Press report: Athletes on big stage for club and county

A TOTAL of 28 West Cheshire Athletic Club juniors have been selected to represent their county.

The Ellesmere Port Sports Village-based outfit will be represented at the North West Regional Sportshall Athletics Finals to be held at Sportcity, Manchester, on Sunday, March 25.

Matthew Webb, Nathan Partington, Michael Maxwell and Alfie Baker will represent Cheshire in the under 15 boys event, while Emma Ashcroft and Sophie Cribb will team up for the county under 15 girls.

Isla Shillington, Imogen Pughe, Eva Renshaw, Lara Battersby, Ava Byrne, Fatoumatta Bojang, Stephanie Jones and Ruby Wisbey have been selected for the Cheshire under 13 girls, while Uzezi Onomerike, Ted Williams and Regan Stubbs will combine in the under 13 boys team.

Sara Pearson, Harriet Wheeler, Macy Brett, Alexa Byrne, Maddi Mercer and Abigail Jeavons have been selected for the under 11 girls team, while Milo Halliday, Alex Rutherford, Ben Whittlestone, Joseph Watkin, and Matthew Jones will compete for the under 11 boys squad.

ETHAN ACKROYD secured fourth spot at the Welsh National Cross Country Championships.

The talented teenager represented West Cheshire Athletic Club in the under 17 mens race and was the first North Wales-based athlete to finish at Swansea’s Singleton Park after covering the 5.2km course in a time of 16 minutes 27 seconds.

Ackroyd is now preparing to represent North Wales at the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships being held at Prestwold Hall, Loughborough, on Saturday, March 10.

CARYS ROBERTS starred for West Cheshire AC at London’s Parliament Hill in the English Cross Country Championships.

Roberts was among the 467 finishers who covered the under 13 girls 3k course in 14 minutes for 95th spot, while club mate Lucia Pyne posted 16:54 for the under 15 girls 4k course for 153rd in the field of 464 finishers.

Ethan Greenland clocked 37:14 for 100th position in the 6k under 20 mens race which was negotiated by 220 finishers, and Henry Robinson posted 14 minutes for 287th spot in the 570-strong under 13 boys field.

Jac Goodall (175th in 23:10), Dave Dentith (211th in 23:47), Jackson Sloan (287th in 25:24), Sion Roberts (317th in 26:26) and Rory Willson (336th in 27:48) combined for West Cheshire AC in the 6k under 17 mens race, while Will Wright posted 18:34 for 273rd spot in the under 15 boys 4.5km race.

Kerry Riley (287th in 37:13), Claire Harris (334th in 38:08), and Ellie Robinson (374th in 38:41) combined for West Cheshire AC in the senior womens 8km race which attracted 1,113 finishers.

Dave Alexander (561st in 49:34) and Andy Carter (1,447th in 58:27) represented West Cheshire AC in the field of 2,328 finishers in the 12km senior mens race.

GEORGE HYDE hit 14.61m for fifth position in the under 20 mens shot put final at the England Athletics Indoor Track and Field Championships.

He was joined at the event in Sheffield by Ewan Bradley who posted 8.99 seconds for sixth position in his heat of the under 17 mens 60m hurdles.

JOE FOY and Brian Beattie secured podium places representing West Cheshire AC at the Village Bakery Wrexham Half Marathon.

Foy finished second in his over-60 age group with a time of one hour 27 minutes thirty-three seconds, and Beattie was third in his over-70 age group in 1:58:18.

Rob Little (1:17:12 in 33rd spot) was first home for West Cheshire AC, ahead of Luke Ellis (140th in 1:25:26), Graham Wells (141st in 1:25:16), Steve Fernyhough (168th in 1:26:12), Tony Woodall (212th in 1:27:57), Mark Davies (221st in 1:24:39), Julian Tegg (452nd in 1:33:25 – a personal best), Richard Hunt (631st in 1:42:25), Clare Mallon (1:45:34) and Brygida Gorecka (1189th in 1:58:43).

IMOGEN PUGHE achieved new personal bests of 8.33 seconds and 27.80 seconds in the under 15 girls 60m and 200m respectively at the latest Sale Harriers Indoor Open Meeting.

The West Cheshire AC youngster was joined at the fixture by club mates Stephanie Jones, Ava Byrne, Gabriel Mikoleizik, Liam Davoren and Alan Littler.

Jones posted 27.93 seconds in her under 15 girls 200m and registered 4.46m in the long jump, while Byrne cleared 1-40m in the under 15 girls high jump and long jumped 4.21m.

Mikoleizik clocked 7.88 and 25.78 in his under 15 boys 60m and 200m, while Davoren posted 25.70 in his mens 200m, and Littler cleared 1-65m in the mens high jump.

PHIL WOODLEY (67:49) and Andy Leishman (75:59) completed the Rhyl 10 miles Road Race, and their West Cheshire AC team mates Tom Cable (38:44) and Alex Staniforth (84:11) negotiated the Oulton Park 10k and half marathon respectively.

BROTHERS Joseph and Paul Morrison posted new personal bests at the Ellesmere Port 5km Park Run.

Joseph won the race in 18:03 and Paul clocked 20:17 for fourth position, ahead of Rob Freeman (16th in 23:30), Julian Tegg (25th in 24:53), and Abigail Cartwright (second lady in 25:22).

Andrew Clague posted 18:59 for third spot at the Chester 5km Park Run, ahead of clubmates Ian Gloyne-Phillips (fifth in 19:20), Steve Fernyhough (sixth in 19:49), Mark Davies (eighth in 20:18), Sophie Grainger (second lady in 21:24), Rosemary Rogers (24th lady in 26:48), and Sarah Hughes (35th lady in 28:45).

Sammy Hollins of West Cheshire AC was fourth with a new personal best of 19:45 at the Delamere 5km Park Run, ahead of David Irving (17th in 21:47), Dan Willetts (45th in 24:09), Georgina Duffey (14th lady in 26:25), and Kay Hayes (57th lady in 30:17).

FIXTURES this weekend include the third round of the Essar West Cheshire AC Schools Cross Country Race Series at Ellesmere Port Sports Village on Saturday (10am start), and the Borders Road Running League fifth round at Tattenhall on Sunday (11am start).