2008 NEWS

Breaking News

Congratulations to Clare Paterson, Gary Jones and Dan Grinham who have all Qualified for the English Schools Championships on 11th/12th of July in Gateshead.

Listen to Andover Sound (106.4) to be the first to find out how they got on !

Hampshire Schools

Andover and Districts schools sent a large contingent of bidding young athletes to the Hampshire Schools Athletics Championships – all with the aim of gaining qualification to represent Hampshire in a Southern Counties match the following weekend and ultimately a place at the English Schools Championships.

Andover District had one of the best days at these championships with 2 taking Championship titles and 7 second places.

Many of the medallists will be familiar to you being local Andover AC athletes.

Championship winners: Gary Jones (Winton) threw a massive 47.11m well over the English Schools qualifying distance, taking first place in the Junior Boys (JB) Hammer with ease. Gary is ranked 7th in the UK as an under 15 boy and is sure to be part of the Hampshire squad at both representative events.

Hannah Ashmore (Test Valley) took the title in the Intermediate Girls (IG) Shot Putt, although her throw of 9.47m was just short of the English Schools qualifying distance, she has been a regular Hampshire representative over many years.

Silver position: Dan Grinham (John Hanson) narrowly missed out on the JB 800m title, with a fraction of a second splitting the leading athletes. Although the time was nearly 3 seconds outside of the qualification time, Dan has already run nearly two seconds inside the required time so has a great chance of going to his first English schools championships, which are to be held in Gateshead next month.

Taking silver in both the Intermediate Girls 100m and 200m the highly talented Clare Paterson (Clere) also narrowly missed the gold positions. She was much faster out of the blocks than the rest of the field in both races, only losing out in the final third of each race. Clare also has the qualifying time in both events, despite being bottom age, so will hopefully gain selection.

Adam Harwood (Testbourne) took up the mantle in the Intermediate Boys 400m, running a personal best (pb) to come second. Adam only took up athletics last year, joining Andover athletics club after coming second in the U15 boys event last year. It was clear from last year what a natural talent he has and although he has yet to gain the qualifying time he is one to watch for the future.

Alex Rudge (Testbourne) ran a pb of 6 seconds (4.30.9) to take the silver position, fighting all the way up the finishing straight for 1st place.

Christie Woodford (John Hanson) made the transition from middle distance runner to 300m hurdler this year. Her stamina gained from the middle distance and cross country running helped her to a personal best time of 53.8 in the Intermediate Girls event.

Young high jumper Chris Evans (Clere) was outstanding in the JB event. Jumping 1.55m the same height as the winner only missing out on the gold potion on count back. Speaking after the event he said that his technique was helped by his love of the trampoline, which he also enjoys.

All of these athletes have been selected to represent Hampshire at the Southern Counties Match next weekend.

Senior Mens League – Salisbury

Going into the match the combined team of Andover and Overton were short of 8 athletes due to family commitments and unforeseen injuries. This was a major concern and meant the remaining athletes had to take on events that they don’t usually compete in.

First to compete was Southern Men’s team legend – Dave Awde, the London firefighter took on the pole vault and cleared a respectable two meters. This was closely followed by a convincing win in the A string 400m hurdles in a steady 62 seconds. In the B string 400m hurdles Kearon Hooley ran a convincing race to record a victory and set a new (personal best) pb of 66.2 seconds.

In the field the ever green Dave Bush was already having a busy day competing in the pole vault, high jump, hammer and shot put!!! Recording good points in all events. To support the team former Hampshire Schools 400m record holder – Stephen Payne was called in to compete in the long jump, shot put and hammer. Steve jumped an impressive 5m in the long jump and even suggested he might do some training for the next match.

In the sprints James Folkes was very cautious due to a niggling leg but still recorded a second in the a sting 100m. The current star of Andover AC sprinters – Adam Harwood took victories in the B string 100m (12.1), and A string 400m (54.1) and a close second place in the A string 200m (23.8).

In the middle distance races Kearon followed up his hurdles victory with impressive wins in the 800m (2.01) and 1500m (4.23.2)

The 5000m saw a welcome return for both Mike and Josh Bliss who recorded comfortable victories and showed real class on a very hot afternoon.

Towards the end of the match it had become a two way competition between Andover/Overton and Radley Athletics Club with both teams doing well in all events. However, Andover/Overton proved dominant in the relays and secured a massive victory in the 4 x 100m, setting the match up nicely for the last two events – 3000m steeple chase and the 4 x 400m relay.

In the ‘chase Keith Vallis and Dave Bush (again!!) both secured second place. The 4 x 400m team knew they needed victory, no east task by this point though as most people had done a minimum of 4 events each. Desperate times call for desperate measures, Coach James Coney was called upon to do a leg of the 4 x 400m. Despite this the team recorded a massive victory and secured the match leaving the team in third place (only two teams to go up) in the table, only one point behind first place.

The next match takes place in Bournemouth on 28th June.

News Round-Up

Over the past few weeks athletes have been competing all around the south – their main mission at this point in the season is to get personal bests (PB) measuring their improvement over last year, and with the goal of gaining Hampshire representative and English Schools qualification. The hard work the athletes, their coaches and the club have put in is showing real dividends with some terrific performances. The highlights of the season so far are:

Field Events:

Gary Jones, who now competes for Bournemouth AC, but still competes for Andover as second claim when he can, has already thrown 47.99m for the hammer this year. This PB sets him up nicely for National Level competitions, he is currently ranked 7th in the country. Also on the field, Lauren Marlow, broke the club record for the under 13's long jump with a superb leap of 4.60m metres.

Multi Events:

Andover AC’s rapidly improving multi eventer - Matthew Woodhouse recently entered his first ever County Schools Multi Event Championships taking place in Southampton. The event consisted of 100m H, Discus Throw, High Jump, Shot Putt and 1500m.

Matt proved why he is seen by his coach as a future star by winning the 100m hurdles in a PB time of 17.9, the discus in a PB of 32m and also took first place in the shot. Mat was narrowly beaten into second place by just 40 points. After a long hard day of competition Matt was rewarded with an invitation to represent Hampshire at the English Schools Multi Event Championships in Eton later this month. This event will consist of 200m, 400m, long jump, shot put, 1500m, javelin, high jump, 100m hurdles and will be ruin over two days – good luck to Matt.

Track:

Clare Paterson was 6th in the South England Championships Under 17 womens 200m final with a new PB of 25.9. This time is one tenth quicker than the English Schools qualifying standard so hopes are high for the Hampshire Schools championships this weekend. Clare is bottom age and has already knocked a whole second off her best time from last year.

The middle distance runners have made massive improvements, each knocking many seconds off last year’s tim es.

The best of these is Dan Grinham, who has knocked another 1.5 seconds off his best this year making a total of 8 seconds in all. Dan is now ranked 25th in the UK (under 15) with a time of 02:06.31. This is nearly 2 seconds inside the English Schools qualifying time – a tremendous improvement on last year. Also achieving PBs in the under 15 boys age category, Tom Bennett (4.30.13) and Alex Rudge (43.36.44) in the 1500m. Alex has also run sub 10 minutes (9.57) for the 3000m metres ranking him in the top 30 in the UK. Under 15 girls Ellora Milsom has also knocked 8 seconds off her 800m time for this year.

The under 17 boys middle distance runners have also been taking chunks off their 800m times. Chris Berntsen achieving 2.03.05 and Chris Adams 2.03.6, both boys are around 6 seconds faster than last year already.

Andover AC currently has several exciting sponsorship opportunities for local firms, including main sponsor. Any company that would like more details, please contact Nick Woodford, Club Chairman.

Andover Young Athletes Meeting

Typical terrible bank holiday weather conditions was the setting for Andover AC’s annual Young athlete meeting, which is aimed predominantly at the U11s to U17s age groups, making running conditions very difficult.

The highlights of the day were;

• The field events, especially U13 boy, Jamie Barry who had the largest medal haul of the day with two gold’s in the Shot Putt and the Discus and silver in the Javelin. Gary Jones continues to impress winning gold in the U15 boys Discuss and silver in the Shot Putt. Also taking first place, Jack Templeman in the U15 boys Long Jump. Jack followed this up with bronze in the 200m.

• The hurdles races, which opened the event in absolutely torrential rain, were also highly successful with Andover AC athletes picking up 3 gold’s. Lauren Marlow winning the 70m hurdles and later on in the day also going on to win the Long Jump, and Sam Deery and Danni Horner winning the U15 boys and U17 womens races. Shelby Baker followed this up with a bronze in the U15 girls 75m hurdles and a silver in the Long Jump.

• The middle distance events also proved to be a great source of medals and excitement with 6 medals and some terrific battles to the line. The best of these was by U15 boy Dan Grinham, who produced a massive PB, knocking 2 seconds off his previous 800m time, in spite of the weather conditions, chasing the winner all the way down the final straight to finish in 2nd just 1 second behind the gold. His time of 2.08 was equal to the winning time in the age group above and is also an English Schools qualifying time. The U17s boys race was a bit more tactical but none the less exciting with Chris Adams beating his Andover team mate Chris Berntsen to the line with less than a second between them in 2.08 and 2.08.6 respectively.

Also picking up gold medals were Adam Harwood who cruised to the line with absolute ease in the U17M 400m and Louise Corcoran in the U20 womens 100m.

Other medallists on the day:

Silver; Phoebe Dunbar just missing out by 100th of second on the gold medal in the U13 girls 100m, Danni Horner in the U17 womens 100m, Hermione Toomey U13 girls 1500m, Alex Rudge U15 boys 1500m, Ellora Milsom U15 girls 800m, Luke Holman U15 high jump, Millie Dobinson U15 girls High Jump, Matthew Woodhouse U17 boys Shot Putt

Bronze; Tom Bennett U15 boys 800m, Samuel Winchcombe U13 boys 1500m, Chris Neil U15 boys 1500m, Victoria Grinham U13 girls 800m, Harry Fitzpatrick U11 boys 600m, Harvey Boswell U11 Long Jump,

Nick Woodford, Andover AC Chairman said, ‘It was a great shame about the weather, but the athletes perform throughout the year and so are used to weather conditions of all extremes. We had nearly 300 entries which is 50 more than last year and there were some great performances making for a really enjoyable day. A special thanks to all of the athletes, volunteers, track and field officials and to our local MP - Sir George Young, Councillor - Ian Carr and our new local radio station Andover Sound and the Andover Advertiser who all took the time out to visit us during the day’. Andover AC is kindly sponsored by CK Building Contractors.

To see the track results click here

The field results can be seen by clicking here

Hampshire Championships

Once again Andover Athletic Club, who is sponsored by local company CK Building Contractors, proved that a small town club can compete with the big city clubs. Andover took a total of 31 athletes to Portsmouth for the Hampshire Championships run over two days in the blistering heat. The elite athletes from all over the County including the Channel Islands come together for this prestigious event.

The club had one of its most successful Hampshire Championships coming away with 15 medals; 3 County Champions namely Matthew Chant U13 200m, Jamie Barry U13 Discus and Gary Jones U15 Hammer; 7 silvers and 5 bronze; a tremendous achievement in a highly competitive championship where everyone had to work hard to gain titles. Jamie Barry and Gary Jones had the largest medal hauls. Jamie took bronze in the Shot (7.21), 2nd in the Javelin (24.42) along with his gold for the Discus where his throw of 23.42 places him 9th nationally. Gary took 2nd and 3rd in the Discus and Shot respectively and his throw of 46.29 in the Hammer was a massive 11 metres ahead of the field placing him 7th nationally.

Two Andover athletes also broke club records. Matt Chant, who has only just moved up to the U13B age group, broke the 100m record (13.23). And Matt Woodhouse broke the club record for the U17M Shot 10.29. Both records have stood for over twenty years.

Besides the medal haul and club records there were 29 Personal Bests (PB) achieved by the athletes. U13B; M.Chant – 200m, Jamie Barry – Discus and Javelin, U13G; Ellis Hewlett and Ellie Woodford – 100m, U15B; Jack Templeman – 200m and long jump, Roland Barter - Javelin, Dan Grinham - 800m (3rd), Alex Rudge – 3000m (2nd), Chris Neal - 3000m and 1500m, Sam Deery 80m hurdles, U17B; Adam Harwood – 200m (3rd) and 400m, Chris Adams – 400m and 800m, Ricky Taylor – 400m Hurdles (3rd) and 200m, U17G; Clare Paterson – 100m and 200m (2nd in both), Grace Paterson – 300m, Christie Woodford – 300m, Senior Men; James Whiteman – 200m and 400m, Kearon Hooley – 400m and 800m. although just missing out on a PB, Tom Bennett took silver in the 1500m.

Andover AC also had one athlete competing in the Wiltshire Championships. Katy Preece who is bottom age in the U15Gs got PBs in the 100m and 200m and also ran in the 800m – a very busy day!

ROAD RUNNERS REPORT 15^th MAY

Seven Andover members ran the recent Alton 10 Mile race, which was the ninth scoring event in the Hampshire Road Race League. In contrast to the previous League race, held on the coldest day in April, this race was run on the hottest day of the year. This weather is not welcomed by distance runners, and times were slower than usual as a consequence. On a hilly course Dougie Brisco's time of 64:19, which placed him 24^th male overall (3^rd Over 50), was an excellent performance. Dougie was followed home by; David Cleghorn in 75:22 (118^th), John Frost in 82:18 (191^st) with the first team's fourth counter Derek Jarvis just behind John in 198^th (82:42). This set of results enabled Andover to place second amongst the Division Three teams, which was sufficient to confirm the divisional championship. Also competing on the day were; John Goulding, Ian Griffin and Matt Lane.

The League comprises of 10 races, at distances of 5 miles upwards, from September to June. The club would be pleased to welcome any athletes over 16 years of age for training at Charlton on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Andover AC are particularly looking for those who could participate in the Division Two races from September. The women's road running section has recently been strengthened, and we hope to enter a women's team in the League.

The club is hosting their annual Young Athletes Meeting on the bank holiday - 26^th May. The programme includes track and field events for athletes from age 7 to 19. Whilst entries have closed, spectators are welcome free of charge, with events starting at 10:30 at Charlton. Please contact David Cleghorn on (01264) 355178 or check www.andover-athletic.co.uk for details.

Medal's galore in season opener at Bracknell

Six Andover Athletic Club members traveled to Bracknell for the season opener, the weather was awful with rain and very strong winds to contend with. Lauren Marlow (U13) in the first event of the day (70m Hurdles) was feeling confident after a great winters training and set off like a train winning her heat easily setting a new Personal Best (PB) in the process of 12.9. Lauren also took part in the 150m recording a time of 23.8, not enough to make the final this time. On a busy day she then went over to the long jump where a leap of 3.89 was enough to secure the silver medal. In the 70m Hurdles final Lauren once again lead the field over the first hurdle, then disaster struck as she clipped the 3rd hurdle which sent her clattering to the ground. With incredible bravery Lauren got back up and to great applause from the whole crowd finished the race.

In his first event as an U15, Dan Settle was understandably nervous. The hard thing with going up an age group in throwing events is the change of weight and size of the shot, javelin and hammer. Add this to being injured for most of the winter it was always going to be a tough day for Dan. However, he got stuck in and should be pleased with himself. His best shot being 5.56m and his best throw in the javelin 22.74m being good markers for the season ahead.

Matthew Chant made his debut as an U13 having moved up from the under 11s age group where he dominated last year. Matthew took part in 80m and 150m, nobody knew how he was going to cope in this age group, but he was not only competitive he absolutely destroyed the opposition, winning both of his heats and finals in 11.2 and 20.07 respectively, setting club records for both. This could be a very special season for the Rookwood School pupil as he prepares for the forthcoming Hampshire Championships.

Jack Templeman U15 made a nervous start in the 200m finishing 3rd in his heat to miss the final.. However, the 100m was a different matter. Jack went for it in his 100m heat, just being piped on the line to finish 2nd taking him to a very tough final where from the gun he was in the mix finishing in a fantastic 3rd place. Charlotte Brown took on a very strong 800m field in the U17s race, not being used to this level of competition she found the initial pace a lot quicker than she has experienced before. Charlotte now knows what she has to work on in training and will get better and better. Tom Bennett was one of the last to get on the track for the U15 1500m. Tom took up the running from the gun, dropping most of his opponents by the end of the first lap. He kept driving and with 400m to go was on his own pushing himself all the way to the line. Tom’s time of 4.36 showed how much stronger he has become over the winter and can look forward to that time coming down race by race.

Schools Inter Counties Cross Country

A trip to Basildon in Essex as part of a very strong Hampshire Squad was the reward for Ellora Milsom’s hard work this winter. Ellora who attends John Hanson was the sole representative from year eight Andover Schools. A very tough undulating course, over 3 km, made all the harder by the driving wind. This being her last cross country race for this season she gamely took on the challenge and finished in a fine 26th place. Ellora and her Hampshire team mates all finished well up the field to come home with the silver medal. Ellora now cannot wait to get onto the track for the summer season where she should be gaining some great times and results. Andover AC is sponsored by CK Building Contractors.

Phill represents Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Andover AC athlete Phill Berntsen took his place in the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the first time at the weekend in the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships - the world’s toughest cross country race with athletes from all over the world representing their countries.

The championships were staged within the magnificent setting of Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. This Royal Park, in the shadow of Holyrood Palace, offered a truly dramatic natural landscape setting just a short walk away from Edinburgh’s city centre.

The course was designed to take advantage of the natural undulations within the park and provided a true test in the art of cross country running. Undoubtedly Haggis Knowe was the centre piece of the course - this large rocky outcrop provided steep climbs and descents for the athletes as well as offering a superb spectating position with views of the entire course. As frantic rainstorms battered the course and the 20,000 spectators alike, athletes competing were given a true test of their determination.

All races, which were televised live by BBC, consisted of a series of small laps (approx 1,800 metres) and large laps (approx 2,100 metres) the larger laps taking the athletes up and around Haggis Knowe.

Phill competed in the Junior Mens 8k race which was over two short and two long laps. Although 3rd out of the pen, Phill struggled right from the start, never really getting into his running form. However, he did rally over the last lap to finish 93rd in a time of 26.06 (6th team member back). After the race Phill said ‘I had difficulty breathing right from the start so could not get into my stride. I was a bit disappointed in my performance on the day but quickly got it into perspective that to come 93rd in the world’s at my first attempt is nothing to be too down about. I also still have another year in this age group and two years in the European’s so hope I can continue to improve as much as I have over the past 6 months. The overall experience was really brilliant, especially walking out on to the course before the race. It made all the hard work I have put in worth while and I know I will need to continue to step it up and to stay focussed to ensure I reach my goals for the coming year.’ This was the last cross country race of the 2007/2008 season and so Phill will now move his focus to the track.

Having made the trip to support his brother, Chris Berntsen competed in the Welcome the World 5K 2008 which provided a fantastic opportunity for athletes from all over the UK to be part of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships weekend. It was also round two of the 2008 Stewarts Scottish Road Race Grand Prix so had a mix of high calibre athletes and fun runners totalling around 1000 competitors.

Starting at the edge of Holyrood Park the route passed the beautiful St Margaret's Loch in the shadow of Arthur's Seat before heading steeply up towards Dunsapie Loch with views over to the Pentland Hills then round to the edge of Salisbury Crags with Edinburgh Castle visible in the distance before it headed downhill to the spectacular finishing area next to the Scottish Parliament building and the Palace of Holyrood House. In spite of competing against men and women of all ages, Chris, who is 15, completed the gruelling 5k course in 18:06 to finish in a tremendous 61st place (3rd under 18), with only 775 managing to complete the course! Andover AC is kindly sponsored by CK Building Contractors.

Phill Berntsen won the silver medal at the 48th Sainsbury's English Schools National Cross Country Championship following a tremendously exciting finish to clinch 2nd place behind the UKs number one, Dave Forester. Phill and his brother Chris, who both run for Andover AC, were representing Hampshire Schools and their respective schools (Peter Symonds Collage, Winchester and John Hanson, Andover). Sam Robinson, also an Andover athlete, was competing for Wiltshire schools (Bishops Wordsworth, Salisbury). This prestigious event is where the top eight athletes in each age group from all 45 counties in England get to compete against each other aiming for the accolade of ‘best in England’

This years course was set in the magnificent 200-acre Sefton Park in the South East of Liverpool. A fairly flat and therefore fast course, Phill raced against nearly 400 athletes over the 6.5k. Although a bit shorter than he is used to, he set his sights on a top 3 position, thereby hopefully consolidating his Great Britain selection chances for the World Cross Country Championships in March. First out of the Hampshire pen, he coped with the fast start extremely well staying in the leading pack during the first lap of the two lap course. However, shortly after the start the heavens quite literally opened and with the keen wind Phill found the cold conditions hard to deal with causing him to suddenly drop off the pace falling back to 5th position with just under a lap to go. But Phill fought back. Dave Forester the eventual winner (Greater Manchester) forged ahead helping to split the pack. Phill started his come back, picking off 4th position with about 1,000m to go and then setting his sights on last years winner, Simon Horsefield (also Greater Manchester). Simon is one of the UKs fastest 800m and 1500m runners, so is known for his very fast sprint finish. However Phill blasted past him with about 200m to go and then amazingly continued his strong finish making up a further 30m on 2nd placed James Wilkinson (West Yorkshire) to snatch the silver medal by just one second in a time of 21:12. This was a massive achievement for Phill finishing about 100m behind Dave Forester who is already pre-selected for the GB team having come 4th in the European Championships in November. The Hampshire team came 6th (first 6 count).

Chris, who had competed earlier in the day, arguably had the tougher task, starting at the back in 8th Hampshire position with over 300 athletes in front of him in the Intermediate boys race. Chris is also bottom age in this intermediate age group, with the 5.9k course the longest he has competed in this year. Chris’s target for the race was to improve on his 8th Hampshire position. He started the race sensibly ensuring he went wide of the first sharp corner so that he did not get too delayed in the crush. This strategy ensured he had made up ground to about 200th position within the first quarter of the first of the 2 lap course. Over the rest of the race he systematically pulled his way through the throng of athletes eventually finishing 100th in a time of 21:42. And, more importantly, 5th Hampshire position and the first Hampshire home of the bottom agers. Definitely his best result to date. The Hampshire team finished in 5th position (first 6 count) and we believe (yet to be confirmed) also won the cup for first complete team to finish (all 8 runners).

It was Sam’s first time at the English Schools and he was competing in the Junior boys 3.75km race. Like Chris he is bottom age and was also last man out of the Wiltshire pen so looking to improve on this position. Sam put in a tremendous performance picking his way through the massive field of competitors to come in 203rd finishing with a group of 5 runners all with the same time of 14:37. Miraculously, Sam moved up from 8th Wiltshire place to 3rd – a brilliant result especially for one who has not been in the sport for very long. The Wiltshire team finished in 39th place.

County Championship glory for Andover athletes.

Two of Andover’s outstanding young stars headed to Portsmouth for the County Sportshall Championships. Lauren Marlow and Ellora Milsom both had busy days, with Lauren competing in three events and Ellora four across track and field. The level of competition at these events is so intense that it comes down to hundredths of a second or a millimetre determining whether you get a medal or not. The pressure for these young athletes is very concentrated in what is renowned as one of the nosiest environments in sport. Lauren continued the fine tradition that Andover Athletic Club has in County Championships winning a gold medal in the standing long jump with a new personal best of 2m 10cm and Ellora just missed out on gold’s in the speed bounce and 6 lap endurance race but should be very proud of two excellent silver medals. Just rewards for all the hard effort they put into their training particularly on those cold winter nights. Andover AC is kindly sponsored bt CK building Contractors.

Combined National Cross Country Championships

and Hampshire Schools report

This Year the 2008 National Cross Country Championships were held at the wonderful location of Alton Towers. The course proved to be a real test of cross country running, with an undulating course and a brutal hill at the far side, involving a 200m gradual incline and ending with a 100m almost vertical climb.

Alex Rudge and Chris and Phill Berntsen were the Andover AC athletes competing in what is the biggest and most prestigious enterable cross country event of the season.

Performance of the day went to 18 year old Phill competing in the under 20s age group over a long and arduous 9.4k three lap course and therefore three times up the horrendous hill. Phill had set himself a target to finish in the top 10 despite over 200 competitors and the cream of the UK competing. Phill had an excellent start never falling out of the top 10, eventually finishing in 7^th place in a very quick time of 28:42. Phill has two further years in this age group and all six runners in front of him were seasoned GB Internationals. Crucially, four of the six are about to move to the U23s age group and are therefore not eligible for selection for the Junior mens GB team at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

Both Chris Berntsen and Alex Rudge were competing for the first time in the Nationals, running in the 4k U15 boys age group. Despite the very difficult course both boys ran better than expected, starting conservatively in what was a very large field of over 350 competitors. Chris eventually finished in 65^th place taking about 15 in the final 100m with a very fast sprint finish, in a time of 12:47. And Alex, who is bottom age and has just returned from a football injury which has seen him unable to compete since early January finished in a very creditable 164^th in a time of 13:31. So good to see he is now back on the road to a full recovery.

In addition, both Chris and Phill have recently been confirmed as selected for the Hampshire Schools Team at the English Schools Cross Country Championships to be held at Sefton Park, Liverpool and also the Hampshire Clubs team for the UK Inter-counties in Nottingham on March 15^th. As this event also incorporates the World Cross Qualifiers it is being televised by Sky. The first race, the U20 mens (Phill’s race) starts at 11.05 and the under 15s (Chris’s race) at 12.21, so keep an eye out for them both.

The young ones were also on Hampshire duty. Both Matthew Chant and Ellora Milsom were recently selected to represent the county in the South of England sportshall competition held in Portsmouth.  Matthew competing as part of a very successful under 11 boys team who finished in a very close second only 3 points behind the winners Oxfordshire.  Matthew took part in three events the sitting throw, standing long jump and relay, gaining valuable points for the team in all the events.  Under 13 girl Ellora took part in two events, the 6 lap parlaaf finishing a fine second and went one better in the speed bounce coming away with a gold medal.  Her team surpassed expectations by finishing in a fantastic second place. Andover AC is kindly sponsored by CK Building Contractors.

ROAD RUNNERS REPORT

On a perfect day for running a total of 620 runners completed the Romsey 5 Mile Race in times ranging from 24 to 65 minutes. Six Andover members ran, led home by David Cleghorn in 33:00, which earned him 107^th place. The typically close race between Derek Jarvis and Kelvin Mason was won by Derek in 35:52 (8^th over 60) to Kelvin's 36:05. They were followed by Rob Wilcox in 39:26 and John Goulding 40:48 (4th over 70). This was an excellent result for John as injury had prevented him from running from July to November. Angela Trump completed the Andover contingent, in a time of 42:45.

The weather was less kind for the 8 Andover athletes who ran the Ryde 10 Mile race the follwong week, which was the 6^th scoring event in the Hampshire Road Race League. The combination of sharp hills, including an unwelcome climb beyond the 8 mile mark, and blustery winds made this a difficult race. This made the winning time of 50:45 by Winchester's Toby Lambert a truly high class performance.

Andover’s Dougie Brisco showed a fine return to fitness and form, coming 23^rd (3^rd over 50) in a time of 62:21. The remaining athletes to score in the league team were David Cleghorn 70:56 (87th), Gavin Whatley 71:55 (94^th) and Matt Lane 73:47 (109th). These results enabled Andover to consolidate their overall lead in Division 3. Gavin and Matt are amongst 5 Andover members with London Marathon entries this year. They were followed home by Derek Jarvis and Kelvin Mason, in times of 75:03 and 76:56 respectively. The men's team was completed by Ian Oldacre who completed the course despite being hampered by injury. Andover's sole female representative was Sheila Ridge who completed the course in 100:51.