Many thanks to everyone involved at Brecon last Saturday:
- To Aviva for sponsoring the event
- To the pupils who competed for their district
- To the district team organisers and team managers
- To Brecon Leisure and the stadium staff for their help in the planning process and their huge support on the day
- To National Track & Field Secretary, Marian Williams, for all her work - before, on the day, and in the aftermath – to ensure that everything ran smoothly
- To everyone who contributed to officiating on the day – technical & non technical
- To Cheryl Albutt, our link to Aviva and UKA Athletics, and to her colleagues
- To Mr Graham Webb, for organising the presentation of awards
- To Welsh Athletics
- To British Red Cross for providing first aid cover.
- To International Secretary, Dai Gatehouse, and the international team managers
- To Derek Osborne, for making the local arrangements
- To David Ball, for chairing the Awards Committee
- To Brecon AC for their help and support
- To the parents, who came to support their children
The weather for last Saturday’s Aviva National championships, our 64th Nationals, must have been just what the sprinters wanted as they broke four long standing championship bests and equalled a fifth. The overcast, warm day, with a very gentle breeze also provided good conditions for the endurance athletes, and for two of the throwers.
New bests started to be set early in the programme with Heather Lewis (Dyfed) taking the opportunity of her first walk in the senior age group to show why she has gained GB U20 honours this year. Finishing well ahead of the other middle age group athletes, the Sir Thomas Picton sixth former took over two minutes off Charlene Ball’s 2005 mark with a time of 9:37.71.
At the same time that Heather was on the track, year 9 Adele Nicoll (Powys) – one of the names tipped to watch out for in last year’s report - was making the most of her three puts in the junior shot to demolish her own 2010mark. Adele’s best effort, 13.33 metres, added over 70 centimetres to the event best, and earned her the TSB Cup for the girl achieving the best performance in a field event.
Natasha Cockram (Croesyceiliog, South East Wales), one of the four ‘programme cover girls’ was already the holder of a championship best having set the middle 3000 metres mark of 10:12.55 at Cardiff in 2009. On Saturday, she went even quicker in probably her last appearance at the fixture, winning the senior girls’ 3000 metres in 10:06.55, to take just over four seconds off Carol Hayward’s 1987 time, set at Cwmbran
The order of the sprint events on the timetable was changed last year, with the 200 metres being held in the first half of the programme and the 100 metres in the second half, closer to the relays.
That change seems to have been of benefit in the 200 metres this year with three new bests set.
Hannah Brier (Ystalyfera, Afan Nedd Tawe) started proceedings, with a swift 25.05 seconds clocking (wind speed 2.0 m/s) in the junior girls’ race, winning by over a second and taking 0.15 of a second off Dawn Oliver’s 1980 best. In the senior girls’ final, Rachel Johncock (Dyffryn Conwy, Eryri) had a similar dominating run to finish over a second ahead, winning in 24.32 seconds to take 0.58 off Lisa Armstrong’s 1991 time, set at Penlan.
Not to be outdone by the girls, Howell’s sixth former Michael Prentice (Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan) underlined how much he has improved in the last twelve months with a win over 200 metres in his first outing in the senior boys’ section, finishing ahead of team-mate Jamaul Whyte. His time of 21.85 seconds (wind speed 0.1 m/s) shaved five hundredths off the 21.9 achieved by Stephen Rees at Morfa in 1989.
All three athletes came back to complete sprint doubles later in the programme. Hannah’s 100 metres victory in 12.23 seconds (wind speed 0.8 m/s) erased a second Dawn Oliver 1980 best, lowering the 12.3 hand timing, while Rachel equalled another 1991 best of Lisa Armstrong, with a winning time of 12.00 (wind speed 0.6 m/s). Michael overcame the newly crowned England Athletics u20 400 metres hurdles champion (and Dyfed captain) Paul Bennett (Penglais) to take the gold, but his 10.95 seconds time was some way off the 10.5 timing set by another Dyfed athlete, Peter Maitland, in 1992.
The achievements of all three sprinters was recognised by the Awards Committee with Hannah and Rachel sharing the JDB Williams Memorial Trophy for the best performance on the track by a girl, with Michael receiving the Welsh Academicals Cup, for the best track performance by a boy.
Matthew Field (Glamorgan Valleys), surprisingly beaten in last year’s middle boys’ discus, made up for this disappointment this time. Having retained his shot title with a best put of 15.64 metres, nearly a metre short of Mark Hewer’s event best, he opened his discus account with a 39 metre throw but, with the exception of a no throw in round four, was consistently around the 47/48 metre mark. His fifth round effort of 48.46 metres left him 40 centimetres short of the previous best, but things came good in round six with the discus landing at 51.12 metres, the first time that a middle boy has exceeded 50 metres at these Nationals, adding over two metres to Gareth Bull’s 2005 distance (48.86m) set at the old Leckwith stadium.
That performance earned the Hawthorn year 11 the Guto Nyth Bran Cup for the best performance by a boy in a field event – and there was even more reason for the Field family to celebrate because sister Holly had earlier won the junior girls’ pole vault.
Both of the Price twins (Powys) were due to compete on the day, with Rhianwedd, having set middle steeplechase bests in 2009 and 2010, the favourite to add to her collection on her debut in the senior ranks. Sadly, she was unwell and did not take part but that did not deter sister Ffion. Having competed internationally for Wales at the 6th International Youth Mountain Running Challenge in Slovenia on the previous weekend, the Llandrindod year 12 made light work of a senior 800/1500 metres double win, taking the 800 in mid afternoon with a 2:13.99 time, and then completing the double with victory in the 1500 towards the end of the programme in 4:43.18. The 1500 metres time was less than a second outside Ellie Kirk’s 2007 best – which suggests that it might be possible next year – but the 800 metres performance lowered the old best set by Ann Griffiths in 1980 by over two seconds, and it means that the senior best is just one hundredth of a second faster than the junior girls’ time! The two races also provided useful speed work before Ffion jest off to Turkey next weekend to represent the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team in the junior age group at the European Mountain Running Championships.
Those two victories, with quality performances, earned Ffion the trophy named after another (former) Llandrindod pupil, the Kirsty Wade trophy.
That left one tough decision for the Awards Committee – which athlete should receive the Colin Jackson Hurdles Cup. With no new championship bests set in any of those events, the Committee decided that this year’s award should go to Daniel Blain (Duffryn Taf, Dyfed) for his victory in the middle boys’ 100 metres hurdles. The winning time of 13.37 seconds was not far off the event best held by David Guest at 13.19 seconds.
For the first time, all events were scored in the team competitions. It was encouraging to see Afan Nedd Tawe district back among the winners – they claimed the junior girls’ trophy – while Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan narrowly missed out on a clean sweep of the boys’ trophies, winning at junior and middle but losing the senior section by a single point. Thanks to those three successes, Dr Hedydd Davies was left with fewer trophies to take home to Dyfed than last year, but he still returned with four – senior boys, middle and senior girls, and the overall points trophy. We congratulate Dyfed on their success.
While this account focuses on athletes who set new best marks, it should be appreciated that, with around five hundred pupils taking part, there were a similar number of individual stories to be told – of highs and lows, of joy at success and of disappointment at not achieving a dreamed of target!
Whatever the outcome, we hope that the majority of the pupils competing - and the large number of officials, parents, supporters and spectators, who were there - enjoyed the day.
The provisional date for next year’s Aviva Welsh Schools’ National track & field championships is Saturday, July 7th, less than a month before the start of the athletics element of the London Olympics. The venue has not yet been finalised.
FULL RESULTS
Footnote – Aviva SIAB u17 track & field international – Saturday, July 16th
Welsh Schools’ hosts this year’s Aviva SIAB u17 track & field international on Saturday, July 16th, at Cardiff International Sports Stadium at Leckwith.
Gates open for spectator admission at 10 am. Admission will be by programme, which can be purchased at the entry Gate A, cost £5 per adult and £3 per child.
Free spectator car parking is at the Cardiff City FC Stadium – slightly closer to the city centre and across Leckwith Road from the athletics stadium. We are grateful to the Board and the Chief Executive for allowing us permission to use their car park.
Please DO NOT PARK in the Asda car park nor in the Capital Shopping Park car park. both of those car parks are time limited.
The field events start at 11 am, and finish at 5 pm. The track timetable starts at 1 pm, and finishes at 5.30 pm.
We would appreciate as many athletics supporters as possible coming to provide the vocal support of a home crowd to encourage our athletes.