First South of England title for young St Albans trio
St Albans Athletics Club's Lily Tse, Mia Pullen and Antonia Jubb celebrate their first South of England team title at the SEAA Road Relay Championship. - Credit: Archant
A trio from a combined St Albans Athletics Club and St Albans Striders team have won their first South of England team title.
St Albans Athletics Club celebrate their first South of England team title at the SEAA Road Relay Championship. - Credit: Archant
Lily Tse, Mia Pullen and Antonia Jubb were racing in the U13 age group at the SEAA Road Relay Championship.
St Albans Athletics Club celebrate their first South of England team title at the SEAA Road Relay Championship. - Credit: Archant
The clubs have been aspiring to this ultimate prize since its inception over 12 years ago.
Hopes were high going into the championships with a good strength in depth throughout both the U13 boys and girls team but the coaches did their best to make sure none of the youngsters were daunted by the prospect of top opposition.
After a strong first leg by Tse, Pullen raced her way into a clear first position giving Jubb a comfortable lead into the final leg.
The last 300 metres around the Crystal Palace track and seeing a St Albans vest first across the line with ecstatic team mates was described as a “wonderful achievement”.
The run slightly overshadowed the equally impressive performance by the U13 boys.
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They had an extra leg to overcome but the club still fielded two strong teams.
And Tom Gaunce, Alexander McDonald, Alex Fine and Zach Segal stormed their way to eighth outof the 40 other teams with the B team of Adam Grimes, Oscar Loveday, Noah Brown and William Duncan coming 29th.
Sarah McGrath, Lily Palmer and Sara Laitner, the girls B team, finished 37th.
Up the age groups Jack Dickinson, Thomas Cooper, Robert Quigley and James Allison finished 17th out of 41 teams.
Will Bowran, Scott Brice, Cameron Clark and Oliver Davis finished 19th and Jess Laitner, Emily Anders and Keira Stern finished 16th in the U17 age group. The girls also had a B team made up of Aysha, Emily Barnes and Freya Weddell.
The club also put out three women’s teams and one men’s, each comprising six athletes, in the senior division.
That progression from the youngest age groups into the senior ranks is something the club is rightly proud of.
And despite problems with some of the results, George Withers, Edward Anders, Tom Halling, Steve Buckle, Philip Evans and Si Fraser were placed 45th out of the 80 teams.
