CAC Showed Their Class at the National Road Relays.

There was a mass invasion of Birmingham by Chelmsford athletes for the English National Road relay championships as they completed teams in all eight races on the programme and found success for they came back home with coveted gold medals.

It was their under 17-year ladies that were to achieve this as they came out victors over Lincoln and Aldershot having led from the outset. Ezrah Harrold had put in a tremendous run on that first stage as her time of 13 min 16 sec`s was to prove fastest of the event. Amelie Shipton 13m 50s and Jorjia March 13m 41s then left no doubt as to the final result and the satisfaction of heading Aldershot who had edged them out of top spot in the Southern championship title only last month. Showing depth in the club Lottie Wilkin 13m 46s, Emmie Lole 14m 08s and Hetty Harrison 15m 00s brought the `B`team into eighth place whilst Harriet Matthews 15m 05s, Jessica Walker 15m 19s and Niamh Roberts 17m 06s were a creditable 27th - inside of the top half of the field,

Further medals were to come as the under 13-year boys commendable third behind strong London clubs Blackheath and Shaftesbury. Mason Sanford had set them on the way with his 13m 19s and in fifth place setting Freddie Blacketer away only eleven seconds behind leaders Windsor, Slough and Eton. In his first relay race Freddie made up ground and his 13m 39s was to take the lead. Another tackling his first such event Dylan Law came up with 13m 31s eventually to finish third - but a bronze national medal to be proud of.

For the under 15-year girls they were to take a spot just outside the medals being in fourth whilst their `B` team were to be next across the line. The `A` team saw Isla Kehoe on 14m 06s (12th) Ava King 14m 05s into 5th and Erin Kelly 14m 07s to that final place. For the `B` team Lily Sanford 13m 52s had come through in fifth spot, Isobella Eida moved up one with 14m14s whilst Beatrix Cooke 14m41s was to finish fifth, whilst a `C` team of Hettie Blackburn, Orla Martin and Vivien Prelevic placed30th -quite something from the 82 starters.

The under 15-year boys of James Gilbey (12m 40s), Fred Ferman (13m 09s) and Josh Humphries (13m 20s) were to place eleventh but had satisfaction of being first Essex club. To the under 17 men and Daniel Pollard (12m 29s), Max Chivers (12m 53s) and Austin Kelly (12m 43s) finished 25th, Jacob Parrott with 12m 52s ran the first stage but had nobody to continue.  In the under 13 girls Bella Kehoe (15m 40s), Jessica Hobson (15m 35s) and Leila Robinson (16m 20s) were to finish 20^th.

Labelled as senior events but CAC teams, both men and women, contained under 20`s.  The women started with Ruby Vinton (20m 43s) followed by Freya Stapleton (19m25s), Megan Harris (18m 22s) with sienna Shipton on the final stage running 22m 47s to bring the team into 16th spot. For the men Jacob Hurrell with 16m 33s stage followed by Will Nuttall (17m 02s), Ethan Reilly (17m 18s), Zach Bridgeland (17m 31s), Lewis Harknett

(17m 31s) with Seb Cirillo completing the team with 18m 02s and in 31st place from the 76 starters.

I cannot close without noting that our local neighbours Brentwood may have justification for `bragging rights`and rightly so for they achieved gold medals in both under 13 and 15 girls races. Congratulations to them.

Report written by Roy Meadowcroft

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