Athletics Josh and Nyree sign off for the season with more medals
BRISTOL & West AC teenagers Josh Schrijver and Nyree Perry ended their season with yet more silverware at the British & Irish Schools’ International match at Derby.
Representing England, having finished runner-up at the English Championships in July, Clifton College student Schrijver, who works with coach Ken Holmes, won silver in the discus with a throw of 47.39m. The gold went to Welshman Michael Jenkins with a big PB of 51.65m to put him top of the UK Rankings for under-17 men.
Sidcot School student Perry, who was also a silver medal winner at the national championships and added a bronze at the UK Schools Games, finished third in the pole vault on 3.20m.
For both athletes making the podium brings the curtain down on a fabulous summer.
» While the track and field season comes to a close, the autumn road running campaign moved up a gear with the Midland Counties Relay Championships at Sutton Park and for Bristol & West AC’s senior men it was a case of déjà vu as they again won the silver medals – just as they did when it was last held in 2019. “Top Birmingham club Birchfield Harriers dominated the race as they did two years ago, though admittedly we were closer to them this time,” said team manager Mike Down.
Josh Moody ran a superb tactical opening stage, starting cautiously and then winding up his tempo gradually to move from just inside the top 20 at halfway to fifth at the finish, about 40 seconds quicker than his previous best on the testing circuit. The 13-second deficit set up Felix McGrath nicely and, despite the effects of the previous weekend`s UK Fell Running Championships, he brought Bristol & West into the lead.
On the comeback trail, Ben Westhenry only narrowly lost the lead to Birchfield while holding off Notts to maintain second at the halfway stage.
That is how it remained as Jack Millar, Adam Stokes and Kurt Taylor all ran solid solo runs as the dominant Birchfield disappeared up the road.
“On reflection, perhaps the most remarkable stat of the team`s performance was the incredible consistency of our times, with the fastest four clocking within a second of each other and the slower two the same,” reflected Down.
Senior men: 1 Birchfield Harriers 1:47.49; 2 Bristol & West AC 1:49.37; 3 Notts AC 1:50.16 B&W A: 1:58.31 (Josh Moody 18:03, Felix McGrath 18:03, Ben Westhenry 18:41, Jack Millar 18:04, Adam Stokes 18:42, Kurt Taylor 18:04).
12 B&W B: 1:58.31 (Ben Maliphant 19:30, Joe Connors 18:54, Felix Rusby 20:07, Adam Wilson 19:31, Stephen Kerfoot 20:03, Tom Foxon 20:26).
In the women’s four-stage event, Bristol & West AC women’s squad of Kate Mactear, Natalie Bretherton, Annie Carroll and Elaina Gard finished just 14 seconds off the podium. Solid runs by Kate Mactear, Natalie Bretherton, Annie Carroll, who brought B&W into the medals on stage three with a super time of 15:51 to go second, and then finally Gard delivered a very creditable fifth place.
Senior women: 1 Birchfield Harriers 1:00.48; 2 Wolverhampton & Bilston 1:02.44; 3 Coventy 1:04.01; 4 City of Stoke 1:04.14; 5 Bristol & West AC 1:04.15 (Kate Mactear 15:38, Natalie Bretherton 15:42, Annie Carroll 15:41, Elaina Gard 17:14).
10 B&W B: 1: 06.51 (Lucy Wallace 16:42, Clare Jolliffe 17:05, Liz Sanigar 15:09, Danni Sinclair 17:56). 24 B&W C 1:11.22 (Alice Watson 18:20, Emma Jolliffe 18:11, Hannah Dyer 17:13, Anna Ford 17:38).
» In the young athletes’ races, the B&W under-13 girls’ squad of G Rittersherratt, Phoebe Sanigar and Holly Massey finished fifth, while the under-13 boys’ team Sean Deane, Elijah Buscemi and Thomas White were eighth.
The under-15 girls’ trio of Zahra Fitzpatrick, Eliza Bolt and Holly Sanigar placed 13th.
» On the roads, Catie O’Donoghue won the Hullavington marathon in a personal best of 3hrs 18mins 39secs, while club-mate Sarah Everitt was top woman in the Corsham 10k (40:23). Andy Drake opted for the Berlin marathon and clocked a PB of 2:36.17.
» Bristol & West AC teenager Megan Hornung has been selected to represent the South West in the under-17 women’s race at the London Mini Marathon on Sunday.