UK Champions!! the U15 Girls Squad winners at the UK Finals in Birmingham on 7th April 2013
U13 Girls Squad who came 2nd overall at the UK Finals in Birmingham on 21 April 2012
U15 boys at UK Finals - 21 April 2012
U13 Girls 4 x 1 Lap Relay Team Medalists - UK Finals 21 April 2012
U11 FIA Challenge Norfolk Squads including the Boys who took home the Gold Medals - 21 January 2012
Katie Vickery (L) is the U15 girls All Rounder and Ellie Blunt (R) set a new national record in the U15 girls speedbounce - 30 January 2010
Cllr Claudette Bannock presents CoNAC's U13 girls with their open relay medals at the Norwich & District Sportshall Championships - 6 December 2008
U11 boys open relay winners Beeston Hall School receive their medals from Cllr Claudette Bannock at the Norwich & District Sportshall Championships - 6 December 2008
Team manager Keith Yellop with the CoNAC girls at the National final in Birmingham on 12 April 2008
Norfolk�s U15 boys squad at the regional final - 2 February 2008
So close for Norfolk�s U15 girls at the regional final - 2 February 2008
Sportshall News
Super Sunday tops off a glorious end to a magnificent Sportshall season
10 April 2013
What a truly magnificent season we have had for Sportshall athletics in Norfolk.
In August last year we launched our second site at City Academy and regular received over 100 athletes on Saturday mornings as a result. The league season was the best ever attended along with record numbers at the County Championships. At our own Championships in March we had 167 athletes competing another record. So with records re-written throughout the season is was only fitting that the final event of the year would also produce some records of its own.
At Birmingham at the weekend three Norfolk teams competed in the National Sportshall Finals. Last year three teams also competed and came 2nd, 4th and 8th; the question was ... could they go better this year?
Let's start with the U13 Girls team managed by our very own Keith Yellop (Keith is also President of the Norfolk Sportshall League). In a day of high drama all the athletes performed way above themselves. Sophie Bishop picked up three medals, one in the triple jump when placed third, a second for a relay leg when placed second, and the third for 3d place in Obstacle Relay. Madeleine Parle also collected a relay silver as well as a fourth in the vertical jump. Alicia Akinbiyi was the other squad medalist picking up a bronze medal when partnering Freya Biles from Dereham in the eight lap parlaaf . These athletes were ably supported by Emily Mace (4th in speedbounce), Jess Scarlet, Maddy Stubbs (60cm improvement in the shot) and Lauren Bradfield. They all collected valuable points during the day when finishing 4th of the 12 teams competing. Keith was rightly proud of all of their efforts.
Next up let's look at the U15 Boys team managed by our own Jacqui Green (Jacqui is also Treasurer of the Norfolk Sportshall League). The drama here was equally as intense if not more so. We had 5 athletes competing - they all came back with a medal. Daniel Wong who had recently recovered from injury picked up a silver in the 2 lap sprint. Jack Dearden picked up two silvers, matching Daniel in the 2 lap and leaping to 8.35 in the standing triple jump. Tom Lake received a silver medal for his 91 speedbounces in 30 seconds. And then in the final race of the day Ashley Cooper, Ben Matsuka-Williams, Jack and Daniel put on a great display of sprinting to win the relay. Then came the overall presentations. In a unprecedented chain of events we found out that Tom Lake came 3rd (out of sixty athletes) in the All-rounder event followed by a few seconds later to find out that Jack Dearden was National All-rounder Champion. Such was the depth of strength Ashley Cooper was 7th All-rounder having finished 5th, 5th and 13th in his events. The presentations then moved onto the team competition and we knew we would be in with a chance. After 10 presentations we were on the stage with Cardiff, only to find out we had come second by only 3 points, scoring 1227 to Cardiff's 1230.
Finally, we come to the U15 Girls team managed by our own Andrea Maher (Andrea and her husband Stuart are the Norfolk Sportshall League scorers). This was truly a county team with athletes from all the county's clubs. We had two athletes competing, both came home with medals. Tallulah Bell won gold in the vertical jump, silver in the relay and bronze in the 2 lap sprint. Grace Ashworth collected a bronze in the eight lap parlaaf. All of the athletes performed as a complete team - the combined training sessions at Taverham High School paying massive dividends. At the end of the day we moved to the team presentations. Noisy Norfolk lifted the roof of the LG Arena at the NEC when it was announced that Norfolk had won and were National Champions - it has been a momentous team effort and tears of joy were shed.
When the day finally drew to a close the Norfolk teams had finished 4th, 2nd and Champions with Jack and Tom claiming individual National honors - it was by far Norfolk's best ever Sportshall performance.
Our team managers finished the day exhausted but also elated - they had every right to be proud. Well done Keith, Jacqui and Andrea.
We must also recognize the contribution of our travelling reserves Sarah Costello, Katie Daniels and Harriet Searjeant for their help and support at the event. Our officials Mike Utting, Tony Bradfield, David Pring and Clive Poyner for doing their part in an unforgettable day. And finally we must say a huge thank you to Helen Stubbs (our Sportshall co-ordinator and the Norfolk League Chair) for her dedication and energy into making Sportshall so successful in CoNAC and the County.
There is only one question to ask "Can we top this in 2014?"
For all the results - please click the age groups U13 Girls U15 Girls U15 Boys
Winning CoNAC athletes off to the National Sportshall Finals in Birmingham
5 February 2013
Victory at the Eastern Region Finals for three Norfolk teams ensures a trip to the National Sportshall Finals at Birmingham on 7 April. An amazing day of athletics took place on Saturday 2 February at UEA Sportspark where four Norfolk squads took part in the Eastern Region Sportshall Finals. Some outstanding performances saw three of the Norfolk teams winnning their groups and the fourth team coming 2nd in theirs. The U13 Girls, U15 Girls and U15 Boys teams were victorious in each of their age groups, with the U13 Boys being pipped at the post by Hertfordshire.
The 3 successful teams will now represent the Eastern Region at the National Sportshall Finals at the LG Arena in Birmingham on 7 April.
Special congratulations to our CoNAC athletes Grace Ashworth who won the U15 Girls Overall Athlete title and qualified for the Finals in her own right, Tom Lake and Jack Dearden who came joint second place in the U15 Boys, and to Tallulah Bell who came 3rd in the U15 Girls All Rounder Athlete Competitions. Well done!
Good luck to all our CoNAC athletes for Birmingham!
For all the results - please click the age groups U13 Girls U13 Boys U15 Girls U15 Boys
CoNAC athletes triumph at 22nd Norfolk Sportshall Championships
14 January 2013
Young CoNAC-ers were among over 150 athletes aged between 8 and 15 who took part in the individual competition on Saturday at the Sportspark. Events included the shot, javelin, high jump, vertical jump, triple jump, speedbounce, sprints and longer runs.
Medals were presented by our very own World Junior Championship hammer thrower Michael Painter and award-winning National Coach Mike Utting.
Many CoNAC athletes achieved great success and there was an outstanding performance from Sophie Bishop who won gold medals in three events with a massive standing triple jump of 7.16m - amazing.
Well done to everyone who took part.
Please click here for full results.
Sportshall is back ...... with a bang!
4 October 2012
Sportshall training started this weekend just gone with a very impressive 138 athletes attending.
If there are any other athletes who would like to attend training sessions on Saturday mornings - U11's (9.30am to 10.45am) and U13's / U15's (10.45am to 12 noon) - please go to the City Academy as Taverham is now full (we are taking names for a waiting list for Taverham - email sportshall@conac.org.uk).
Last year Norfolk placed 1st and 2nd in the regional U11 and 2nd, 4th and 8th in the National U13 & U15 competitions. If you would like to be considered for these teams you will need to take part in the league meetings.
The CoNAC Sportshall team managers for this season are :
U11 Boys - Sophie Poyner
U11 Girls - Helen Stubbs
U13 Boys - Arthur Blunt
U13 Girls - Keith Yellop
U15 Boys - Jacqui Green
U15 Girls - Andrea Maher
Email sportshall@conac.org.uk to let us know if your child can take part in any of the following dates.
The Norfolk Sportshall League dates are :
Saturday 20 October - Lynnsport, Kings Lynn
Saturday 10 November - Sportspark
Saturday 8 December - Taverham High School
Individual entry
22nd County Championship - Saturday 12 January 2013 - Sportspark
5th Norwich & Open District Championships - Saturday 2 March 2013 - Taverham High School
Selected athletes from league programme:
Saturday 19 January 2013 - U11's Regional 'Fun in Athletics'
Saturday 2 February - U13's & U15's Regional Match
Sunday 7 April - U13's & U15's National Finals - Birmingham
Let's hope for another record breaking year at Sportshall. Please contact Helen or Julie at sportshall@conac.org.uk for any further information or with offers of support / help.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have contributed to this very successful aspect of the club, in particular our thanks go to Helen Stubbs and Julie Brand (our Sportshall coordinators) - it's going from strength to strength and will be the underpinning of our club's teams for years to come.
Norfolk Teams excel in Birmingham
29 May 2012
CoNAC atheles played a major part to ensure all the Norfolk teams did exceptionally well on Saturday 21st April at the UK Sportshall Finals at the LG Arena at the NEC in Birmingham. The U13 Girls came an amazing 2nd place behind Hampshire. The U15 Boys came 4th in a very tight competition with only 16 points seperating the top 4 teams and the U15 Girls came a very respectful 8th in a tough competition.
It was an ecstatic Norfolk Under 13 Girls team that travelled home from after finishing runners up to Hampshire in the Aviva Sportshall UK finals. Sienna Sexton took silver in the high jump with a personal best of 1.51 metres. There was bronze for Emily Mace, Lauren Stansbury and Madison Stubbs in the 4 x 1 lap Relay. Izzy Chrysafi together with Sienna took 6th place in the 4 x 2 Lap Relay. There was a lifetime best for Sophie Bishop wo came 5th in the Triple Jump with 6.66 metres. Emily, Lauren, Sophie and Madison also won their heat in th Obstacle Relay.
The Norfolk Under 15 Boys team gave the performance of their lives finishing in 4th place, the highest place a Norfolk Under 15 boys team has ever achieved. Two CoNAC boys finishing in the top twenty in the UK individual competition were Tom Lake in 5th place, closely following one point behind was Sam Green in 6th place. In their individual events, special congratulations go to Tom Lake, taking 1st place in the Speedbounce with a staggering score of 92. He was joined in the Speedbounce by Sam Green finishing 4th and Ben Matsuka-Williams in 5th place. Along with Tom's 1st place he secured 12th place in both the 4 laps and Standing Triple Jump. Sam Green added to his 4th place with an 8th place in the 2 laps and 12th place in the Standing Long Jump. Also in the Standing Triple jump, Jack Dearden finished in 10th place. The boys finished 5th in both relay events; 4 x 2 laps and the 8 paarlauf. Daniel Wong gave a tremendous performance in the boys 4x 2 lap relay team, helping them to reach the final in which all four boys showed such amazing determination securing 5th place.These boys should be really proud of their incredible performances, sheer determination and excellent team spirit.
The U15 girls team consisted of Hannah Maher (captain), Grace Ashworth, Phoebe Baker, Lucy Brice, Katie Pursehouse, Harriet Searjeant and Mia Sewell. A notable performance was that of Grace Ashworth who won a silver medal in the speed bounce with 87 jumps. The team's final position was a creditable 8th overall despite Katie struggling with an injury.
The future looks bright for CoNAC Sportshall!
Record number attend 4th CoNAC Sportshall Championships at Taverham
Saturday 3rd March
Today showcased what fantastic talent CoNAC and Norfolk has. 124 athletes from all over the county came together at Taverham High School to take part in a run, jump and throw with the points from each event accumulating to give a final score. A jam packed afternoon entailed and the fast and furious relays made for an exciting finish. Medals and trophies were presented by the Honorary President of Norfolk Sportshall, Keith Yellop and the Norfolk U15 Girls Team Manager, Andrea Maher.
Winners of CoNAC’s own championships were:
U11 Boys – Jaquan Moore, U11 Girls - Alicia Akinbiyi
U13 Boys - Billy Olley-Hindle, U13 Girls – Sienna Sexton
U15 Boys - Tom Lake, U15 Girls – Grace Ashworth
Winners in the Open Championships were:
U11 Boys - Joel Clarke: U11 Girls - Alice Wakeley
U13 Boys - Jack Barber: U13 Girls - Amy Dowsett
U15 Boys - Ashley Jarvis; U15 Girls – Katie Pursehouse
Well done to all the athletes who competed in the true spirit of Sportshall. And many thanks must go to the time and support given by the officials, spectators and sponsors who made the day possible.
Please click here for all the results.
Birmingham, here we come!
4 February 2012
It was a magnificent effort by the Norfolk Squads at the Eastern Regional Finals of Sportshall Athletics at the UEA Norwich, with 3 of the 4 Norfolk teams qualifying for the Nationals Finals in Birmingham.
Starting with the Under 13 girls, who kept up their fine tradition of now reaching the nationals finals for the 13th time in 16 years. Led by their captain Amy Dowsett, who together with Natoya Rimmer who grabbed 3 gold medals each. The team of Sienna Sexton, Izzy Chrysafi, Lucy Edwards, Jasmin Kemp, Madison Stubbs, Lauren Stansbury, Sophie Bishop, Chloe Long, Kelsey Wenden and Emily Mace went on to grab a total of 17 out of 24 golds on the day against the strong Counties of Hertsfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire.
A team mainly made up of 1st year Under 13 boys did a fine job to finish 2nd on the day with highly ranked sprinter Ashley Cooper winning the 2 lap final. Team: Alfie Tatt, Ashley Cooper, Ben Simmonds, Billy Olley-Hindle, Will Gamson, Joe Dickinson, Joseph Nicholson, Justin Clark, Michael Cross, Ryan Coates, Tom Greeves & Wesley Matsuka-Williams.
Katie Pursehouse for the Under 15 girls finished runner up in the individual competition, while together with Grace Ashworth - 2 golds, Phoebe Baker - 1 gold, and Lucy Brice, Hannah Mayer, Harriet Searjeant and Mia Sewell brought the team home in 1st place.
With Tom Lake sharing the Under 15 boys individual title and also two golds, backed by a winning team of Sam Green, Daniel Wong, Jack Dearden, Ben Matsuka-Williams and William Moore meant a 3rd winning team on the day, a testament to all the hard practise the teams have been putting in.
Norfolk U11 Boys steal Gold
21 January 2012
Norfolk's Under 11 Squad took part in the Aviva Fun in Athletics Festival at the UEA Sportspark on Saturday 21st January 2012.
Conac athletes dominated the squads that were selected from clubs all over the County to compete for Norfolk in the regional sportshall competition against Essex, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Hertfordshire Phoenix and Hertfordshire Pegasus teams. It was a very close competition with outstanding performances from all our Norfolk athletes. The girls team came a very respectful 3rd whilst the boys team took the title of Regional Champions for the first time beating Hertfordshire Phoenix. Well done to all the athletes.
Teams
Boys - Adam Simmonds, Benjamin Horton, Daniel Harvey, Darcie Riel, Harvey Lake, Harrison Death, James McKillop, Jaquan Moore, Joel Clarke, Levi Lawson, Matthew Horton, Tyler Blunden, Alfie Garside, Morgan Taylor, Tom Sowerby.
Girls - Alice Wakeley, Alicia Akinbiyi, Caitlin Clark, Chloe Quantrill, Daisy Spurway, Evie Cooper, Imogen La Chapelle, Katie Daniels, Katie Goldsmith, Maya Lawlor, Sophie Peach, Thea Howlett, Tallulah Lebon, Abby Flaxmer.
Conac athletes take County Championship Medals
More than 130 children took part in the 21st Norfolk Sportshall County Championships at the Sportspark in Norwich on Saturday. Unlike previous Sportshall competitions of the season, they were competing on an individual basis to win medals.
Medals were presented by two former Sportshall champions, sprinter Clieo Stephenson who is currently ranked third in Britain for 100m at under 17 and hammer thrower Callum Brown who is the current number one under 18 in Britain and number 11 in the world.
Norfolk Sportshall chair Helen Stubbs was very pleased with the day’s activities, saying: “Sportshall is such a great introduction to athletics and also keeps athletes fit over the winter months. “I need to thank all the volunteers that have helped, especially the Sports Leaders from Taverham High School and Mark Phillipson, a former Sportshall participator, who has come back to help out.”
Mark Horton from Reepham had his three sons, including 11-year-old twins Ben and Matthew and nine-year-old Edward, taking part. He said: “It is very well organised and everyone supports the children, we all want them to do as well as they can and enjoy themselves. “Sport gives them so much – great social benefits, it helps their concentration and their school work – and keeps them fit, of course.”
Many athletes achieved great success with 13 year old Ashley Cooper from Conac winning gold medals in all four of his under 13 events.
Entry forms for Open Sportshall Champs now published
7 January 2012
The fourth CoNAC Sportshall Championships - incorporating the Norwich and District Sportshall Championships - will take place at Taverham High School on Saturday 3 March 2012. Door open at 11am, registration closes at 11.30am, first event starts at 12 noon.
Please click here for entry forms and details of how you can volunteer to help. All entrants & volunteers get a free t-shirt - please remember to tell us your t-shirt size when entering or volunteering. #
Final league meeting sees Conac take the season Trophy again!
26th November 2011
Competition was fierce as the teams were battling it out to see who would win the overall trophies.
The Sportspark provided the indoor setting for young athletes aged 7 to 15 years old as they competed in various activities including sprinting, jumping, throwing and hurdles, with the children competing in age categories.
Many youngsters had good results, with Sam Green from Conc winning the u15 boys' event and Grace Ashworth from Conac was joint winner of the u15 girls' event. Conac won each of the team events and the overall trophy. Click here for results.
Nathan Dickinson, whose 11-year-old son Joe competed for Conac u13s, said: "Athletics is a real alternative to football - everyone should consider it. And it certainly complements other sports. These three Sportshall competitions have been great fun, well run, and enjoyed by both children and their parents."
Special t-shirts sponsored by Aviva were handed out at this event for Athlete of the Match. A girl and boy is chosen from each league meeting to receive these for either outstanding achievement or effort. These awards were given to Sam Green (Conac) and Katie Pursehouse (Diss) for the match held on 15th October, Ashley Cooper (Conac) and Natoya Rimmer (GYDAC) for 5th November, and there were joint winners in both categories for Mattie Sexton (Conac) & Ben Smith (Ryston) and Alicia Akinbiyi (Conac) & Sophie Pursehouse (Diss) for 26th November. Well done to all these athletes.
Conac stars shine at Lynnsport
5th November 2011
Lynn Sport provided the indoor setting for more than 130 young athletes aged nine to 15 years old from seven different clubs around the region.
They completed in various activities including sprinting, jumping, throwingand hurdles, with the children competing in age categories U11s compete in teams of four to six athletes, u13s compete in teams of sixand u15s compete as individuals. Teams can be made up from members ofsports clubs or school students.
One mum, Kerry Lake from Wymondham has a 10-yearold son Harvey who takespart regularly. She said: “All the children seemed to have a really enjoyable day in a lively and encouraging atmosphere. Whether they came first or last they were clapped and cheered over the finish line bysupporters and competitors alike.
“They are a credit to their clubs and coaches, there is a real desire to do their best! My son joined about a year ago and I have noticed a huge improvement in his fitness, and even though it's hard work he always comes away with a huge smile on his face.”
Many youngsters had good results, with u13 boy Ashley Cooper, from Conac, winning three events. Click here for results.
Norfolk Sportshall League is off with a bang
15 October 2011
The first Sportshall meeting of the new season attracted almost 150 young Norfolk athletes. Sportshall, where many young athletes get their first taste of competitive activity, is back for the new autumn/winter season.
The first event took place on Saturday at the Sportspark and saw almost 150 young people aged from 9 to 15 years old competing. They came from all over Norfolk including Diss, Thetford, King's Lynn, Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
The events, which are all held indoors, include obstacle relays, jumping and throwing tests, sprints, longer races and hurdles. The children compete in age categories with U11's competing in teams of four to six athletes; U13's competing in teams of six and U15's competing as individuals. Teams can be made up from members of sports clubs or school students.
One mum watching was Jenny Moore from Norwich. "My 10-year-old son Jaquan is taking part today and it's just a great introduction to athletics. All abilities are here and they are all having great fun."
Keith Yellop, president of the Norfolk Sportshall League, added "We've been doing this for 20 years now and many of the children go on to compete regionally and nationally. And the older ones love to come back and help out thie ryounger colleagues - it is a great atmosphere."
Many youngsters posted good results, with Sam Green from CoNAC placing either first or second in every event he entered in his U15 category. Click here for results.
Volunteers are always required to help run Sportshall events. If you think you might be able to help in any way - big or small - or want to know more about entering a team, please click here to let us know. The next Sportshall dates are Saturday 5 November at Lynnsport, King's Lynn, and Saturday 26 November at the Sportspark in Norwich.
First Sportshall league match this Saturday 15 October
12 October 2011
This coming Saturday sees the opening fixture in the Norfolk Sportshall League. The competition should be better than ever with more teams and athletes taking part. If you are U11, U13 or U15 and you would like to take part please contact Julie Brand as soon as possible.
There are a few team places remaining unfilled. If you miss out on a team spot you can still take part as a non-scorer. Registration starts just after midday with events commencing around 1pm.
As always there are plenty of jobs to do on the day, if you are able to volunteer that would be great. This event has lots of 'cheering' and noise and is real 'fun' athletics. We hope to see you there.
Registration and booking forms for new season now available
12 August 2011
The new Sportshall season gets underway at the end of September so now's the time to get your registration and booking forms completed.
We've got a great programme of Sportshall events lined up for you so please click here for all the details.
Tom Lake leads the way
4 April 2011
On Sunday three teams from Norfolk made the trip to Birmingham's LG Arena for the National Final of Sportshall 2011.
The U13 Boys finished in a very credible 6th place. Leading the way for the team was their captain Tom Lake who picked up three medals; silver in the speedbounce and bronze in both the 6-lap and 8-lap Paarlauf. Tom's team-mate in the 8-lap Ashley Cooper also collected a bronze medal. Newcomer Jack Deardon completing in his first 'big' competition collected silver in the standing triple jump and Ben Matsuka Williams won a bronze in the vertical jump. The whole team produced some marvellous performances of which they can be very proud as they finished the highest placed minor county.
The U13 Girls found the competition really tough but they battled all afternoon to finish in 10th place. Jessica Doncaster, Katie Francis, Lucy Brice and Sienna Sexton all recorded top 6 finishes and were supported by a good all-round team performance.
The U15 Girls produced a good display in finishing 6th overall. Katie Vickery was inside the top 10 all-rounders and collected the individual bronze in the vertical jump.
In the U15 Boys Sam Green made the Finals as an individual and did not disappoint when collecting the bronze in the speedbounce.
All the athletes ran, jumped and threw with everything they had - you can all be extremely proud of your performances!
Sportshall Decathlon - here are the results
26 March 2011
At the end of a very busy season certificates and badges were presented to 45 young athletes for their performances against the Sportshall Decathlon ladder. Please click here for the boys results and here for the girls results.
We have had a great winter at Taverham High School this year with 65+ athletes regularly attending the two Saturday morning sessions. Many thanks go to Helen, Julie and Mary for organizing the season and to the coaches led by Keith Yellop for their effort and enthusiasm.
Sportshall will be back in September - please watch this space for more details!
Norwich and District Sportshall Championships
5 March 2011
What fantastic Sportshall talent Norfolk has. This event was hosted by City of Norwich AC in conjunction with West Norwich and Dereham School Sports Partnership. Over 110 athletes from all over the county came together at Taverham High School to take part in a run, jump and throw with the points from each event accumulating to give a final score. The club’s own sportshall championships ran alongside the Open competition. Each athlete received a commerative T-Shirt, fruit and water. A full and thrilling afternoon resulted in the grand finale which was the relays with an interesting additional team thrown in, consisting of coaches and helpers which certainly made for an entertaining finish. It had to be seen to be believed!
Medals and trophies were presented by Adam Burgess, Development Officer for the East & East Midlands who paid us a visit from UK Sportshall.
Winners in the Open Championships were:
U11 Boys - Kallum Martin, U11 Girls – Daisy Spurway
U13 Boys - Joe Brown, U13 Girls – Katie Pursehouse
U15 Boys - Mark Phillipson , U15 Girls – Emily Pursehouse
Winners of CoNAC’s own championships were:
U11 Boys - Billy Ollie-Hindle, U11 Girls - Madison Stubbs
U13 Boys – Jack Dearden, U13 Girls – Grace Ashworth
U15 Girls – Katie Vickery
Well done to all the athletes who competed in the true spirit of Sportshall. The organisers are especially indebted to the officials, helpers, school sports leaders and spectators and sponsors, with their support and encouragement made the day possible. Special thanks to Smith & Pinching and Broadland District Council who supported the event.
Three Norfolk teams progress from Eastern Region Final
29 January 2011
Yet another fine performance, this time from the U13 and U15 sportshall teams at the Eastern Region UK Sportshall Final which resulted with three of Norfolk’s team gaining a well deserved place in the UK Final in Birmingham on 3 April.
The U13 boys 1st place (725pts) with a fantastic triple jump of 7.28m from CoNAC’s Jack Dearden, U13 Girls (707 pts) with a great high jump of 1.45m from Sienna Sexton. The U15 Boys narrowly missed out on 1st place with a score of 630 pts only 4 pts behind the leaders Hertfordshire. The U15 Girls also gained a spot at the UK finals with 682 pts ahead of our biggest rival Hertfordshire. Congratulations also go to Diss’s Emily Pursehouse who came joint 1st to go through to Birmingham competing in her own right.
Eastern Region Fun in Athletics Festival
29 January 2011
The U11 Norfolk Sportshall team (including 6 girls and 9 boys from CoNAC), descended on De Havilland Campus in Hatfield for the Eastern Region Fun in Athletics Festival. A well organised and exciting afternoon ensued with the final results as follows:
U11 Boys: Herts Phoenix, (1st) 483 pts, Essex Juniors (2nd) 452 pts, Norfolk (3rd) 429 pts, Herts Pegasus (4th) 416 points, Cambridgeshire (5th) 408 pts
U11 Girls: Herts Phoenix (1st) 500 pts, Norfolk (2nd) 447 pts, Essex Juniors (3rd) 444 pts, Herts Pegasus (4th) 438 pts, Cambridgeshire (5th) 381 pts
All athletes produced some fantastic performances with an outstanding performance from CoNAC’s Billy Ollie-Hindle who achieved an exhausting 56 speedbounces in 20 seconds and 55 in the vertical jump to come first in both these events. The athletes drive and determination surpassed expectations and they were a credit to Norfolk. Thanks must also go to the invaluable support from family and friends. The fun in athletics was certainly there on this day.
2011 Norfolk Sportshall Champs
15 January 2011
120 athletes from all over the county including many CoNAC-ers gathered at the Sportspark today for the Norfolk County Sportshall Championships. The afternoon started with presentations going to the winning teams and individuals from this winter's league meetings.
CoNAC athletes dominated the County Champs with U11 girls and boys events winning all but three events over the course of the afternoon. In addition, Ashley Cooper and Tom Lake both won three of their individual events, as did U15 girl Katie Vickery.
CoNAC dominates 2010 Norfolk Sportshall League
22 December 2010
CoNAC’s U11, U13 and U15 teams have produced some fantastic performances to dominate this season’s Norfolk Sportshall League. Final results after the three meetings:
U11 Boys - O team – 259 pts (1st ), Z team – 241 pts (2nd), F team – 111 pts (4th)
U11 Girls - O team – 260 pts (1st ), Z team – 179 pts (4th ), F team – 26 pts (8th )
U13 Boys - O team – 302 pts (1st ), Z team – 184 pts (4th )
U13 Girls - O team – 314 pts (1st ), Z team – 242 pts (3rd), F team – 168 pts (5th)
The U15’s compete on an individual basis and congratulations must go to Katie Vickery who won the U15 All Rounder Trophy with a fantastic overall score of 229 points.
2010 Norfolk Sportshall League kicks off at Sportspark
24 October 2010
The first of the three matches in this year's Norfolk Sportshall League took place at the Sportspark on 16 October - please click here to view the full results.
Regional Sportshall Championships
30 January 2010
City of Norwich AC provided a significant number of athletes for the Norfolk teams competing in the East Region Sportshall Championships at the Sportspark today. The teams of U13 and U15 girls and boys took on Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Bedfordshire. Here are the highlights, team by team:
U13 Girls: won their match and now go on to the National Finals on 18 April at the NEC in Birmingham. Individually, Ellie Blunt set a new National Record in the speedbounce with an incredible 99 bounces in 30 seconds and also took gold in the 4 laps. Other medallists were Laura Johnson - gold 2 in the laps and bronze in the shot; Hannah Maher - gold vertical jump; Lucy Cadley - silver high jump; Grace Ashworth - bronze standing long jump; and other CoNAC-ers in the team were Jessica McNaughton, Lucy Bernard, Megan Wilson, Harriet Blunt (reserve), Anna Death (reserve).
U13 Boys: Tom Lake - silver in both the 6 laps and the speed bounce; Sam Green - bronze in the shot; other team members from CoNAC were Ross Gilbert, Marvin Iseghehi, James Steel, Adam Davison, Daniel Griffin, Braydan Harrison.
U15 Girls: also won their match to join the U13 Girls at the National Finals with Katie Vickery winning the All Rounder title and progressing to the National Finals in her own right. She won gold in the vertical jump and silver in the 4 laps. Stephanie Griffin won silver in the shot and Sarah Kett was reserve.
U15 Boys: Alex Lubbock took gold in both the 4 Laps and the speedbounce and Michael Painter won gold in the shot.
Well done to all our athletes and good luck at the National Finals - it's a great experience!
CoNAC youngsters on top form in Norfolk Sportshall League
12 December 2009
CoNAC's U11, U13 and U15 athletes have produced some wonderful individual and team performances to dominate this winter's Norfolk Sportshall League. In the U11s and U13s the CoNAC ‘O’ teams collected all the team winners' trophies, with the ‘Z’ team also achieving three third places. Final standings after three matches:
U11 Boys - 1 CoNAC "O" 252 pts; 2 Ryston Runners & West Norfolk AC 251 pts; 3 CoNAC "Z" 196 pts; 4 Dereham Runners AC 123 pts; 5 Diss & District AC 53 pts.
U11 Girls - 1 CoNAC "O" 256 pts; 2 Ryston Runners & West Norfolk AC 252pts; 3 CoNAC "Z" 123 pts; 4 Dereham Runners AC 70 pts; 5 CoNAC "F" 24 pts; 6 Diss & District AC 22 pts.
U13 Boys - 1 CoNAC "O" 326 pts; 2 Ryston Runners & West Norfolk AC 292 pts; 3 Dereham Runners AC 230 pts; 4 Diss & District AC 74 pts; CoNAC "Z" 51 pts.
U13 Girls - 1 CoNAC "O" 318 pts; 2 Ryston Runners & West Norfolk AC 293 pts; 3 CoNAC "Z" 182 pts; 4 Dereham Runners AC 101 pts; 5 Diss & District AC 81 pts.
On an individual basis, Alex Lubbock and Katie Vickery collected the respective U15’s All Rounder trophies. We now look forward to the Norfolk Championships on 9 January when all CoNAC's young athletes have a chance to qualify for the Norfolk teams to take part in the Regional Championships on 30 January.
Norwich and District Sportshall championships
6 December 2008
Nearly 200 young athletes from all round the region took part in the first Norwich and District Sportshall championships held at Taverham High School. The event was hosted by City of Norwich AC in conjunction with the West Norwich and Dereham Schools Sports Partnership and was based around a combined events competition where the combined score of a run, jump and throw was used to decide the overall winners. Every athlete who competed received a special commemorative t-shirt from Samuels of Norfolk as well as free water and fruit provided by Tesco and distributed by their staff. With around 80 volunteer helpers, including a large number of junior sports leaders from Taverham High assisting in the running of the competition, there was plenty of help on hand to cope with no fewer than 76 separate track and field events throughout the day.
City of Norwich AC also used the opportunity to run its own club championship alongside the open competition, with around 70 of the club’s own athletes taking part. Possibly the most exciting event came at the very end of the day with the Broadland relay championship which was supported by a grant from the Broadland community fund and Broadland District Council. Six school teams as well as athletic and sports clubs from all over Norfolk competed in a thrilling series of races in this highly charged finale.
Medals and trophies for the CoNAC club championships and the open combined events championship were presented by Rob McCombe, PDM from the West Norwich and Dereham Schools Sports Partnership and representing 47 schools in the region who have a club link with CoNAC. Councillor Claudette Bannock, Broadland District Councillor for the South Taverham ward presented the medals for the Broadland relay championships and Matthew Lake from Samuels of Norfolk presented the trophies.
The organisers are deeply indebted for the fantastic support for the event from a large number of local and national businesses; in particular Kier, Tesco, Pilch, Broadland Council, Road Runner Express Couriers, Active Norfolk and Parker Merchanting Ltd.
Results:
Open combined events championship
U11 Girls: Gold Augustine Hammond, Joint Silver Catherine Longe & Emily Collison, Bronze Lucy Edwards
U11 Boys Gold Jamie Hurne, Joint Silver James Greenhalgh & Joe Collison, Bronze Campbell Young
U13 Girls: Gold Hannah Maher, Silver Lucy Hardingham, Bronze Natalie Flintham
U13 Boys: Gold Mark Philipson, Silver James Harding, Bronze Jake Shea
U15 Girls: Joint Gold Emma Tilbrook & Sophie McKinna, Silver Emily Evans, Bronze Rebecca Russell
U15 Boys: Gold Sam Blake, Silver Craig Palmer, Bronze Daniel Vesty
CoNAC combined events championship
U11 Girls: Gold Grace Ashworth, Silver Katie Francis, Bronze Lauren Stansbury
U11 Boys: Joint Gold Daniel Griffin & Toby Price, Silver Jonathan Tomes, Bronze Daniel Bainbridge
U13 Boys: Joint Gold Marvin Iseghehi & Scott Greeves, Silver Bradley Aldous, Bronze Will Gibbs
U13 Girls: Gold Naomi Tomes, Silver Jessica Hamilton, Bronze Ellie Blunt
U15 Boys: Gold Danny Clayton, Silver Jack Harrison, Bronze Callum Brown
U15 Girls: Gold Clieo Stevenson. Silver Laura McDonald, Bronze Imogen Gibbs
Broadland open relay championships
U11 Girls: Gold Beeston Hall School, Silver Team Tri-a-sport, Bronze open #1
U11 Boys: Gold Beeston Hall School, Silver Open #1, Bronze Garboldisham Primary School
U13 Girls: Gold Open #1, Silver Team Tri-a –sport
U13 Boys: Gold Team RR, Silver Open #1, Bronze Team Tri-a-sport
U15 Girls: Gold Taverham High #1
U15 Boys: Gold Taverham High #1, Silver Taverham High #2
Broadland club relay championships
U11 Girls: Gold CoNAC #1, Silver WNAC #1, Bronze CoNAC #2
U11 Boys: Gold CoNAC #1, Silver WNAC#1, Bronze CoNAC #2
U13 Girls: Gold CoNAC FTTUF, Silver CoNAC, Bronze CoNAC Runner beans
U13 Boys: Gold CoNAC #1
U15 Girls: Gold CoNAC, Silver WNAC
U15 Boys: Gold CoNAC Speed, Silver CoNAC
2008 National Sportshall final is a shambles!
14 April 2008
Saturday was set to be the climax of the various Sportshall competitions that had taken place throughout the UK since last October. This year’s final was in Birmingham at the NEC, a change in venue from the NIA where it has been previously held.
CoNAC provided a large number of athletes in both the Norfolk U13 Girls team, which not only represented Norfolk but also the East of England, as also in the Norfolk U15 Girls team - this team had qualified as the best regional runners up. In addition, Adam Howard also took part as best regional U15 standing long jumper.
So, with everyone set for a fantastic final, the events kicked off at 12.30 sharp. Laura McDonald and Mimi Barr were first off in the U13 Girls shot, and running in parallel was the U13 Girls obstacle relay. However it wasn’t long before a major problem with the track appeared. Honor De Winton (West Norfolk AC) was running the third leg for Norfolk when - at the end of her stage - she lost her footing and narrowly avoided hitting her head on a concrete crash barrier!! Young Ella Stephenson then took up the baton and on the turn at exactly the same place slipped and landed flat on the floor. It was now obvious that the problem was not unique to the U13’s track as the U15’s were going down as well.
After a further relay race, and following protests from the Norfolk team managers amongst others, all racing on the track was abandoned due to health and safety concerns. Fortunately the field events continued although the high jump was suspended for a while.
CoNAC’s Laura McDonald pulled a rabbit out of the hat to take the individual gold medal in the shot with 10.56m on her last throw, moving 5cm ahead of the leader from Lincolnshire who had thrown the furthest in all the regional competitions.
Laura Green, also from CoNAC, won individual silver in the U15 vertical jump and a joint bronze with Georgina Culling in the U15 speed-bounce. Adam Howard - an extremely talented U15 standing long jumper - also secured the individual gold for that event.
Had the meeting finished there, we would have understandably ended up with some very disappointed athletes, who having traveled a long way, didn’t compete in their track races but at least had gone home in the knowledge that no-one was awarded the overall title of UK Sportshall champions of the year.
However - despite numerous pleas from county team managers, the organisers decided to award all the overall national team positions based on the field events only!
So with Norfolk in second place in the field, we ended up with being runners up to Birmingham, despite being deprived of being able to use what was the fastest relay team in the UK last year and as well as some of the best runners in the country.
Laura Green in her final year of Sportshall - and having only competing in two of her five events - was awarded second position overall. Again, she was not able to compete in any of her strong track events.
It was extremely disappointing that all the hard work put in by our athletes, officials and parents to the many Sportshall competitions and practice sessions since October 2007 should culminate in an event that turned into a complete shambles. We await an official explanation.
CoNAC U13 girls earn National Championship appearance for Norfolk
2 February 2008
The first of the regional indoor Sportshall finals of 2008 took place today at the UEA Sportspark in Norwich, when teams from Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk competed against each other for a place in the National final to be held at the NEC in Birmingham on 12 April.
A large number of the U13 and U15 athletes who made up the Norfolk county teams were from CoNAC.
In the U15 Boys competition, the Norfolk lads just lost out on a place in the final by a small margin, taking second place overall. Callum Brown winning the Gold in the speed bounce, his CoNAC team mate Adam Howard, winning Gold in his favorite event, the Standing long jump. The team also picked up a Bronze in the 8-lap Parrlauf race.
Norfolk's U13 Boys team managed a credible 4th place overall with many of CoNAC's athletes turning in good performances.
The title for the U15 Girls competition was incredibly well fought over; many of the team were members of last year's U13 team that won through to the final in Birmingham. Laura Green picked up three of the Gold medals, winning the speed bounce, vertical jump and sharing the Gold in the 2-lap race. Georgina Culling took the Silver in the standing long jump and Bronze in the speed bounce. The team just missing out on first place by literally a few points, however CoNAC athlete, Laura Green wins a place at the final this year as an individual athlete.
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And then there was the Norfolk U13 Girls who were, quite simply, invincible! Managed by CoNAC's Keith Yellop, this squad got through to the finals last year by only two points and they were determined that they would return this year - but by a bigger margin.
Winning two of the first three relay races, this team of young girls then turned their attention to the individual events. CoNAC athletes Ella Stephenson won a joint Gold in the speed bounce. Laura McDonald (team captain) took Gold in 4-lap race and shot putt. Clieo Stephenson won Gold in 2-lap race and standing triple jump while Ellie Blunt took Silver in the 2-lap race. Vicky Mitchell weighed in with Silver in the standing long jump and Bronze in the 4-lap race. Taking a break from cross country, Mimi Barr earned a Bronze in the 6-lap race. Other CoNAC athletes in the squad were Kiera Mooney(6-lap & triple jump) and Jessica Hamilton (vertical jump).
If this wasn't enough, in the 4 x 2 lap relay, Keith Yellop played his trump card. He not only had an unbeaten relay team at his disposal, but in 2007 it was the fastest outdoor U13 relay team in Great Britain. CoNAC's own Ellie Blunt, Clieo Stephenson, Vicky Mitchell and Laura McDonald who true to form, made the event look like a training run! This was probably the race of the event. Super-slick changeovers and an ever-increasing lead, this was a real joy to watch.
So this year – by a margin of 28 points - Norfolk's U13 Girls will return to the National Sportshall Championships representing The East of England, and they aren't just going to Birmingham to make up the numbers - watch this space!