Essex County Track & Field Championships
10-11 May 2025
There was a plethora of medals and personal bests achieved by Colchester and Tendring athletes during this year’s Essex County Track and Field Championships in Chelmsford.
Under 13 athlete Jacob Allam performed strongly to win a gold medal in the 75m hurdles and silver in the 200m, with Mason Partridge following with a bronze in the hurdles. Ziggy Webster-Earle won silver in the hammer and Micah Udechuku gained bronze in the discus, while Rowan Stringer ran a gutsy 1500m for bronze. For the Under 13 girls, Laura Walecka and Ivy-Rose Hallahan finished in silver and bronze medal positions in the shot put.
At Under 15 level, Adanna Udechuku gained a full set of gold, silver and bronze medals after achieving personal bests (PBs) in the shot put, discus and hammer. Jacob Narhkom (pictured) won bronze with a PB in the competitive 100m race. Chloe Allam finished in bronze medal position in both the 300m and 75m hurdles.
For the Under 20s, Lucy Thompson gained a silver medal in the 800m and Finley Holland won bronze in the 400m. Emeka Udechuku achieved bronze in the senior men’s discus.
There were also great PB performances from Jacob Koreman-Ball (80m hurdles and 100m), Lexie Koreman-Ball (70m hurdles and 100m), Nana Owusuaa Agyemang, Judah Asamoah and Otse Alegeh (100m and 200m), Finn Bates (200m), Imogen Stringer (300m), Ethan Holland (400m), Daniel Mee (800m), Declan Capp (1500m) and Noah Udechuku (shot put, discus and javelin).
East Anglian League (EAL)
27 April 2025
The Club achieved a solid second place finish in the first East Anglian League meeting of the track and field season in Bury St Edmunds, with the Under 13 and Under 15 boys teams both finishing top of their age categories. The Under 13 girls, Under 17 men and senior women’s teams also performed strongly for second place finishes.
There were some particularly strong performances in the sprints. For the Under 13s, Mason Partridge won the B string 100m (14.6), while Jacob Allam finished second in the A string 75m hurdles (13.1) and 200m (28.4). Jacob Narhkom won both the Under 15 100m (11.7) and 200m (23.5), with Jacob Koreman-Ball running a good 80m hurdles (13.8). For the Under 17s, Yambo Phiri was first over the line in the 100m (11.3), with Finn Bates winning the B string (11.6). There were also strong non-scoring performances from Judah Asamoah (11.4), Feyi Atiku (11.8), Quentin Cook (11.9) and Victor Yeboa-Henaku (12.3), demonstrating strength in depth. Finn Bates finished third in a strong 200m field (23.3), with Yambo Phiri winning the B string race (23.5) and Judah Asamoah running well (23.6) as a non-scorer. Ethan Holland finished second in the Under 17s 400m (57.0), with brother Finley third in the senior men’s race (54.3). Both the Under 15 boys and the Under 17 men’s teams stormed to victory in the relays, with the Under 17s breaking the club record (45.1).
In the female sprints, Davina Olarewaju was the fastest Under 13 100m runner of the day despite being in the B string race (13.6), with Kacie Langton winning the A string 200m (29.8) and Ivy-Rose Hallahan winning the B string (31.4). For the Under 15s, Chloe Allam finished first in the 75m hurdles (12.9) and second in the 200m (27.0). Nana Owusuaa Agyemang and Ava Morley Robertson ran well for the Under 17 girls’ 100m (13.4 and 13.9), with Naomi Sandercock third in the 300m (44.3). The senior women achieved a second place finish in the relay.
Over middle distance, Rowan Stringer was victorious in the Under 13s 800m (2:32), and Daniel Mee ran well for a second place finish at Under 15 level (2:16), closely followed by Tam Bradford in B string (2:19). Adam Hart was second for the Under 15 boys in the 1500m (4:49), with Jonathan Lower third over the line to win the B string (5:02). In a packed Under 17 and senior men's combined 1500m field, Alexander Derrick was fourth for the Under 17s (4:41) and Jack Izzet was second for the senior men (4:22), with Stanley Hobbs third in the senior men's 800m (2:12).
The Under 11 girls' 600m was won by Orlaith Hallahan (2:00), with Ronni Townsend second (2:04). For the Under 13 girls, Ivy-Rose Hallahan won the 1500m (5:42), and there were good 800m runs for Kacie Langton (2:54) and Holly Bullard (2:56). The Under 15 girls were dominant over middle distance, with Mia Lawes and Imogen Stringer winning the A and B string 800m (2:28 and 2:33 respectively), and Evie Foster winning the 1500m (5:30). Sophia Harvey was third in the Under 17 women’s 800m (2:34), and Lucy Thompson achieved a second place finish in the senior women’s 1500m (5:05).
In the jumps, Jacob Allam finished first in the long jump (4.35m) and Thomas Hall was second in the high jump (1.25m) for the Under 13 boys, with Lawrence Gordon also jumping well. Arlo Waterman finished fourth in the Under 15s high jump (1.30), with Deron Morilla winning both the long jump (4.91m) and triple jump (10.64m). Daniel Cooper made a good effort in the Under 17 men’s long jump (3.96m). Davina Olarewaju was first in the Under 13 girls’ long jump (4.32m), with Holly Bullard jumping well in B string (3.30m). For the senior women, Abbey Narhkom won the high jump (1.30m), and for the senior men, Ben Howard and Nik Booth made solid efforts in the long jump and triple jump (4.67m and 8.59m respectively).
In the Under 11 throws, Akeem Osinaike was strong in the shot put for second place (4.36m), with Orlaith Hallahan second for the girls (4.04m). At Under 13 level, Robert and Joseph Howard were second in the A and B string shot put (5.66m and 4.81m respectively), with Robert also second in the javelin (12m), while Byron Mooney had a good effort in the discus (7.55m). For the Under 15s, Samuel Green was second in shot put (3.72m), with Tristan and Rafael De Belligny second in the A and B string discus (18.68m and 9.84m respectively) and A and B string javelin (32.64m and 17.80m respectively). Laura Walecka comfortably won the Under 13 girls’ shot put (8.32m) and was second in the javelin (16.57m), with Ivy-Rose Hallahan top of the B string shot put (6.50m). Rowena De Belligny followed in her sons’ footsteps with a second place finish in the javelin (24.45m). There were also valuable points won by Peter Godron, Darren Green and Nik Booth in the senior men’s throws.
Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL)
13 April 2025
The first EYAL meeting of the season in Cambridge saw some great performances from the Club's juniors.
For the Under 13 girls, Isabelle Famojuro finished third in the 100m, with Davina Olarewaju running strongly to win the B string race with the second fastest time of the day. Isabelle and Sofa Lyttle both ran strongly in the 200m to finish fourth and third respectively in the A and B string races, with Isabelle also winning the long jump with a great jump of 3.96m. Ivy-Rose Hallahan was second in the shot put, third in the javelin and fourth in the 800m, while Erin Heap was third in the discus and fourth in the high jump.
For the Under 13 boys, Ruru Alegeh and Jacob Allam were both second in the 100m A and B string races, with Ruru and Wilbur Wheatley both third in the A and B string 200m. Jacob also did well in the long jump and 75m hurdles, finishing second and third respectively. Ruru won the high jump, with Mason Partridge the highest B string jumper. Over longer distances, Rowan Stringer finished a commendable third in the 1500m. The Under 13s mixed relay team finished a fantastic first, with the Club's B team finishing third in their race.
For the Under 15 girls, Adanna Udechuku dominated the throws, with wins in the shot put, discus and javelin. Mia Lawes and Robyn Heap also performed well in the B string throws. Chloe Allam was second in the 100m and fourth in the 75m hurdles. Mia Lawes finished third in the 800m, with Imogen Stringer the first B string. For the boys, Jacob Narhkom dominated the sprints with victories in both the 100m and 200m. Adam Hart finished fourth in the 1500m, and Raphael de Belligny was third in both the shot put and javelin.
Amongst the Under 17s, there were strong performances from Naomi Sandercock (second in the 800m) and Oliver Bennett (third in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump).
3rd in discus
Essex Road Relays
12 April 2025
Following a strong cross-country season, the road racing campaign kicked off at the Northern Gateway Sports Park with the Essex County Road Relays. Teams ran 3 x 3-mile legs (Open Men ran 4), and despite slightly lower turnout this year, it was our best yet in terms of both results and number of teams entered. All teams performed superbly.
Our Open Men’s A team (pictured) placed 4th, with Stan Hobbs, Josh Beaumont, Marc Day and Jack Izzet finishing under pressure. It's great to see long-standing juniors stepping up to senior level. Our second Open Men’s team also impressed, despite a last-minute line-up: Charlie Crewe-Read had a brilliant debut, followed by Chris “I’ll just jog it” Harvey (fresh from the Vets race), Andy “saving myself for Bromley” Gooby, and Sajan T., who brought them home in 10th.
Both women’s teams finished in the top 10, surpassing previous results. Meg Bomando stormed the first leg with the 6th fastest time of the day (out of 159 runners), joined by Kate Heap and first-timer Emily Mai to finish 9th. Our Ladies Vets 40 team came a fantastic 7th — well done Katie, Keeley and Rebecca!
The Men’s Vet 40 A team came 5th, led by Seniors Coach Gerald Buck, with strong runs from Al Wheatley and Samuel Irungu. The B team placed 9th, showing the group’s continued progress — Darren G, Rob M, and Glenn H all ran sub-20 for their legs. The Men’s Vet 50 team came 10th, with Andy Stringer anchoring a solid team performance from Chris H and Glenn M.
In total, we fielded 7 senior teams with significantly improved results — a brilliant start to the season. Huge thanks to Andy G, Darren G, Glenn H and Glenn M for racing hard despite Bromley 10k plans. And finally, a big thank you to Jason and Sam for team managing!
For the Juniors, special mention goes to Alex Derrick who was the fastest Under 15 boy on the day, finishing his leg in 8:25, with his team finishing third overall. Rowan Stringer was the first over the line in the Under 11s race, with Elliot Ewen third and Ronni Townsend fourth for the girls.
NESS Cross Country League Success
23 March 2025
CATs achieved the double of winning the Junior section and gaining promotion to Pool A for the Seniors after the final NESS cross country league meeting of the season.
For the Juniors, Alex Derrick was again second boy, with fine backup from Adam Hart (8th), Under 11 athlete Rowan Stringer (9th) and Daniel Mee (11th), another showing great improvement this winter. Noah Vivian was 15th and Elliott Ewan, another talented Under 11 athlete, was 20th. All enjoyed the water feature, a 40ft long lake a foot deep.
The Junior Girls did even better, with triathlete Elizabeth Whall second, Mia Lawes 4th, Freya Bailey, our talented new Under 13 athlete, 5th and Ronni Townsend the first Under 11 home in 10th place. The girls were the top team in every race across the season.
The Senior Women had their best ever finish, with Meg Bomando winning the race, Kate Heap 6th, Katie Whall 7th and Vicky Tapp 8th, their team score better than any in Pool A.
Two young guns, Jack Izzet (6th) and Stanley Hobbs (8th) led the way for the Senior Men, with Samuel Irungu 22nd, Andy Gooby 55th, Juan Blanco 56th and Matt Vivian 58th being the scorers who took the Seniors to promotion to Pool A for next season.
NESS Cross Country
9 March 2025
Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club has taken a large step towards the double of junior league winners and promotion for the seniors at the latest NESS Cross Country League at Hilly Fields.
The junior girls had Imogen Stringer finish in 2nd, Mia Lawes 3rd, Ella Denham 5th and Elizabeth Whall 7th, packing a total of 11 athletes into the top 20. The boys were led by Alex Derrick (2nd), only running since Christmas, with Tam Bradford (11th) and Rowan Stringer (12th) for back up. Samuel Green, after a long injury layoff, was a fine 22nd.
The juniors achieved all this despite missing Carys Sergeant (172nd) at the CAU Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in Nottingham and Sophia Harvey (9th), Adam Hart (12th), Eli Wigginton (23rd) and Dominic Bisoni (40th) at the ISA Schools National Cross Country finals in Sheffield.
For the seniors, it was again the ladies performing the best, led by Meg Bomando in 3rd place. Kate Heap, who flew up the notorious Kill Hill after telling everyone she hated hills, finished in 10th, with Kate Whall 19th.
Gerald Buck was the first male runner home for the Club in 13th, followed by newcomer Lawrence Ezrow in 39th.
Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships
1-2 March 2025
There was a fantastic turnout of 36 Colchester and Tendring athletes at the Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships at Lee Valley in London.
Two talented Under 13 athletes, Jacob Allam (left) and Ruru Alegeh (right), performed strongly across several events. Jacob gained Essex gold in the 60m hurdles (10.59), silver in the long jump (4.22m), bronze in the 200m (28.68), and also gained personal bests in the 60m final and high jump. After seven weeks off the track with no training or competitions, Ruru gained silver medals in the 200m (28.28) and high jump (1.40m) and a personal best in the 60m final.
Mason Partridge gained a bronze medal in the Under 13 high jump (1.35m) and also achieved personal bests in the 60m, 60m hurdles and 800m, while Rowan Stringer gained an Essex bronze in the 800m time trial (2.30). For the Under 13 girls, Laura Walecka finished in bronze medal position in the shot put (7.29m), with Kacie Langton reaching the semi-finals in the 200m and Sofia Lyttle reaching the semi-finals in the 60m and 200m.
For the Under 15s, Adanna Udechuku continued her excellent indoor season with a gold medal, championship and regional record in the shot put (12.66m). Mia Lawes gained an Essex silver medal in the 800m (2.31), Chloe Allam reached the final of the 60m and Jacob Koreman-Ball made the 60m hurdles final.
Under 17 athlete Naomi Sandercock won gold in the 800m (2.23), with Oliver Bennett and Ollie Johnson finishing third and fourth in the long jump with personal bests of 5.52m and 5.47m respectively. In his first year as an Under 17, Finn Bates ran strongly to gain a place in the 200m final (23.56), with Yambo Phiri reaching the semi-finals (23.69). Yambo also made the 60m semi-finals alongside Judah Asamoah (7.30 and 7.38 respectively).
For the Under 20s, Lucy Thompson gained Essex gold and Eastern silver in the 800m (2.26) and Samantha Yearwood made the 400m finals (1.05.30 PB). Abdulai Conteh and Dylan Stewart both competed in the 60m semi-finals (7.27 and 7.11 respectively). For the senior women, Abbey Narhkom gained Essex bronze in the 60m hurdles (12.92) and Francesca Booth gained a silver medal in the triple jump (8.87m).
English National Cross Country Championships
22 February 2025
The English National Cross Country Championships are one of the most iconic cross country races in the world when they are held on Parliament Hill in London. This year, twenty runners from Colchester and Tendring tackled the notorious mud and hills.
The Under 13 and Under 15 boys entered full teams, with both finishing in 28th place overall. Under 13 Toby Ketterer achieved the best position of the day, finishing 122nd in a huge field of 318. Other team members were Greg Fry (182), Lawrie Gordon (269) and Mason Partridge (277).
The Club turned out an impressive seven Under 15 boys in a field of 343 runners, with Logan Dearsley the highest finisher (187), followed by Barnaby Burgoyne (192), Alex Derrick (207), Tam Bradford (221), Daniel Mee (232), Jacob Hopton (258) and Matthew Davey (271). Daniel Cooper finished in 294th for the Under 17 men.
For the girls, Mia Lawes finished in 115th in a very tough race for Under 13s, followed by Freya Bailey (224) and Ivy-Rose Hallahan (244), with the dependable Naomi Sandercock 136th for the Under 17 women.
The senior men’s race had an astonishing 1781 finishers, with Jason Townsend leading the CATs through the gruelling 7.2 miles of relentless mud in 588th, followed by Alex Penfold (798) and super veteran Paul Mee (1362). Sam Cooper was 725th in the senior women’s race.
For most, this was their first national race, but it was a great experience and runners will no doubt look forward to when the championships are next at Parliament Hill in a few years’ time.
England Athletics National Age Group
Indoor Championships
8 February 2025
Talented Under 15 athlete Adanna Udechuku has become the national indoor shot put champion, following her convincing win at the England Athletics National Age Group Indoor Championships in Sheffield. She broke the Under 15 club record for the second time this winter with a throw of 12.37m to win by 89cm, placing her 24th on the indoor all time rankings for her age group.
In addition to Adanna, the Club had another four athletes achieving the entry standard and competing in the championships. Judah Asamoah, Yambo Phiri and Chloe Allam all achieved personal bests and progressed through to the 60m semi-finals. Dylan Stewart was sadly disqualified but is looking in great form heading into the Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships next month.
Final Essex Cross Country League meeting
8 February 2025
The last Essex Cross Country League meeting of the season saw some fine performances, with Mia Lawes (pictured) taking the Under 13 girls’ season Bronze with a good fourth place. Holly Bullard, only racing since October, was 10th and Ivy-Rose Hallahan finished 13th. For the Under 13 boys, Lawrie Gordon and Greg Fry were the leading CATs in 20th and 28th.
Rowan Stringer again won the Under 11 boys race, leading all the way. Elliot Ewan, in his club debut, was a fine 12th. Under 11 girl Ronni Townsend led the way for CATs in 9th, with Orlaith Hallahan also racing well.
In the Under 15s race, Sophia Harvey had her best race of the winter with a fifth place finish, with Imogen Stringer 16th. Adam Hart had the best finish in 16th for the boys, with the club putting out a team of eight athletes. For the Under 17s, Jack Izzet finished in fourth, his best place this winter, while Naomi Sandercock finished 6th.
The senior men finished fourth in Division 2 for the season, with Jason Townsend being first CAT home and Chris Harvey being well to the fore. Ladies team newcomer Meg Bomando led the way in 24th, with Kate Heap 33rd.
Great Bentley Half Marathon
By Donna Howard
2 February 2025
All the CATs seniors ran well and with great performances, setting themselves up for another great year of road races. First senior back was Marc Day, having run a superb race and working hard right to the finish line ended up with a time of 1:20:04, 32nd overall and 18th in his age catergory. Next came Sam Irungu, 1:29:19 and Chris Harvey mere seconds behind him in 1:29:35. This being a PR for Chris knocking just over two minutes off his previous times and said he loved running and enjoying every minute of it. Not far behind was Phil Wood with 1:34:21 and Glenn Hobbs 1:35:22. Glenn’s time reflected a PR improvement of four minutes on last year’s race. Well done Glenn! Paul Mee wasn’t far behind in 1:42:52 and had worked hard pushing right to the end.
Our first senior lady over the line was Donna Howard with a time of 1:44:53, taking another five minutes off her PR time she set in November. Next pushing all the way was Sophie Jones who achieved a brilliant time of 1:47:26, showing all her hard work at track is paying off. This was an improvement of two and a half minutes off her last Half in August. A third senior lady was Sam Cooper with a time of 2:06:06 and finished 11th in her age category. A look of determination was etched all over her face as she sprinted to the finish line. Rosanna Holden (2:12:37) had volunteered to pace Sarah Disney (2:12:49) around her first half and both finished strong, giving Sarah a solid baseline to go tackle all the half marathons she has this year.
South Eastern Schools
Inter-Counties Championships
1 February 2025
The South Eastern Schools Intercounty Championships in Newbury saw five of our Junior Middle Distance team selected to represent Essex. First up in the Junior girls was Mia Lawes, who qualified in 20th place and smashed through the pack to 6th Essex across the line and 37th overall. In the Intermediate Girls, our Performance Group duo of Naomi Sandercock and Sophia Harvey had similar results with 6/8th Essex and 33/50th positions respectively.
Senior Boy Jack Izzet again put in a strong run and took 4 places in the last 250m giving him a 4th Essex and 30th overall. Last by no means least - celebrating his birthday not with jelly and ice cream but in spikes and mud was our Intermediate Boy, Declan Capp (pictured). Declan qualified in 7th so just missed out on a place at Nationals, but he pushed hard through the race and, with a surging finish, came 1st Essex and overall 7th giving him a place at the Nationals.
Sportshall Regional Final
By U13 athlete, Mason Partridge
1 February 2025
On Saturday the 1st of February I went to sports hall regional finals to go and represent the Essex Under 13s boys team. There was me and 10 other boys in my age group for Essex. There were 6 counties: Norfolk Wensum, Norfolk yare, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire competing in the whole event each with their teams for each age group (under 11s, under 13s and under 15s with both genders). This was the second year of me being picked so I was thrilled to be going again.
There were several events you could choose from ranging from the Obstacle relay to 2 and 4 lap races, hurdles, 4x1 & 4x2 relay, and even going as far as 8 lap paarlauf for the track events. For the field events you could do standing long, triple and vertical jump, balance beam and speed bounce, shot and chest push, javelin and target throw.
This was an amazing experience for me and I loved going back. As a whole Essex came:
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2nd in the under 11s girls’ team
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1st in the under 11s boys’ team
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2nd in the under 13s girls’ team
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2nd in the under 13 boys’ team
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2nd in the under 15s girls’ teams
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2nd in the under 15s boys’ teams
This meant that Essex came 2nd overall being just beaten by 53 points by Norfolk. I would recommend going to the competitions and trying something new as our age groups team regional finals is an unforgettable experience.
Well done to all the CATs representatives at the regional final: Freddie Barrett, Laiton Berryman, Sofia Lyttle, Rob Howard, Chloe Allam, Esme Bohannon, Mason Partridge, Jacob Allam and Esirhueme Elegeh.
NESS Cross Country League, Wix
26 January 2025
Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club enjoyed double success at the NESS cross country league fixture at Wix.
The juniors took the honours, with Mia Lawes as usual leading the Club’s girls home with a third place finish. The rapidly improving Imogen Stringer was 4th, with Evie Foster 11th, Ronni Townsend 15th and Ella Denham 16th. For the boys, Adam Hart led the way in 4th, followed by four CATs in a row – Tam Bradford 8th, talented Rowan Stringer 9th (and the first Under 11 finisher), Alex Derrick 10th and Matthew Davey 11th. The Club are now in prime position to take the junior league title.
Next came the seniors’ race, which Jack Izzet (first CAT home in 8th) likened to running through treacle and Andrew Gooby said was like The Somme. In this race the Club finished top of Pool B and are now in line for promotion to Pool A for next winter. Josh Beaumont was 12th, with Jason Townsend (now into marathon training) 14th, Sam Irungu 38th and Chris Harvey 47th.
The ladies were led home by Amy Milburn and Vicky Tapp in 10th and 11th, with Donna Howard 26th.
Essex Schools Cross Country Championships
18 January 2025
Two of the Club’s athletes have qualified for the prestigious English Schools final at the Essex Schools cross country championships. Carys Sergeant, with a strong run over the flat fast course at Hockley, gained a good fifth place in the Senior Girls’ race, so will be going to her second national final. Declan Capp, coming good off an injury-plagued autumn, managed to get the best out of himself to qualify in seventh for the Intermediate Boys.
The first 20 in each race get invited to the Southern Inter-Counties in two weeks’ time, including the Inter-Girls duo of Naomi Sandercock (15th) and Sophia Harvey (16th); Jack Izzet (12th) for the Senior Boys; and Mia Lawes (20th) for the Junior Girls.
Others taking part in their first Essex Schools competition and doing well were Hayden Fox, Imogen Stringer, Evie-Rose Foster and Rupert Clarke.
South of England Indoor Championships
11-12 January 2025
Eleven Colchester and Tendring athletes donned their club vests and took a trip to Lee Valley to compete in the South of England Indoor Age Group Championships. Athletes took part in a range of events, with highlights including Adanna Udechuku (Under 15, pictured centre) winning Gold in the shot put with a new personal best (PB) and club record of 12.04m. Esirhueme Alegeh and Jacob Allam finished third and fourth respectively in the Under 13 boys high jump, both achieving PBs of 1.35m. Jacob finished 6th in the long jump with 4.31m (PB), with sister Chloe (Under 15) fourth in her 60m semi-final (8.14 PB) and achieving a PB (10.38) in the 60m hurdles.
For the Under 17 men, Yambo Phiri qualified for the 60m semi-final (7.33 PB); Oshiotse Alegeh ran a heat of 7.61; Feyi Raheem Atiku ran 7.63 (PB); and Victor Yeboa-Henaku made his indoor debut in 7.94. In the long jump, Oshiotse achieved 5.24m, with Ollie Johnson jumping 5.30m. For the Under 17 women, Nana Owusuaa Agyemang secured PBs in both the 60m (8.68) and 200m (29.0). Heidi Booth competed in the 200m and despite a great start and competitive first 150m, she was impeded in her lane as she came off the last bend.
Essex Cross Country Championships
4 January 2025
The Essex Cross Country Championships took place this year at Gloucester Park, Basildon. Carys Sergeant (pictured) led all the way in the Under 20 women’s race to win by a clear margin and qualify for the Nottingham inter-counties competition. Toby Ketterer, finishing in 6th for the Under 13 boys, also qualified for Nottingham. The Under 13 boys were the only category in which the Club fielded a complete team, with Greg Fry 30th, Lawrie Gordon 36th and Mason Partridge 47th.
The Under 11s showed some promising results, with Rowan Stringer 2nd for the boys and Ronnie Townsend 5th for the girls. Mia Lawes (Under 13) and Naomi Sandercock (Under 17) were both 9th in their age category, just missing out on Essex vests.
Jack Izzet (10th), Declan Capp (14th) and Daniel Cooper (27th) also ran well for the Under 17 boys.
The seniors turnout was disappointing, with Samantha Cooper being the only senior woman (59th), and Jason Townsend (83rd) and Alex Penfold (103rd) representing the Club in the men's race.
Senior Endurance Group
December 2024
That's a wrap for the Seniors Endurance group this year, finishing the last week of 2024 with Relays and The Michigan training session. What an amazing year for the seniors group! The numbers in the group have grown significantly and now we have more than 60 athletes (including second claims) compared to a few runners a couple years ago - such a big increase! We see more CATs vests in road races and more second claims are joining us to compete in summer competitions. What really is the highlight for the group is the cross country races so far this winter. I looked at the statistics from last year - we had a total of 83 senior runners in the whole cross country season 2023/24 and now, even though we're only halfway through the season, we have already exceeded this number with 89 runners. Who knows, we might double the number by the end of this season!
At the beginning of cross country season, our target was not to be relegated from Division 2 for the Essex league and hopefully to be promoted from Pool B to Pool A for the NESS league. This is all dependent upon the runners and we’ll have to wait until the end of the cross country season, but we might achieve these amazing targets - we’ll see!
Not only are we doing a fantastic job in trying to achieve our team goals, each one of our athletes has done an amazing job in running races and supporting other club members. It makes us feel like a big family and proud to be a part of a team. I am sure the team will go from strength to strength in 2025.
Aiko Henington, Seniors Coach
Essex Cross Country League
Writtle
Saturday 30 November 2024
Rowan Stringer (pictured) won his Under 11 Essex Cross Country League race by the narrowest of margins against Chelmsford rival Dylan Law, after an epic battle all the way at Saturday’s Writtle fixture. Ronni Townsend (8th), sister Kirsten (19th) and Orlaith Hallahan (12th) did really well in the Under 11 girls’ race.
Toby Ketterer was 3rd for the Under 13 boys and is going to target a medal at the Essex Championships in January. Greg Fry, Lawrie Gordon and Harry Baird, all in their first year of cross country, caught the eye. Mia Lawes, coming back into form, was a fine fifth with Alecia Bibby debuting in 18th place.
Adam Hart was Colchester and Tendring’s leader in 15th for the Under 15 boys, with new recruits Alex Derrick and Matthew Davey showing up well. Sophia Harvey (18th) and Imogen Stringer (30th) ran for the Under 15 girls.
Photo credit: Mike Jeffery
Under 17 athlete Declan Capp, after a long injury layoff, was a good 8th, with Jack Izzet 10th and Naomi Sandercock the 9th woman.
For the second meeting in a row, the Club fielded complete teams in the seniors. For the women, the ever improving Donna Howard was first home in 66th, with Chloe Wilson 77th. Amongst the ten men, there were fine performances from Alex Penfold and Jason Townsend.
Essex Cross Country League
Hilly Fields, Colchester
Saturday 26 November 2024
Colchester and Tendring had the best turnout for an Essex Cross Country League in 25 years at Colchester’s Hilly Fields on Saturday, with 67 Club athletes taking part.
Toby Ketterer (pictured), with a storming finish in the last 100 metres, went from third to first for the Under 13 boys, with Gregory Fry 12th and Mason Partridge 26th as fine back up. Rowan Stringer also secured success for the younger boys with a second place finish in the Under 11s race, with Byron Mooney (20th) amongst three boys making their club debut in this race.
Sisters Ronni (7th) and Kirsten Townsend (18th) were to the fore for the Under 11 girls, along with Orlaith Hallahan (12th). The Under 13 girls were led home by Mia Lawes (10th), with Freya Bailey (11th) and debut runner Holly Bullard (17th) also doing well. For the Under 15s, Adam Hart had his best race of the winter in 17th, with newcomers Logan Dearsley (22nd) and Alex Derrick (23rd) making strong debuts. Sophia Harvey (11th) was first home for the girls as usual.
Photo credit: Mike Jeffery
In the Under 17s race, Jack Izzet saw the benefits of increased training with a competitive 6th place finish, as did Naomi Sandercock (7th). Annika Ezrow also ran well to finish in 11th place.
The big story for the Club, though, was the turnout of ten senior women (pictured) and eleven senior men, meaning they are both poised to do well in the Essex and NESS leagues. For the women, first home was Under 20 athlete Amy Milburn, then Kate Heap and the rapidly improving Don Howard. For the men, Alex Penfold and Marc Day were the leading CATs, right through to Taliesin Stevenson who had been working to set up the course since 7am.
Photo credit: Eric Shaw
Meanwhile in the USA, Freddie Richardson was 12th over 10k in sub 30 mins (some going for cross country) in Lamar, Texas, just missing out on qualification for the University finals.
Essex Cross Country League
Gloucester Park
Saturday 26 October 2024
With the Essex Cross Country League now in full swing, Colchester and Tendring are showing good form. Over the challenging hilly course at Gloucester Park, Basildon, Carys Sergeant (pictured) was the first Under 20 finisher, only beaten by seven senior women.
For the Under 17 women, Naomi Sandercock was a fine 5th to earn an Essex vest for the inter-counties race in December, with Lucy Thompson just behind in 10th.
In the Under 15 girls’ race, Sophia Harvey finished 16th and Imogen Stringer 23rd, and for the Under 13s, Mia Lawes was 15th and Ivy-Rose Hallahan 23rd.
Photo credit: Mike Jeffery
For the boys, Samuel Green was the first Under 13 club finisher in 23rd place, ahead of Lawrence Gordon (24th), Gregory Fry (25th) and Mason Partridge (36th). Logan Dearsley on his club debut was 18th in the Under 15s race, ahead of Hayden Fox (27th) and Adam Hart (31st). Jack Izzet was 11th for the Under 17 men.
In the Under 11s race, Rowan Stringer was second in a field of 52, with Ronni Townsend the 5th female finisher. Orlaith Hallahan and Kirsten Townsend also ran well.
The Club are now close to getting out full teams in the Essex League which we will certainly do at the home fixture in November.
Jaffa Junior Cross Country Relays
Sunday 20 October 2024
Colchester and Tendring Athletics Club fielded eight teams for the Jaffa Junior Cross Country Relays in Bourne Park, Ipswich. Every single runner gave a great performance, each covering 2k or 3k laps, with one runner stepping up to cover an injured teammate and running twice.
The Club finished in third place overall out of eleven teams, which was a significant improvement on the previous year’s sixth place finish.
Both the Under 11 girls (Orlaith Hallahan, Ronnie Townsend and Kirsten Townsend, pictured) and boys A teams finished first.
There were second place finishes for the Under 13 boys and girls’ teams and for the Under 17 girls, while the Under 15 boys finished third.
Essex Cross Country Relays
Saturday 12 October 2024
The Essex County Cross Country Relays provided another chance for the Club’s girls to shine. This time it was the Under 17 women led off by Lucy Thompson, keeping touch with the leaders and passing on to Naomi Sandercock and then Evie-Rose Edwardson to take the Bronze medals.
The Under 13 girls were led off by the reliable Mia Lawes, handing onto Ivy-Rose Hallahan and Freya Bailey, both making impressive debuts for fourth place.
The Under 15 boys were represented by two good teams: Adam Hart, Eli Wigginton and Hayden Fox finishing 30 seconds ahead of the B team of Rupert Clarke, Daniel Mee and Tam Bradford, all making their debuts in an Essex event.
The Under 13 boys’ team of Toby Ketterer, Mason Partridge and Sam Green (with Mason and Sam pictured) did well to finish 7th.
It was especially pleasing to see the Club putting out five senior teams, unheard of for many years, with the best finish being the senior men in 8th place.
Essex Cross Country League
Saturday 5 October 2024
Off the back of a summer in which she set two club records, Mia Lawes (Under 13, pictured) continued her fine form to win the first Essex Cross Country League meeting of the season convincingly for Colchester and Tendring.
In the Under 17s, Lucy Thompson (8th) and Naomi Sandercock (10th) raced really well, while Amy Milburn, an experienced cross country runner, was 6th in the Under 20s. Under 11 sisters Ronni and Kirsten Townsend finished 7th and 12th, two to watch for the future. Samantha Cooper was 99th in the senior women’s race.
The boys were represented in the Under 13s by Lawrence Gordon (25th) and Mason Partridge (33rd), both making their Essex league debuts. Adam Hart (Under 15) was troubled with blisters but finished 34th. For the Under 17s, Jack Izzet (15th) and Daniel Cooper (21st) competed well. Seniors were represented by Jason Townsend (57th), Alex Penfold (63rd), Rob Milburn (150th) and Darren Green (190th).
Langham 10k
Sunday 22 September 2024
Langham is a popular race in September that brings a variety of age groups from the Club together to participate in a potentially flat and fast road race around the Essex countryside, competing in distances of 2k, 5K and 10k.
In all fairness if it wasn’t for the rain, the temperature was perfect on Sunday and looked like it would just be a little cloudy. But with true British weather you can never be truly certain what we were going to endure.
At 9am the 5k went off to the sound of the horn, followed shortly after by the 2km runners. It was an impressively attended event with lots of supporters lining Langham to cheer in the runners. For CATs, our first runner to finish was Chris Harvey (V50) in 20:03, which also earns him a well deserved silver medal for his age category. Next came Chris’ daughter Sophia Harvey (U18) in 21:14 and the second female over the line. Oliver Bennett ran strong and finished strong with a time of 21:28 and also got a Silver medal for the U18s. Only moments later Naomi Sandercock (U18) glided effortlessly through the finish to claim herself a very respectable time of 22:04. This gave her the first place position for the U18s. Then impressively Mason Partridge finished in 23.01, knocking a minute off his PB to gain the Bronze medal for the U18 category. Ben Howard (U18) followed in Mason in a time of 23:07. Running at the same time and then following in our 5k runners were Ronni Townsend (U11) who brought in the 2k runners in a impressive 7:56, and her sister Kirsten Townsend (U11) in 8:37. Alison Bennett and Xavier Bennett, who had also ran the 2k, finished strong and smiling together with a time of 13:07. Well done everyone!
Photo credit: Eric Shaw
Next came the 10k, at which point the drizzle could now be classed as a moderate downpour. As we headed out for the start line it was apparent we were going to be running in heavy rain as the clouds darkened. We had a number of runners at the start line and the atmosphere as always was friendly and jovial among all the runners and clubs. The 10k route takes you on, mostly, a flat run with a few hills near the start. The roads are open after 1km so it’s important to make sure you get a good start heading off down the first hill and up the next. Aiko’s recent hill training was certainly appreciated at this point.
All our runners ran strong in heavy rain and first to finish for CATs was Marc Day (open) in a impressive time of 37:58, and hot on heels was Sam Irungu (V40) finishing strong at 38:15, earning both of them top 20 places. Next through the finish was Andrew Gooby (open) in 42:02, who having dodged puddles all the way was disappointed with his time, but this is still a strong time in such awful weather and we know he has a lots more to give. We look forward to seeing what more he has in him at future runs. Neo Stacey (open) was strong in the last 1km of the race, picking off each runner to earn himself a time of 50:37. Neo picked up Donna Howard (V40) on the way into the finish and she finished just behind him in 50:39. Encouraged by Chris Harvey shouting coaching tips from the sideline, Rosanna Holden (V40) powerfully finished in 51:01. Lucia Harvey (U18) was the next CAT over the line in 58:01, having ran with her Mum Lisa for most of the race. Our lovely Sarah’s were the final CATs to finish, Sarah Brown (V40) first in 59:41, this being her first race over the 10k distance, and Sarah Disney (open) close behind her in 59:54 was chuffed to have a time sub 1hr in the 10k and showing all the hard work and consistent training is paying off.
Well done everyone - maybe the next races will be dry, but as it’s cross country season upon us, I doubt it.
Donna Howard
East Anglian League Final
Sunday 1 September 2024
The Club fielded seven age group teams for this year’s East Anglian League (EAL) final in Bury St Edmunds, with only the senior men missing out.
The Under 15 boys’ team did particularly well, finishing the competition in second place overall. There were a range of strong performances contributing to this outcome, including Judah Asamoah, Jacob Narhkom, Finn Bates and Oshiotse Alegeh having excellent runs in the sprints (although sadly unable to compete in the relay due to injury). Ethan Holland was first across the line in the 300m, and both Judah Asamoah and Victor Yeboa-Henaku dominated the high jump with first place A and B string finishes. New club member Deron Morilla finished third in the triple jump.
There were more good sprint performances in other age categories. For the Under 13 boys, Jacob Allam and Shani Luvisiah both ran well in the 100m, and Esirhueme Alegeh was third in the A string 200m. Over the 75m hurdles, Jacob Allam and Samuel Green were second in both the A and B string races. The Under 13 boys’ relay team (pictured) went on to secure victory at the end of the day.
For the Under 13 girls, Chloe Allam finished second in the 100m, with Rose Hewitt also running well in the B string. At Under 15 level, Ava Morley Robertson was fourth in the A string 200m, with Imogen Stringer finishing second in the B string race. Sophia Harvey was third in the Under 15 girls’ 300m, with Evie Foster also third in the B string race.
In the field events, Will Hancock won the Under 17 men’s long jump with a fantastic jump just shy of 6m, with Kester Waterman also doing well in the B string. Under 13 athletes Arthur Davis and Arlo Waterman finished fourth and third respectively in the A and B string long jump. Abbey Narhkom was third in the women’s high jump.
In the throws, Adanna Udechuku (Under 15) won the shot put and was second in the discus. Ellis Gunn finished fourth in the women’s javelin with a personal best throw. For the men, Louis Agostini (Under 17) was second in the shot put.
The middle distance races were especially challenging in the stifling heat and this adversely affected times. Naomi Sandercock was in dominant form in the Under 17 women’s 1500m despite the heat, finishing over 16 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Jack Izzet also ran an excellent tactical race in the men’s 1500m, with a strong finish to close a large gap and secure second place. Mia Lawes finished third in the Under 13 girls’ 1500m, as did Lucy Thompson in the Under 17 women’s 800m. Under 15 athletes Imogen Stringer and Evie Foster both did well in the 800m, finishing fourth and second respectively in the A and B string races. For the boys, Alex Blanco was fourth in the Under 13 boys' 800m.
National Relay Championships & Southend Open Success
25-26 August 2024
The Club were proud to have their Under 15 boys relay team qualify for England Athletics’ first National Relay Championships in over 40 years, held at the prestigious Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. The team, comprising Oshiotse Alegeh, Judah Asamoah, Feyi Atiku and Finn Bates (pictured), went into the competition ranked ninth in the UK, thanks also to the efforts of teammate Jacob Narhkom whose excellent first legs throughout the season contributed to their qualification.
On the day, the team qualified from their heat as third fastest overall in a fantastic time of 45.91, lowering their club record by over a second. They went on to secure a sixth place finish in the fast final, getting the baton round in a commendable 46.06.
Building on his achievements in the national event, Finn Bates was among a number of Club athletes who competed in the Southend Open meeting the following day, securing victory in both the 100m and 200m sprints. There were also gold medals for Naomi Sandercock in the Under 17 girls’ 800m and Sofia Lyttle (Under 11, pictured) in both her 75m and 150m sprint events. Sofia also secured a bronze medal in the long jump, with Orlaith Hallahan (Under 11) winning bronze in the 150m sprint.
Victory in final SAL meeting
Saturday 17 August 2024
The final Southern Athletics League (SAL) meeting of the season saw the composite Ipswich Harriers and Colchester and Tendring team (pictured) secure a match victory to consolidate their position in League One. Despite the late arrival of a number of athletes due to traffic chaos on the journey to Dartford, athletes pulled together and made sure all events were covered, some at very short notice. This extraordinary effort, in very hot conditions, contributed to the excellent team performance.
For the men, Abdulai Conteh (U20) finished second in the B string 100m and gained a personal best (PB) in the 200m (23.57). Dylan Stewart (U17) gained PBs in both the 100m (11.19) and 200m (23.11), and Finlay Holland (U20) also gained a PB in the 200m (24.87) and ran well in the 400m. Talie Stevenson (SEN) gained PBs in both the 400m (59.35) and 800m (2:11.48), and Rob Milburn (V50) gained a season’s best (SB) in the 2000m steeplechase (7:56.14). In the throws, Stefan Godron (U23) finished third in the javelin (41.0m), with father Peter (V60) gaining a SB in the hammer (21.81m).
For the women, Angel Wright (U20) made a significant contribution to the overall result by competing in five events, gaining PBs in two (javelin second place, 26.63m and 400m hurdles third place, 73.15) and finishing second in the 200m B string race. Amy Milburn (U20) also competed across five events (high jump, pole vault, 400m hurdles, 5000m and 1500m steeplechase), gaining three SBs or PBs. Kate Heap (V35) covered the high jump, long jump and triple jump in her first SAL meeting for the team, and Carey Hollick (V50) covered the discus and hammer. Lucy Thompson (U17) gained a PB in the 400m (63.48) and finished second in the 1500m steeplechase and third in the 800m, while Naomi Sandercock (U17) was third in the 1500m and also contributed to a third place team finish for the women’s 100m relay. Both Lucy and Naomi ran in the mixed 400m relay A and B string teams who were dominant across both races, with both athletes either further consolidating or gaining considerable leads on their relay legs to finish the team’s day on a high.
Eastern Quadkids Festival by Ivy-Rose Hallahan
11 August 2024
On Sunday I took part in a competition where athletes had to do four events competing with their age group which included (for my age group) howler throwing, long jump, 100m sprint and 800m. The U11s did standing long jump, howler, 600m and 75m sprint.
The event was held in Norwich and amazing facility with a nice cafe!
I went there with my sisters and my dad. My favourite event was the 800m because I love middle distance. But unlike other comps you have to do those four events and everyone does the same thing. During this competition I had tried two new events that I had never competed for before!
The hardest part was the heat. It was hard to compete at such a hot time of day.
If I went again it would be better if lots more cats came. I hope more of you can come next year!
English Schools shot put success
12 July 2024
Congratulations to Adanna Udechuku who competed in her first English Schools Championships this year, representing Essex County Schools. Adanna finished 6th in the Junior Girls' shot put, with a new personal best of 11.82m. It's particularly commendable because Adanna has another year in this age group. Well done Adanna!
Relay Round-Up
Sunday 7 July 2024
The Essex track relays in Southend on Sunday saw the Colchester and Tendring Under 15 boys sprinters secure a gold medal in the 4x100 relay. The talented team of Finn Bates, Judah Asamoah, Jacob Narhkom and Feyi Atiku (pictured) secured a club record of 47.0 despite the adverse weather conditions. The Under 15 boys B team (Jacob Allam, Esirueme Alegeh, Oshiotse Alegeh and Victor Yeboa-Henaku) finished in a commendable 53.5 considering half the team were stepping up from Under 13 level. The U17 men’s team (Oliver Bennett, Lain Vearer, Quentin Cook and Iain Mante) finished fourth in 46.9, while the Under 15 girls’ team (Chloe Allam, Rose Hewitt, Sara Kelly and Ava Morley Robertson, again including two Under 13 athletes) finished fifth. The Under 15 boys middle distance team of Ethan Zinzan, Hayden Fox and Silas Roper ran the 3x800m in terrible weather conditions, finishing in a commendable bronze medal position in 7:05.4.
Meanwhile, other Club athletes were competing in the Ipswich Ekiden Relays, which attract runners from all over East Anglia. For the junior races, teams of four ran one mile legs each. In the Under 11 age category, the CATs girls’ team of Ivy Rose Hallahan, Kirsten Townsend, Ronni Townsend and Kacie Langton finished in first place in 28:16. Second place finishes were secured by the Under 11 boys team of Greg Fry, Dominic Bisoni, Byron Mooney and Rowan Stringer (26:28) and the Under 11 mixed team of Samuel Green, Aiden Burgoyne, Mason Patridge and Sofia Little (29:39). In the older junior age category (12+), the girls’ team of Imogen Stringer, Mia Lawes, Naomi Sandercock and Sophia Harvey again finished second (25:01), while the boys (Eli Wiggington, Francis Bisoni, Noah Vivian and Alex Blanco) finished 7th (24:45).
The senior 26.2 mile race was run by teams of six as a relay, with various legs of 5k, 7.2k and 10k. The men’s vets team (Sam Ndungu, Al Wheatley, Gerald Buck, Rob Milburn, Jason Townsend and Chris Harvey) finished fifth in their age category in 2:54:40. In the Senior mixed category, the CATs A team (Ben Howard, Carys Sergeant, Talie Stevenson, Lucy Thompson, Amy Milburn and Darren Green) finished 7th in 3:14:09, while the B team (Andy Stringer, Matt Vivian, Andrew Gooby, Sarah Brown, Rosanna Holden and Lisa Harvey) finished 24th in 3:41:53.
Essex Schools Year 7 and 8 Championships
26 June 2024
Congratulations to talented Colchester and Tendring Under 13 athletes Mia Lawes and Chloe Allam who secured medals at the Essex Schools Championships.
Mia was crowned 1500m champion after a fantastic run in 5:01, which saw several seconds knocked off her personal best to consolidate her position in the Top 15 in the UK rankings. Chloe competed in the 200m, securing a personal best of 27.85 in her heat and going on to win the silver medal in the final, edging her nearer to the Top 30 of the UK rankings
East Anglian League Match 3
Sunday 23 June 2024
The final East Anglian League match of the season saw Colchester and Tendring finish second overall, with a range of strong performances which will hopefully allow several age groups to progress to the finals in September.
The Under 13 girls team did particularly well, finishing top of their age group. There were first place finishes for Chloe Allam (70m hurdles and shot put), Mia Lawes (800m), Ivy-Rose Hallahan (1500m and high jump) and the relay team (pictured). There were also strong B string performances from Esme Bohanon (high jump), Rose Hewitt (100m) and Kacie Langton (200m).
The Under 15 girls team finished second overall, with wins for Sophia Harvey (800m) and Adanna Udechuku (shot put and discus) and Amy N’dungu second in the long jump. Evie Foster was the fastest B string in the 800m, and Bethany Hall did well in the long jump.
Also finishing second overall were the Under 15 boys team, with the sprinters (Finn Bates, Jacob Narhkom, Judah Asamoah and Victor Yeboa-Henaku) putting in strong performances to dominate the 100m, 200m and relay. Ethan Holland finished second in the 300m, and Silas Roper was second in the triple jump and a close third in the 800m.
The Senior Women team’s second place finish was aided by victories and significant personal bests for Naomi Sandercock (stepping up from her Under 17 age group) in both the 400m and 1500m. Abbey Narhkom won the high jump, and Angel Wright ran well in the sprints for second place finishes.
There were also wins for Lucy Thompson (Under 17 1500m), Will Hancock (Under 17 long jump), Louis Agostini (Under 17 shot put and discus) and Stefan Godron (Senior Men’s javelin). Other notable performances included Jacob Allam (Under 13) finishing second in the 75m hurdles; Oliver Bennett (Under 17) jumping second furthest in the long jump competition as B string; and Finley Holland (Senior Men) finishing second in the 400m.
Southern Athletics League Match 2
Saturday 15 June 2024
The composite Ipswich Harriers and Colchester and Tendring team secured another second place finish against tough competition at the match in Eton. It was a great team effort all round, with many athletes stepping up to cover events to ensure the team could gain as many points as possible in poor weather conditions.
For the women's team, Naomi Sandercock (U17) was third in the 400m (61.43) and fourth in the 1500m (4:58), and also contributed to a third place finish for the A string mixed 4x400m relay team. Lucy Thompson (U17, pictured) won the 1500m steeplechase (5:54), was fifth in the 800m (2:26) and contributed to a third place finish for the B string mixed 400m relay team. Amy Milburn (U20) was fourth A string in the pole vault (1.20m) and second B string in the 5000m (20:32), 400m hurdles (91.62) and 1500m steeplechase (6:40).
For the men, Emeka Udechuku (M40) secured a win in the discus (46.36m); Abdulai Conteh (U20) finished fourth in the 100m (11.44); Rob Milburn (M50) was third B string in the 400m hurdles (80.12); and Stefan Godron (U23) was third in the javelin (39.82m) and fifth in the shot put (8.59m).
EYAL Match 3 - Bury St Edmunds
Sunday 2 June 2024
The third match of the season in the Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL) saw Colchester and Tendring up against some strong clubs, resulting in a fifth place finish overall.
For the Under 13 girls, Chloe Allam (pictured second right, photo courtesy of Steve Wilkin) continued her excellent season with wins in all her events – 100m (13.3), 70m hurdles (12.2) and shot put (7.09m) – with Laura Walecka throwing the second furthest shot of the day to win the B string (6.74m). Another talented CATs athlete, Mia Lawes, won the discus (14.92m) and javelin (16.46m) and was second over 1500m (5:07.8). Kacie Langton was fourth in the 800m (2:53.2), closely followed by Ivy-Rose Hallahan (2:54.4), with non-scorer Freya Bailey also proving her potential (2:49.4). Ivy-Rose was third in the high jump (1.20m), with Esme Bohannon also jumping well (1.15m). Rose Hewitt ran well in the B string 100m and 200m for third (14.4 and 31.1), with Esme Bohannon and Nyssa Charles running solid non-scoring races (14.5 and 15.1 respectively).
For the Under 13 boys, Esirhueme Alegeh won the 200m (28.4) and finished a close second in the 100m (13.7) and high jump (1.30m). Toby Ketterer was second in the B string 100m (14.4) and third in the 1500m (5:03.2). Over the 75m hurdles, Jacob Allam finished third (14.6) but sadly had to pull out of the remainder of the competition due to injury. Arthur Davis and Arlo Waterman both performed well in the long jump (3.92m and 3.43m), with Samuel Green jumping 3.35m in the non-scoring competition. Enzi Luvisah’s best throws were 5.18m for shot put and 11.85m for discus, while brother Shani finished fourth in the B string 200m (31.8).
Under 15 female athletes included Ava Morley Robertson, who finished fourth in the 100m (13.9) and 200m (29.2), with Imogen Stringer running B string 200m (29.1). Sophia Harvey was third in both the 300m (44.8) and 800m (2:32.5), competing alongside Evie Foster in B string (49.3 and 2:47.9). Imogen Stringer and Amy Hill ran the 1500m (5:42.1 and 5:42.9), with Amy also competing in the long jump alongside Evie Foster (3.75m and 3.66m). In the throws, Adanna Udechuku was second in the shot put (10.52m), third in discus (20.76m) and fourth in a very competitive hammer competition (28.72m). Mistie Henington threw 5.09m in the B string shot put, and 10.45m in the javelin alongside Sophia Harvey (12.73m).
For the U15 boys, Finn Bates continued to demonstrate his sprinting ability with a win in the 100m (11.8) and second place finish in the 200m (23.8). Judah Asamoah won both B string races (12.1 and 25.5), and Jacob Narhkom also performed strongly as a non-scorer (12.4 and 24.5) alongside Victor Yeboa-Henaku (12.9 and 26.0). Hayden Fox was second in the 300m (39.9) and won the 800m in a new personal best of 2:09.1, with Silas Roper the fastest B string 800m runner (2:11.3). Adam Hart was fourth in the 1500m (personal best of 4:45.7), alongside Daniel Mee (5:19). In the field events, Oshiotse Alegeh was second in the high jump (1.60m) and long jump (4.88m) and fourth in shot put (9.09m). In the discus, Judah Asamoah threw 19.21m and Victor Yeboa-Henaku 13.75m.
At Under 17 level, Heidi Booth ran the 100m (14.0), while Lucy Frank was fourth in the A string 200m (27.0) and Naomi Sandercock second in the B string race (27.1). Lucy Frank finished third over 300m (43.8), with Lucy Thompson second in the B string race (44.8). There were victories over middle distance for Naomi Sandercock, who ran a confident 800m (2:18.6 personal best), and Lucy Thompson who picked up the pace in the last lap to take the lead in the 1500m (5:10). For the men, Lain Vearer competed in the 100m (11.9) and long jump (5.65m), alongside Oliver Bennett in the 100m B string (13.0) and long jump (5.35m). Amani Luvisiah was fourth in the 400m (57.0) and fifth in the discus (18.53m), while Edward Crook threw 21.78m in the javelin and 6.62m in the shot put. Kester Waterman competed in the 800m (2:25.7), long jump (4.54m) and triple jump (10.12m).
The mixed relays at the end of the day saw commendable second place finishes for the Under 13 and Under 15 teams.
Southern Athletics League (SAL) - Match 1
Saturday 18 May 2024
Colchester and Tendring athletes joined Ipswich Harriers in a composite team to compete in the first Southern Athletics League (SAL) meeting of the season. The team had their first successful season in Division 1 last year, and are looking to consolidate their position in the top division in 2024.
In a very competitive match in Norwich, there were some great performances from CATs athletes, with the composite team finishing in third place overall, only a few points behind Chelmsford. For the women, Angel Wright (U20) finished third in the A string shot put with a personal best (PB) of 7.45m, and fourth in the B string 100m (13.2), as well as winning a non-scoring 200m race (27.7) and forming part of the women’s 4x100m relay team. Lucy Frank (U17) was fifth in the A string 200m (27.2 PB). Naomi Sandercock (U17), although a non-scorer, was first across the line in the B string 400m race in a new PB of 60.6, and finished third overall in the 1500m with another PB of 4:56.2. Carey Hollick (W50) threw in the B string discus (20.04m) and hammer (15.36m), and competed as a non-scorer in the shot put (5.87m).
Amy Milburn (U20), always willing to try new events, entered the 400m hurdles (91.3 PB) and pole vault (1.16m). Lucy Thompson (U17) also tried the pole vault, and was fourth in the 800m (2:25). Lucy and Amy (pictured) finished in third (8:21.4) and fourth (8:30.9) place respectively in the 2000m steeplechase, with Lucy going straight into a 4x400m relay race afterwards. Along with Naomi Sandercock and two Ipswich team mates, they achieved a strong second place finish in an exciting race, with Naomi running an excellent final lap (4:14.5).
For the men, Stefan Godron (U23) won the javelin (44.71m) and also competed in the B string shot put (8.80m) and non-scoring discus (23.68m). Father Peter Godron (M55) competed in the non-scoring hammer (21.38m), shot put (8m) and javelin (19.85m). Fellow veteran athlete Rob Milburn (M50) competed in the 3000m steeplechase (12:27.4) and pole vault (2.30m).
Abdulai Conteh (U20) took part in the 100m and 200m as a non-scorer, achieving PBs in both (11.4 and 24.1), and had his first attempt at the 4x400m relay, with the team finishing in fourth place (3:50.8).
Masters Athletics update
April - May 2024
This year’s outdoor track and field season started at the very rainy East Anglian League in Cambridge on 28 April, where we saw many of our Masters athletes (35+ years) compete in the Senior men’s and women’s teams. Competing in the 800m were Joan Carles Blanco (M55, 2:38.5), Glenn Hobbs (M45, 2:45.9) and Paul Mee (M55, 5:47.3), with Glenn and Paul also competing in the 1500m and crossing the line together in 5:47.3. Darren Green (M45) took part in the triple jump (8.27m PB), long jump (4.19m) and 1500m (6:06.1). Peter Godron (M55) was back doing all four throws with senior weights, attaining 7.68m in the 7.26kg shot put, 21.64m in the 2kg discus, 17.45m in the 7.26kg hammer and 21.50m in the 800g javelin. On the women’s team we had many Masters athletes come out, including new athletes Silvie Snaselova (W45) and Suzzanne King (W65). Rowena de Belligny (W40) was back as well competing in the 800m A race (2:57.1), triple jump (7.35m) and javelin (20.17m PB). Silvie achieved 3.79m in the long jump and threw the javelin in a PB of 17.83m. Carey Hollick (W50) was back throwing after having eight months off from athletics, throwing shot (5.82m), discus (18.18m) and hammer (16.80m). Suzzanne threw in the 4kg shot (4.59m) and javelin (8.59m).
In the first EMAC Track and Field League of the year on 1 May in Chelmsford, Colchester and Tendring teamed up with Ipswich Harriers again. We had a great showing on the night with six women from Colchester and Tendring and five women from Ipswich (pictured) achieving an overall finish of third place. Three of the women were new to EMAC: Silvie Snaselova (W45), Suzzanne King (W65) and Sally Dalton (W65). Carey Hollick (W50), Rachel Newenham (W50) and Rowena de Belligny (W40) also competed for the team on the night. Rowena competed in the 800m (2:52.8 PB), 3000m (12:42.1), shot put (6.15m) and discus (17.32m PB), as well as taking part in the second place finishing W35 4x100m relay team. Rachel entered the 800m (3:18.6), 3000m (15:22.0), long jump (2.18m) and winning W50 4x100m relay. Silvie competed in the long jump (3.82m PB) and high jump (1.24m). Carey and Suzanne threw 3kg shot put (7.08m and 5.08m respectively) and discus (20.73m and 10.98m). Sally achieved a long jump of 2.23m.
On the men’s team we had seven men from Colchester and Tendring and five from Ipswich. The Southern division men’s teams are very competitive so we came fifth place on the night. We had a new competitor for the team in Jason Townsend (M45), who ran the 100m (14.8) and 800m (2:26.2). Justin Hubbard (M45) had his comeback in the 100m where he broke the club record in the M45 age category with a time of 12.6 and took part in the EMAC league record 4x100m relay team. Gerald Buck (M40) returned and ran a club record in the 3000m (10:01.9). Chris Harvey (M50) also returned and ran in the M50 3000m (11:21.5), took part in the winning M50 4x100m relay and came second place in the M50 high jump (1.30m). Rob Milburn (M50) also competed in many events including the 100m (15.0), 800m (2:30.9), long jump (3.79m) and the M50 winning 4x100m relay. Peter Godron (M55) threw 6kg shot (8.69m) and 1.5kg discus (23.42m). Another new athlete for the Club in the EMAC was William Haining (M65) who ran in the 100m in a club record of 17.7s and the 3000m in a time of 12:33.4.
There have been many new club records for the Masters men and women so far this season, including:
Suzzanne King (W65) in the 3kg shot put (5.08m), 4kg shot put (4.59m), 600g javelin (8.59m) and 1kg discus (10.98m)
Rachel Newenham (W50) for the 800m (3:18.6)
Silvie Snaselova (W45) for long jump (3.82m), high jump (1.24m) and 600g javelin (17.83m)
Sally Dalton (W65) for long jump (2.23m)
Justin Hubbard (M45) for the 100m (12.6)
William Haining (M65) for the 100m (17.7) and 3000m (12:33.4)
Gerald Buck (M40) for the 3000m (10:01.9)
Emeka Udechuku (M45) in discus (46.65m), securing the Gold medal at the Essex Track and Field Championships on 11 May.
Essex Track and Field Championships
11 - 12 May 2024
There was a strong turnout of Colchester and Tendring athletes at the Essex Track and Field Championships in Chelmsford over the weekend, with an impressive number of personal bests (PBs) secured.
Special mention goes to Under 13 athlete Chloe Allam (pictured) who showed her strength as a multi-event athlete, securing a silver medal in the shot put (7.46m), bronze medal over 100m (13.40), fourth place in both 200m (28.00) and 70m hurdles (12.39) and fifth place in long jump (3.78). Brother Jacob also took part in all five events at Under 13 level, gaining PBs in the 100m (14.61), 200m (29.57), 75m hurdles (14.85) and shot put (5.85m). Competing alongside them was Esirhueme Alegeh and Kacie Langton who both gained PBs for 100m.
For the Under 15s, Finn Bates was again in fine form, with a gutsy 100m run having qualified through to the semi-final in 12.01, then gained another automatic slot through to the final in 11.90. He went on to earn a very decent bronze medal after a photo finish placed him and another athlete on exactly the same time of 11.66, another great PB. He also qualified for the final of the 200m the following day, narrowly missing out on a medal with a fourth place finish in a PB of 23.64. Another Under 15 sprinter to brave both days was Feyi Atiku, who opened up his season with a great PB of 12.28 and an automatic place in the 100m semi-final, where he was joined by Oshiotse Alegeh who had gained a fastest loser slot into the semi with a PB of 12.54. Both boys committed well but neither progressed through having finished in 5th and 6th place respectively. Over 200m, Feyi struggled to apply strength at the start, but pulled through off the bend to finish fifth with a fabulous PB of 24.61 (from 26.22), showing that there is definitely more to come from this young man.
Also noteworthy was Under 17 athlete Samantha Yearwood, who despite being in full exam mode, turned out on both days to compete. Drawn in a quick 100m heat, her time of 13.20 was quicker than that of other heats but sadly did not gain her an automatic qualifying place through to the final. Also competing in the same heat was Heidi Booth, who clocked 13.83. Samantha did gain a well-deserved place in the 200m final, running a strong first 100m to come off the bend in third place, but was just not able to hold the position finishing in a creditable fifth place in 26.75. Yambo Phiri and Miles Davis were the only two representatives from the Club in the Under 17 men’s 100m, with Yambo clocking a good time of 11.76 to take fourth place. Miles, who has struggled with a niggly injury, crossed the line in 12.50.
In the throws, former Team GB athlete Emeka Udechuku won the discus competition (46.65m), with daughter Adanna (Under 15) following in his footsteps to gain personal bests across all four throwing events and winning the silver medal in the shot put (10.86m). Laura Walecka and Ivy-Rose Hallahan (Under 13) also secured PBs in the shot put. In the jumps, Francesca Booth (Under 20) achieved 8.87m in the triple jump and Ivy-Rose Hallahan (Under 13) gained a PB of 1.15m in the high jump.
The middle distance races were tough in the heat, but a number of athletes rose to the challenge to secure PBs, including Mason Partridge and Mia Lawes (Under 13) and Hayden Fox (Under 15) in the 800m; and Ethan Zinzan and Sophia Harvey (Under 15) in the 1500m. Naomi Sandercock (Under 17) ran a strong personal best of 43.37 in the 300m final.
Eastern Young Athletes League - Match 2
Sunday 5 May 2024
The second EYAL match of the season saw Colchester and Tendring finish in third place overall, with some sterling performances from athletes across all age groups.
For the Under 13 girls, Chloe Allam continued her strong form with a win in the 70m hurdles (13.1) and second place finishes in the 100m (13.6) and 200m (28.6). Rose Hewitt also ran well for a second place B string finish in the 100m (14.8). Mia Lawes secured another convincing win in the 1500m (5:15.9), with Elizabeth Whall the first B string finisher (5:48.9). Mia also turned her hand to javelin, finishing second (11.96m). Laura Walecka was not far behind (11.42m), and also achieved a second place finish in shot put (7.32m). Kacie Langton achieved a commendable 3.57m in the long jump to finish joint second.
For the Under 13 boys, Ruru Alegeh won the high jump (1.32m) and was second in the 100m (13.6) and 200m (29.6). Jacob Allam won the 75m hurdles (14.7) and the B string 100m (14.2). Samuel Green also ran a strong 75m hurdles (15.0) and finished third in the 1500m (5:34.7). There were a number of field successes, including Mason Partridge winning the long jump (3.80m) and Joshua Westall winning the discus (17.60m) and finishing second in javelin (24.31m), with Rafael de Belligny also throwing well (17.23m).
At Under 15 level, Adanna Udechuku demonstrated her strength in the throwing events, winning shot put (10.54m) and finishing second in both discus (21.88m) and hammer (29.86m). Oshiotse Alegeh won the long jump (5.16m) and came second in the 200m (25.8), with Jacob Narhkom winning the B string 100m (12.3). Over the longer distances, Sophia Harvey had an excellent run to win the 800m (2:27.8), with Imogen Stringer finishing top of the B string (2:36.2). Also securing success was Hayden Fox (pictured), who was the fastest 300m runner of the day despite being B string (41.0), and also won the 800m in a new personal best of 2:12.6.
For the Under 17s, the top performance of the day was Jack Izzet, who comfortably won the 1500m (4:13.5). There were a number of second place finishes, including Lucy Frank in the 200m (27.5) and 300m (45.1); Lucy Thompson in the 1500m (5:03.8); and Daisy Benson in the long jump (4.08m). Naomi Sandercock ran an excellent B string 300m (43.2) and gained a personal best in a very competitive 800m race (2:19).
East Anglian League - Match 1
Sunday 28 April 2024
Colchester and Tendring athletes defied the cold, wet weather in Cambridge with some excellent performances at the first EAL meeting of the season.
The Under 15 boys’ sprinters were the outstanding performers of the day. Finn Bates was victorious in both the 100m (11.9 PB) and 200m (24.5), with Judah Asamoah winning the B string races (12.2 and 25.6 respectively). Jacob Narhkom also ran well to gain personal bests as a non-scorer (12.6 and 25.9). This strength in depth enabled the Under 15 team to convincingly win the 4x100m relays (51.1).
Samantha Yearwood (U17) was first across the line in the 200m (27.3), with Lucy Frank winning the B string race (27.8 PB). Samantha was also victorious in the 300m (45.4) and second in the 100m (13.0). For the U17 men, Yambukani Phiri finished second in the 200m (24.0).
For the Under 13s, Chloe Allam finished second in the 70m hurdles (13.0 PB), 100m (13.4 PB) and 200m (29.9), with Esme Bohannon winning the B string 200m (31.1). Jacob Allam gained a personal best to win the 75m hurdles (14.8), with Samuel Green the first B string hurdler (15.8). For the senior men, Brendan Cooke also gained a personal best in the 110m hurdles (20.4).
There were a number of successes across middle distances races. For the Under 17s, Lucy Thompson won the 800m (2:24.2), and Jack Izzet finished second in the 1500m (4:25.2). Particularly impressive was Under 13 athlete Mia Lawes, who confidently won the 1500m (5:31.5), finishing a good 200m ahead of the competition.
In field events, there were some commendable performances, including several athletes who picked up additional events to score points for the team. In the U13 boys long jump, Arthur Davis gained a personal best of 4.05m, the second furthest jump of the day despite being a non-scorer. Jacob Narhkom (U15) won the shot put with a personal best (7.49m). In javelin, senior athlete Stefan Godron finished second (41.59m), as did Under 13 athlete Rafael de Belligny (15m), with Enzi Luvisiah also throwing well as a non-scorer (13.39m).
Sterling efforts by athletes across all age groups, including the growing senior teams, enabled the Club to finish the first match in third position overall.
Eastern Young Athletes League - Match 1
Sunday 14 April 2024
The first Eastern Young Athletes League meeting of the season in Norwich saw some great performances from Colchester and Tendring athletes.
The Club was particularly dominant in the sprints, with Esirhuerne Alegeh winning both the 100m (13.9) and 200m (29.3) at Under 13 level and Finn Bates winning over both distances at Under 15 level (11.9 and 24.5 respectively). Finn was ably backed in the B string races by Judah Asamoah who won the 100m (12.0) and Oshiotse Alegeh who won the 200m (26.4). There were also some strong performances at Under 17 level, with Yambukani Phiri second in both A string 100m (11.8) and B string 200m (24.3) and Dylan Stewart coming second in A string 200m (23.5) and winning B string 100m (11.6). Jacob Allam (U13) also ran well to win the 75m hurdles (14.9). For the girls, Chloe Allam (U13) was second in both the 100m (13.6) and 70m hurdles (13.1), with Esme Bohannon winning the B string 100m (14.8). Samantha Yearwood (U17) finished second in the 100m (13.0), and Lucy Frank ran well in the B string 300m for first place (45.8).
Over middle distance, at Under 13 level Mia Lawes was victorious in the 800m (2:35.3), and Elizabeth Whall paced herself well in the 1500m for second place (5:43.2). For the Under 17s, Jack Izzet finished a clear second in the 1500m with a new personal best of 4:17.5, with Declan Capp also gaining a significant PB in the 800m (2:09.6). Naomi Sandercock finished second in the 800m (2:25) and doubled up to win the 1500m in a new PB (4:57.3), followed by Lucy Thompson in second place (5:01.4).
In the field events, Judah Asamoah won the Under 15 boys high jump (1.50m), while Adanna Udechuku (U15) convincingly won both the shot putt (10.26m) and hammer (29.44m) and was a close third in the discus (19.98m). Laura Walecka finished second in the Under 13 girl’s shot putt (5.99m) and Ivy Rose Hallahan was second in the B string competition (5.15m).
The day concluded with mixed relays. Reflecting the strength in sprints, the Under 13 mixed relay team won their race (57.6) and the Under 17 team were second over the line (49.4), with a fall sadly hampering the Under 15 team’s efforts.
Junior success in the Essex Road Relays
Sunday 7 April 2024
For the second year running, Colchester and Tendring’s Under 13 boys (pictured) took the Gold at the Essex Road Relays. Ethan Zinzan ran a fine first leg to set them up in 9:35 for the 2.6km course, with James Clarke (9:18) taking over and then Toby Ketterer coming home in 9.28. The Under 15 boys took Silver, with a blistering first leg by Declan Capp (8:27) and good back up from Lewis Turner (9:26) and Hayden Fox (9:29) earning the medals.
The Under 13 girls just missed out on medals, with good running by Mia Lawes (10:01), Evie Foster (11:38) and Liz Whall (10:37) for fourth. The Under 15 girls’ team of Naomi Sandercock (10:17), Nancy Hobbs (11:47) and Evie-Rose Edwardson (10:49) finished fifth.
For the senior men, Alex Gladley had the fastest 3 mile leg of the day with 14:29 to lead, although the fierce competition saw the team of Gerald Buck, Marc Day and Josh Beaumont slip to ninth. The Club also fielded women and veteran men’s teams.
Meanwhile at the Brighton Marathon, Rosanna Holden just beat the 4-hour barrier with 3:59:16.
Cross country season finale
March 2024
The last two weekends have seen the cross country season draw to a close. The Inter Counties Championships at Nottingham on 9th March saw the best athletes from all of Great Britain compete. Adam Hart (Under 13) had a fine race for 40th (second Essex boy home) in a giant field of 297, with all of the races having numbers near 300. Declan Capp (Under 15, pictured) also did well in his first Essex vest for 64th, with Amy Milburn (Under 17) coming in 123rd to achieve her target of making the top half of the field.
The following weekend saw the English Schools Championships, the race that all junior middle distance athletes aspire to do. Declan Capp was probably in the last thirty after a congested start, but the stamina he has built up over the winter season enabled him to pick off lots of athletes to earn 142nd out of 329. Amy Milburn came home 198th with still over 100 athletes behind her.
To complete a good weekend, former CATs athlete Alex Gladley broke the course record for the Colchester Half Marathon to finish in 1:07:44. Gerald Buck also ran well to finish 20th in 1:19:48 (second in the V40 age category). This was followed on Sunday afternoon with a friendly meeting with Colchester Harriers’ juniors, giving young athletes the chance to prepare for the forthcoming track and field season.
Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships
2-3 March 2024
The Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships at Lee Valley saw Colchester and Tendring’s best attendance level and medal haul for many years. Leading the way was Lucy Thompson (Under 17, pictured) who won double Gold in the 800m with a personal best (PB) of 2:17.52. In the 60m hurdles, there was success at Under 13 level for Jacob Allam (Essex Gold and Eastern Silver, 11.19) and Mason Partridge (Essex Silver and Eastern Bronze, 12.21), while Chloe Allam won Essex Silver and Eastern Bronze in the girls’ race (10.58). In field events, Ivy-Rose Hallahan (U13) took Essex Silver and Eastern Bronze in the high jump.
For the sprinters, there was particular success in the 200m including Abdula Conteh (U20) winning Essex Gold and Eastern Bronze (24.55), Dylan Stewart (U17) winning Essex Silver and Eastern Bronze (23.59) and Finn Bates (U15) gaining a Bronze medal after getting a PB in each of three rounds to take his time to 24.18. Yambu Phiri (U17) reached the 200m final (23.93) and Naomi Sandercock (U17) competed in the 300m final (44.18).
Over 60m, Chloe Allam won Essex Bronze (8.58). Dylan Stewart won his heat and went on to achieve PBs of 7.23 and 7.21 in the semi-final and final. Judah Asamoah (U15) also won his heat and despite twinging his back decelerating after his first race, continued to PB in each round finishing in an extremely tight final in a commendable 7.54. Semi-final places were achieved by U17 athletes Obehi Uadiale (7.39), Yambu Phiri (7.47), Quentin Cook (7.51), Samantha Yearwood (8.26) and Heidi Booth (8.58), and U15 athlete Feyi Atiku (7.68).
There were PBs for Angel Wright (U20) and Ava Morley Robertson (U15) in both the 60m and 200m, while U13 athletes Nahla Shana and Kacie Langton gained 60m PBs. Hayden Fox reached the final of the U15 800m after a strong performance in the heats (2:17.51).
Meanwhile, Sophia Harvey (7th) and Adam Hart (10th) took part in the ISA national cross country championships, with Sophia also taking 1st female at the Chelmsford 5k.
Sportshall and NESS League Finals
17-18 February 2024
On Saturday a number of Colchester and Tendring athletes competed for Essex in the Sportshall Regional Finals in Norwich. Esirhueme Alegeh, Esme Bohannon and Mason Partridge were part of the Under 11s team, while Judah Asamoah, Feyi Atiku and Yambo Phiri (pictured) formed part of the Under 15 boys team. After a successful day of competition, Team Essex were crowned Under 15 girls champions and finished second in every other age category.
In much muddier conditions at the final NESS cross country league race in Hadleigh on Sunday, Colchester and Tendring were crowned Junior Girls league winners across the season. Particular commendation goes to Under 13 athlete Mia Lawes who was the top performing junior female athlete and also first in her age category. Top three age group positions also went to Ronni Townsend (second, Under 11s), Naomi Sandercock and Sophia Harvey (second and third, Under 15s) and Lucy Thompson and Lucia Harvey (second and third, Under 17s).
The Junior Boys team finished in second position across the season, with a first place age category standing for Rowan Stringer (Under 11) and second place standings for Adam Hart (Under 13), Hayden Fox (Under 15) and Jack Izzet (Under 17).
There were also some strong runs from the seniors, including Amy Milburn finishing in 5th position for the ladies and Gerald Buck 11th for the men.
Essex Cross Country League Final Race
Saturday 10 February 2024
A successful end to the Essex Cross Country League season at Hainault Forest on Saturday saw Colchester and Tendring athletes win two age group prizes. Adam Hart, despite missing the race with a cold, had built up enough of a points lead across the season to take the individual gold for the Under 13 boys. Ethan Zinzan, the latest starlet, earned a fine 7th place, with Samuel Green 30th and Tristan De-Belligny 33rd. Under 17 athlete Amy Milburn was the other individual medallist, finishing 3rd on the day and earning the season bronze, with Lucy Thompson 9th (6th across the season) and for the boys, Jack Izzet 12th (and 12th across the season).
Mia Lawes (Under 13, pictured with Samuel Green) was 4th (6th across the season), showing great promise for next winter when she will be in the upper end of the age group. Under 15 athlete Declan Capp finished 4th, having improved consistently from 8th in his first race in October, with Lewis Turner 17th and for the girls, Naomi Sandercock 11th (9th across the season) and Sophia Harvey 13th (14th across the season). Chris Harvey and Rob Milburn battled the mud for the seniors.
The 2023/24 season has seen a 100% increase in CATs Essex league numbers, rewarded in the final team standings with 2nd place for Under 17 girls’ team, 4th position for both the Under 13 girls and boys, 6th for Under 15 girls, and joint 7th for Under 15 boys.
Sunday saw the club take over the Colchester Junior park run with some great efforts from Club juniors.
South East Schools Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships
Saturday 3 February 2024
Congratulations to our three middle distance runners who competed in the South East Schools Inter County Championships at Ardingly Showground in Sussex on Saturday. In a highly competitive race, Naomi Sandercock (pictured) had an excellent run to finish in 26th position in the Inter Girls race, amongst a field of over 80 runners. Sophia Harvey was 45th in the Junior Girls race, while Declan Capp was 28th for the Inter Boys.
London Indoor Games and Southern Cross Country Championships
27-28 January 2024
There was a good turnout of Club sprinters at the London Indoor Games over the weekend. Particular congratulations are extended to Under 17 athlete Dylan Stewart, who achieved national qualifying standard in the 60m with fantastic times of 7.22 and 7.23, although sadly only a few days after entries closed. A number of fellow Under 17 athletes also ran well with many achieving personal bests (PBs), including Yambukani Phiri (7.47 PB), Lain Vearer (7.52 PB), Quentin Cook (7.55), Miles Davis (7.95), Samantha Yearwood (8.30) and Heidi Booth (8.47 PB). For the Under 15s, Otse Alegeh finished in a personal best of 7.98, and at Under 13 level Esirhueme Alegeh ran 8.83 (PB) and Mason Partridge 9.55. Mason is also to be congratulated on competing in his first 60m hurdles (12.97) alongside Ivy-Rose Hallahan (13.61).
There were also some strong performances in the 200m, including Yambukani Phiri (24.20 PB), Miles Davis (26.49), Samantha Yearwood (27.61) and Heidi Booth (28.46) at Under 17 level, Otse Alegeh winning his heat in 25.85 (PB) at Under 15 level, and for the Under 13s, Esirhueme Alegeh (29.39 PB) and Ivy-Rose Hallahan (35.03). Over a longer distance, Joel Yearwood (U17) ran his first 400m in 1:04.40
In the long jump, Lain Vearer jumped 5.55m for the Under 17s and Mason Partridge achieved 3.05m at Under 13 level. Miles Davis (U17) recorded 10.13m in the triple jump, while Ivy-Rose Hallahan (U13) competed in both the high jump (1.14m) and the shot put (5.02m).
Meanwhile, a small number of middle distance athletes were competing in the Southern Cross Country Championships at Beckenham Place Park on Saturday. Adam Hart finished in a commendable 24th position in the Under 13 boys race, and at Under 15 level Sophia Harvey (pictured with Adam) finished 87th for the girls and Lewis Turner 116th for the boys.
Essex and Suffolk Schools Cross Country
Saturday 22 January 2024
At the Essex Schools cross country on Saturday, Colchester and Tendring juniors were up to the task amongst a competitive field, with one athlete earning their first English Schools place and several progressing to inter-counties stage. On the short flat multi-lap course, Amy Milburn was rewarded for her commitment to training this season with 6th spot for the senior girls, earning an Essex vest.
For the Junior Boys, Adam Hart used his stamina to work his way through the field, progressing from 22nd after the first lap to 8th over the finish line, closing down on 7th. The Club had five boys in this race, all the others finishing in the 30s (Ethan Zinzan 31st, Hayden Fox 33rd, Silas Roper 34th and Francois Bollu 35th). For the Inter Boys, Declan Capp, the most improved runner this winter, also powered to 8th place, beating a lot of competitors a year older. Adam and Declan will be progressing to inter-counties alongside Naomi Sandercock (12th, Inter Girls) and Sophia Harvey (18th, Junior Girls).
There were more encouraging races from athletes, some making their Essex Schools debuts. Lucy Thompson was 33rd and Evie-Rose Edwardson 34th in the Inter Girls race; Eve Boggis 21st and Evie Foster 31st for the Junior Girls; and Jack Izzet 23rd and Rhodri McDonald 28th for the Inter Boys.
Across the border in Suffolk, Sienna Cronk also ran well to qualify in 3rd position in the Junior Girls race.
Pictured (from left to right): Adam Hart, Hayden Fox, Sophia Harvey and Naomi Sandercock
Indoor Round-Up
December 2023 - January 2024
At the Lee Valley December Open, there were some great performances over 60m, with Adbulai Conteh (U20) securing a personal best of 7.65; Otse Alegeh (U15) running a season’s best of 8.14; and brother Ruru Alegeh (U13) finishing in 9.10.
Otse and Ruru (pictured) subsequently built on these performances to gain personal bests at the Lee Valley New Year’s Open, with Otse finishing in 8.00 and Ruru securing a Club record in 8.84. Also competing on New Year’s Day was Yambukani Phiri (U17), running a personal best of 7.61 in the 60m.
At the BFTTA Open meeting on 7 January, Lucy Frank (U17) competed in the 60m (8.76) and 200m (29.14). She also attended the SEAA Indoor Championships on 13-14 January, again competing in the 60m (8.77) and 200m (29.3) alongside teammate Heidi Booth (60m, 8.73). Yambukani Phiri reached the semi-final of the SEAA 200m, after an excellent run in a personal best of 24.29 to qualify.
County Cross Country Championships
Saturday 6 January 2024
There was a good display from Colchester and Tendring’s Under 13 boys (pictured) at the Essex Cross Country Championships in Basildon on Saturday, with places in the Essex team at Nottingham up for grabs. Adam Hart finished second, just two seconds behind the winner after the gruelling hills. James Clarke (9th), Toby Ketterer (19th), Francois Bollu (21st) and Sam Green (52nd) showed the strength in depth at the Club by securing team Silver medals. For the Under 15 boys, Declan Capp (5th) also earned a place at Nottingham with his best race to date, ably backed by Lewis Turner (26th), Eddie Crook (29th) and Silas Roper (31st), finishing just outside the team medals.
The girls' ranks, though depleted by other commitments, had Under 13 athlete Mia Lawes finish 8th and Under 17 athlete Amy Milburn finish 7th, just missing out on Essex vests. Others running were Lizzie Whall (22nd, Under 13s), Naomi Sandercock (13th, Under 15s), and Jack Izzet (22nd) and Stanley Hobbs (28th) for the Under 17 men. Katie Whall (45th), Paul Mee (172nd) and Glenn Hobbs (197th) ran for the seniors.
Congratulations also to Sienna Cronk who finished third in the Suffolk Cross Country Championships in the Under 13 girls race.
Essex Cross Country League home meeting
Saturday 16 December 2023
For the first time in several years, Colchester and Tendring and Colchester Harriers, along with Boxted Runners, hosted an Essex League cross country event at Hilly Fields.
For the CATs, the highlights were among the younger age groups. The Under 13 boys race saw Adam Hart finish in 4th and now on his way to claiming the Under 13 championship title. James Clarke (9th) and Francois Bollu (12th) were able backup, with Tristan De-Belligny 29th, now making team medals at the championships in January a possibility. For the Under 13 girls, Sienna Cronk (3rd), Mia Lawes (7th) and Liz Whall (17th) stared.
For the Under 15 boys, Declan Capp (6th, pictured) demonstrated his real improvement this winter, with Alex Cronk 17th, then Rhodri McDonald (18th), Ed Crook (22nd) and Silas Roper (27th) all making their cross country debuts. In the Under 15 girls race, Naomi Sandercock was 8th and Sophia Harvey 13th, with another debut from Ella Denham (24th).
At Under 17 level, Amy Milburn came a fine 4th, with Lucy Thompson 8th and Lucia Harvey 13th, leaving the team in second position overall after four fixtures. Jack Izzet was 16th for the Under 17 boys, and just a few seniors ran having marshalled the course earlier in the day.
Sportshall Round 3
Saturday 2 December 2023
Congratulations to everyone who competed in the third round of the Sportshall events in Chelmsford. It was great to see so many CATs attending and enjoying themselves. The results are available here.
“I love doing Sportshall because we get to try lots of different events. My favourite is the over and under race. Everyone is friendly and I like hanging out with my friends.” Athlete
“I like watching the big kids do the races. My favourite events to watch are the races. In the break I got to try the speed bounce and high stepper. And it has a big park that I really like as well that has swings, a zip line and a climbing frame.” A little sister’s perspective
“Brilliant event again. Definitely the kind of event that brings our athletes together, probably because they’re all in close proximity and able to cheer each other on.” Parent
"Everyone can join in, there was no pressure so you could get full enjoyment in taking part.” Athlete
NESS Race 2
Sunday 26 November 2023
With a great turnout of 37 junior athletes, Colchester and Tendring took over the lead of the NESS Cross Country League at a muddy Gosfield School course on Sunday. Jack Izzet (pictured) earned his first win of the season to come home 20 seconds clear. Adam Hart (6th and first Under 13) and Freddie Dolman (9th) were the other scorers. Perhaps one for the future was Rowan Stringer (14th) who at age 9 beat every 10-11 year old in the field. Francis Bisoni (17th) was another athlete to show up well.
Naomi Sandercock (3rd) and the rapidly improving Sophia Harvey (4th) along with Lucy Thompson (6th) secured the points for CATs to win the girls race overall. Mia Lawes (8th) was first Under 13 girl, continuing her fine season, and Ronni Townsend (22nd) was the first school year 4 (another to watch for the future).
For the seniors, Amy Milburn (6th) and Sam Irungu (40th) were the Club’s leading runners, with the seniors now building up their numbers and regularly closing out teams.
Elsewhere CATs old boy Henry Dover earned his first GB vest by winning the Under 20 trials for the European Cross Country Championships in Liverpool.
Sportshall Round 2
Saturday 11 November 2023
It was fantastic to see so many CATs vests and some super performances in the second Sportshall event on Saturday. Notable achievements include:
🥇🥈Isla Menzies and Ivy-Rose Hallahan - first and second in U11 over and under
🥉Esme Bohannan - third in U11 2 lap race
🥈Isla Menzies - second U11 obstacle race
🥉 Wilbur Wheatley - third U11 over and under
🥇 Esirhueme Alegeh - first U11 1 lap race and 2 lap race
🥉Wilbur Wheatley - third U11 2 lap race and third U11 obstacle race
🥉Kacie Langton - third chest push
🥇 Sofia Lyttle - first standing vertical jump
🥈Esme Bohannan - second standing vertical jump
🥇🥇Esme Bohannan and Isla Menzies - joint first speed bounce
🥉Sofia Lyttle - third speed bounce
🥇🥉Robbie Howard and Aidan Burgoyne - first and third chest push
🥉Aidan Burgoyne - third standing triple jump
🥉Mason Partridge - third high-stepper
🥈Robbie Howard - second target throw
🥉 Wilbur Wheatley - third target throw
🥉 Aidan Burgoyne - third javelin
Track & Field Awards Night 2023
Wednesday 8 November 2023
Thank you to everyone who competed for the Club during the summer 2023 track and field season. We had one of our most successful East Anglian League (EAL) seasons, with 6 of 8 teams qualifying for the finals. For our senior athletes and Under 17s there was the Southern Athletics League (SAL), in which we form a composite team with Ipswich Harriers. After securing promotion to the top division last year, we together finished 6th out of 18 teams and did extremely well. We hosted the first SAL meeting of the season in May at the track, which was a successful day thanks to all the hard work of officials and volunteers.
The following Club members were recognised for their efforts, achievements and commitment to the Club and to competition at our annual Track and Field Awards Ceremony for 2023:
Under 11 Athlete of the Year
Winner: Esme Bohannon
Highly Commended: Jacob Allam, Isabelle Famojuro, Thomas Hall, Ivy-Rose Hallahan, Elizabeth Khan, Kacie Langton, Sofia Lyttle, Ayla Milner, Lisa Ndungu, Mason Partridge, Micah Udechuku, Noah Udechuku and Laura Walecka
Under 13 Athlete of the Year
Winner: Chloe Allam
Highly Commended: Samuel Green and Alex Blanco
Under 15 Athlete of the Year
Winner: Naomi Sandercock
Highly Commended: Judah Asamoah and Amani Luvisiah
Under 17 Athlete of the Year
Winner: Lucy Thompson
Highly Commended: Samantha Yearwood and Lucy Frank
Under 20 Athlete of the Year
Winner: Dylan Nyathi
Highly Commended: Francesca Booth and Ife Odunsi
Senior Athlete of the Year
Winner: Chris Harvey
Highly Commended: Carey Hollick and Glenn Hobbs
Most Improved Male Athlete
Jack Izzet
Most Improved Female Athlete
Amy Milburn
Outstanding Effort Award
Adanna Udechuku
Commitment to Competition Award
Rob Milburn
Service to the Club Award
Quiana Cole
Coach of the Year Awards
Alison Bennett and Rebecca Clarke
John Cooke Award for Services to the Club
Dave Waterman (pictured)
Essex Cross Country League Round 3 - Writtle
Saturday 4 November 2023
Adam Hart scored another victory for the Under 13 boys in the Essex Cross Country League at Writtle on Saturday. With the courses now becoming very muddy, lightweight Adam floated over the mud to win convincingly and secure an Essex vest for Oxford in December. Samuel Green (42nd) and Aubrey Cartwright (46th) provided the backup. For the Under 13 girls, Mia Lawes finished an excellent 5th and Liz Whall 19th.
For the Under 15 team (pictured), Declan Capp had his best race to date with a fine 8th place after an early fall, with Lewis Turner coming in 21st. For the girls, Naomi Sandercock was 10th and Sophia Harvey achieved her highest finish this season in 12th. Under 17 athletes Amy Milburn (7th) and Lucy Thompson (17th) also both performed well. Katie Whall, Chloe Wilson, Chris Harvey and Rob Milburn tackled the muddy conditions for the seniors.
Meanwhile, Mason Partridge made his debut park run at Castle Park, beating club legend John Henington.
Cross Country Round-Up
28-29 October 2023
Adam Hart (pictured with coach Bob Kimber) secured his first Essex Cross Country League victory on Saturday, with the very hilly Basildon course suiting him well and enabling him to build a 20 second lead. James Clarke was a good 8th, with Samuel Green (34th) and Aubrey Cartwright (41st) completing the Under 13 boys team. Mia Lawes was a fine 8th for the Under 13 girls. For the Under 17s, Amy Milburn (4th) got the better of teammate Carys Sergeant (6th), with Lucy Thompson 12th and Jack Izzet finishing 24th for the boys. In the Under 15s race, Naomi Sandercock was first Club runner home in 13th, with Sophia Harvey 22nd.
The next day 40 Club athletes tackled the NESS Cross Country League at Writtle. Having won this for the last two years, it looks like it’s going to be more competitive this season for the juniors. The boys finished 3rd overall, with Jack Izzet finishing the race in 3rd, followed by Hayden Fox (7th) and Tristan De-Belligny (15th) as the three scorers. The junior girls were first overall, with scorers comprising Naomi Sandercock (2nd), Mia Lawes (3rd) and Lucy Thompson (7th). Eight senior men ran, with Gerald Buck a good 8th, Samuel Irungu 31st and Stanley Hobbs 38th. For the women, Amy Milburn was a commendable 4th.
Meanwhile Grainne Hallahan completed the Dublin Marathon in 4:13:14.
Ipswich Jaffa Relays
Sunday 22 October 2023
Three Club junior teams competed in the Ipswich Jaffa Relay Races at Bourne Park on Sunday, finishing in fourth place overall. The Under 11s mixed team (Ivy-Rose Hallahan, Mason Partridge and Kascie Langton) finished in a commendable second place, as did the Under 13 mixed team (Samuel Green, Mia Lawes and Evelyn Clapp). The Under 11 girls team put in a strong effort (Sofia Lyttle, Bella Izzet and Esme Bohannon) finishing fourth.
Essex Cross Country League
Saturday 14 October 2023
It was a good start to the cross country season for the Club at Thurrock on Saturday. For the Under 17 girls (pictured), Carys Sergeant continued her fine summer form with a strong second place. Amy Milburn also had a good run to finish fourth. Lucia Harvey (17th) and Annabel Sergeant (21st) completed the team. The Under 13 girls saw Mia Lawes finish 6th and Elizabeth Whall 17th, both making their Essex league debuts, while for the Under 15s Sophia Harvey had a fine competition for 20th place.
For the first time in a few years the Under 13 boys turned out a team. Adam Hart finished third and James Clarke 10th, with both running really well and targeting an Essex vest this winter. They were backed up by Tristan De-Belligny (26th), Samuel Green (28th) and Aubrey Cartwright (35th). For the Under 15s, Lewis Turner was 20th (just in the top half of the field on his debut). The Under 17 boys saw the dependable Jack Izzet home in 20th.
In the Under 11s race, Ivy-Rose Hallahan and Wilf Cartwright did well, as did the V50s Rob Milburn (153rd) and Chris Harvey (159th), with Katie Whall finishing 43rd for the ladies.
Sportshall and record-breaking Vets road racing
7-8 October 2023
Saturday saw the first Essex Athletics Network Sportshall event of the season in Chelmsford. Representing the Club were Kacie Langton, Ivy-Rose Hallahan, Robbie Howard, Joe Howard, Mason Partridge, Wilber Wheatley and Aidan Burgoyne – well done all on a great competition!
Several seniors were also competing on the road over the weekend. Philip Wood ran the Eindhoven Marathon, pacing the race perfectly and finishing in an excellent time of 3:27:54, taking the V35 club record. The V50 10 mile record was taken by John Henington at the Tiptree 10, with a time of 1:07:43. Last but not least, Samuel Ndungu ran the Royal Parks Half, finishing in a very commendable 1:25:02, only a day after achieving a 19:26 personal best in the Highwoods parkrun, finishing second behind talented junior athlete Alfie Cockx (19:04).
Weekend Round Up
23-24 September 2023
It was an action-packed weekend for Colchester and Tendring athletes. On Saturday, Ivy-Rose Hallahan (U11) ran the Vitality Westminster Mile family race in 6:54, finishing a fantastic 16th. Meanwhile at the Maldon half marathon, Andy Gooby (V35) ran well following the pace he had in his mind for marathon training. Also running was second claim club member Magdalena Komorowska, who enjoyed the hilly and windy but scenic course.
Club athletes were out in force at the Langham 10k on Sunday. Finn Rattray (pictured), running in the open age category, was first home in an excellent time of 34:10. Samuel Irungu (M40-49) also ran well to finish 14th in 39:18. Other athletes completing included Ben Howard (U17, 46:41), Philip Wood (48:57), Lucia Harvey (U17, 49:18), Chris Harvey (49:19) and Donna Howard (57:22).
Over 5k, second claim athlete Joshua Beaumont finished fourth in 17:00, John Henington was 13th (19:58), Eve Boggis (U15) was 22nd (22:16) and Florence Boggis was 67th (32:58). Mason Partridge (U10) ran the 2k in 9:22.
In the Colchester Junior Parkrun, Joe and Robbie Howard and Albert Gillett-Reubin ran PBs, with Albert achieving his half marathon wristband, and Daisy Meyers ran her first ever junior parkrun.
Essex Cross Country Relays
Saturday 16 September 2023
Colchester and Tendring secured triple joy at the Essex cross country relays this weekend. In the unusually warm and dry cross country conditions, the Club’s young female runners secured two sets of Bronze team medals. For the Under 13 girls, debut runner Elizabeth Whall backed up by the experienced Mia Lawes and Sienna Cronk started the season off well. The Under 17 women’s team of Carys Sergeant, Lucia Harvey and Amy Milburn also took Bronze. Two more teams of Under 15s and another Under 13 team also competed, with some making their cross country debuts for the Club.
For the boys, Adam Hart led off determinedly to be first Under 13 home, a position James Clarke held, with debut runner Francois Bollu bringing the team (pictured) home in Silver position. Sam Plummer ran the fastest leg of the day for the Under 17s, though the team missed out on medals this time. Two Under 15 teams and a few of the senior men and women also took part.
EAL Final
Sunday 3 September 2023
Congratulations to everyone who competed in the East Anglian League final in Bury St Edmunds.
For the Under 13 girls, there were some fantastic performances, including Sienna Cronk and Mia Lawes finishing second in the 800m and 1500m respectively, and Chloe Allan securing fourth place in the 100m and 70m hurdles. The relay team ran well to finish fourth overall.
Notable performances for the U15 girls included Naomi Sandercock finishing second in both the 300m and 800m, and Nia Lloyd finishing third in javelin with a throw of 21.94m.
The Under 17 women had the best overall age group placing, finishing fourth. Contributing to this included Samantha Yearwood who won the 100m and came second in the 200m, Zofia Krajewska who finished second in the B string 100m, Lucy Thompson who was second in the 800m and Carys Sergeant who was second in the 1500m.
For the Under 13 boys, Jacob Narkhom secured a second place finish in the 100m on his return from injury, while Samuel Green finished fourth in the 75m hurdles.
The Under 15 boys had several notable performances, including Finn Bates finishing second in the A string 100m and B string 300m and Iain Mante finishing third in the B string 100m. Yambukani Phiri was fourth in the 200m A string and second in the discus, while Judah Asamoah was second in the B string 200m and third in the long jump. Amani Luvisiah ran hard to finish third in the 800m as well as second in the B string discus, and Hayden Fox was fourth in the shot put. The relay team put in a strong performance to finish second.
For the senior men, Dylan Nyathi ran well in the 400m for third position. Bob Kimber made a rare competitive outing, with a 8.40m throw in the javelin to attain the V80 club record.
Southend Open
Monday 28 August 2023
A number of Club athletes were in action at the Southend Open on Bank Holiday Monday.
For the U11 girls, Ivy-Rose Hallahan gained a bronze medal in the 75m (12.52) and finished the 150m in 26.31. For the U11 boys, Mason Partridge also ran a great 75m (12.11) to gain a bronze medal in his heat, as well as competing in the 600m (2:17.96) and long jump (3.05m). Albert Gillett-Reubin earned bronze in his long jump group (2.65m) and also ran a good 75m (15.04).
Heidi Booth, Mistie Henington and Naomi Sandercock represented the Club at U15 level. Heidi gained a bronze medal in the 200m (29.89) and ran well in the 100m (14.02), as well as competing in the long jump (3.86m). Mistie gained a personal best in the 800m (2:56.85), while Naomi secured gold in the 1500m after an excellent finish (5:09.35).
At U17 level, Lucy Thompson gained a silver medal in the 800m (2:27.57) and a gold in the 1500m (5:09.91), as well as gaining a personal best in her first long jump of the season (3.80m). Francesca Booth (U20W) finished second in both the 100m (14.85) and long jump (3.68m).
For the vets, Aaron Bollu gained two silver medals in the 100m (13.06) and long jump (5.01m) and John Henington gained a personal best in the 800m (2:34.61).
Weekly roundup
9-13 August 2023
On the European stage, Jakub Walecki set another high jump personal best at the Under 20 European Championships in Jerusalem with a jump of 2.15m. The competition was so tight that he would have returned with a medal if he had cleared this height on the first attempt, however he finished in a creditable 5th place.
Adam Hart (U13) took part in the Southern England Athletics Championships at Lee Valley. Despite a challenging track season due to injury, he qualified for the 800m final with a personal best time. He improved his time further in the final, finishing in 6th place in 2:23.42.
More locally, a number of Club athletes were in action at the Colchester Northern Gateway road races on Friday night. Sam Plummer and Arthur Ballard (pictured) finished in 5th and 6th place in the Elite 5k race in fantastic times of 15:08 and 15:11 respectively, leaving them 6th and 8th on the British 5k road race rankings for their Under 17 age category. Under 17 athlete Alfie Cockx finished in 18:03, and for the seniors Samuel Irungu (18:33) and John Henington (19:40) also went under the 20 minute barrier. George Haberman (20:04), Glenn Hobbs (20:51), Katie Whall (21:49) and Chloe Wilson (24:14) also ran well. In the mile race, congratulations go out to Elizabeth Whall who finished second in her 11-12 age category (6:24), as did Mason Partridge in the 9-10 age category (7:23). Amy and Lisa Ndungu also both ran well to finish in 9:09 and 9:34 respectively.
Essex 10k Track Championships
Friday 28 July 2023
Congratulations to Club athletes Alex Gladley and John Henington who gained medals at the Essex 10k Track Championships in Braintree on Friday. Alex won the silver medal in the Senior category in an excellent time of 31:43.4, while John was bronze medallist in the V50 category in a commendable 40:30.3.
EYAL Hemel Hempstead
Sunday 16 July 2023
There were some commendable performances from Colchester and Tendring athletes old and new at the EYAL meeting in Hemel Hempstead. This was sadly the final league competition of the season due to the cancellation of the Braintree event in August.
In long jump, there was particular success for the U17 men who gained maximum points, with Lain Vearer securing first place with a personal best of 5.81m and William Hancock jumping the third furthest on the day (5.27m) as winner of the B string. For the Under 13 girls, Imogen Stringer was fourth in A string (3.80m), with Bethany Hall close behind (3.74m) in B string. Declan Capp (U15) finished fourth (4.45m) in his first competition, and Phoebe Adebambo was third in the U17 women’s triple jump (9.28m).
The throws were at times challenging in the gusty winds, but this did not stop Naomi Sandercock (U15) finishing third in her first javelin competition (14.79m). Fourth place finishes were secured by Annabelle Sergeant (U17, 12.98m) and Alex Blanco (U13, 10.68m). For the U15 boys, Isaac Harris-Scully threw a commendable 28.32m in his first competitive outing for the club, with Ethan Holland performing well too (23.65m). Isaac also secured a third place finish in hammer (13.46m). Adanna Udechuku (U13) was third in the discus (16.61m), and Enzi Luvisiah also did well for the U13 boys, finishing fourth with a throw of 8.48m.
In the sprints, there was an excellent run from Lain Vearer (U17, pictured) to finish second in the A string 100m (12.1). Yambukani Phiri, who has recently joined the club, ran well at U15 level (12.3) and finished third in the 200m (24.5). Phoebe Adebambo (U17) looked strong in the 200m, finishing second in her B string race (28.2), while Imogen Stringer (U13) was third at U13 level. There were commendable efforts over 300m and 400m, including Finley Holland (U17) finishing second in the B string 400m (56.6).
Over 800m, at U17 level Lucy Thompson comfortably won the race (2:23) with Hermione Lee gaining a personal best (2:43). For the U15s, Naomi Sandercock finished second (2:27) after a strong sprint finish, and Amani Luvisiah finished third (2:14). In the 1500m, Carys Sergeant comfortably won the U17 women’s race (5:09), with Amy Milburn gaining a personal best (5:33). Mia Lawes was second at U13 level (5:22), and Jack Izzet was third for the U17 men (4:23) after leading for most of the race.
The relays provided an entertaining finish to the day, and all the teams (both sprinters and non-sprinters alike) are to be commended on their valiant efforts. The U17 boys placed highest in fourth in a time of 49.0 after a spirited run by the team.
Southern Athletics League Match 3
9 July 2023
The combined Ipswich Harriers and Colchester & Tendring team again achieved an excellent second place finish in the third match of the Southern Athletics League (Division 1), behind hosts Blackheath and Bromley.
A number of the Club’s young sprinters attended the competition, with Under 17 Michael Akinyemi finishing second in the B string 100m (11.24) and 6th in the A string 200m (23.16). Quiana Cole (U20) ran in the B string 100m, finishing 5th in 13.37. In the 100m non-scoring races, Dylan Stewart (11.94), Samantha Yearwood (13.23), Ife Odunsi (13.46), Angel Wright (13.73) and Francesca Booth (14.40 PB) all ran well. Samantha (27.35), Quiana (28.19), Ife (28.85) and Angel (28.98) also competed in the non-scoring 200m races.
Over middle distance, Lucy Thompson (U17, pictured) secured victory in the A string 800m in a season’s best time of 2:18.33, and also finished second in her first 2000m steeplechase (8:15.15). Amy Milburn was the fastest B string runner (8:32.31), with father Rob Milburn finishing fourth in the 3000 steeplechase (12.37.61) and also competing in the pole vault (2.30m), long jump (3.73m) and javelin (21.84m).
Friday Five Series Round Up
July 2023
Colchester and Tendring Seniors were out in force for the last race of the Friday Five series at Great Bentley on 7th July. In total we had 11 runners out on the course on what proved to be a hot evening! Alex Gladley, who was running second claim for us, took an impressive victory in 24:50 and there were great runs and many PBs elsewhere. Philip Wood (34:30) took two minutes off his old best and Glenn Hobbs (34:11) took 44 seconds off his PB to edge closer to the 34 minute mark.
Chloe Wilson, Jess Cowie, George Haberman, Ben Howard and Samuel Irungu all got PBs by virtue of it being their first 5 Miler (they all count), although notably Ben Howard (34:03) got very close to 34 but still bagged bragging rights by finishing ahead of Coach Glenn! Samuel continued his excellent progress in all distances with a fantastic 30:53 - the epitome of going out hard and then hanging on.
Notable others – by finishing Bentley, Neo Stacey and Rosanna Holden managed to complete three of the series and Don Howard managed two. Hopefully next year we'll have a few more runners and some of us might manage to complete the whole series!
Before the Seniors ran, the Junior races were held and whilst we only had one U9 in the shorter race, Rowan Stringer took another first place to add to the one he took in Stowmarket – certainly some exciting races ahead of him. In the Year 5 to 10 race, Imogen Stringer ran a solid sub-9 minute effort, continuing her improvement since joining the club. Kacie Langton had another good race to make it five races completed in the six race series, finishing 12th overall in her age group. Despite not running at Bentley, Mia Lawes finished 2nd overall in the series and is certainly going to have some exciting races against the series winner in the future. Samuel Green just missed out on 3rd place in the U11 on count back, but 4th is still a great result over the six race series!
English Schools and EYAL success
1-2 July 2023
Congratulations to Arthur Ballard who, on his English Schools track debut, finished in an excellent 4th position in the Inter Boys 3000m. In a crowded tactical race, Arthur managed to keep out of trouble towards the front of the pack and achieved an official time of 8:57.65.
The following day, Club members were out in force at the Eastern Young Athletes League meeting in Chelmsford. For the Under 13s, Sienna Cronk showcased her diverse talent by finishing second in both the 100m (13.9) and 1500m (5:23). There were also second place finishes for Bethany Hall in the long jump and Emily Edwardson in the javelin, while Chloe Allam (pictured) did well in the 70m hurdles. The stand-out performance for the Under 13 boys was Tristan de Belligny’s 28.12m throw which secured him victory in the javelin.
At Under 15 level, Finn Bates sprinted hard to win the 200m in 25.2, with Judah Asamoah also running well in the B string race to finish second in 26.4. Armani Luvisiah won the discus (23.32m) and finished second in the 800m (2:12), with Rhodri McDonald close behind to finish as first B string in 2:15. There were second place finishes for Joshua Famojuro in the 100m (12.1) and Naomi Sandercock in the 200m (28.2).
For the Under 17 women, there were second place finishes for Samantha Yearwood (200m, 27.2), Lucy Thompson (800m, 2:18), Carys Sergeant (1500m, 5:10) and Anjola Odunsi (long jump, 4.50m), while Hermione Lee ran a confident 300m to win the B string race as a non-scorer on her track and field debut. For the Under 17 men, Jack Izzet secured victory in the 800m (2:08) and valiantly doubled up to secure more points in the 1500m. Michael Akinyemi finished second in the 200m (23.1), and with fellow athletes Lain Vearer, Dylan Stewart and Leo Morley Robertson sprinted to victory in the 4x100m relay in a new club record time of 45.5.
Well done everyone for your fantastic team contribution. Let's try and fill all the gaps for the next EYAL on 16 July!