The English Schools Championships provided another opportunity to shine for Amelia Verney and it was one she was determined to make the most of
After a terrific performance at the British Championships which saw her square off against Dina Asher-Smith in the semi-final of the 100 metres, Bournemouth AC sprint superstar Amelia Verney returned to Manchester for the ESAA New Balance English Schools Championships.
This time she was in action in the Under 20 Women’s 200 metres. Looking in fantastic form, she won her heat in a lightening quick time of 24:47 which was a new PB for her without wind assistance.
It was enough to give her a 0.06 second margin of victory over Mary John of Woodford Green Essex Ladies who was 2nd in 24:53. The other heat was won by Madeleine Whapples of Solihull & Small Heath and she recorded a time of 24:68, so not quite as quick as Amelia.
The question was, could Amelia deliver again though in the final? And the answer to that question was an emphatic yes!! Sure enough, she produced another incredible display to land the gold medal and even managed to eclipse her previous time by finishing in 24:45.
Madeleine Whapples took the silver medal in what, for her, was a PB time of 24:66, with Mary John taking home bronze in 24:67.
It was a truly stunning performance from Amelia and the way she’s going, an international vest surely beckons. It can only now be a matter of time.
Next up for Amelia it is the South West Championships at Exeter Arena and in the form that she’s in, you certainly wouldn’t bet against another successful outing for her in that one.
Amelia with her well deserved gold medal after a spectacular showing
Bournemouth AC’s 17-year-old sprint sensation Amelia Verney lined up against Dina Asher-Smith in the British Championships 100m semi-final
As far as the domestic club athletics scene goes, there aren’t too many bigger stages than the British Championships, and at that event, only the real cream of the crop get to compete.
To have any involvement, athletes need to be among the best in the country in their field, so it’s quite an accolade just to be competing there.
Considering that, it was impressive to see several Bournemouth AC representatives in action over the course of the three day weekend in Manchester. They were vying for national titles and places in the team for the Tokyo Olympics.
Two BAC girls qualified for the Women’s 100 metres with Amelia Verney and Brooke Ironside both taking centre stage. It was also the first time in the club’s history that two junior athletes had made it through to the British Champs, with Amelia at just 17 years of age and Brooke being 18.
Amelia was one of two Bournemouth AC juniors racing in the senior 100m heats
For them to be mixing it with the top British senior women was a tremendous achievement in itself. Brooke finished 7th in her heat in a time of 12:82 but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to see her progress to the semi-final.
Crossing the line in 6th place in her heat, Amelia‘s time of 12:28 was quick enough to see her through to the semi-final. That meant a showdown with the nation’s top sprinter Dina Asher-Smith.
It was a great moment for Amelia to be lining up against an athlete of such high acclaim and she managed to up her game for the occasion.
Clocking a superb time of 12:01, Amelia finished 8th in her semi-final but didn’t quite make the final unfortunately. It was still a mightily impressive performance from her though.
Amelia finished 8th in her semi-final recording a time of 12:01
There was also Bournemouth AC involvement in the Long Jump where James Lelliott was right in the tick of the action. With a huge leap of 7.69 metres, he was leading until the final round of jumps.
Then Alex Farquharson of Coventry snatched the gold medal with his last attempt, jumping the same distance. That meant James had to be content with a silver medal but it still a fantastic achievement from him, proving that he’s up there with the very best on the national scene.
James Lelliott takes a leap of faith that would see him secure a silver medal
In the Women’s Discus, Phoebe Dowson was flying the yellow and blue flag and she recorded a huge throw of 52.42 to finish in 5th place.
The Men’s Discus also featured a BAC star in the shape of Adam Phillips and he threw 49 metres to take 9th place in the standings.
Phobe Dowson threw well to seal 5th place in the Women’s Discus
Second claim BAC member Adam Booth finished 2nd in his 400 metre Hurdles heat in a time of 51:84 which saw him progress to the final. He then ran a time of 52:17 to take 5th place in the final.
Another second claim Bournemouth AC member Piers Copeland was in action in the 1500 metres and he qualified for the final by finishing 2nd in his heat in a time of 3:45.66. He then produced a time of 3:45.51 in the final which saw him get over the line in 10th place.
Adam Phillips threw 49 metres to finish 9th in the Men’s Discus
It was great to see so many athletes with Bournemouth AC connections flourishing on the national stage and putting the club on the map in such an impressive way.
And with Amelia and Brooke already reaching that level at such a tender age, their future prospects look very bright going forward. It’s a testament, not just to the athletes themselves but also to the coaches who have helped develop and nurture these special talents.
James proved he’s one of Bournemouth AC’s highest standard competitors on a national level
The South of England AA Champs gave Amelia Verney the chance to test herself against high quality opposition in the 100 metre and 200 metre sprints
Currently making a real name for herself on the track in recent races, Bournemouth AC‘s very own Amelia Verney has been excelling over 100 metre and 200 metre distances.
Recording an 11.82 for the 100m and 24.97 for the 200m at a South of England Track & Field Academy Sports Pro Event in May, Amelia had every reason to be confident going into the South of England Athletic Association Championships.
Competing in the Under 20 category, Amelia did not disappoint, running a time of 24:42 in her 200m to heat to qualify for the final in 2nd place. Then, in the final, she improved on that performance to cross the line in a magnificent time of 24:07. That was enough to see her secure a silver medal.
Demonstrating that she can mix it with the best of them, Amelia came away with medals to show for it
The next day she followed up those heroics with a lightening quick 11.99 in her heat to qualify for the 100m final in 2nd place. Then in the final she clocked a time of 12:09 to seal a bronze medal.
The 11.99 time she ran was legitimate as well, with no wind assistance, and it was only Allanah Fashanu of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers who managed a faster time that day. She recorded an 11.93 in that same heat.
Breaking 12 seconds is a remarkable achievement for Amelia. She will now be seeking an England vest, which is a real possibility for her given the huge potential she is showing.
With the talent she possesses, an England call-up could well be in the pipeline for Amelia
Next up Amelia will be returning to Bedford to compete in the England U20 Championships this coming weekend and she’s also been invited to the British Championships in Manchester the following weekend.
It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how Amelia gets on when facing off against the very best in the country. The way she’s running at the moment though, another impressive display will likely be on the cards.
Entries are open for the County Track and Field Championships for U17s, Juniors, Seniors and Masters which is taking place on Saturday 26th June 2021 at Kings Park.
Hi all – We are close to just four weeks to go now for the first NAL match of the season for our Senior and U20 athletes…. Sunday 6th June at Tonbridge.
Amy Spencer and I have over the past couple of weeks ‘messaged’ many of you who we consider would be looking to compete – if you have received such a message then please do reply to us with your availability and preferences for the season. It is important we understand what your wishes are in order to help our team selection. There are a number of you out there still to reply…. Please Do Also, if you have not received a message from us and were hopeful of competing in the NAL this year then please also contact myself or Amy.
Soon we will be selecting the team for the first match and we are looking forward to a different, but exciting season of competition culminating in two home matches at our brand new athletics facilities.
I am now able to share with you the new NAL Website which has officially been launched today. Please do have a look at this for quite a source of information about the fixtures forthcoming and past. Of particular interest this year is the NAL Rules of Competition for 2021 which explains how this season’s matches will operate. That can be found under the ‘Competition’ Tab. https://www.nationalathleticsleague.org.uk
Amy and I are looking forward to seeing many of you soon, hopefully in competitive action. We wish you well with your preparation and all the best for a successful season.
This is a “Plan A” approach to the NAL where the Covid-19 situation allows this “normal” shape of competition to go ahead. There is also a “Plan B” (smaller meetings, more local travel) and even a “Plan C” to attempt to cater for alternative situations.
Myself and Amy Spencer will be managing the Bournemouth AC NAL team and we look forward to seeing some new faces as well as many familiar ones in the team for 2021 as we aim to go out there and “smash it” in our usual BAC way.
A brief update about the National Athletics League (NAL) as things stand heading to 2021. The NAL is the national level track and field competition for Senior and U20 men and women and Bournemouth AC are in the 2nd Tier of this known as the “Championship” division.
The NAL committee is planning both for a Plan A (where things can go ahead as normal in 2021) and a Plan B, where things are more restrictive still and thus would involve a competition structure with less travelling. We all hope for Plan A and I can let you have some details of that now…
The NAL Committee has listened to the wishes of the clubs and athletes and most fixtures now are on Saturdays. The fixtures for Bournemouth AC are PROVISIONALLY as follows…
Sat 15-MaySportCity, Manchester
Sat 5-JunKing’s Park, Bournemouth
Sat 3-JulChelmsford
Sun 8-AugBedford
The overall structure along with the teams at each match is here…
I shall once again be taking the lead in managing the NAL in 2021 along with Amy Spencer who will help particularly on the ladies side. We have an opportunity to once again look to boost the team as we head into 2021 and work is progressing on that ☺. With a year’s gap from league competition and some club athletes now progressing well and moving up into the U20 age group, we hope to see some fresh faces in the team in 2021. I’m sure that Bournemouth AC will continue to show that it’s an extremely enthusiastic team.
Yeovil Olympiads Athletics Club played host to their first athletics meeting of 2020 at the Bill Whistlecroft Arena on Saturday 29 August.
As the Yeovil Games 2020 cannot take place under the current restrictions, the club have scheduled two mini-opens with this Field Open Meeting being the first. The second is scheduled for Saturday 5 September which includes track events up to 800m.
BAC’s Jazmin Cooke entered the High Jump, her top event and she meant business.
The day started with an apprehensive drive with Jazmin’s support crew in tow (AKA Claire Cooke and Peter Lock). Although the journey was shrouded with nerves, this provided a good base for Jazmin’s adrenaline and passion for success. When they arrived at Yeovil track, it was a very calm atmosphere and the nerves soon settled.
This was the first HJ competition of the season and Jazmin was able to watch the men’s HJ first, a brilliant event before heading over to the waiting area for her own event. The athletes were taken over in accordance with Covid guidance. The athletes were able to position their run ups and practise jumping prior to the start of the competition. Jazmin put the bar to 1.50m and felt good so she decided to start at 1.56m. She waited in anticipation for the other athletes to commence their jumps.
Jazmin Cooke Focused
It was vital for Jazmin to keep her muscles warm as the wind and clouds had dulled the skies by that point. As she limbered up to take on her first jump, the sunshine made a welcome appearance and Jaz flew over the first jump at 1.56m!
Jaz Clears the Bar Convincingly
Jaz waited patiently as the last few competitors made their final attempts at clearing the bar. The other athletes were unable to stay in the competition and Jaz was then the last girl standing. It was clear she was the winner at that stage.
The next height Jaz attempted was 1.61m and yet again she flew over, clearing it by a good margin. The bar was raised to 1.65m and Jaz convincingly cleared it on her first attempt. As mentioned earlier, Jaz meant business that day and she had a strong belief in herself. She was hungry for success and knew she was could beat last season’s PB of 1.67m. She went for 1.68m and absolutely nailed it in one jump!
Not satisfied with that Jaz asked to raise the bar to 1.70m which was her ultimate goal! She attacked that 1.70m with such determination and drive – she cleared it!!!!
The crowd nearby were cheering passionately and it was no surprise to hear that mum, Claire Cooke was close to tears, what an achievement! To end the day on no less than a high, Jaz attempted 1.72m. However; the exhaustion and realisation had kicked in and she couldn’t quite get the energy she needed to clear it. Regardless, she is over the moon with her results and what an outstanding performance.
Well done Jaz! We’re looking forward to seeing you in action again.
Bournemouth Athletic Club hosted an Open Graded Sprints meeting on Sunday 23rd August at King’s Park Athletics Stadium. The meeting was an initiative to provide local athletes with an opportunity to compete without need to travel much. As such and to limit the number of competitors on site, the meeting was restricted to athlete members of Bournemouth AC, Poole AC, Poole Runners, Wimborne AC, Dorchester AC, Weymouth St Paul’s Harriers and AC, New Forest Juniors and Isle of Wight AC.
The events were seeded races and included the 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m and held under UKA Rules and EA Covid-19 Guidelines. As a result it was classed as an ‘official’ meeting with results compiled for Power of 10, the first in Bournemouth in 2020. There was also a wind gauge in operation. As the first official outdoor sprints meeting in Bournemouth in 2020, it was clearly evident that athletes were delighted to be back on track! The athletes embraced the opportunity to put their hard training into practice and there was an undeniable buzz about the place.
The weather was kind as it stayed warm and dry but the wind was hitting the back straight in big surges. However, the longer sprint athletes did not appear to let this deter them and this is evident in some excellent performances being recorded.
100m The meeting kicked off with the most popular event of the day, the 100m sprints. The races were spread across 12 heats with over 60 athletes competing. The wind was in their favour with readings ranging from +1.3 to highs of +4.2.
The fastest time of the day was recorded by BAC’s International Long Jumper, James Lelliott who raced to victory in 11.0 (+1.6). He was followed by BAC’s Joseph Haywood and Muiris Egan in a time of 11.5 and 11.6 respectively. They all looked on great form having put in the hard work and dedication during lock down. We are looking forward to seeing James in action again at the Müller British Athletics Championships on 4-5 September at the Manchester Regional Arena. The Championships will be broadcast live on Friday night on BBC2, 1800-2100 and Saturday afternoon on BBC1, 1315-1630.
The woman’s fastest time of the day was clocked by Amelia Verney (U17) in Heat 2 with an excellent time of 11.8 (+3.6) followed by Brooke Ironside’s (U20) impressive 12.0 (+2.4) in Heat 3.
Other notable performances by BAC athletes included a great show from our Junior athletes are as follows: Keon Dzuda (U17M), picture below in 11.8; Jolomi Nengite (U20M) 12.3; Adam Nicholass (SM) 12.4; Jazmin Cooke (U20W) in 12.8 (pictured above) Abi Phillips (U17W); Mia Wilkinson (U17W) 13.0; Amy Tonkyn (U15G) 13.6; (U15G) 13.9; William Launder (U13B) 14.0; Connor Bailey-Pearce (U13B) 14.6; Ewan Brown (U13B) 14.7; Bailey Guy (U15B) 15.0; and Ben Hutton (U13B) 15.0.
200m Over 40 athletes lined up on the top bend to compete in the 200m which extended to 10 Heats. The fastest time of the meeting was recorded by BAC’s Kevin Hodgson with an outstanding 22.4. Kevin is a sub-50 second 400m meter runner and has shown to be an excellent talent. We are looking forward to seeing more great performances from him in the future.
BAC dominated the field with a convincing lead in this event, taking the top four places. Muiris Egan stormed through the line in 23.1, followed closely by Joseph Haywood (U20M) in 23.2, and Toby Bailey-Pearce (U17M) in 23.3. Excellent performances considering this is the first competitive sprints meeting at Bournemouth in 2020.
Ashley Williams of NFJAC clocked the fastest time amongst the women competitors with a time of 24.0 in Heat 1. Having the men to chase down must have helped as she was close behind the man in front.
The next fastest was Amelia Verney doubling up in both the 100m and 200m metres with an impressive 24.5 in Heat 3. Brooke Ironside also doubled up and recorded a great time of 24.8 in Heat 2. BAC had a good presence in the 200m and showed great form with some excellent performances throughout. Again this included a good number of our younger talented athletes which shows great prospects for the future of the club. Performances in order of times include: Keon Dzuda (U17M) 24.3; Abi Phillips BAC (U17W) 25.9; Joy Wright BAC (W45) 26.8; Trevor Elkins (M40) 28.2; William Launder (U13B) 28.2; Amy Tonkyn (U15G) 29.0; Amy Doble (U15G) 29.1; Connor Bailey-Pearce (U13B) 30.6; and Ben Hutton (U13B) 31.8.
300m The 300m was reserved for the U17s and took place across 4 Heats. There were some excellent performances from our three BAC athletes in Heat 1 as follows: Arief Mckenna (U15B) 40.9; 4 Abi Phillips (U17W) 42.7; Oscar Ewen-Matthews (U15B) 44.2. The fastest 300m time of the event was run by Charlie Brookes (U15B) of DAC in 38.1. A great show of commitment and determination to continue training up to now.
400m The 400m took place across three Heats with Ciaran Dunnion (SM) of PAC clocking the top time of 50.2, followed closely by fellow team mate Josh Smith (U17M) of PAC in 50.5.
The women saw the fastest time of 58.3 run by local athlete Sarah Kearsey followed by Joy Wright’s (BAC) performance of 60.1. This places Joy in the top rankings in GB (V45) for both 200m and 400m. Next through the line was Trevor Elkins (M40) in 64.0. Trevor is currently a BAC road runner but hopefully he’s developed a taste for the track so we can see more from him in the future.
In summary, it would be fair to say this was a superb day of Sprints at King’s Park! Organiser, Tim Hughes did a great job in coordinating the events in adherence to Covid guidance which required additional work and planning.
Tim and BAC would like to extend a huge thank you to every official and helper that made this event possible. This includes a proficient BAC Officials team alongside our friends from nearby clubs who worked efficiently in accordance with the standards and guidance.
A huge congratulations to all who took part in what was a fantastic and enthusiastic day.
Peter lock and Gary Wilkinson made a great team safely moving the blocks
Today, 30 August 2020, BAC are hosting a Throws Invitational Trial which has attracted an excellent field of talent. We look forward to receiving the full results.
On Tuesday 8 September BAC are hosting a Shot Invitational Meeting This will take place on Tuesday 8th September at 6pm (during the club training session) for BAC members with a focus on juniors. For more information click here.
Amazing work from all the BAC Junior Athletes that competed on 28 August 2019, a very humbling night that so many turned up to represent the Club, they virtually took over the whole meet with a Sea of Blue at Basingstoke last Night we had, in total 14 Junior Athletes there making the Long Trip to Basingstoke Grand Prix Open it look like the most Athletes from any away Club there.
Special thanks to our very own Hazel Bates & Jemma Bates for making the long trip to be Match Officials and thanks to all the Parents for bringing the Junior Athletes.
We had some Great Wins and PBs from so many in the U11s with Leo Thomasson and Will Launder both Winning two events each overall.
In the U13 Mariah Marshall, Adam Gulliver and Oscar Ewen Matthews all Winning in their Events Overall.
A Big third from Clodagh O’Brien in the Vortex and 2nd in her heat at 75 Meters U11 Girls who’s still has a year to go in the U11’s, plus James Davie Winning his Heat in the U11’s Boys 75 Meter and William Launder for coming Second Overall in 75 Meters & two overall wins in Long Jump & 600 Meters too. Strong running too from Alba O’Brien Second girl in her 75 Meter Heat. A Win in the U15s 100 Meters for Adam Gulliver in his heat & even a photo finish was used with the Girl he tired with, something I’ve not seen used before at a meet.
A new event was tried by a few at U11’s in the 150 Meters and Leo Thomasson took first place & he was pushed all the way from strong running by James Davie in second place also in this race strong running from Noel Slade first time they have all had a go at 150 Meters distance before.
In the girls race a fantastic run from Elizabeth Davie who got 2nd Place. Ewan Brown in the U13s 200m ran strong in his Heat to get Second place for U13 Boys. In the U11’s 600 Meters William Launder cruised the Win Overall with a time of 1.51 & Ollie Thomson great running from him taking 4th Boy and Esmee 4th Girl in this very tough Race 1 Heat. Race two saw Clodagh O’Brien have a great win & Noel Slade put in one of the strongest last 100 Meters busts I have seen in getting 2nd Boy in this Heat from a tough start for him with James Davie 3rd Boy in this heat and 3rd Girl for Albha O’Brien respectly. In the last heat Elizabeth Davie ran very strong to get third place Girl overall.
Oscar Ewen Matthews took complete control of the 800 Meters in the first heat and cruised to a comfortable win with a time of 2.21. Race 3 saw Ewan Brown run a fantastic 800 Meter PB and Mariah Marshall run well considering she had to sprint over to actual make the start of her heat Straight after her three Javelin throws where she took 3rd girl and a big PB of 18.41m, after a win in Shot with a throw of 6.93m and another PB from a good night in the field.
Adam Gulliver ran a strong 1500 getting third place in his heat for the U15 Boys. Leo Thomasson threw a mighty fine PB taking Overall first place in the Vortex with a throw of 39.04m and Clodagh O’Brien took 3rd Girl with a Super throw of 27.61m also a PB, Esmee Atkins Hurst also threw well for the girls.
In the Long Jump saw William Launder in the U11s Win with a Jump most U13s would be proud of with a jump of 4.27m, as he smashed his previous PB. Great jumping from Ollie to take fourth and Jake Selwood & Noel Slade also to Jump their PB’s too.
In the Girls Long Jump more PBs from Esmee Atkins Hurst & Alba O’Brien fantastic performance for both.
Another overall Boys win in the U13s from Oscar Ewen Matthews running into the wind with a jump of 4.39m and good jumping from Ewan Brown getting 5th place overall. Again massive thanks for all that took part last night.
