The 2019 Burnley Athletic Club Presentation Evening was a massive success with almost 120 people in attendance at the Ighten Mount Bowling Club.
The awards were presented on the night by Leon Stubbs
Leon is a product of the Burnley Athletic Club system
He joined Burnley AC in 2012 at the age of 12 and immediately had success as a 200m and 800m runner as well as being an excellent High Jumper. In his second year, he decided to switch from the 800m to the 400m and has never looked back.
He has been Lancashire Champion at the 400m for the past four seasons and represented the county at the English Schools Championships in 2016,17 & 18 making the final twice.
2019 was his best year to date seeing him crowned Northern Athletics Under 20 400m Champion at Sports City in Manchester with a personal best time of 48.67 secs, this earned him an international call up in July as he represented England at the Welsh Athletics International in Cardiff.
He is the current Burnley AC record holder at 400m and with a personal best of 21.7 secs for the 200m and 10.9 secs for the 100m he shows he is an outstanding all round sprinter.
He is naturally talented but shows enormous dedication and hard work to fulfil his potential.
The winners on the night were as follows:-
Attendance Awards
Regular Attendance Certificate
Libby Gibson, Hollie Mayhew, Benjamin Mayhew, Toby Steel, Nathaniel Smith and Owen Agho
Exceptional Attendance Certificate and Medal
Caleb Tregay, Georgia Tregay, Erika Corns, George Murphy, Ruby Cleaver, Peter Agho, Jessica Gizon, Zoe Green, Joseph Smith, Kasey Corns and Lydia Guy
Star Awards
Bronze Winners
Cassius Ingham, Daniel Howe, Eleanor Boyden, Ernest Boyden, Eva Preston, Hannah Boyden, Harriet Nash, James Preston, Leo Smith, Luke Tomlinson, Natasza Wozniak, Oliver Steel, Olly Plant, Riley Smith and Toby Steel.
Silver Winners
Alfie Barnett, Austin Smith, Ben Acton-Grives, George Murphy, Georgia Tregay, Georgia Acton-Grieves, Grace Williams, Maisie Ferguson, Max Ashworth, Nathaniel Smith and Noah Crompton.
Gold Winners
Alice Carr, Brandon Linaker, Isabelle Campione, Izaak Laskey, Jessica Gizon, Ruby Cleaver, Owen Agho, Joseph Smith, Lois Wormald and James Acton-Grieves.
New Under 11’s Club Records
Libby Gibson – Under 9 Girls 50m – 8.8 Secs
Joseph Smith – Under 10 Boys 80m – 12.4 Secs
Lois Wormald – Under 9 Girls 50m – 8.8 Secs
Lois Wormald – Under 9 Girls 80m – 13.4 Secs
Lois Wormald – Under 9 Girls 150m – 25.9 Secs
James Acton-Grieves – Under 9 Boys 80m – 12.3 Secs
James Acton-Grieves – Under 9 Boys 600m – 2m 08.6 Secs
James Acton-Grieves – Under 9 Boys Long Jump – 3m 47
Trophy Awards
UNDER 11 GIRLS STAR AWARD
Lois Wormald gained a remarkable 299/300 in the Star Awards, she is an exceptional talent who with hard work and dedication could go a long way. We are confident that Lois will be one to watch in 2020.
She also broke THREE club records in the Under 9’s category
UNDER 11 BOYS STAR AWARD
James Acton-Grieves gained a perfect score of 300/300 in the Star Awards, he just like Lois is an exceptional talent who with hard work and dedication could go a long way in the sport. James is an all rounder and could excel in a number of events.
He also broke THREE club records in the Under 9’s category at the same meeting at Blackpool in September
UNDER 11 BOYS ENDEAVOUR
Ben Mayhew always puts 100% effort into his training, he is a pleasure to coach.
He regularly competes in U11 meetings and tries a bit of everything, including cross country competitions in the winter.
UNDER 11 GIRLS ENDEAVOUR
Jessica Gizon always puts in 100% effort into her training and is even following in her father’s footsteps by trying some newer events in the throwing circle. One to watch for the future.
UNDER 11’s COACHES AWARD
Toby Steel is a pleasure to coach. He never grumbles no matter what the training session he is. He encourages others and is a real team player, he is a gutsy runner who takes on every challenge head on.
CROSS COUNTRY U11 MALE
Caleb Tregay went from strength to strength and no course seemed to faze him. He had pure grit and determination in all his runs. He was a brilliant team player and was often found on the side lines encouraging other athletes in their races.
CROSS COUNTRY U11 FEMALE
Georgia Tregay loves cross country and seemed to smile all the way round the courses. She used her amazing sprint technique to pick off other competitors at the finish. She like her brother made a great team player and joined him in spurring on other athletes in other events.
CROSS COUNTRY JUNIOR FEMALE
Amelia Southam competed in all ten cross country events in 2018/19 in a new age group and was our only junior female athlete. She had to run a further distance than the year before and always tried her best no matter what the weather and the conditions were like.
CROSS COUNTRY SENIOR MALE
Michael Williams competed in eight out of nine cross country events in 2018/19. He improved as the season went on and this was the stepping stone for his performances this season.
CROSS COUNTRY SENIOR FEMALE
Rachel Holt competed in eight out of nine cross country events in 2018/19 and was our only senior female athlete. She attacked each course with determination and still left enough in the tank for some fantastic sprint finishes.
ENDEAVOUR JUNIOR MALE
Peter Agho rarely misses a session no matter what the weather, he has come on leaps and bounds in the past twelve months and that is down to his determination in training. Peter was almost an ever present at the Mid Lancs league meetings with his main focus being the 200m.
ENDEAVOUR JUNIOR FEMALE
Ella Roberts makes the most of her training sessions, occasionally she grumbles, but having improved her PB in both the 100m and 200m this year, she knows the hard work she put in last winter paid off. She like other athletes in the club is working hard on adding another discipline, the hurdles. Her coaches are looking forward to seeing Ella compete in this more next year.
JUMPS JUNIOR MALE
Oliver Walsh has literally leapt and bounded this season in the long jump. His PB in the long jump of 4.13m is 2cm off a grade 4 standard, a fantastic achievement for someone in his first year as an U13.
Oliver will improve on his PB next season and will definitely challenge the 4.50m mark.
JUMPS JUNIOR FEMALE
Erika Corns is mainly a middle distance and cross country athlete but is also a talented jumper, her Long Jump under the guidance of Mike Linaker has come on a lot this season and she narrowly missed out on graded performance.
A jump in excess of 4m will be the aim for Erika next season.
THROWS JUNIOR MALE
Caleb Tregay is a very talented Middle Distance runner but tried his hand at the Javelin late on in the season.His throw of 21.99m at the Mid Lancs Medal Meeting at Blackpool in August gained him a AAA’s Grade 4 Standard and shows he may have natural ability in this event, we are hoping he will try it more often in 2020.
THROWS JUNIOR FEMALE & SENIOR FEMALE
Ava Leigh is a phenomenally good athlete, she has been with the club for the past three seasons and has torn up the record books in the Hammer and Shot under the guidance of coach John Edwards, who collected the awards on her behalf.
Her 3Kg Hammer performances in particular have been seen her PB improve from 26.28m in 2017 to 51.89m in 2019.
This season saw her not only improve her PB but also win the Greater Manchester Schools Championships at Leigh and come second in an Inter Counties Competition in Birmingham.
She sets herself high standards and was disappointed to come 10th in the English Schools Championship. She was a matter of centimetres away from a Grade 1 Standard this season which shows the quality she possesses.
THROWS SENIOR MALE
Scott Gizon is a massive asset to the club, he has the raw power that is the basis of a top thrower.
Athletes breaking senior club records is a rarity these days but Scott has done just
that in his debut season, his new shot club record of 11.73m was very close to
a graded standard which again is very difficult for seniors to accomplish due
to the tough grading system at the senior level.
He is also an excellent Discus thrower with a new PB of over 35m, he is more than capable
of reaching the 40m mark next season.
He is the new Vet 40 record holder at the:-
Discus – 33.52m
Hammer – 27.47m
Shot – 11.41m
MIDDLE DISTANCE JUNIOR MALE
Caleb is at his happiest when he has the opportunity to compete in middle distance races over the summer, 2019 saw him tackle the 1500m and a mile in his first year as an U13.
In the 1500m he has improved his time over the year by over 40 seconds. His best time of 5m 14.1 is a grade 4 standard. His one and only outing in the mile resulted in a new club record of 6m 07.8. We can’t wait to see what he does this year.
MIDDLE DISTANCE JUNIOR FEMALE
Zoe Green has run over distances of 600m, 800m and 1500m in her first year as an U13. The 800m seems to be her preferred event and she has improved her time over the year by nearly 30 seconds. Her best time of 2min 37.7 is a grade 4 standard and we know she will progress further again this year.
SPECIAL ENDURANCE AWARD
MICHAEL WILLIAMS & RACHEL HOLT
This couple have helped promote the endurance side of Burnley Athletic Club, not only by competing in various events of different types around the area but by using their Social Media profiles to show that our club does do other things than just track.
Their performances in the Pennine Trail Series warrant a special mention with Michael finishing an amazing 5th in the series and an exhausted Rachel being pipped on the final section of the final race to finish 2nd overall in the womens event. Rachel literally giving her all as she collapsed at the finish line but apparently did bag herself a pair of new trainers as a well done present.
HURDLES TROPHY MALE
Michael Williams and John Linaker not only trained together but seemed to run together on the track, there was barely a cigarette paper between them all season, they gained
valuable points for the team in the Northern League and also won gold medals at the Northern Masters Championships at Bury in June.
Michael broke the Vet 35 400m Hurdles Club Record with a time of 67.8 secs and John broke the Vet 50 400m Hurdles record at the same meeting with a time of 67.0 secs
HURDLES TROPHY FEMALE
Hollie Mayhew competed in the 70m hurdles at open meetings, the Mid Lancs meetings and the Lancashire County Championships.
She always goes into the event with a smile and puts in maximum effort at all times. She has worked hard at some extra training
nights to improve her hurdle technique and we look forward to see what she can do in the summer of 2020.
SPRINTS TROPHY SENIOR MALE
Reece Lawrence is one of the hardest trainers at the club, he leaves everything out on the
track not only in competitions but in every training session we do.He is a very talented athlete who since switching to sprints two years ago has improved year on year, his new PB of 52.4 secs in the 400m at Litherland in July has only been bettered at our club by FOUR athletes in the past 20 years and we are confident he will move further up that rankings table again next season.
SAM GREEN MEMORIAL SPRINTS TROPHY MALE
Osasu Agho joined the club in 2018 and the coaching team saw his natural ability immediately.
2019 was his debut season in athletics and even though his coaching team believed he was the real deal he still exceeded expectations. His 400m PB came down from 55.7 secs in May to a remarkable 52.2 secs in August, at just 15 years of age he is Under 17’s Lancashire Champion and inside the top 100 in the country,
this is all with another year to improve at his current age group.
Infact he is 14th in the country if you compare him to athletes of the same age, I think you’ll all agree that
is unbelievable for an athlete who competed for the first time in May!!
He attained a Grade 3 in the 400m and also a Grade 4 in the 200m.
SAM GREEN MEMORIAL SPRINTS TROPHY FEMALE
Lydia Guy does not like our longer sprint sessions.
However after completing a solid winter training last year, she broke the U15 100m club record with a time of 13.1 secs and the U15 200m club record with a time of 27.1 secs, in just her first season at the club.
These times are also grade 3 standards, this shows with two years at the under 17 level to follow Lydia can make waves in the local athletics scene.
Lydia is technically a very good sprinter as she gets stronger she will definitely lower her PB’s much further.
She still complains but we have high hopes for her in 2020!!
MASTERS ATHLETICS
NEW CLUB RECORDS
Chris Smale
M55 800m – 2m 39.6 secs
Michael Williams
M35 800m – 2m 17.0 secs
M35 1500m – 4m 45.0 secs
Steve Goodwill
M40 Triple Jump – 10.55m
Scott Gizon
M40 Discus – 33.52m
M40 Hammer – 27.47m
M40 Shot – 11.41m
John Edwards
John has competed in 50 park runs and he is the most senior male to compete in the Lancashire Track & Field Championships where he came home with the Bronze medal.
He was the winner of this years Northern Vets Championships gold medal with a club record throw of over 40m (this has ranked him as number two in the country for his age)
He also set new club records in both the Discus and Shot
John set three club records this seasons and they are:-
M65 Hammer – 40.05m
M65 Discus – 31.44m
M65 Shot – 9.21m
MASTERS TROPHY MALE
John Linaker has moved up an age group in the past twelve months and has excelled in his new surroundings, he has gained Masters Standards on several occasions in the 200m, 400m, 400m
Hurdles and is ranked number 3 in the UK for the 400m Hurdles.
He has been an integral part of the Burnley AC Masters group for years and is always willing to pass his knowledge on to newcomers who want to try their hand at competitions
John set three new club records this season:-
M50 – 200m 26.7 secs
M50 – 400m 59.0 secs
M50 – 400m Hurdles 67.0 secs
MASTERS TROPHY FEMALE
Helen Goodwill is the torch bearer for womens masters athletics at Burnley AC and she continues to excel.
2019 saw her win medals at the Joe Moran Meeting at Sports City and the NMAC Championships at Bury.
Helen also set three new club records.
F45 – 100m 14.9 secs
F45 – Triple Jump 7.77m
F45 – Javelin 19.75m
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Scott Gizon was chosen as this seasons Newcomer of the Year.
This was mainly due to his tremendous performances in the throws during 2019 but also his willingness to help others both at competitions and training nights.
Scott has volunteered to help the throws coaching team by qualifying to become a coaching assistant himself and this can only help the next generation of throwers at Burnley AC.
Breaking a senior record at our club is a rarity these days and to do it with more in the tank shows this award is going to the right person.
BURNLEY A.C MEMBERS TROPHY WINNER
Presented by former winner and fellow masters athlete Mark Hanson
This years members trophy winner is well deserved.
Helen Goodwill is a true all rounder at the club, not only is she a committed athlete and qualified field official but also a dedicated coach who puts her athletes needs before that of her own.
It doesn’t stop there as she is also the Track & Field Team Manager as well as a member of the Burnley AC committee, she will be the first to arrive and the last to leave at every Mid Lancs and Northern League meeting.
Only last week she travelled on a Saturday morning to Brighouse to attend the Northern League AGM and will do something similar at the end of November when she’ll attend the Mid Lancs AGM at Lancaster straight after a full days work.
Her commitment and dedication cannot be questioned and this selfless attitude is one of the main reasons why we have such a successful track & field setup.
