Heart of England League – Banbury – 23rd June 2024
the Heart of England league. Rewind back to this time 2 years ago and we were in division 3. Since then, we have had 2 consecutive seasons of promotion. My expectation was that we would hold our own and finish comfortably around the middle of the division.
County Champs 2024
There was fierce competition last weekend at the Athletics County Championships (both Warwickshire and Worcestershire). The competition for the most sunburnt spectator was marginally less intense than the competition for the most vociferous! Yes, we were blessed with an uncharacteristically hot weekend which was tempered slightly by a cool swirling breeze. I’m not sure if it was just me, but it did seem as though there was a headwind on both the home straight and the back straight, but we really shouldn’t complain given how unseasonably warm it was! As junior team manager, I take great pleasure in seeing our athletes apply what they have learnt in training to competition. I know that all the coaches share this view. Training and competition are different. You can not replicate the adrenaline rush you feel in a race when someone creeps on to your shoulder or the euphoria you feel when you…
Elliot strikes gold in Midland 5k champs
A strong team of BRAT juniors headed to Sutton Park on 23rd March for the Midland 5K Championships. Many of the junior endurance runners have trained with the seniors on Tuesday evenings throughout the winter, with some good cross country results coming as a consequence. This was another opportunity to see what they could do against strong opposition from across the length and breadth of the Midlands. Star performers of the day were the U15 boys. Team gold was secured with great performances from Diego Dalmedo (12th), Evan Tomlinson (6th), Josh Taylor (5th) and a magnificent individual gold medal by Elliot Dawlatly! The U13 boys also had a great day, taking team silver – missing out on gold by one place! Ollie Knight (3rd), Ben Eden (11th) and Joseph Baker (13th) were all delighted with their performances on the undulating course. There were also strong results in the U15 girls…
BRAT Warm-Up Meeting 17th March
Despite the looming threat of poor weather, the BRAT Club Track and Field Internal Season Warm-up Meeting unfolded as a great success. The dedication and spirit of the young athletes and everyone else who participated, demonstrated their passion and commitment for the sport regardless of the conditions. The enthusiasm of the BRAT club youngsters and Seniors lit up the University track, from the adrenaline-fuelled sprints to the energetic leaps in the long jump, high jump, javelin, discus and hammer throws, every moment was charged with passion, determination and resilience. None of this would have been possible without the selfless efforts of the small army who worked behind the scenes for many weeks to organise and ensure the smooth running of this event. Bea Pavlovic Note From the Field Referee:Thanks to all Officials and helpers who made this event happen despite the atrocious conditions on the infield. Special thanks to…
BRAT Juniors Shine at Regional Sportshall Final
Over the winter, BRAT juniors have been taking part in the Birmingham Sportshall League with a chance to compete against other clubs in the Birmingham region. Sportshall offers the opportunity to compete in a range of different indoor track and field events, with many of our juniors competing for the club for the first time. Following on from our attendance in the league matches, we were delighted to have 12 BRAT athletes selected to represent Team Birmingham at the regional final on Sunday 3rd March. The regional final brings together four teams from across the wider West Midlands region – Birmingham, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Shropshire and Warwickshire – and it is a huge achievement for so many of our athletes to be selected for the county team. The morning session saw the Under 11 finals and BRAT had representation in both the boys and girls teams with Elliot Jones, Darcy…
A Warley Warwickshire XC Championships to remember
Saturday 16th December can only be seen as a major triumph and remembered as such. The infamous Warley Woods course, fields with athletes from both Warwickshire and Worcestershire, a dry mild day – were the melting pot for what was a masterclass from juniors-masters athletes competing for BRAT, with medals for both team and individuals. Going into the weekend, selection for the upcoming Intercounties in Loughborough next year would have been at the forefront of many minds. Each race had its favourites, underdogs and stakes for the athletes involved. Many BRATs who raced in the WMYACCL aimed to showcase their form in the championship. Prepared by the weeks of Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday sessions set by their respective coaches, the stage was set. Proceedings began at 10:45 with the U11 boys’ race and set the tone for the day to come. The boys took Warwickshire Gold with our three scorers…
West Mids Junior Cross Country League – Walsall – 22nd October 2023
A great start to the season with the club in 4th place overall with 49 athletes competing across the age groups. Star team of the day was the U11 Boys in 3rd place with the U17W 7th, U17M 6th, U11G 6th, U15B 8th, U13G 8th, U13B 4th, U15G 7th so excellent results across the age groups. Individually we had some great performances with U11G Nya 5th, U13B Ollie 6th, U11B Charlie 9th with top ten finishers. But it does not show the true picture of the performance with lots of athletes moving up an age group and still achieving high placings. Then there is the individual improvements of athletes which all adds up towards that 4th overall team on the day! Remember that if you finish in 50th that is still 151 points for the club so all your efforts add to the overall total. Thank you again for the…
Midland U15 / U17 Championships
The weekend of 12th / 13th August saw the Midland U15 & U17 Championships (incorporating the U13 Quadrathon) at the Pingles Stadium in Nuneaton. Conditions across both days were a little windy, but the athletes battled through. 21 BRATs took part across 29 events and they brought home 11 medals between them. Below shows the detail – thanks to Gordon for collating. Once again BRAT showed their strength winning medals in hurdles, throws, jumps, sprints and long distance! Congratulations to all who took part. Thanks also to Toby for photographing the action on 13th which can be found in the BRAT Flickr page BRAT Club | Flickr Below are a few of the medal winners.
BRAT Juniors Secure Promotion as League Winners!
Let’s be honest, it’s not the most enjoyable drive to Corby. The dull grey clouds over the motorway did little to inspire enthusiasm. As we arrived in the stand, the weather felt more like that of an early April warm-up meeting as opposed to a league competition in the middle of summer! As Europe basks in a heat-wave where people are advised to not go out and to keep their curtains closed, summer in Corby felt more like a game-of-thrones ‘north of the wall’ escapade. A strong and persistent head wind on the home straight put pay to the majority of our sprinter’s chances of PBs. If you achieved a PB at the weekend, then you should be very pleased with yourself. The dark skies were occasionally pierced with downpours and the odd bit of sunshine, perhaps this is as good as it gets in Corby??? On that backdrop, seeing…
Black Country Aquathon
The BRAT junior team were out in force over the weekend taking part in the Black Country Aquathon in Wombourne. This was race 6 of 7 in the 2023 West Midlands Junior Triathlon Series. We had competitors in 3 events: – Youth – 400m Swim/4000m Run. – Tristart 2 – 200m Swim/2000m Run – TriStar 1 – 150m Swim/1500m Run Alba Smith-Pena kicked off the day taking a great 2nd place in the female youth category covering the course in 23:09. Anna Newman was next up in the female TriStar 2 category. She came a very solid 5th overall a strong field. Finally we had 4 U11 girls taking part in the TriStar 1 category. Nya Williams took her first win in the series and was closely followed by Emily Newman, Mar & Joanna O’Connor Delgardo in 8th, 9th and 12th respectively. Very well done to all the girls, especially…
MUCH WENLOCK OLYMPICS
There was a fantastic BRAT turn out at the Wenlock Olympic Games on Sunday 2nd July. Being the home of the modern Olympic games (and a 200m track) made the day extra special . To add another layer of history, the Wenlock Olympian Society were honouring Harold Langley who won the pentathlon at the 1923 Wenlock Games and finished fourth in the triple jump at the Paris 1924 Olympics. The medals presented to competitors at the Games this year are replicas of those awarded in 1923. It was great to see so many young athletes there and so many disciplines represented. This means that it’s not possible to mention all of the BRATs that took part, but I am sure that Collin has made a mental note of the grit and determination shown by all. The U11 category was very well represented across all four eligible events, with field events being…
ESAA
Four BRAT athletes were selected to represent the West Midlands at the ESAA Championships in Birmingham this weekend. First up, in Heat 2, was U20 Tywana Kuluziza in the SG 100m. Running into a headwind she came 5th in her heat and 14th overall. Next was U17 Jamie Callaghan in the IB Hammer. Unfortunately Jamie had a nightmare day; his two practice throws went into the cage so he decided to play it safe with his first throw just to get a mark. His second throw would have taken him through to the final eight had he not touched the rim and the 3rd went into the cage where he finished 9th overall. Last up on Day 1 was U17 Bonheur Tshibola in the IG 300mH who had to contend with false starts from other athletes prior to the race commencing. Bonheur had a good start, clipped the 2nd hurdle…