Relive the action from the 2009 English Schools champs, as told by club chair at the time, Clive Poyner…
Don Valley Stadium Sheffield 10th and 11th July
For many track and field athlete’s, the highlight of the year is the coveted ESAA Championships which is held in July. Probably with one of the largest initial entries of any championship, competitors are drawn from the Area, County and Regional school competitions from all over England. For those not familiar with the event, it is open to those from the U15 age group (Junior), through to Intermediate (U17) and Senior (U20’s). Team sizes vary, but are dependant on the number of children in secondary school education in the region. Although Norfolk is a large area, we lack numbers, so are limited to a team of 25 – well as they say ‘It’s quality not quantity’, and this years event was to prove the point!
With no less than 19 CoNAC athletes in the Norfolk squad, 1 in the Suffolk and 1 in the Northampton team, the club were well represented at the event when proceedings started both on the track and in the field at 10.00am on Friday
Day 1
First off the blocks was Tom Hook in the 1500m junior boys who ran a spirited 4:27.75 in heat 2 of the race, to finish in 8th place. At the same time in the adjacent Woodburn sports Stadium, Jenna Cannell competed in the first qualifying round for the inter girls hammer and with a throw of 40.23m, achieved forth place in the initial rounds to qualify for Saturdays final.
10.00am also heralded the start of a hotly contested inter girls Javelin with Steph Burt, one of three CoNAC Javelin throwers at the ESAA championships taking to the field. With the first three throws complete, Steph moved forward to the second round and acredited herself well with 38.74m to finish in 6th place overall.
Turning back to the track, junior sprinter Clieo Stephenson lined up for her heat of the 100m sprint, the result of which can only be described as incredible. With intense concentration, on her face the young athlete settled down on the start line awaiting the gun. In an instantaneous explosive response, virtually predicting the gun, Clieo burst from the ground to lead the race from the instant it began and finish 0.4s ahead of her nearest rival in her heat, in a time of 12.21s; the fastest qualifier for Saturdays final and a new pb.
A few minutes later Michael Fraser took his place on the start line in the senior boys 100m, but despite a good start he missed out on the final with a time of 11.10s. Closely following, Laura Green ran in the inter girls 80m hurdles on the opposite straight, completing the distance in 12.15s, and finished 6th in her heat.
Next James Senior took to the track in the 800m senior heats, taking 6th place in a time of 1:55.29, the final seemingly eluded James, but an objection made to officials for unnessasary pushing during the event, which ensured James joined a 9 man final on Saturday.
Chloe Smith competing in the inter girls high jump managed 1.54m, but unfortunately not enough to place her in the medals.
At exactly midday, Oliver Bradfield stepped onto the Javelin run up, the second of Tim Newenham’s javelin squad to throw. All eyes were on Oliver as the Staduim had great expectations for the young lad in his first year of competition at English Schools. With a demonstration of sheer brilliance, he launched his distinctive spiral painted Javelin into the blue abyss – and did it glide, impacting the ground 60.42m away from its origin and shattering the championship record by almost 6m. The crowd had just aknowledged Norfolk’s first Gold of the championship, and yet another superb throw from this gifted athlete.
At the same time, at the adjacant Woodburn Stadium, Callum Brown, one of three CoNAC Hammer throwers at the event trained by John Painter, threw a tremendous 53.54m in the inter boys event to secure 7th place overall.
Back on the track, Vicky Mitchell settled down to run her heat in the junior 200m sprint. Her fantastic effort of 26.01s, placing her just outside the qualifing time for the next round. Next up was Kiera Mooney in the junior 800m. Running in a very tight pack on the first lap tucked into third position, Kiera finished in a time of 2:21.89 to take a respectable 5th place in the heat.
Another 800m runner was Aaron Pitt, a relative newcomer to the club. Aaron’s performance in this race completly stunned everyone at the event!
Aaron, running a good steady race, sat halfway in the field for the best part of 1 and 7/8 laps of this two lap race, then as the leader was about 10m from the finish line, he astounded everyone by sprinting past the entire field to win the heat and become the equal fastest qualifier in 2:02.43 – It it fair to say that everyone was in a state of shock after this performance that secured a place in Saturdays final.
Iona Lake competing in her first ESAA championship took part in the inter 1500m. A fine run of 4:52.45 secured 7th place in her heat. The penultimate performance on the track Friday was Anna Spratt, running in a Suffolk vest in the inter girls 300m hurdle heats, Anna managed 48.62s, but missed out on qualifying place in the final.
Michael Painter, one of CoNAC’s multi-talented heavy throws athletes, brought to a close the field events for Friday, with a fantastic effort of 56.28m in the junior boys Hammer. This earned him a well deserved Silver medal. Michael, Jenna and Callum are all exceptional throwers and It’s a real shame that their events were carried out away from the main arena at Woodburn Stadium. The standard of competition was exceptional and was regretably missed by the large crowds in the main stand.
With the last events of the day being the relays, it was all eyes on the U15 relay squad consisting of Emma Tilbrook (W Norfolk) and CoNAC’s own Laura McDonald, Vic Mitchell and Cleo Stephenson. The Girls accredited themselves well with a run of 49.96s, the second fastest heat of the day and they were rewarded with lane 4 for the final, beside the fastest qualifier, Kent.
What a day, with a Gold and a Silver under our belt and a mass of talent waiting in the wings for Saturday, the scene was set for what would become a historical milestone in terms of athletic performance for the county and the club.
Day 2
Saturday started with a great air of expectation, bright blue skies and a light breeze greeted the athletes as they arrived in the morning to the imposing Don Valley stadium. The crowd had doubled in size and Sky TV crews mingled with officials setting up on the field.
First off was the junior girl’s javelin, with Laura McDonald looking to advance on the Silver she won in 2008 at Gateshead. A full field of 23 competitors lined up for the first three throws. With practice over, the crowd’s eyes were drawn to attention with the sound of the officials warning that the event had begun. The first two throwers ranged between 30-34m, Laura walked out into the second lane of the track, tightened her hair band and stood starring at the field. Bouncing in her stride as she accelerated towards the line, snapping her hip forward she formed a perfect crescent as her right arm hurtled her Javelin past her head. Past the 40m line it went impacting the ground with a dull thud. Officials with the EDM were quickly on the scene and all eyes turned to the score board – 43.13m, a new pb for Laura and the second ever longest throw in her age group. With 90 more throws left in the event, she had won Gold with her first throw.
Jenna Cannell travelled down to Woodburn Stadium again to compete in the final of the inter girls Hammer. Throwing a very solid 43.88m, Jenna finished 5th overall in the event.
James Senior having qualified for the senior boy’s 800m final on Friday after an appeal, now took to the track. Running roughly in the centre of the pack for lap 1, James was to finish 6th in a time of 1:54.14.
Honor De Winton representing Northampton then competed in the junior girl’s long jump and succeeded in achieving 5.32m to finish in 5th place. James McLachlan, having recently competed for England in the World Schools cup took part in the senior boy’s triple jump. He recovered well from two initial ‘no jumps’, and managed to record a colossal 15.26m, taking a well deserved Silver for the event.
It was now time for Aaron Pitt to return for the final of the junior boys 800m. Aaron was virtually unknown on the track until his awesome heat the day before, just what could this young lad come up with now. Tucked into the front of the pack for the first lap, Aaron ran a sensational race moving up to second on the last bend threatening the leader all the way down the final straight to finish in 2:02.10 and take a well earned Silver medal.
Zeno Mhae, a young lad from Wymondham College, has quite literally just appeared on the scene at CoNAC, as with Aaron such talent is obvious to those that enjoy watching sport. Zeno started his junior boy’s High jump at a relatively safe entry and was quickly moving up in height. There were some heart stopping moments as he took the bar off along the way, but he always pulled the jump back and progressed to the next height. A large entry took time to cycle through, but Zeno stood the test with the competition favourite failing on three attempts, Zeno progressed on to 1.87m to take the ultimate position in the event. With regular coaching, just what performance awaits us here?
At the same time as Zeno was jumping, Ed Skinner was across the other side of the track, competing in the intermediate Pole vault. Ed was clearly frustrated having topped out at 3.65m, but a good effort non-the-less.
At 3.10 in the afternoon, the highlight of the days track events was about to take place, the junior girls 100m sprint. Clieo Stephenson, now allowed to use blocks in the final adjusted them to her feet. A clear, calculating expression filled her face, as she knew ‘this one could be hers’. Mike Utting her coach had travelled up to Sheffield with Clive Poyner early that morning and you would have thought it was Mike who was about to run the race, not Cleo – but he had prepared her well. The starter called the girls to order, giving just a few more seconds for the two TV crews who were working the start line to try and squeeze that little piece of fear from the runner’s eyes. Despite this, Clieo stood perfectly still. “Take to your marks”, now a complete silence of expectation enveloped the stadium, “Set” – the silence quickly broken by the sharp crack from the pistol and the roar of the crowd. Like an enactment, rehearsed a 1000 times before in practice, Clieo ripped off the blocks powering through her legs, her body inclining upwards as she accelerated away from the start. With only Kate Wasyliw from W Yorks staying with her through the first 30m, Clieo clenched her fists and threw every once of strength into the race. The next 6 seconds passed in a flash with the field dropping back, Kate was now well outside Clieo’s periphery vision and she just piled on the power. From someone looking through a telephoto lens from the finish line, I can tell you a smile went across her face 5m out as she realised she was flying and to prove the point, she threw her arms out as she crossed the line! An utterly awesome spectacle, recorded for prosperity by the throng of cameras at the finish. 12.24s in a person’s lifetime is a blink of an eye, but its 12.24s and a Gold medal engraved ‘junior girls, 100m sprint’ that Clieo and Mike Utting will remember for the rest of their lives
The final event for our athletes was the 4x100m junior girl’s relay, having qualified in second place to Kent on Friday the four girls assumed their stations. It may not have been the cleanest run ever by the team, but it was certainly the fastest ever recorded by any Women’s team in any age group from Norfolk and with a time of 48.71s, four Silver medals was excellent compensation for the teams efforts.
Icing on the cake came at the end of the event, when Norfolk was awarded the junior boys and junior girls trophies for group C, as well as the minor trophies shield.
Gold medallists
Clieo Stephenson – Junior Girls 100m, Laura McDonald – Junior Girls Javelin , Oliver Bradfield – Junior Boys Javelin and CBP, Zeno Mhae – Junior Boys High Jump
Silver medallists
Michael Painter – Junior Boys Hammer, James McLachlan – Senior Boys Triple Jump, Aaron Pitt – Junior Boys 800m , Clieo Stephenson, Laura McDonald and Victoria Mitchell – Junior Girls relay
Clive Poyner, CoNAC Chairman summed up the fantastic performance of our athletes.
“Sometimes superlatives are not enough. These tremendous performances came together to aid Norfolk in capturing three trophies – the Junior Girls and Boys won their category and the Minor Counties Cup was retained (having won it last year for the first time in 40 years) – there were some genuinely proud long serving supporters around at 6.30pm on Saturday. Well done to one and all of our athletes for a great weekend’s athletics that will long be remembered”