Bicester AC staged their summer presentation awards evening last Friday at the Highfield Club Bicester. It was a poignant evening for club Chairman Steve Flynn as his 15 years as Club Chairman draws to a close. The evening celebrated a number of magnificent individual successes but team success proved harder to come by.
Ironically it was one of Steve’s sons, Alex, who had held one of the longest club records on the books, the under 15 boy’s 3,000 metres. However Max Nicolle reduced this mark at a Watford open meeting and produced a series of national graded efforts, which apart from the 3000 metres, included the 300 and 1500 metres track events as well as the shot putt. This was enough to earn him the under 15 track athlete of the year.
Bicester AC are fortunate to have two very talented young athletes in the middle distance division and not to be outdone by Nicolle, Ben West also captured a long standing club record this time the under 17 men’s 1500 metres, smashing the previous best from another old club favourite Mark Curzon. West also enjoyed a very successful summer on the road as he took the series young athletes award at the very popular Motavation summer road series. These efforts earned him the club’s under 17 men’s track athlete of the year.
Bicester is a versatile club and was also able to celebrate successes in the shorter distances. None performed better than Samuel Rayson, who rather uniquely scooped both the under 13 track and field athlete of the year. Although to be confirmed, Rayson ran 13 secs for the 75m hurdles, which was not only a top national graded effort but 34th best time in the national rankings. Rayson however enjoyed phenomenal success in the field events producing graded efforts in both the long and high jumps as well as shot putt.
Further versatility was demonstrated by Amber Parker who produced a series of top notch efforts in all four throwing events to win the under 15 girl’s field athlete of the year. In fact not content with her summer efforts, Parker took in another event on Saturday competing in the Kettering Open and was rewarded with three new personal bests. Best of these was in the hammer where she exceeded 30 metres for the first time with a new club record and national graded effort of 30.05m. Parker also broke the shot record with a national grade 3 effort of 8.95m as well as setting a new personal best in the javelin of 21.58m.
Tia Brown’s splendid sprinting during the summer earned her a sub 14 second clocking in the 100 metres and this was good enough for under 15 girl’s track athlete of the year. It is often the case that athletes compete over a range of events and Georgia Usher gave the club sterling service in both the 1500 metres and high jump, producing national graded efforts and it was her 1500 metres run that earned her under 13 girl’s track athlete of the year. And the equivalent field event for this age category was won by big improver, Maisie Silvester, who produced a national graded effort in the shot.
In the younger age groups Hollie Offord and Katie Groves produced a string of fine efforts in the under 11 age group. Offord’s efforts in the sprint secured her the track athlete of the year award and Groves’s effort in the long jump, field athlete of the year. And Alex Nicoliades was Bicester’s best performer in the under 11 boy’s age group earning him the field athlete of the year award with Kyle Rayson taking the equivalent track athlete of the year award.
Other award winners were as follows:
Under 9 Boy Club Athlete Simon Cheeseman
Under 9 Girl Club Athlete Annie Rose Willis
Under 11 Boy Club Athlete Charlie Moore
Under 11 Girl Club Athlete Kristen Senior
Under 15 Boy Field Athlete Joseph Rayner
Under 13 Girl Club Athlete Amy Willis
Under 13 Boy Club Athlete Aiden Fitton
Under 15 Girl Club Athlete Erin Fabri
Under 15 Boy Club Athlete Connor Stark
Under 17 Lady’s Track Athlete Amy Gould
Under 17 Lady’s Field Athlete Holly Hunter
Under 17 Lady’s Club Athlete Lauren Garside and Molly Acton joint winners
Under 17 Men’s Field Athlete Joe Mimpress
Under 20 Men’s Field Athlete Kieren Finch
Under 20 Men’s Track Athlete Tom Gould
Overall Contribution to the club Derek Colden
There was also a raffle with some big prizes donated by Evolve Health and Fitness (http://www.evolvehealthandfitness.co.uk/) and Rebound Revolution (https://www.reboundrevolution.co.uk/). Thank you to both companies.
Written by N Dolden.