A number of the City of Norwich A.C. middle-distance athletes travelled to Watford on Sunday afternoon to compete in the British Milers Club promotion staged at the Woodside Stadium.

A number of the City of Norwich A.C. middle-distance athletes travelled to Watford on Sunday afternoon to compete in the British Milers Club promotion staged at the Woodside Stadium. Happily, each athlete went home with a new personal best time under his or her belt.

Pick of the bunch must be James Senior's performance in the 800m when breaking 2 minutes for the first time, he recorded 1min 59.19secs, a time that places him on top the Under 15 age group UK ranking list. Rachel Stringer, struggling with a long-term injury, still managed to produce a lifetime best in her 800m when she recorded a quick 2min 11.9secs a time that currently ranks her fourth in the U17 UK rankings. Juliette Knights at last displayed a competitive edge that rewarded her with a personal best time in her 800m race when she recorded 2min 29secs.

A over fast first lap proved to be the undoing for Rick Ward in the 1500m. Aiming for a time of 3min 55secs Rick efforts were thwarted by a 62 second opening lap. However he dug deep and was still able to record a time of 3min 59.85secs, a personal best, and his first time under four minutes. In the same race Josh Holland was delighted to bring his 1500m time down to a praiseworthy 4min 04.85secs.

Connor Darby maintained the trend of the afternoon when he was timed at 4min 18.22secs in his 1500m race, yet another personal best for a City athlete. Claire Pring was out to secure her 1500m qualifying time for the English Schools Track & Field Championships. A fine personal best time of 4min 50.51sec secured her goal for a delighted Claire. Another to finish his 1500m stint with a smile on his face was Ollie Maskell. His time of 4min 39.20secs was his best ever and a step in the right direction.

Veteran Guy Amos was chasing a fast time in the 3000m and in the early stages of the race was on target to break 8min 30secs. However, a mid race lapse in pace meant that he had to settle for 8min 35.24secs, a time that puts him on top of the UK ranking list for a veteran athlete. Ruth Senior was also looking to impress in the 3000m, which she duly achieved, recording a time of 9min 42.61secs, a time that placed her sixth in the UK rankings for an Under 20. Dani Nimmock in the same race found the going tough but still knocked 3 seconds of her previous best when recording 10min 43.29secs.

The young athletes representing the City of Norwich Athletic Club are spending the early part of their summer track and field season travelling around the country. To compete in the Midland Premier League of the National Junior League it required a round trip to Tamworth.

As anticipated the Sunday's fixture proved to be difficult one for the City youngsters with individual wins proving to be a rarity. Laurie Whale and Daryl Wickham teamed up in the Long Jump to take maximum points. Laurie took the honours in the “A” event with 5.98m, as did Daryl in the “B” contest with an effort of 5.62m. In the 2000m Steeplechase Steve Cannell and Martyn Bath proved their worth with a double victory. The “A” race went to Steve in which he recorded a winning 6min 18.2secs while Martyn was a comfortable victor in the “B” race in a time of 6min 47.1secs.

Emily Clarke notched up her second league win easily taking the “A” 3000m in 10min 33.6secs. Holly Cooper's 2min 21.2secs was good enough to give her second place in the “A” 800m. Lauren Brown secured a sound runners-up position in the “A” Triple Jump with an effort of 10.41m as did Sophie Harrimen in the “A” Long Jump when moving out to 4.94m.

Becky Pike contested the “A” High Jump securing third place with a 1.50m clearance while in the “A” 1500m Carly Brown a time of 5min 03.4 secs to take third spot.

At the end of a testing day the City juniors secured sixth place overall against some very tough competition in which Birchfield Harriers impressed with their overall strength throughout the events.

The final points scores were: 1st) Birchfield Harriers 548pts; 2nd) Notts A.C. 461.5pts; 3rd) Mansfield A.C. 433.5pts; 4th) Tamworth A.C. 426pts; 5th) Tipton Harriers 396pts; 6th) CITY OF NORWICH A.C. 353pts; 7th) Bristol A.C. 342.5secs; 8th) Cardiff A.C. 333.5pts.

Tim Ash