News From Your Club (October 2024)
Dear Parents, Athletes and Supporters,
A warm welcome to all the new athletes that have joined us since September, particularly
those joining our Fundamentals Squad (ages 8-11) and Foundation Squad (ages 11-13).
We have recently lost two coaches who had been working with our Foundation squads;
Marcus Faulkner (who has moved with his family to Wales) and Pete Stansfield who has
moved to Newbury. Both will be sorely missed. If you are able to help our remaining
coaches out at training it will help to maintain good coach/athlete ratios which is
particularly important for the younger athlete, so please speak to the appropriate Coach if
you can help. They will be very glad to have your help. Support and direction will be given
and you won’t be ‘dropped in it’!
Track and Field Review
Our Southern Athletics League team, managed by Andrea Styles and David Clark,
consolidated the Club’s position following promotion to Div One of the Southern Athletics
League last season. They finished tenth out of eighteen teams.
Our YDL (LAG) team for the U13s and U15s, also newly promoted for the season, came a
credible fourth out of seven teams. Congratulations to all those athletes that competed in
all four of the meetings. With a few more athletes turning out next season, another
promotion could be on the cards!
The YDL (UAG), managed by Duncan Griffin, also had a strong season consolidating their
position in Division 1 with a third-place finish out of seven teams. As usual, many of our U17
and U20 athletes also competed for the Club in the SAL league.
At the County Track and Field Championships held at Oxford, the Club’s athletes scooped a
total of 13 gold, 25 silver and 9 bronze medals. There were several athletes who won more
than one medal but performance of the Championship goes to Duncan Williams (U13 Boys)
who won THREE gold medals in the Long Jump, 100m and 200m.
Encouragingly, several long-standing Club Records were broken during the course of the
season (records are displayed on the Club Noticeboard and on the web site);
Jack Wallwork (Long Jump, U15 Boys)
Aoife McAuley (Heptathlon, U20 Women and Overall Club Record)
Ryan Wells (Discus, U20 Men)
Congratulations also to Melody Ball (U20 Women), a member of our throws squad, who has
just been given a place on the Youth Talent Programme.
National Cross Country Championships (postponed from last year)
Several athletes competed in this event at Weston Park. The performance of the day was by
U13 boy, Finn Hayward, who finished 8th in a field of 227!
Little Marlow Track Update
Our recently refurbished track facility still has a number of equipment issues that need to be
corrected by the County Council/Serco before the site will be granted a full Trackmark
certificate, and following that, a license to hold competitions. This is essential for us to hostleague meetings, something that we are desperate to do.
Steeplechase barriers, high jump beds and long jump boards all need attention and have
been documented with the Serco site manager. We have not hosted a league match for four
seasons but we are bidding to host a YDL (UAG) and a SAL fixture for the next season, so we
remain optimistic!
Cross Country Fixtures
We expect all eligible athletes in our Fundamentals and Foundation to have a go at cross
country, as well as those in our Middle Distance and Endurance squads. Even beating just
one person from another Club will contribute a point for the Club, and the more you beat,
the more points you score. If you haven’t raced before, please ask your Coach what you
need to do. The main cross country fixtures are listed below.
Team Managers: Sarah Uhart and Kevin Stilwell Info: https://www.chilternccl.co.uk/
Sat 12th Oct – Chiltern League,Keysoe
Sat 9th Nov – Chiltern League,Teardrop Lakes, Milton Keynes
Sat 30th Nov – Chiltern League, Stopsley Common, Luton
Sat 11th Jan – Chiltern League, Cassiobury Park, Watford
Sat 8th Feb – Chiltern League, Horspath, Oxford
Indoor
Covering a range of events from jumps to sprints , as well as Combined Events, these events
run from December to February.
N.B A full fixture list can be found on the Club website, under ‘Calendar’
Kit
If you wish to purchase any Club kit, including vests (which you will need for competitions),
they can be ordered online via the Club Shop run by Hawkinsport of Bourne End.
https://wycombephoenix.org/kit/.
Extraordinary General Meeting – Tue 22th Oct 8.25pm
This is arranged to coincide with the end of training and allows us to give a brief financial
summary as well as agreeing the member subscriptions for the next financial year. We
normally get through the formalities quite quickly and should be finished by 9.00pm. Please
make the effort to attend.
And finally…Congratulations
Some of most senior Club members (past and present) were recently recognised for their
support to Buckinghamshire athletics, over many decades. As well as representing the Club
as athletes, the support that they have provided has covered officiating at events, managing
county athletic teams as well as coaching and serving on our Club committee. They are:
Lance Free, Lawrie Thomas, Roger Smith and Chris Parkinson
Thank you and congratulations to them all.
Finally, congratulations to two of our Senior Endurance athletes who were married last
month, Rebecca Reid and Alex Tilbury. We’re not just about the athletics!
Richard Claessens – Chairman