SWANSEA HARRIERS ATHLETIC CLUBANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Café at King George V Playing Fields, Sketty Lane, SwanseaThursday, 2 October 2014 - 7.45 pm

AGENDA

1. Present

2. Apologies

3. Presidents Welcome

4. Minutes of 2013 Annual General Meeting

5. Matters arising from 2013 Minutes

6. Hon Secretary’s report 2013-14 inc.:

-Women’s Team Manager Report - Men’s Team Manager Report - Track and Field Report inc Juniors - Off Track Report - Coaching Report

7. Hon Treasurer’s Report for financial year ended 31.3.2014

8. Election of Officers and Officials

PresidentElected Vice PresidentChairpersonVice ChairpersonHon SecretaryHon TreasurerMembership SecretaryCommittee (5)Auditor

9. Life Members

No Nominations received

10. Announcements and Coming Events

11. Close

The Secretary’s Report – ‘Just Writing the Minutes each Month and the Odd Letter’

It is now a year since I took on the role of Club Secretary, having done this on the basis that it would involve ‘just writing the minutes each month and the odd letter’.Something like four funding applications, three award nomination bids, 25 letters, 15 meetings, a couple of policies and yes writing 12 sets of minutes later, it has been a little bit more hectic! What happened to that odd letter, Ian?

I am amazed that Kevin Corcoran managed to fulfil the role for seven years and hold down a full time job at the same time – as well as help run the West Glamorgan Cross Country League.

Seeking out someone newly retired was clearly a sensible strategy this time.

But when the same Ian asked did I want to carry on there was no hesitation in saying yes. Being part of Swansea Harriers is demanding but extremely rewarding.

It does help when our athletes deliver so much success during the year – at all levels and in all forms of athletics – but it is also is equally satisfying when you see so many athletes enjoying their sport. Combining fun with achievement is the key to the Club’s success, and there is achievement for everyone- whether it is trying a new event for the first time, entering your first race, getting a new personal best through to representing your country at the Commonwealth Games.

One of the highlights as Secretary was writing, on behalf of Swansea Harriers, to congratulate those six athletes from the Club who were selected for Wales at the Commonwealth Games. All of them doing the club proud at the Games, with two of them – Hannah and Rachel- combining to set a new Welsh relay record (100x4 Women) in the final of that event.

Of course it is also important to recognise and congratulate all 600+ athletes within the club whatever their ability or level of performance as they all put in 100% in making the club as good as it is.

I have included with this report the separate write-ups from the Senior Women and Men’s Team Managers, (Sue Leyshon and David Jones respectively), the Track and Field Secretary (Jo Davis), and the Road Running Secretary (George Edwards) who has also covered the cross-country season.

These report fully highlight the tremendous success the club and its athletes have had in 2014, and also those areas where the club continues to strive for further improvement.

Ways to ensure we can retain, recruit and develop our Under 17 and Under 20 athletes remains probably our biggest challenge- one shared by the majority of clubs across the UK.

Also attached is the Coaches report, which shows the huge impact and commitment made by our volunteer coaches. The club will continue to ensure that this key pool of coaches have their own development needs recognised and met.

It is of course not only the volunteer coaches that deserve our thanks, but the full range of volunteers- officials, team managers, café and other helpers, organisers, announcers and committee members- who put in so much effort to make the club such a success. As the club continues to grow it is very much hoped that more people will consider helping in whichever way they can, as there is no shortage of things to do.

Looking back over the past year we can all be proud of what our athletes have achieved and the continued high reputation of the club- not only because of the standing of the club but also because other athletes, coaches and officials enjoy coming to Swansea where they are always looked after and receive a warm welcome.

Not forgetting we are one of the biggest clubs in the UK with nearly 700 members, which in itself brings its own organisational demands and challenges.

Looking forward to the winter and 2015 we should all feel excited for our future prospects though determined that there will be no complacency in ensuring Swansea Harriers maintains its position as one of the highest performing clubs in the UK. We will also strive to ensure that participation is open to athletes of all abilities and we continue to be a fun and rewarding club to be part of.

Tony Clements

Secretary, Swansea Harriers

SENIOR MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD 2014

Swansea’s Senior Men’s team got their 2014 season off to a better start than normal but still could only manage 5 th

in the opening fixture at Bedford. This was only 1 point behind Exeter and 12 behind Nene Valley. Those few points were to prove critical in the final push for promotion. Individual A wins for Lewis Preece (PV), Guy Smith (3000m) and Glen Elsdon (110mH). Basically the long travelling distance so early in the season put us at a disadvantage compared to the other teams.

The second fixture at Peterborough again involved a long bus ride, but this time the team improved to finish 3 rd on the day, and to move up to 4th overall but still well adrift of the promotion positions. Bedford and Nene Valley benefiting from what were effectively 2 “home” matches. Again Guy Smith came up the goods to win both 800m and 5000m in what turned out to be an excellent season. Veteran Sullivan Smith won the 3000mS/chase. Young Osaze Aghedo making a big breakthrough with a leap of 13m61 to win the triple jump with Kristian Jones making his debut on the track to win both the 5000m and 3000mS/chase B events. Kristian who is an orienteer subsequently went on to win the British title. In the third match at Trafford, the team made a further improvement to finish 2 nd on the day to close the gap on promotion despite the clash with the Welsh Schools. Welcome comeback by Wyn Roberts who won the triple jump and to win the B long jump.

The final match at Abingdon involved the least travelling and the team was quietly confident of winning one of the promotion places. As it emerged, both Crawley and Nene Valley came with very strong teams, but the Swansea team nearly did it falling just 11 points short of promotion. Nene Valley were strengthened by the return of their Welsh throws international, Jonathon Edwards. Nevertheless, there were some fine individual performances. David Banwell-Clode got the team off to a fine start winning the 800m. Sullivan Smith once again won the 3000m S/chase with Guy Smith rounding off a great season to win the 1500m. Club captain, Marc Hobbs, also came up with the goods to win the 3000m. Both Wyn Roberts and Glen Elsdon had busy days to score valuable points for the club.

In summary, so close but yet so far. The travelling distances involved put us as a disadvantage compared to the other clubs challenging for promotion. There were also a number of bad clashes with other events principally the Welsh Schools which meant that we were never able to field a full team and as such struggled to cover some events

On an individual basis, it has been a good year with a record number of Swansea Harriers making the Wales team for the Glasgow 2014. Dewi Griffiths, Dai Greene, and Chris Gowell and..... Liam Lloyd in the triathlon team competition although unfortunately he did not get a chance to compete as Wales withdrew. Chris Gowell ran an outstanding race in the 1500m semis to make the final. Special mention also of his sub 4 min mile (3.58.25) in the International at Leckwith. This was the first time in 35 years that a sub4 mile had been run in Wales. Also my personal thanks to Guy Smith who ran all 4 BALs and scored a shed load of points for the club.

Looking forward to 2015, the message is clear - we must make sure that we start stronger and try to make the British League the priority for the club, at least as far as Track & Field is concerned. Hopefully the first match of the 2015 season will be at home in Swansea, and the other clubs will have to do the travelling. With a good start then promotion is on the cards

David JonesManager – BAL Team Manager

SWANSEA HARRIERS LADIES PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM 2014

The aim at the beginning of the season was a top three finish and after the first match at Swansea on May 10 th, this looked more than just a possibility. Despite the challenging conditions the team finished 2 nd , their best ever position, one point behind Brichfield. Caryl Granville 400m H, Laura Maddox 400m and Andrea Whitcombe 3000m were the stars of the day all winning their events, with Awen Rosser setting a p.b. to finish third in the discus.

On June 7th the team travelled to Birmingham full of hope. After a two-year absence due to injury, Carol Glover ran an impressive 800m to finish third in a time of 2.09.05 secs. Kate Roberts made her debut for the team winning the B 3000m in a time of 10.04.72, behind Sian Edwards who ran well to finish 2 nd in the A 3000m in a time of 9.49.18. There was also a fine performance by Katie Reynolds in the 2000m steeplechase, who travelled from university in Edinburgh with the Edinburgh team, finishing 3rd in7.15.51. The team finished with 174 points, 2 points less than the first match, but this time finished in 5th position. After two matches we were 3rd.

On the 5 July, the team set out for Windsor. Clashes with Welsh schools, injuries and athletes resting due to Commonwealth Games commitments resulted in the club fielding a weakened team for the final match. Nevertheless the athletes who competed gave their all with a number doubling up to fill the vacant spots. In these circumstances the club put in a creditable performance finishing 6 th on the day and 5th overall, guaranteeing Premier league competition for 2015 – our fourth successive season.

Overall Team results:

Edinburgh 22.5Birchfield 21TVH 16Blackheath 15Swansea 13.5WSEH 11Trafford 6Southampton 3

My thanks to athletes and coaches and to all who travelled with the team to officiate on behalf of the club.

I would also like to thank Welsh Athletics for their financial support of £1500, which enabled the girls to travel free on the bus.

Finishing 5th this year was disappointing, though hopefully we can finish in the top three in 2015, my last year as the women’s team manager. Could I suggest that the club identifies someone to shadow me in 2015 with the aim of taking over in 2016.

Sue LeyshonSwansea Harriers’ Senior Women’s Team Manager

TRACK AND FIELD SECRETARY’S REPORT 2014

May I start by saying a very big thank you to all the team managers, officials, coaches, volunteers, committee members, club officers, parents and not forgetting the athletes for dedicating their time to help promote and maintain this club as one of the best in the country.

The outdoor track & field season started for many with the Swansea Harriers open meeting held at the home track. With over 330 entries, it was a good indicator that the athletes had trained hard during the winter season and I congratulate them wholeheartedly for their magnificent efforts.

UK Women’s Athletics League (Senior Women)Swansea Harriers senior women’s team maintained the very high standard of competition for another year finishing in the Premier Division in a very respectable 5th position. The league held over three fixtures saw athletes travel to

Birmingham, Eton and a home match at Swansea. Individual event winners include Laura Maddox (400m) Andrea Whitcombe (3000m) Caryl Granville (400mH) Kate Roberts (3000m) Lucy Fligelstone (400mH). The ladies achieved a club best in the 4x100m Relay in a time of 48.17 (Sian Davies, Hannah Thomas, Rebecca Williams and Caryl Granville) and in the 4x400m Relay in a time of 3.48.56 (Sian Davies, Hannah Thomas, Megan Rogers and Laura Maddox). Final Scores – Edinburgh AC (685.5 / 22.5) Birchfield Harriers (619.5 / 21) Thames Valley Harriers (569.5 / 16) Blackheath and Bromley (525 / 15) Swansea Harriers (527.5 / 13.5) WSEH (528.5 / 11) Trafford AC (426.5 / 6) Southampton (328.5 / 3).

Welsh Senior League (U17 / U20 / Seniors)This year the Welsh Senior League was incorporated into three open meetings. Swansea Harriers took the top spot at all 3 fixtures. Final League Scores – Swansea Harriers (2269/36) Cardiff AAC (1554/29) Pembrokeshire Harriers (1190/28) Carmarthen Harriers (1097/25) Brecon AC (956/22) Llanelli AC (848/20) Barry & Vale (696/18) Neath Harriers (787/16) Bridgend AC (637/15) Newport Harriers (423/10) Rhondda AC (236/7) Cwmbran Harriers (196/6). Emily Cockrill broke the U17W Shot record with a throw of 12.39m and in the Javelin with 37.33m.

Welsh Senior League Cup Final (U17 /U20 / Senior)The final took place in Brecon where it proved to be another successful day winning the title as League Champions by almost 300 points ahead of their nearest team. Congratulations to everyone that took part. F inal Scores – Swansea (1007) Carmarthen (713) Pembrokeshire (523) Cardiff (491) Brecon (483) Neath (291) Llanelli (177) Barry & Vale (80)

Welsh Junior League – Louise Arthur Division (U11 / U13 / U15)This popular competition gives the junior athletes a fun day of athletics, with six athletes per event per age group, there is ample room to mix events. With just over a thousand points ahead of their nearest rivals, the club successfully won the boys section and the girls section and triumphed as the overall winner. Matches took place in Carmarthen, Neath, Swansea and Brecon. Final Scores – Swansea (4360/27) Pembrokeshire (3274/24) Neath (2665/20) Carmarthen (2556/17) Brecon (2536/16) Bridgend (2047/12) Barry & Vale (1946/10) Llanelli (982/5) Pontyclun (883/4)

Welsh Junior League Cup Final (U11 / U13 / U15)With the top 3 teams from the Louise Arthur League together with the top 3 teams from the east division and 1 from the north, the positions throughout the day chopped and changed and we all were on tenter hooks until the final events were finished and all the scores totted up, with the final results declared the athletes did amazingly well to take the top spot. Special mention to Luke MORGAN, Sam PETHERBRIDGE, Dylan PERKINS, Joseph EDWARDS who broke the U11B 4x100m relay best performance with a time of 59.29. Final Scores – Swansea Harriers (1151) Cardiff Archers (1089) Cardiff AAC (983) Pembrokeshire Harriers (892) Carmarthen Harriers (723) Neath Harriers (636) Newport Harriers (568) Menai T&F (446)

Gerald Codd Trophy Match (U11 / U13 / U15)This annual competition held in Haverfordwest during the summer holidays saw junior athletes put in a very good performance to come in second to the host winners, Pembrokeshire Harriers. Final scores: Pembrokeshire 1034) Swansea (1007) Carmarthen (700) Barry & Vale (432) Neath (311) Llanelli (275) Bridgend AC (156)

Welsh Masters (Over 35s)The Welsh Masters League is for the over 35 years age group. The small number of athletes who compete regularly in this league are Hubert Daniels (80M) John Collins (75M) David Jones (65M) Glyn Price (45M) Matthew Gurmin (40M) Peter Roberts (40m) Sullivan Smith (35M) and Renate Prells (55W).

At the Welsh Masters Championships held in Brecon, John Collins (75M) won gold in the 3000m Walk, David Jones (65M) won gold in the Shot and Bronze in the Discus, Renate Prells (55W) had an amazing day coming away with 5 gold medals in Hammer, Javelin, Discus, Shot and Weight Throw, whilst Dean Bolt (35M) came home with 3 gold medals in Shot, Weight Throw and Discus. Congratulations to these athletes for an outstanding performance.

In the British Masters Federation Championships, John Collins (75M) narrowly missed out on a medal coming in 4 th

position in the 3000m Walk, Glyn Price (45M) won gold in the Pole Vault and Renate Prells (50W) won 2 bronze medals in Weight Throw and Hammer and came 4th in the Discus. Well Done!

Inter Region Triangular Match – Llanelli v Neath v Swansea (U11 / U13)This inter regional match is held between Llanelli, Neath and Swansea for the U11 / U13 age groups. Each club hosts a meeting during the summer months. Many congratulations to all those athletes who took part as they retained the title for the 4th year in a row. Final scores – Swansea (609 / 9) Neath (361 / 6) Llanelli (213 / 3).

West Wales Regional Athletics Championships The annual event held in Carmarthen this year saw athletes from all over West Wales competing for the chance to be crowned champions of the region. GOLD medal winners were U13G Holli Evans (14.3) 100m and (28.9) 200m; Caitlin Gwyther (2.35.9) 800m; Rosa Humphreys (5.26.9) 1500m; Marnie Musgrave (1.30m) High Jump; Grace Thomas (4.26m) Long Jump and Amber Evans (7.42m) Shot. U13B Tyler Cook (12.9) 75m Hurdles; Iwan Slade (1.70m) Pole Vault and Ben Petherbridge (4.56m) Long Jump. U15G Tybie Newby-Chugg (4.78m) Long Jump; Rachel Jones (28.10m) Discus and Rhian Evans (26.65m) Javelin. U15B Llyr Gealy (24.3) 200m; Jordan Draisey (39.1) 300m; Elliot Lawrence (4.33.7) 1500m; Ieuan Hosgood (2.60m) Pole Vault; Iwan Beggs (9.99m) Triple Jump; Scott Hill (27.42m) Hammer and Owen Jones (29.54m) Javelin. U17W Ffion Jenkins (52.4) 300m Hurdles; Eleri Slade (6.42.0) 1000m Walk and Katie Phillips (9.88m) Triple Jump. U17M Christian Lovatt (4.22.4) 1500m & (9.02.7) 3000m; Miles Keller-Jenkins (1.90m) High Jump; Rhys Harris (5.91m) Long Jump; Osaze Aghedo (13.25m) Triple Jump and Nathan James (49.59m) Javelin. U20W Lara Philippart (5.04.8) 1500m; Emily Morris (1.58m) High Jump; Catrin Jones (10.24m) Triple Jump; Awen Rosser (12.27m) Shot and (40.91m) Discus; Carys Smith (42.81m) Hammer and Emily Cockrill (35.54) Javelin. U20M Keiran Ingram (1.65m) High Jump; Joshua Hollisey-Mclean (3.40m) Pole Vault and Jack Straw (12.92m) Triple Jump. SW Amanda Jones (2.23.5) 800m & (4.57.5) 1500m; Emma Jones (2.90m) Pole Vault and Claire Williams (40.27m) Javelin. SM Jamie Fenaroli (2.06.5) 800m; John Collins (7.06.2) 1000m Walk; Elliot Haddon (4.10m) Pole Vault; Peter Maitland (13.23m) Shot and Peter Roberts (35.42m) Discus. Very well done to all those athletes that represented the club.

At the South and East Wales Championships, the following athletes took part Eleri Slade (2nd Hammer) Zoe Dakin (1st

Discus, 1st Hammer, 1st Shot) Shauna Quirke (2nd Javelin) Ryan Harris (3rd 400m) Daniel Williams (2nd High Jump) Bradley Cole (1st Hammer, 3rd Javelin) Tony Wells (2nd Hammer)

Welsh Athletics Championships (13 / U15 / U17 / U20 / Senior)The age groups were held on separate weekends at different venues throughout the summer. Swansea Harriers had a number of athletes taking part. Individual medals were GOLD U13B Tristan James (75mH) Ben Petherbridge (LJ) U13G Marnie Musgrove (HJ) U15B Ieuan Hosgood (PV) Elliot Lawrence (3000m) U15G Mollie Quick (HJ) Rhian Evans (Discus) U17M Sion Roberts (100m) Rhys Harris (100mH / LJ) U17W Emily Cockrill (Javelin) U20M Christian Lovatt (3000m) Lewis Preece (PV) U20W Awen Rosser (Discus / Shot) Zoe Dakin (Hammer) U23M Joshua Griffiths (5000m) SM Guy Smith (3000m) SW Rachel Johncock (100m) Hannah Brier (200m) Sian Edwards (5000m) Sian Swanson (TJ) Awen Rosser (Discus) SILVER U13B Ollie Price (100m) Nathan Lake (75mH) Andre Howell (Discus) U13G Caitlin Hier (100m /200m) Holly Cooper (Discus) U15B Llyr Gealy (100m / 200m) Jordan Draisey (300m) Michael Thompson (80mH) Scott Morgan (PV) Camron Griffiths (LJ) Scott Hill (Hammer) U15G Rhiannon Maine (PV) U17M Joseph Brier (400m) Dylan Lambpropolous (1500m S/C) Nathan James (Javelin) U20M Michael Wilson (100m / 110mH) U20W Catrin Jones (TJ) Carys Smith (Hammer) SM Chris Carpanini (5000m) SW Hannah Brier (100m) Kate Roberts (5000m) Awen Rosser (Shot) Imelda Morrisson (LJ) BRONZE U13B Ben Petherbridge (200m) Ben Webb (800m) Sonny Walsh (75mH) Nathan Lake (HJ) Andre Howell (Shot) U13G Rosa Humphreys (800m) Caitlin Gwyther (1500m) Carys Hill (70mH) Sally Hopkins (Shot) U15B Michael Thompson (HJ) Rhys Hughes (Javelin) U15G Hannah Davies (75mH) Tybie Newby Chugg (LJ) U17M Dylan Lamprobolous (400m) SM Peter Maitland (Shot) Peter Roberts (Discus) SW Donna Jones (LJ) Toni Wells (Hammer).

England Athletics Championships (U15 / U17)The England Athletics U17 & U15 Championships were held at Bedford. Athletes taking part were U17 Callum Davies (100m) Joseph Brier (400m) Hannah Brier (100m / 200m) Rhys Harris (100mH / Long Jump) and U15 Jordan Draisey (300m) Elliot Lawrence (3000m) Megan Stratton-Thomas (3000m Walk) Michael Thompson (80mH) Tybie Newby-Chugg (Long Jump). Congratulations in taking part in a very high standard of competition.

Welsh Athletics International (inc. Welsh Athletics 3000m Championships)The Welsh Athletics International was held at Cardiff. It also incorporated the Welsh Athletics 3000m Championships. Elliot Lawrence was 3rd in the U15B race, in the combined senior men / U20m Guy Smith won the Senior Men and Christian Lovatt at U20m, also taking part was Jac Hopkins (U20) came in 6 th overall. In the Senior Women’s race, Elinor Kirk broke the stadium record in a time of 9.12.50. Hannah Brier took 2 nd and Michael Wilson took 3rd in the 100m, they were also part of the 4x100m relay team. In the Men’s Mile (inc. Ann Hill Memorial Mile) Chris Gowell was a worthy winner in a time of 3.58.25 breaking the stadium record and in the field, Zoe Dakin (U20) was 6th in the women’s hammer.

Inter Regional Championships (U15 / U17 / U20 / Senior)The Inter Regional Championships took part in Swansea covering age groups U15s to seniors. The West were successful in winning all age groups and were overall winners. Club athletes taking part were Awen Rosser, Ben Cambriani, Caitlin Ward, Camron Griffiths, Carys Smith, Catrin Jones, Christopher Byng, Connor Davies, Cory Williams, Daniel Williams, David Jones, Dominic Smith, Dylan Lambropoulos, Eira James, Eleri Slade, Elliot Haddon, Elliot Webber, Emily Cockrill, Emily Morris, Emma Jones, Felicity Church, Ffion Jenkins, Gabrielle Christmas, Glyn Price, Hannah Davies, Hannah Morgan, Ieuan Hosgood, Iwan Beggs, Jack Gormley, Jack Straw, Jamie Fenaroli, Joe Crosby, Katherine Morris, Katie Phillips, Llyr Gealy, Megan Stratton-Thomas, Michael Thompson, Miles Keller-Jenkins, Nathan James, Peter Maitland, Peter Roberts, Rachel Jones, Rhian Evans, Rhodri Williams, Rhys Davies, Samuel David Martin, Scott Hill, Scott Morgan, Sian Swanson, Stephen Scarfi, Thomas Park, Toni Wells, Yana Parry, Zoe Dakin. Final score – West Wales 1086 South Wales 864 East Wales 720 and North Wales 405.

Welsh Schools and Welsh Athletics Combined EventsThe Welsh Athletics & Welsh Schools Combined Events Championships to place in Newport. Athletes taking part were U13G Rosa Humphreys (2nd) Bronwen Stratton-Thomas (8th) Daniela Ramos (11th) Jamie Holland (14th) Carys Hill (18th) Holly Cooper (23rd) Nell Davies (24th) India Collinson (25th) U13B Ben Petherbridge (1st) Tyler Cook (5th) Callum Dodd (6th) Rhidian Jenkins (13th) Thomas Payne (16th) Ben Bravin (21st) U15G Sophie Hutchinson (10th) Manon Owen (28th) U15B Michael Thompson (7th) Tom Slade (16th) Scott Morgan (17th) U17M Rhys Harris (2nd).

In Bedford at the England Athletics U20 / Senior Combined Events Championships, Donna Jones took part in her first Heptathlon and came in 11th position with a score of 3737. Donna was also the highest placed Welsh Athlete therefore claiming a gold medal.

SIAB U17 International The SIAB Schools U17 Track and Field International is a highly contested schools competition, this year held in Cardiff. This international fixture is a contest between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales at the U17 age group. The following athletes were selected to represent Welsh Schools Megan Stratton-Thomas (3000m Walk) Kate Phillips (Triple Jump) Nathan James (Javelin) Rhys Davies (Shot Putt) Osaze Aghedo (Long Jump / Triple Jump) Rhys Harris (Long Jumo / 100m Hurdles) Oliver Moyse (1500m S/C) Rhodri Williams (400m Hurdles) Callum Davies (100m / Relay) Aran Rees (3000m). Congratulations to all athletes for gaining an international vest.

Celtic GamesThe Celtic Games is an international match between held Wales, Scotland and Ireland for the U16 and U18 age groups and this year’s event took place in Ireland where a small group of our athletes made the trip to take part. Those athletes were Sion Roberts (200m / Relay) Jac Hopkins (1500m) Michael Wilson (110mH / Relay) Miles Keller-Jenkins (High Jump) Osaze Aghedo (Triple Jump) Hannah Brier (200m / Relay) Olivia Gwynn (1500m) and Emily Cockrill (Shot Putt). Congratulations to all athletes for achieving a Welsh vest and representing Wales in a hard fought competition.

Welsh Schools Track & Field ChampionshipsThe Welsh Schools National Track & Field Championships was held at Cardiff, where a large number of our junior athletes enjoyed a day of individual success. Those taking part were Senior Boys – Michael Wilson (1 st 100m / 1st

100mH) Nathan Phillips (5th 200m / 2nd 400mH) Jonathan Tobin (1st 800m / 1st 1500m) Joshua Hollisey-Mclean (1st PV) Keiran Ingram (3rd HJ / 4th Jav) Middle Boys – Sion Roberts (2nd 100m) Callum Davies (3rd 100m) Rhodri Williams (5th

200m) Joseph Brier (3rd 400m) Dylan Lambropolous (4th 800m) Aran Rees (2nd 3000m) Rhys Harris (2nd 100mH / 1st LJ)

Oliver Moyse (1st 1500mS/C) Osaze Aghedo (2nd LJ / 1st TJ) Samuel Rajesh (6th TJ) Miles Keller-Jenkins (1st HJ) Rhys Davies (2nd SP / 2nd DT) Nathan James (2nd Jav) Junior Boys – Ben Cambriani (3rd 100m) Llyr Gealy (1st 200m) Jordan Draisey (3rd 300m) Sam Martin (6th 800m) Elliot Lawrence (4th 3000m) Michael Thompson (2nd 80mH) Owain Davies (6th HJ) Ieuan Hosgood (1st PV) Scott Morgan (2nd PV) Camron Griffiths (5th LJ) Scott Hill (3rd DT / 2nd HT) Senior Girls – Lara Philippart (3rd 800m & 1st 1500m) Erin Walters (1st HJ & 2nd LJ) Caitlin Atkins (3rd HJ / 1st PV / 5th TJ) Catrin Jones (2nd TJ) Bethan Radford (2nd PV) Awen Rosser (1st SP / 1st DT & 4th HT) Stephanie Nicholas (2nd DT / 4th DT) Zoe Dakin (4th SP / 3rd DT / 1st HT & CBP) Carys Smith (2nd HT) Middle Girls – Hannah Brier (1st 100m 1st 200m) Eira James (5th

300m) Ffion Jenkins (6th 300m) Kate Phillips (7th HJ 2nd TJ) Chloe Clarke (5th LJ) Emily Cockrill (1st Shot & CBP 1st Jav & CBP) Eleri Slade (2nd 2km Walk) Junior Girls – Sophie Davies (6th 300m) Hannah Davies (3rd 75mH 8th HJ) Caitlin Ward (5th PV) Tybie Newby-Chugg (4th LJ) Rachel Jones (2nd DT) Rhiannon Evans (1st Jav & CBP) Megan Stratton-Thomas (1st

1km Walk & CBP) Megan also won the award for Outstanding Female Track Performance.

Commonwealth GamesWe were extremely lucky as a club to have a number of athletes selected to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow. Chris Gowell Chris qualified for the men’s 1500m final by finishing 4 th in round one in 3.40.30 before finishing 10th in the final in 3.42.10. Dai Greene Dai finished 4th in heat three of the men’s 400m hurdles in 50.36s. Dewi Griffiths Dewi finished 25th in the men’s 10,000m final in 31.28.81. Elinor Kirk Elinor finished 9 th in the women’s 10,000m final in 33.22.40 and 12th in the 5,000m final in 15.57.67. Hannah Brier Hannah was the youngest athlete to compete in the Commonwealth Games and finished 5 th in heat 6 of the women’s 100m qualifying rounds in 11.97s and was part of the women’s 4x100m team that finished 4 th in 44.66s in the qualifying round before finishing 7th in the 4x100m final in 44.51s (national record). Rachel Johncock Rachel finished 4th in the heat five of the women’s 100m qualifying rounds in 11.83s and was part of the women’s 4x100m team that finished 4 th in 44.66s in the qualifying round before finishing 7th in the 4x100m final in 44.51s (national record). Hannah Thomas (Wrexham AC) is a Higher Claim Athlete for Swansea Harriers and was part of the women’s 4x100m team that finished 4 th in 44.66s in the qualifying round before finishing 7th in the 4x100m final in 44.51s (national record).

Swansea Harriers Schools Trophy This year, we changed the competition to school year 7’s and there was an excellent turnout of 10 schools taking part. Congratulations to Olchfa School who were the overall winners.

Gold AwardsAlthough, not as many as last year, these athletes have again outdone themselves and produced some excellent performances to gain these awards. Ben Webb (800m) Ethan Lee (800m) Joseph Lloyd (1500m) Tyler Cook (75mH / HJ /60mH) Tristan James (75mH / 60mH) Ben Petherbridge (75mH / LJ) Callum Dodd (75mH) Grace Thomas (60mH / LJ) Holli Evans (60m / 200m / 75m / 100m / 150m) Caitlin Hier (75m / 100m / 150m / 200m) Amber Evans (200m) Marnie Musgrove (HJ) Holly Cooper (Discus) (Bronwen Stratton Thomas (Discus) Jac Hughes (100m) Llyr Gealy (100m / 200m) Jordan Draisey (200m / 300m) Elliot Lawrence (1500m) Michael Thompson (80mH) Camron Griffiths (LJ) Scott Hill (Discus) Hannah Davies (75mH) Mollie Quick (HJ) Emily Coles (HJ) Tybie Newby Chugg (LJ) Rachel Jones (Shot / Discus / Javelin) Rhian Evans (Discus / Javelin) Sion Roberts (60m / 100m / 200m) Callum Davies (60m / 200m) Rhys Harris (100mH / LJ) Miles Keller Jenkins (HJ) Osaze Aghedo (LJ / TJ) Nathan James (Javelin) Hannah Brier (60m / 100m / 200m) Emily Cockrill (Javelin / Shot). Well Done!

Senior British Championships inc. European Athletics TrialsThe Senior British Championships incorporating the European Athletics Trials were held at Birmingham, and once again it was great to see so many of our members up against the best of British Seniors, it turned out to be a successful day too, with many making the finals. Laura Maddox progressed all the way to the 400m final and finished 8th (54.78); two men made the 1500m final Chris Gowell in 4th (3.48.56) and Guy Smith in 9th (3.50.74); Dewi Griffiths was 9th in the 5000m (14.17.52) and Elinor Kirk 6th in the 5000m (16.02.41); Sian Davies was 8th in the 400m Hurdles final (61.65) and Awen Rosser was 9th in the Discus (42.87m). Very well done to them all on some fantastic performances.

Club RecordsAnother successful year for Club Records and Club Bests being broken. Congratulations to everyone on their achievement. SW Triple Jump 11.80m Sian Swanson

SW 400m 52.73 Laura MaddoxSW 100m 11.45 Rachel JohncockU17W 100m 11.57 Hannah Brier (*Welsh Record)U7W 200m 26.63 Hannah Brier SM 1500m 3.39.08 Chris GowellSW 10000m 32.17.05 Elinor KirkSW Long Jump 5.91m Imelda MorrissonU15B 4x100m 46.33 Jordan Draisey, Llyr Gealy, Jac Hughes & Camron GriffithsU15B 4x300m 2.44.3 Declan Rowlands, Michael Thompson, Thomas Park & Jordan DraiseyU15G 1K Walk 5.01.48 Megan Stratton Thomas

Club Best PerformancesSW 4x100m 48.17 Sian Davies, Hannah Thomas, Rebecca Williams and Caryl GranvilleSW 4x400m ` 3.48.56 Sian Davies, Hannah Thomas, Megan Rogers and Laura MaddoxU11B 4x100m ` 59.1 Sam Petherbridge, Luke Morgan, Dylan Perkins & Harvey JamesU11B Shot 9.20m Aron WilliamsU11G Long Jump 3.81m Emily Collins

Swansea Junior GamesWith a record number of entries, this event produced a fine day for the last competition of the year for many athletes. Individual winners were U11B Sam Petherbridge (75m) Aron Williams (Shot *New Record) U11G Carys Poole (75m *New Record and 800m * New Record) Emily Collins (Long Jump) U13B Dylan Court (100m) Ben Petherbridge (Long Jump) U13G Marnie Musgrove (High Jump) Grace Thomas (Long Jump) Amber Evans (Shot) U15B Jordan Draisey (100m *New Record and 200m *New Record) U17W Bethan Harris (800m) Emily Cockrill (Shot *New Record and Javelin *New Record). U17M Rhodri Williams (100m / 100mH) Joe Crosby (200m) Miles Keller Jenkins (HJ) Well done to everyone taking part.

UK Youth Development League – Upper Age Group (U17 / U20)The U17 / U20 athletes were in the highly competitive Midland Premier Division for this season. Fixtures were held in Birmingham, Abingdon, Yate and Swansea. Sadly due to a huge number of athletes unavailable for these meetings, the chance of remaining in this division was very low and sadly at the final match it was deemed that the team will be relegated for the next season. However, it must be stressed that those athletes that did compete did extremely well. Individual event winners were Christian Lovatt (1500m) Jonathan Tobin (1500m / 3000m) Lewis Preece (PV) Stephen Scarfi (PV) Osaze Aghedo (TJ / LJ) Lucy Fligelstone (400mH) Carys Smith (Discus / Hammer) Zoe Dakin (Hammer) Caitlin Atkins (HJ) Rhodri Williams (100mH) Rhys Harris (LJ) Nathan James (Javelin) Bethan Radford (HJ) Emily Cockrill (Shot / Javelin) Jac Hopkins (800m) Lara Philippart (1500m) Catrin Jones (TJ) Final Scores – Birchfield Harriers (2782 / 23) Rugby & Northampton AC (2646 / 21) Team Avon (2258 / 15) Notts AC (2047.5 / 13) Team Oxfordshire (1699.5 / 7) Swansea Harriers (1470 / 5).

UK Youth Development League – Lower Age Group (U13 / U15)Another successful competition for the U13 and U15 age groups. The club got their season off to a great start by taking advantage of the home match against the top five clubs in the Midland Premier League. The club won by over 60 points which was an exceptional team effort. The next 3 fixtures were all away at Birmingham, Solihull and Rugby. As a team, they all did their best on the day winning each fixture with over 140 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Rugby & Northampton AC. A well deserved ending was to progress to the National Finals held in Birmingham. Individual winners were U15B Jordan Draisey (200m) Michael Thompson (80mH) Brynmor Clements (Discus / Shot) Jack Gormley (Hammer) Declan Rowlands (HJ) Scott Morgan (PV) Ieuan Hosgood (PV) Jac Hughes (100m / 200m) Scott Hill (Discus / Hammer) Cameron Griffiths (LJ) Iwan Beggs (HJ) U15G Rachel Jones (Discus / Javelin) Rhian Evans (Discus / Javelin) Cerys McGeachie (Hammer) Katie Roberts (Hammer) Caitlin Ward (PV) Felicity Church (LJ) Marianne Hopkins (Discus) Emily Coles (PV) U13B Tyler Cook (75mH / Shot) Tristan James (75mH / Shot) Callum Dodd (LJ) Sam Fenwick (Javelin) Nathan Lake (LJ / HJ) Ethan Lee (800m) U13G Grace Thomas (70mH / LJ) Sally Hopkins (Shot) Marnie Musgrove (HJ) Daniela Ramos (70mH / Shot) Holli Evans (LJ / 75m) Amber Evans (150m / Shot) Bronwen Stratton Thomas (800m) Final Scores – Swansea Harriers (2157.5 / 24) Rugby & Northampton AC (2012.5 / 20) Cardiff AAC (1892.5 / 14) Birchfield Harriers (1890 / 14) Charnwood AC (1621 / 8) Solihull & Smallheath AC (1373.5 / 4)

At the YDL LAG National Finals held in Birmingham, again the team were outstanding and going one better than last year came in 5th overall against the top 8 junior clubs in the UK which is an amazing task in itself. Individual winners were U13G Holli Evans (75m) Caitlin Hier (150m) Eluned King (1200m) Marnie Musgrove (HJ) U13B Tyler Cook (75mH) U15G Rhian Evans (Discus) U15B Jac Hughes (100m) Scott Morgan (PV) Final Scores – Sale Harriers Manchester (606) Blackheath & Bromley (598) Reading AC (584) Edinburgh AC (568) Swansea Harriers (537) Southampton AC (498.5) Rugby & Northampton AC (448) Preston Harriers (411.5)

UK U20 & U23 ChampionshipsThese championships were held in Bedford and it was great to see so many Swansea Harriers athletes performing against the UK’s top juniors, where there were some incredible results. U20M Jac Hopkins ran (8.18.72) for SILVER in the 3000m! U23W Sian Swanson won BRONZE in the Triple Jump with (11.36m)! Awen Rosser won BRONZE in the Shot (12.50m) and bettered this with a huge throw of (45.66m) for SILVER in the Discus! U20W Zoe Dakin had a big PB with (50.56m) in the hammer in 6th; U20M Nathan Phillips ran (23.62) in his 200m heat and (52.91) in his 400m heat and Lucy Fligelstone set a time of (67.15) in her 400m Hurdles. To compete against the UKs top juniors and come away with four medals it was a magnificent day for the athletes and the club, very well done to them all.

England (UK) Senior Disability Athletics ChampionshipsHeld in Birmingham, the club had two athletes in action; Ashleigh Hellyer had two SILVER medals in the Shot (6.18m) and Discus (10.14m), James Ledger won GOLD in the Long Jump with a leap of (5.51m). Very well done to them both,

Jo DavisTRACK & FIELD SECRETARY 2014

ROAD AND CROSS-COUNTRY REPORT 2013-14

In domestic terms - within Wales - it was again a story of almost unbroken success both on the road and the country, while the senior women again performed magnificently on the UK stage, taking medals in the national six-stage road relay for the fifth successive year.The Autumn national road relays at Sutton Park saw the women's team finish a very respectable sixth out of 77 teams, while the men finished 11th out of 79.A crop of injuries meant we were unable to take a team to the European cross-country trials in Liverpool, but Dewi Griffiths took a fine seventh place in the men's under-23 race, thus qualifying for the European championships in Belgrade, in which he finished an excellent 16th.In April our men returned to Sutton Coldfield to finish 10th in a field of 62 teams in the national 12-stage relay, while the women again finished runners-up to Aldershot, Farnham and District to take the silver medals. The Welsh cross-country championships was a medal-fest for the seniors, with both teams winning comfortably and the women providing the first three home, Andrea Whitcombe, Sian Edwards and Alaw Beynon-Thomas. Dewi Griffiths was an easy winner of the senior race with Marc Hobbs third. Our under-13 girls and under-15 boys both finished second teams, as did the under-20 men, with Jonathan Tobin taking third place.The women were predictably dominant in the Welsh road relays, finishing first, second and third and providing the seven fastest individual times. The men were beaten into second place by Cardiff, but with the "B" team fourth it was another very good day. In the younger age groups, the under-11 and under-13 girls both finished second, while the under-15 boys were outstanding winners.George Edwards

Coaching 2014

There has been little change in the coaching opportunities in 2014 from the last 3 years and the club is very, very lucky to have the coaches that we have in Swansea Harriers. I’d like to thank all the club coaches for all their dedication, continued help, teamwork and cooperation for another successful season in the club and for giving up so much of their free time to come and volunteer at the club on a regular basis, your support is really appreciated and much needed.

The club currently has 50 British Athletics qualified coaches ranging from some volunteering on a casual basis once every couple of weeks to some who are at the track 3 or 4 times every single week. This is an adequate number of coaches to offer more effective coaching ratios due to the large number of members in the club. However the main objective must now be to retain and upskill these coaches so they can become more independent and have the self confidence as well as appropriate qualifications to deliver higher quality sessions.

With over 20 groups within the club set up helped by our active coaches, the club can offer coaching in standalone established groups for competing club athletes in nearly all athletics disciplines.

The club hopes that some more of the newer coaches that have started in the last few years will have the confidence to go on and establish their own groups away from the junior introductory squads of which several of them are more than capable of doing, a recent example of this is Jane Hosgoods Pole Vault beginners session. I am hopeful of one or two more following this example.

With the continued huge interest and increase in numbers of participants since the 2012 London Olympics and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games it is essential that more parents come forward to volunteer and undertake formal British Athletics Coaching Qualifications in the club set up in an attempt to have as effective coaching ratios as possible.

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UKA Qualified & Active Coaches 39 44 47 45 43 42

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