Category: Sportshall

The county Sportshall events for 2019 – 20 season relocated from TVAC to the American School at Egham (ACS). I am delighted to report that following some initial teething issues the venue has been well received by everyone, with the improved seating and viewing facilities proving particularly popular with parents and athletes alike. Discussions regarding remaining at ACS for the 2020 – 21 season will begin soon.

County Sportshall U11’s

The County Sportshall U11’s Championship was held on Sunday 8th December 2018. We welcomed 118 athletes (178 2018; 171 2017) to the competition.

Despite the reduced numbers throughout the afternoon there were some fantastic and highly competitive performances. Once again it was particularly encouraging to see schools from across the eastern half of the county competing well during the afternoon and challenging the track and field club athletes to the team titles.

The Berkshire County Sportshall U11 winners were :

         Girls       U11    Maidenhead AC (retaining the title from 2018 – 19)                  

         Boys      U11    Lynch Hill PS                                     

The results provide great encouragement for the county team to represent Berkshire in the south regional final in March.

County Sportshall U13’s and U15’s

The Berkshire County U13’s and U15’s Sportshall Championships were held on Sunday 12th January 2020.

With 139 athletes competing from clubs across the county numbers were the same as in both 2019 (138) and 2018 (138) despite once again the absence of a number of schools which entered teams in 2018. This sustained entry number shows the enthusiasm that exists amongst the competing clubs for the format. It was notable that a number of team managers regretted more form their clubs had not entered.

It was once again a very exciting afternoon. There were tight competitions within each of the age and gender groups as well as for the honour of becoming the All-Rounder winner on the afternoon.

The Berkshire County Sportshall winners were :

         Girls       U13    Reading AC                                                     U15     Slough Junior AC

         Boys      U13    Slough Junior AC                                          U15     Slough Junior AC

It is worth noting in retaining their title, Slough Junior AC U13 Boys team remained unbeaten throughout the 2010’sin the county championships.

The 2019 – 20 Individual All-Rounder winners were :         

         Girls       U13    Tamzin Bellamy       Maidenhead AC         U15     Madisyn Woodley      Slough Junior AC

         Boys      U13    James Chad            Bracknell AC              U15     Trey Bennett          Slough Junior AC     

Sportshall League

The third and final round of the Sportshall league took place on Sunday 26th January 2020. Once again, we welcomed over 300 young athletes to the final round of the league making this event one of the single largest Sportshall events in the country.

Right from the start of the afternoon it was apparent the tension between the teams, anticipation, and excitement levels were high as many of the league titles were too close to call.

                                                                            Boys                                                     Girls

                   U11           Winners                     Lynch Hill PS                                      Reading AC              

                                    Runners-up              Bracknell AC                                        Maidenhead AC

                   U13          Winners                     Bracknell AC                                      Slough Junior AC

                                   Runners-up              Slough Junior AC                                 Reading AC

                   U15           Winners                     Slough Junior AC                              Slough Junior AC

                                   Runner-up                Maidenhead AC                                  Maidenhead AC

Congratulations are also due to Slough Junior AC whose coaches won the coach’s race.

Teams to represent the county at the Regional Sportshall finals to be held at Burgess Hill on Sunday 22nd March will now be selected following the completion of the county league and championship matches.

Junior Officials

I am delighted to confirm we will once again be taking several junior officials from a number of the clubs to support the county teams in a field event officiating capacity at the Regional finals.

My thanks are extended once again to everyone, team managers, parents, coaches, athletes and officials for their continued support of Sportshall Athletics in Berkshire. We are blessed to have such committed support.

On an enthralling and exciting day of Sportshall at Burgess Hill on Sunday 3rd March Berkshire’s young athletes once again excelled at the South Regional Finals.

U11 Boys and Girls

The day began with the U11 boys and girls. With a mix of experience and athletes competing for the county for the first time for team Berkshire Sportshall we knew it would be a challenging match with strong teams from Kent and Surrey, as well as Buckinghamshire emerging as another strong competitor in recent years.

Both teams ran, jumped and threw to the best of their ability and showed great team spirit, working well with and supporting each other throughout the morning. 

The boys ended the day 1st= with Kent whilst the girls came 5th, which in no way reflected the effort and commitment they all showed.

U13 and U15 Boys and Girls

The afternoon match saw the U13 and U15 teams competing against the other counties from the South region and also the U15’s competing as individuals for the title of South Regional All-Round champion with the individual and team winners progressing to represent the region at the National finals in April.

Our U13 boys arrived as defending champions with a strong team on paper. They all performed brilliantly but were up against a very strong Surrey team who showed great skill across all of the events. Our U13 boys came a very creditable 2nd .

The U15 boys team competed fantastically well with great determination attempting to make it 5 consecutive victories at the Regional final, despite losing a couple of first selection athletes shortly before the competition. We could not have asked more of the team as they pulled together to push Surrey very hard throughout the afternoon. We came 2nd only 23points behind eventual winners Surrey but very proud to have pushed them so hard. Trey Bennett (SJAC) came 2nd in the All-Rounder competition; Ben Britton (BAC) 4th and Gregory Menkiti (SJAC) 5th which was fantastic especially as Trey and Chris are in their first year as U15 Sportshall athletes.

Our U15 girls also fought strongly and with great spirit throughout the afternoon. Lucy James (BAC) and Lucy Chalmers (SJAC) both threw PBs in the shot; Lauren Watkins (BAC) won the speed bounce and Lucy Chalmers was 3rd in the 4-lap race – very strong performances. The girls ended up 5thoverall, again not necessarily a reflection on the hard effort they put in throughout the afternoon.

Our U13 girls arrived with many of the team having performed brilliantly coming 2nd at the National final in 2018 and looked very strong on paper. They did not disappoint. Victories on the track in the Obstacle relay, 4×1 lap relay, 4×2 lap relay put the team in a strong position and this was followed up with great individual medal winning performances from Eden Hill (SJAC 1st shot); Demi Obilanade (SJAC 3rd2 lap race; 1st vertical jump); Annie Jonkers (RAC 3rd standing triple jump); Madisyn Woodley (SJAC 1st standing long jump; 3rd 6 laps time trial); and Tomi Adejuwon (RAC 1st standing triple jump) and with all of the athletes in the field events finishing in the top 10, meant the girls came away comprehensive winners by over 100 points from Surrey in 2ndplace.

Berkshire Sportshall teams and supporters were very proud to see Yasmin Grosvenor (BAC), in her role as Sportshall Ambassador having won the National Sportshall All-Rounder title in Manchester in 2018, give a very thoughtful address to the U13 and U15 teams before their event started encouraging everyone to engage with Sportshall athletics, highlighting the pleasure it has given her, and how it has helped her in her development as a national top 10 combined event athlete, before presenting the medals and certificates to the teams at the end of the afternoon.

The new Sportshall season got off to a fantastic start yesterday with just under 300 young athletes representing clubs and schools from across the county met at TVAC for the first round of the 2018 -19 league. We were particularly excited to welcome the athletes from ACS Egham International School joining the league for the first time.

Throughout the afternoon the atmosphere was competitive and very exciting as athletes new to Sportshall combined with those with a few years’ experience battling for every available point for their teams. Fractions of seconds made the difference between top scoring and middle ranking places in the track and especially the hi-stepper and obstacle relay events. There were also some excellent performances in the field with shot in particular looking to be a strength across the county and the age groups.

The leaders after the first round of the league competition are:

U11​Girls​ Lynch Hill PSA​ Boys​ Slough Junior AC

U13​ Girls​ Slough Junior AC​ Boys​ Slough Junior AC

U15​ Girls​ Maidenhead AC​ Boys​ Bracknell AC / Maidenhead AC

With no more than 8 points separating the top 2 in all but one competition it promises to be a very exciting season ahead.

Next match 25th November 12:30 TVAC

A packed Surrey Sports Park arena saw two very tense and exciting U11 South Regionals finals on Saturday 10^th February. Berkshire arrived with strong teams in both the boy’s and girl’s competitions, selected based on performances across the county league and county championship events held at TVAC in the autumn and earlier in the year.

Both teams started very well with solid performances in the obstacle relay and it soon became apparent our main rivals would be Surrey and Kent.

In the girl’s competition outstanding field event performances from

Demi Obilanade (SJAC) winning the vertical jump with a leap of 59cm to win; Carys Westcott (RAC) 2.12m standing long jump; Lexie Gill (SJAC) and Sophie Winters (RAC) scoring maximum 60 seconds on the balance test – with Lyla Goodwin (TK) 8^th despite achieving a magnificent score of 56 seconds; Tomi Adejuwon (RAC) triple jumping 6.23m for a 2^nd ; Maddie Sturt coming 3^rd in the target throw place meant the girls were in a very strong position. Whilst these were top 3 positions and important for points the other two athletes in each field event are equally important in realising the overall position for the team and they did not disappoint with almost everyone finishing inside the top 10 positions – a magnificent achievement.

On the track the girls were equally as good with 2^nd place in the 2+2 lap race (Demi Obilanade and Tomi Adejuwon); 3^rd place in the 4×1 lap relay; 2^nd place in the 6 lap Paarlauf; and an excellent victory in the hurdles relay.

At the end of the afternoon just 5 points separated Berkshire girls in the runners’ up position from the winners Surrey.

The boys were also very strong on the track with second places in the 4×1 relay; 6 lap Paarlauf; over and under relay; and third place in each of the hurdles relay, Grand Prix relay and 2+2 lap races.

In the field the boys were less strong with Jake Kabelu (Holy Family CS) our only top 3 finisher coming 2^nd in the vertical jump (56) and winning the chest push (8.25m); Dre Ruan (Lynch Hill PSA) was 4^th in the target throw.

The boys managed to score 432 points for 2^nd place behind Kent (454).

It was yet another fantastic afternoon of Sportshall athletics filled with excitement and fun for all. Our supporters were once again amongst the loudest and most enthusiastic in the arena – for which everyone competing was most grateful.

3 Teams 1 Individual to Represent South Region at National Sportshall Final as Berkshire Complete Amazing Success

The U13 Boys, U13 Girls, U15 Boys teams and Yasmin Grosvenor (Bracknell AC, U15 girl All-Rounder winner) all qualified to represent the South region at the National Sportshall finals in Manchester in mid-April following an amazing afternoon of Sportshall at Burgess Hill on Sunday 4^th March.

The U13 Girls have qualified for the first time having fought out a tense and very exciting afternoon against Surrey and Sussex. The whole team performed very well throughout the afternoon with the all-important “second” string athletes proving once again the importance of working as a team and for each other and ensuring good points are scored. The girls were never out of the top 10 finishers in each event through the course of the afternoon.

Top 3 medal winning performances were achieved by:

• Georgina Ashby (RAC)	Standing long jump	3rd	2.30m
• Katy Beadle (SJAC)	Standing triple jump	1st	2.30 m
• Georgina Ashby (RAC)	4 lap race	3rd
• Rosie Cooper (SJAC)	2 lap race	3rd
• Samaia Dhir (RAC)	Shot	1st
• Samaia Dhir (RAC)	2 lap race	1st	10.90 m

The U13 Boys arrived as defending Regional and National champions. As with the girls the team had a mix of first and second year U13 boys and Surrey were particularly keen to give us a run for the title. A mixture of experience gained last year at both the regional and national finals combined with the enthusiasm and great skill of the first-year athletes coming through saw the boys retain their title.

Top 3 medal winning performances were achieved by:

• Samaia Dhir (RAC)	2 lap race	1st	10.90 m
• Gregory Menkiti (SJAC)	Standing long jump	3rd	2.40m
• Jayden Meghoma (SJAC)	Speed bounce	1st	89
• Philip Oladunjoye (SJAC)	2 lap race	1st
• Philip Oladunjoye (SJAC)	Standing triple jump	2nd	7.27m
• Sammy Ball (RAC)	4 lap race	2nd
• Sammy Ball (RAC	Shot	1st	11.90m
• Trey Bennett (SJAC)	4 lap race	1st
• Trey Bennett (SJAC)	Standing long jump	2nd	2.44m
• Obstacle relay		1st;
• 4 x 1 lap relay		2nd
• 4 x 2 lap relay		1st

Our U15 Boys arrived also as defending regional champions. Once again, a very solid team performance across all events saw the boys retain their title for the 4^th consecutive year.

Top 3 medal winning performances were achieved by:

• Adam Ulhaq (MAC)	2 lap race	3rd	22.9 s
• Adam Ulhaq (MAC)	Speed bounce	3rd=	86
• Feranmi Sanni (SJAC)	Standing triple jump	1st=	8.18 m
• Feranmi Sanni (SJAC)	Speed bounce	1st	89
• Harry Booker (TK)	Shot	3rd	11.21 m
• James Shefford (BAC)	Shot	1st	11.78 m
• Luke Turner (BAC)	2 lap race	1st	22.6 s
• James Shefford (BAC)	Shot	1st	11.78 m
• 4 x 2 lap relay		1st

Feranmi Sanni was 3^rd in the All-Rounder competition; Adam Ulhaq 5^th=; Elijah Oladunjoye 8^th; Luke Turner 10^th; James Shefford 15^th and Harry Booker 18^th=

The U15 girls were in very close three-way competition with Kent and Surrey throughout the afternoon. At the end Kent prevailed (618), with Surrey second (607) and our girls third (595).

Top 3 medal winning performances were achieved by:

• Abbie Sillett (BAC)	2 lap race	2nd	24.3 s
• Hope Dandjinou (SJAC	Shot	1st	11.79 m
• Lauren Watkins (BAC)	Speed bounce	3rd	86
• Yasmin Grosvenor (BAC)	4 lap race	2nd	52.8 s
• Yasmin Grosvenor (BAC)	Shot	2nd	11.52 m

Yasmin Grosvenor (BAC) retained her All-Rounder title and will again compete at the National final as an individual representing the South. Hope Dandjinou was 6^th; Abbie Sillett 9^th=; Layla Beaud 15^th=; Olivia Phelps 19^th and Lauren Watkins 22nd.

http://www.sportshall.org/resultsfixtures/results/results-uk-final-results

With hope and expectation both running high the U11 county teams travelled to Burgess Hill. The teams were selected following performances by young athletes in both the Berkshire County League and Berkshire County Championships held through the autumn.

Both the boys and the girls team performed fantastically well. Throughout the afternoon they were incredibly well supported by parents, siblings and other supporters as Berkshire supporters once again proved themselves the loudest and most supportive in the region.

After a satisfactory start to the afternoon athletes competed in a range of field and track events with the momentum building throughout the afternoon as we began to realise the fantastic results on the track were being matched by many of the field performances.

Amongst the girls, Hope Dandjinou (Holy Family Catholics School) was placed second in both the chest push (6.00m) and the standing long jump (2.05m); Chloe Eames (RAC) was 1st= in the balance test achieving a maximum 60 second score; Emilie Richardson-Tuitt (SJAC) won the standing long jump (2.12m) and Millie Quaintance (Team Kennet) won the javelin (16.0m).

In the boys Jamie Bonella-Duke (RAC) was 3rd in the chest push (5.50m) on count back just behind Connor Rapecki (SJAC) also 5.50m.

On the track Olivia Phelps (MAC) and Sophie Hutchings  won the 1+1 lap race; Olivia then paired up with Hope Dandjinou for a convincing win in the Paarlauf and the 4×1 relay team (Emilie Richardson-Tuitt; Sophie Hutchings; Madeline Barnes; Olivia Phelps) were very good with the hand-offs to take 1st place by a convincing margin.

The boys had notable success on the track completing the 1+1 lap double (Elijah Oladunjoye SJAC and Noah Walcott RAC); in the 2+2 laps (Max McGarvie SJAC  and Cameron Langley Team Kennet) were second as indeed Cameron was again second when he partnered with Leon Bradshaw (RAC) in the Paarlauf. To cap a great afternoon the boys showed that they too could make some wonderful baton hand offs as they powered to victory in the 4×1 lap relay (James West; Noah Walcott; Connor Rapecki; Elijah Oladunjoye) – noticed by a number of other team managers who made the point of complimenting the boys on their baton changes and the overall performance.

At the end of the afternoon the boys were placed 2nd overall, behind Kent and ahead of Surrey whilst the girls were 3rd behind Kent and Bucks.

A special mention must be made of the parents and other supporters at Burgess Hill and also to Olivia and Francesca (SJAC), who officiated through the afternoon. They were all equally brilliant in the support they gave in making it a memorable afternoon for everyone.