Three West Cheshire AC members grabbed podium places at the English Schools Track and Field Championships staged at Gateshead.Matthew Pagan, Kelly Baker and Emily Ball all medalled at the national fixture which was attended by nine members from West Cheshire AC.
Pagan pocketed a silver medal for Cheshire Schools in the junior boys 400m final after clocking a new personal best time of 50.61 seconds – fractionally adrift of eventual winner, Mahmood Khaisto, from London, who posted 50.39 seconds.
Baker, also representing Cheshire Schools, powered her way to a bronze medal position in the intermediate girls shot with a put of 11m, finishing behind Gloucestershire duo Annabel Sherry (12.93m) and Emily Wood (11.16m).
And Ball, representing Shropshire Schools, bagged a bronze medal from the junior girls shot with a new personal best put of 11.15m.
Other West Cheshire AC members in action for Cheshire Schools included Olivia Montez-Brown, Victoria Anderson, James McMahon, Michael Bailiff, Alice McMahon, and Zac Barnsley.
Montez-Brown clocked 11.86 seconds for fifth position in the intermediate girls 80m hurdles final, behind eventual winner Shirin Irving, from Surrey, who posted 11.39 seconds.
Montez-Brown had finished second in both her first round (11.7) and semi-final (11.69) heats to qualify for the final.
Anderson cleared 1-66m for sixth position in the senior girls high jump competition which was won by Somerset\’s Evie Grogan with 1-72m.
James McMahon catapulted himself to a new personal best clearance of 3-35m for seventh position in the junior boys pole vault, and Bailiff cleared 1-86m for tenth spot in the senior boys high jump.
Alice McMahon clocked 25.74 seconds for fourth position in her first round heat of the senior girls 200m, and Barnsley posted 11.89 seconds for sixth position in his junior boys 200m second round heat after clocking 11.70 seconds for fourth place in his first round appearance.
Former West Cheshire AC member, Amy Williams, of Chester Queen\’s School, celebrated success in the junior girls long jump competition after achieving 6.07m – finishing 14 centimetres clear of hear nearest rival, Simi Fajemisin (Oxford).
Amy Hinchly, of Tarporley High School, was sixth in her junior girls 1500m first round heat with a time of four minutes 45.44 seconds, and Tessa McCormick, of Upton High School, clocked 10:28:48 for ninth spot in the senior girls 3,000m.
View photo at https://www.westcheshireac.co.uk/images/usrimg/trackfield/ESAATF2012.JPG

Mark Davies and Julie Wood still head the points tables as at the end of June. See https://www.westcheshireac.co.uk/roadracing/pointscomp

Russell Kirk has secured two title-winning performances.
The West Cheshire AC member celebrated victories in both the over-50 men’s 400m and 800m finals at the Northern Vets Track and Field Championships, held at Leigh Sports Village.

Kirk, who clocked 35 minutes 45 seconds at a 9km Borders Road Running League race earlier this year, has seen all his speed work training at the Stanney Oaks Track paying dividends

Not a West Cheshire AC promotion, but see http://www.chestertri.org.uk/events/deva-triathlon/221-deva-volunteers for details of how to help out at this local, volunteer-run event, in return for a technical T-shirt and meal voucher.

Mark Davies and Julie Wood both continue to spearhead the points tables as at the end of May. See https://www.westcheshireac.co.uk/roadracing/pointscomp

John Driscoll has been awarded for his services to athletics.The West Cheshire AC vice-president was presented with the John Young Memorial Award at the recent Cheshire County Track and Field Championships.
Driscoll, who lives in Little Sutton, has enjoyed athletics since he was nine years old after a running session was hastily arranged following the cancellation of a football match due to a wet field.
And he admitted he had been surprised and extremely pleased to receive the award: The presentation at this years county track and field championships came as a total surprise.
The award means a great deal to me because I knew John Young for many years and I looked up to him as my mentor.
Driscoll remembers training on a new cinder track in his home town of Bedford and participating in cross country races while at Manchester University between 1960 and 1966.
Contemporaries’ during his time at Manchester included Ron Hill and John Whetton, and he went on to join Salford Harriers in 1966.
Driscoll moved to Ellesmere Port in March 1967, but continued running for Salford until 1976 before attending an inaugural meeting of Chester and District Athletic Club in October 1967.
He joined Chester and Ellesmere Port Athletic Club in October 1967 and has since played an instrumental role within West Cheshire Athletic Club having been part of the working group connected with the Stanney Athletics Track between 1999 and 2004.
Driscoll helped found the current Cheshire County Athletic Association in 1992 and chaired the county athletics commttee between 2004 and 2006.
He continues to compile road running statistics for Cheshire club members and was named president of Northern Athletics two years ago.
View picture at https://www.westcheshireac.co.uk/images/usrimg/johnDriscoll.jpg

Doublesuccess – West Cheshire AC chairman Dennis Wall flanked by Dave McKay and Kelly Baker with their Male and Female Field Athlete Awards from the Cheshire AA Track and Field Championships.View photo at https://www.westcheshireac.co.uk/images/usrimg/trackfield/cheshirechampsawards.jpg.jpg

WCAC member Alex Staniforth was a torch bearer when the Olympic torch relay visited Chester. View pictures at https://www.westcheshireac.co.uk/OlympicTorch

If any member wants to sponsor Alex for his trip to Mont Blanc use this link www.virginmoneygiving.com/montblanc2012

To get to Stanney Track approach along Stanney Lane (B5132) from the direction of Ellesmere Port.
If you normally use Junction 10 off the M53 stay on the A5117 to the roundabout at the A5032 junction, turn right for Ellesmere Port. At the traffic lights by the Woodland Pub (opposite Whitby School) turn right into Woodland Road, this becomes Underwood Drive and finishes at a T junction with Stanney Lane, turn right.

Before Dover Drive (which is on the left before the normal right turn to access the track) turn right near to the Pelican Crossing into the car park in front of the school.

West Cheshire AC member Alex Staniforth has been given the honour of carrying the Olympic torch in Chester on Tuesday May 29th.At approximately 6:10pm, Alex will run from Handbridge, over the Old Dee Bridge, along The Groves beside the River Dee, to Souters Lane. Feel free to support Alex on his run. On the same night, BBC1 North West Tonight will show an interview with Alex. For more details of his nomination, see
http://www.handbridge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=436:alex-chosen-to-carry-olympic-torch-through-handbridge&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=378
Two days later, local athletics stalwart Joe Beswick, of Helsby Running Club, will carry the torch in Macclesfield – see http://helsbyrunningclub.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/joes-olympic-torch-run-may-31st-details-and-route/ for details.