A reminder that the Club still operates a number of strength and conditioning sessions at various venues, as an alternative to outdoor training:

Tuesdays - Deaf College 5.30pm to 7.30pm (See Pete Lowe)
Tuesdays - Danum Upper School 6.30pm to 8pm (see Judith Revitt)
Thursdays -Hungerhill School 6.30pm to 8pm (see Bruce Bewley)
Wednesdays - Retford Quenn Elizabeth School, 7pm to 8.30pm (see Mike Cooke).

A small charge is made to those attending.

The Disability T&F season was rounded off with a well attended CPSport National Championships, for athletes with cerebral palsy although athletes with any physical impairment were welcome as guests. Competition was hot with a team from Denmark and many Paralympians present.

Regular attendee of DAC Lucy Heavisides was 'over the moon' as she broke the CP age group record in the F35 discus with a new PB of 11m57. Also in the discus in the F37 section was Esther Stanger who got bronze with 13m06. Esther also won a silver in the shot with 5m16, and was thrilled with her new PB in the javelin of 12m20 which won her the gold medal.

We were celebrating also for James Gosling who threw a massive PB to win silver in the mens F37 discus of 21m97, all except James who wasn't happy that he missed 22 metres by so little! The best DAC haul of the day however went to Jack Ramdeen who rounded off a fantastic season with three near-best  performances in the F36 throws events. He won gold and a CP age group record in the javelin with 14m98, silver and CP age group record in the shot with 6m89, and silver in the discus with 18m88.

It must be something about the Yorkshire water that helps to develop combined event athletes. Inspired by Jessica Ennis’ recent performance in the World Championships, young Doncaster A.C. athlete Nicole Bewley went to last weekend’s ESAA English Schools' 22nd Combined Events Championships in Bedford, to represent South Yorkshire Schools, and hoping to emulate Jessica’s heroics.

Nicole, who turned 15 just a week earlier, did not get off to the best of starts in the 75m Hurdles, which is normally one of her strongest events. She completed the course in 12.1 seconds, some 4/10ths slower than her P.B., which left her in 10^th place after the first event, with a total of 663 points.

However, Nicole bounced back in the next event, the Shot, beating her PB of 10.50 no less than three times, and throwing a best of 11.13m. This gave her another 604 points and a running total of 1267 points, which rocketed her up the table into 2^nd spot. Moving on to the high jump, Nicole again performed well, equalling her PB of 1.60m and scoring 736 points. This raised her total to 2003, and lifted Nicole up into 1st placce.

The next event was the Long Jump, where Nicole jumped 4.82m, just 6cm below her PB. However, it was enough to score another 511 points and kept her in the top spot going into the final event, the 800 metres. Her previous best outdoors in this event was 2.48.8 but she knew that she would have to improve upon this to stand any chance of doing well overall. Despite finishing in 2.44.31, and beating her best by almost 4.5 seconds, it was not enough to hold off the challenge from Essex athlete Hayley McLean, and West Midlands athlete Nikita Campbell Smith. However, her excellent 3^rd place overall, with a total of 3038 points, automatically qualifies her for selection to represent England in an indoor Home International fixture in Glasgow on 5^th December.

Nicole was not the only representative from Doncaster A.C. at these championships. In the Intermediate Boys Octathlon, 16 year old Liam Ramsey finished in a terrific 9^th place on 4652 points, out of 38 competitors, setting a number of PBs, but feeling that he could have perhaps done better in a few events.  He may feel a little disappointed but, to finish 9^th out of the whole of England is a terrific achievement and bodes well for 2010.

Club Chairman Dave Lilley said, “Nicole and Liam are just two of a number of potential stars of the future at the Doncaster club, and typify the tremendous talent that exists here.  Getting to the English Schools Combined Events Championship Finals is an achievement in itself, of which the athletes, their families, the club, and the town should be extremely proud. To then go on to represent your country is a tremendous honour, which every athlete should aspire towards. We look forward, with anticipation, to seeing how Nicole performs in December”.

 

Bedford International Athletics Stadium - Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th September 2009

Junior Girls Pentathlon

Electronic timing –
Pos No:	Name	Team	75H	SHOT	HJ	LJ	800
3rd	Nicole Bewley	S.Yorks	12.1	11.13	1.60	4.82	2:44.31
Progression Score			Points	Points	Points	Points	Points
10-2-1-1-3		3038	663	604	736	511	524
			Total	Total	Total	Total	Total
			663	1267	2003	2514	3038

1^st Hayley McLean Essex 3236

2nd Nikita Campbell-Smith West Midlands 3127

3rd Nicole Bewley South Yorkshire 3038

 

Intermediate Boys Octathlon

9th

Liam Ramsay	SYorks	LJ	Discus	Javelin	400m	100H	HJ	Shot	1500m
		6.06	27.94	38.06	51.27	14.17	1.66	9.69	4:37:39
6-12-14-9-8-8-12-9	4652	600	424	414	757	781	512	467	697
		600	1024	1438	2195	2976	3488	3955	4652

Dave Lilley

Chairman

 

Nicole Bewley becomes the first Doncaster A.C. athlete to put on an England vest after the club changed its name and came to train and compete at the new athletic track at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Nicole Bewley is to represent English schools in the Combined Events Indoor International at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow on 5th December after winning a bronze medal in the Junior Girls Pentathlon in the English Schools Athletics Associatioon Combined Events Championships at Bedford International Stadium on 20th September.

Nicole finished in 3rd with an overall points score of 3038.  She started well with a 10th place after the 75m hurdles opening event, this was followed by a massive personal best of 11.13 in the shot putt which sent her soaring to 2nd in the table.  The third event was the one that sent her to the top of the table with a 1.60 in the high jump.  She consolidated this position even further in the long jump with a 4.82m jump.  There was everything to play for going into the last event the 800m which is probably her least favourite of the five, Nicole came in at 2:44.31 and had an agonising wait before being delighted to win a medal at her first ever English Schools Combined Event final.

Sue Parrish

Track & Field Secretary

 

No none members due to health and safety

Winter Training will commence at the Deaf College Sportshall on every Tuesday starting from the 6th October until the end of March. The Sportshall will be closed on the 27th October, 10th and 24th November and during school christmas holidays.

The timed sessions will be as last year, 5.30pm to 6.30pm Disability led by Diana and Paul Brown / Barry Barnes, adults also welcome to this session. 6.30pm to 7.30pm will be Under 11s and 13s led by Pete Lowe and Ken Clayton.

No none members due to health and safety

No less than 5 Doncaster AC athletes were selected to compete for their region at the 4th UK School Games. This prestigious event is designed to prepare athletes from 10 different sports to experience an Olympic style event. The teams travelled together on Thursday and on arrival athletes were installed in the Olympic village aka Cardiff Uni accommodation. Everything was on hand - catering, entertainment, athletes lounge, and a huge team of medical personnel. Team Kit was issued - for most at least - the order was short of larger sizes and Liam Ramsay missed out until a few replacement hoodies arrived the final day. There was a lavish opening ceremony at Cardiff Bay presented by Jill Douglas. The teams were welcomed as they paraded into their places. Entertainment was a break dancer, a Welsh choir and a magnificent laser light and fireworks show, spoilt only a little by the rain.

Friday was training day - a bus trip to the track for the athletes to familiarise themselves, and a chance to train during their alloted time slot. Back at the village later there was a chance to attend 'An evening with....'   Jill Douglas hosted five Olympians and Paralympians across several sports who told stories of ther medal successes.  Star of the show was Darren Campbell who was unbelievably inspiring.

Saturday and Sunday the athletes got down to the serious business of competition. Chloe Bradley competed for the East Midlands team since she lives over the Nottinghamshire border. Chloe reached the final of a hotly contested 300metres and came a creditable 7th in 40.34 sec. Liam Ramsay ran for Yorkshire and Humberside in the 100m Hurdles. He qualified for the final by recording a time of 14.16 sec, and came  6th in the final in 14.3 sec. Our 100m sprinter Ransford Anthony came 3rd in a very fast heat in 11.39 sec, in the final he managed 7th in 11.54 sec. Disaster befell our boys in the 4x100 relay heat however. A messy changeover caused an inexperienced official to raise a red flag. Despite strong objections from the Y&H team manager, including video evidence kindly provided by a spectator from another team proving the changeover was valid, the Track referee would have none of it and the Y&H team got a dq.

Our disability athletes put in great performances. Jack Ramdeen, a class F35 athlete,  overcame some strong opposition in the Ambulant Discus and took the Bronze Medal with a super throw of 19 metres. The next day in the Ambulant Shot he produced a massive PB of 7m21, he just missed out on a medal in 4th place. Newcomer to Doncaster AC Kayden Roe ran both the Ambulant 100m and 200m. Against top class opposition his comparative lack of experience did not show and he came 6th in the 100m in 17.97sec, and completed his first ever 200m in competition in 4th place in an excellent time for aT37 athlete of 37.93sec .

Closing ceremony for the athletes was there at the track on completion of the competition. Teams paraded onto the field to hear the final results. There hadn't been regular updates so no-one knew how they had been progressing. So imagine the celebrations when it was announced that Yorkshire and Humberside were the winning team! The jubilations lasted until everyone fell asleep on the coach on the way home.

 

 

 

Click here for entry form.

Click here for timetable. (3-9-2009)

Important information about Rovers Tuesday home games

Below is a list of Doncaster Rovers Tuesday evening home games for this season. The Stadium Management have agreed that we can use the track on the Wednesday following each fixture to avoid our usual problems.

Therefore please note that on the effected Tuesdays all training on the track cancelled but will take place at the usual time the following evening, on the Wednesday.  This will not affect Tuesday training at the Deaf College, from October later in the season.

The Registration Desk will close on the effected Tuesday but will open on the Wednesday evening.

 

• Tuesday 18^th August 2009. Coventry
• Tuesday 29^th September 2009.Swansea City
• Tuesday 20^th October 2009.Peterbrough.
• Tuesday 8^th December 2009. Sheff. Weds.
• Tuesday 26^th January 2010. Middlesbrough.
• Tuesday 23^rd March 2010. Newcastle

Sunday saw DAC's NAL squad going to Quibell Park, Scunthorpe, looking to win promotion from division 3EC to 2EC, and, hopefully, finish top of the table as league champions. They came away having achieved promotion, but missed being champions by just 11 match points. They finished 3rd in Sunday's match, just 11 points behind Cleethorpes in 2nd. Those extra 12 points would have given DAC 1 extra league point and placed them above Scunthorpe at the top of the division. Instead, we finished on level league points with Scunthorpe, but they were well ahead on accumulated match points.

Looking at the results, DAC's men's squad outscored all their rivals, amassing 230 points to Scunthorpes' 226 and Cleethorpes' 161. Sadly, it was the number of blanks in the ladies' squad that made the difference. 4 blanks in the ladies A events and 13 in the B events meant Doncaster scored 99 points in total, compared to Scunthorpes' 216 and Cleethorpes, 179.
However, those that competed turned in some excellent, battling performances and ensured that promotion was achieved. Next season we will be locking horns with local rivals Sheffield and Lincoln, amongst others, with, hopefully, greater numbers coming through into our U17 ranks, to ensure that we can remain competitive and look to push on upward even further.

Well done to everyone who has competed this year, and thanks to those who have turned out to help us achieve this goal. A special thanks to all those who have officiated throughout the season (a thankless task that is only truly appreciated when you've stood out there for hours in all weathers!!).

At least by being runners up I didn't get to sample the steeplechase water pit as the victorious Team Manager!!! However, I'd gladly sample the water next year if you can get us back-to-back promotions!! Bring it on!!

The following videos were provided by Steve Harrison, taken at Liverpool on 19/07/09.

This is the first video on the website, I would be interested to know if they work on your computers.  They take up to 45 seconds to load on my computer (broadband required).  You might have to install some software to make them work (you will be prompted if this is required).

Ashton Harrison - 2.5m PB

 

Lewis Wilson - 3.2m

 

Liam Ramsey - 3.1m PB

METRES TO MILES AWARD –

YAL ATHLETE(S) OF THE SEASON

Thanks to the generosity of Julian Moorhouse who owns METRES TO MILES (a specialist Running & Fitness Gear shop in Epwoth), we had a special prize to be awarded to one male and one female athlete who have competed in the YAL competitions for the club this year. These prizes were for each of the athletes to get £75 to spend on trainers in the Metres to Miles shop.

It was decided that the prizes would not go to necessary the best or most accomplished athletes in the squad (as these have already been recognized with Athlete of the Match accolades) but to athletes with the best attitude and approach to the competition – if you like a reward for effort rather than ability. The other criteria set, was that athletes chosen must have competed in ALL YAL matches this season.

Firstly the choice of Male athlete……….this was not easy as a number of athletes could easily have claimed the prize. Shortlisted were Adam Wright and Jake Canning but in the end it came down to a choice of Christian Grant or the eventual winner, who was……………OLIVER LANGTON

Oliver was chosen because of his sheer enthusiasm for the competition. He would volunteer and be happy to do anything that was asked of him and would always do it with that cheeky smile of his intact. This year he has done High Jump, 75m Hurdles, Long Jump, 800m and the event that he has come to make his own – the Shot Putt where he set a PB just about every time he competed.

For one of the early YAL matches, Oliver wasn’t chosen for the team and he was absolutely gutted. To prove me wrong, he then went out and competed in an open meeting and threw the Shot a superb distance. Because of this he was then included in the team and has never looked back since. Even though we’ve sometimes only been able to give him one event to compete in, he has still been happy with this and just to be part of the squad.

Oliver is the sort of lad that make managing the team a pleasure as you know he will do anything that’s asked of him, without complaint and to the best of his ability – WELL DONE OLIVER!

 

The choice of Female Athlete was a little easier. The winner was ………………..KIRSTIN FROST.

Kirstin has been a one woman multi-event team competing in the following events this season – 200m, 300m, 800m, 1500m, Long Jump and Hammer.

Again she did everything that was asked of her without complaint and gaining good valuable points in an age group where we always struggled this year with numbers of U17 women available to compete.

THANKS KIRSTIN

 

The winners were announced at the end of the last YAL match at Liverpool and were presented with a certificate by Steve Harrison.