rovers academy signing shrugged off a recent bout of Covid to finish seventh in the final with a jump of 13.34m setting a new PB in the process.
Stratford’s George Fox-Rowe had little preparation for the event but still managed to finish seventh in the high jump, falling short at 1.92m.
Junior coach Paul Bearman said: “There’s always a sense of pride seeing our athletes at national championships.
“We already know they have the talent because we see it week in week out, but it’s how hard they train to get there that is inspiring.
“As with other years this year’s cohort has been exceptional, performing to their very best and often beyond.
“It inspires all the coaches to work with all our athletes to give them the chance to emulate the class of 2022 and hopefully see some of them again and some newbies in Birmingham in July 2023.”
Elsewhere, another of Stratford’s young athletes set a new PB as nine-year-old Martha Edwards leaped 3.08m in the long jump at an event in Cheltenham before surpassing that mark at Banbury Quadkids with a jump of 3.27m.
Stratford also hosted the Midland 5000m racewalk championships at Jubilee Stadium, Stratford upon Avon School.
And Paul Hawkins took bronze for Stratford in the senior men’s event (36:58) while in the senior women’s race Gemma Smith finished fifth in 38:02 with Kate Sergent taking sixth place in 38:23.
Stratford AC’s chairman Hawkins is due to take part in the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games on Friday, July 22, setting off from Bancroft Gardens at 11.24am.
Race winners were Hardeep Minhas Leicester RW club (33:32) and Fiona Oakes Leicester RW club (28:52).
Some 23 SAC runners lined up for the Allesley 10k with five securing a top-10 finish as Stratford men’s team claimed overall victory.
Stratford runner Ben Kruze won the rice in 32 mins 46 secs whilst Olivia Harris of Royal Sutton Coldfield Athletics Club was the first female home in 40 mins 11 secs.
Other SAC results were: Matt Burdus-Cook (third, 34:09), Jamie Hall (seventh, 35:11), Alex Hill (eighth, 35:14), Richard Liggatt (10th, 00:35:31) and Alex Pester (21st, 37:07).
Just outside the top-40 were: Richard Dobedoe (42nd, 39:41) Max Ross (51st, 40:17), David Smyth (52nd, 40:36), Peter Sugden (55th , 40:48), Adrian Mason (60th, 41:03), Seth Turner (61st, 41:07), Rob Gisbourne (73rd, 42:22), John Raby (78th, 42:40) and Graham Hill (96th, 43:29).
Finishing outside the top-100 were: Damian Wheeler (113th, 44:38), Stuart Griffiths (152nd, 47:47), Suzanne Ross (195th, 50:39), Rebecca Pridham (233rd, 53:52), Stuart Evans (254th, 54:43), Kevin Zwolinski (268th, 56:11), David Maundrell (290th, 59:09) and Nicola Reynolds (383rd, 1:18:21).
Lastly, three SAC runners ran in the Evesham 10k as Jane Fradgley (1:00:26), Clare Enyon (1:01:26), John Butler (1:19:22, third in age group) all completed the event.
