After a successful season last year in the YADAL, as the team challenged for the top spot, we enter the season with a hunger to try and claim the top spot ourselves this year. With three victories under our belt already this year we wanted a strong end to the season. We were back on home soil as the Princess Mary Stadium was host to the fourth and final fixture.

An excellent season for Eva Armitage was rounded off with a victory in the Under 13 Girls High Jump with an equal Season’s Best (SB) jump, a second place in the 800m in her second best time of the season and finished with a third place finish in the 75m. Hannah Whitaker sharing an equally brilliant season claimed a victory in the 150m as well as another victory in the Long Jump before rounding off with a second place in the Shot Putt with her second best distance of the season. Lucy Hird continued the trend as she claimed a victory in the 70m Hurdles, it was a second best jump of the season to earn a second place finish in the Long Jump and finished with a SB run in the 75m. Maria Edwards completed the Under 13 Girls team running her second quickest times of the season over the 800m and also over the 150m before a fourth place finish in the Shot Putt in her third furthest distance of the year.

Onto the Under 13 Boys where Kieran Hird finished his season off faultlessly with a victory in the Long Jump followed by a victory in the 80m sprint in his second best time of the season and finished with a final victory in the 150m in a new Personal Best (PB) time. Isaac Marsh joined the team for the first time and left an impressive introduction to the league with a victory in the High Jump, followed by a second place finish in the Long Jump and finished with a third place finish in the 80m. Isaac Herman also joined the team for the first time and was like lightening in the 150m to claim a third place finish.

In the Under 15 Girls, Rosie Hildon outperformed herself as she set a new PB time in the 75m Hurdles as she finished in second, it was then another PB to follow in the Long Jump with another second place finish and rounded off with yet another PB in the 200m as she finished in fourth. Millie Rhodes ended undefeated for the season as she ended victorious in the 200m and also the 100m before claiming a victory in the Javelin with a PB throw. Poppy Nuttman joined the team for the first time and earnt a victory in the 300m at first competition attempt and a second place came in the 3,000m also on first competition attempt. Poppy Watts raced her way to a new PB time in the 75m Hurdles as she finished in third place, another third place followed in the Long Jump with her third best of the season before going on to a first competition attempt at the 100m and finishing in fourth. Abi Hildon took on the long distance of the 3,000m again and knocked the seconds away from her PB time as she finished in third place in a new PB time.

In the Under 15 boys, Jack Worsnup secured his league record for next season in the 3,000m as he ran a big PB time and finished in first place, before going on to have a first competition at the Long Jump and finished fourth. Arjun Pahal had a first competition attempt at the 200m and sprinted his way to first place and followed by a first attempt at the 80m Hurdles to finish in second place.
Harry Rogerson earnt himself a first place finish with a Personal Best throw in the hammer, it was another PB throw and second place finish this time in the Javelin and finished with a PB time in the 800m for a fourth place finish. Joel Cousins leapt up to new PB heights in the High Jump as he claimed another victory for the team. Aiden Trigui added yet another victory to the teams total as he threw into first place in the Javelin on first competition attempt.
George Thompson threw to a second place finish in the Hammer with his second best distance of the season, it was then a third place finish in the 80m Hurdles, along with another third place finish in the 300m in a new PB time. Reece Bridgeman leapt to a second place finish in the Long Jump before claiming another second place finish in the 100m in his second best time of the season. Daniel Stubley secured a second place finish in the 200m on first competition attempt before achieving a third place finish in the 100m with his second fastest time of the season. Joshua Reed had spring in his shoes as he leapt up high and claimed the second place finish in the High Jump.

Olivia Myers ended her season unbeaten with a victory in the Under 17 Women’s Hammer Throw, followed by a victory in the Long Jump with her second best of the season and later claimed a first place finish in a PB time in the 80m Hurdles.

The Under 17 men saw Ethan Williams throw to victory in the Hammer Throw, it was then another victory in the High Jump as he jumped his second highest of the season and finished with a victory and a new PB distance in the Long Jump. Seb Bartocha threw the Javelin through the air to a first place finish with a PB distance, it was then a third place in the Long Jump, followed by a second best run of the season in the 400m. Robert Harness secured a second place finish in the Hammer with a PB throw, it was then another PB but this time in the 800m with a fourth place finish and a second best run of the season in the 400m for another fourth place finish.
Joe Trevett sprinted to victory in the 100m which was backed up with a second place finish in the 200m with his third best time of the season. Ben Whitaker had himself an impressive run over the 200m distance as he finished in a new Season’s Best time. William McIntosh returned to the team and ran his second quickest time of the season over the 100m to add more points to the team’s tally.

We had six relays teams for the day and extra reinforcements were on site to help the team as Zara Griffiths joined the Under 15 girls and Angelique Ali joined the Under 17 Women.

The Under 13 Girls 4x100m team of Armitage, Whitaker, Edwards and Hird achieved a third win of the season, finishing in their second fastest time of the year and going unbeaten from when they’ve run this season.

The Under 15 Boys 4x100m team of Cousins, Bridgeman, Trigui and Reed ran a strong race to finish in second place.

The Under 15 Girls 4x100m team of Nuttman, Watts, Griffiths and Rhodes finished the season in style with a victory.

And so did the Under 17 men’s team of McIntosh, Williams, Bartocha and Trevett as they finished comfortably in first place.

The 4x300m races were combined so our two teams ran together, the Under 15 boys team of Thompson, Stubley, Rogerson and Pahal gave an entertaining battle to our Under 17 mixed relay team of Whitaker, Ali, Myers and Harness with both team crossing the line at the same time and both teams finishing with a well earnt first place finish in their own races.

As the day came to a close celebrations began as we finished not only victors on the day but victors in the league with four match wins out of four to round off a fantastic season for the team!

Final standings for the season:
1. Spenborough AC – 2410
2. Halifax Harriers – 1539
3. Keighley and Craven – 767
4. Longwood AC – 573
5. Barnsley AC – 501

A big thank you goes to our club officials for their help at the fixtures across the season and a well done to the athletes and team managers Gavin and Lee!

Thanks also go out to the league, officials and other volunteers for their hard work this season and the other teams involved. And we look forward to the challenge to come next season!

SPEN AC Class of 2024
Abi Hildon, Abi Lane, Ada Tillotson, Aiden Trigui, Amaya Brierley, Angelique Ali, Arjun Pahal, Ben Whitaker, Daniel Antonovs, Daniel Stubley, Ethan Williams, Eva Armitage, Evie Cook, George Thompson, Hannah Whitaker, Harry Rogerson, Isaac Hermann, Isaac Marsh, Jack Worsnup, Jake Carrington, Joe Trevett, Joel Cousins, Joshua Reed, Kieran Hird, Lucy Hird, Maria Edwards, Milana Bulgin, Milie Rhodes, Noah Byrne, Olivia Myers, Poppy Nuttman, Poppy Watts, Reece Bridgeman, Robert Harness, Rosie Hildon, Seb Bartocha, William McIntosh, Zara Griffiths