St Albans Athletics Club received a grant from the 948 Foundation to help with travel and entry costs to national and regional competitions – and they celebrated with some outstanding performances at the Chiltern Cross Country League in Luton.
Such is the appeal and reach of athletics competitions these days that getting huge teams of athletes up and down the country can prove problematic.
But St Albans’ delighted coach and team manager, Deborah Steer, hopes the grant award of £1,000 will ease those concerns.
The foundation gives young people in St Albans and the surrounding area the ability to improve their participation in sport.
Since their creation in 2001, they have given over £269,000 to clubs, schools and individuals in over 370 different awards.
Chairman Bryan Short who made the presentation said: “It is a pleasure to meet such an enthusiastic and dedicated group of athletes who we hope will excel in their field in the future.”
It would appear to be the case as all age groups produced fine results.
Phoebe Gill came third on her club debut in the U11 race with Martha Duncan, Iris Foley and Poppy Fisher bringing the team into 2nd overall.
The boy’s also finished second through the strong team of Sean Gallagher, Matthew Nicholls, Adam Smith, Eddie Wade, Robbie Laird and Theo Price.
Second was a popular position for St Albans as the U13 girls of Antonia Jubb, Lily Tse, Hannah Read, Sarah McGarth, Eve Gamsby, Sara Laitner, Florence Crowley and Annabel Hedge finished there while the boys were third on the day, but retained their second place overall.
The U15 boys’ team are sit third in the league standings, helped by a top-10 finish for Jack Dickinson at Luton.
Keira Stern was second in the U17 girls’ race, anchoring the team into third.
And there was a fine win for James McMurray, in his first race back after injury, after a fine example of race intelligence by pacing it perfectly.
To join St Albans AC, either as an athlete or a volunteer, go to www.stalbansac.co.uk
For more information about the 948 Sports Foundation, email Fiona Campbell on foundation948@yahoo.com or visit www.the948sportsfoundation.org
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here