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CELEBRATION: Winners at Dorchester Athletics Club's AGM

DORCHESTER Athletics Club's most talented athletes picked up an array of trophies and medals at the team's AGM after another successful year.

President Beth Boothman was unable to attend the event due to illness so life vice-president, and former club founder, Lt Cmdr Garth Ridgers stepped in.

Major winners on the night were Phoebe Beer and Ellie Burn who both took home three trophies each.

The club personality of the year trophy went to coach and chairman Guy Smith while the Ralph Thomson memorial trophy for athlete of the year went to Jemma Tewkesbury for the third successive season.

On the track, in the summer months, the club compete in two leagues, the Young Athletes League (YAL) and the South West Athletics League (SWAL).

For the first time Dorchester joined forces with Poole AC and Wimborne AC as Team Dorset' for the YAL and it proved to be a great success with Dorset becoming league champions.

This means they are promoted next season from Division Southern Two South West to Southern One West.

Unfortunately, in the SWAL Dorchester were relegated to the second division after two years in the top flight.

The under-13 girls' team were runners-up in their age category and third in the SWAL Cup. The under-15 boys were second in the cup competition.

In the Dorset AA Championships the club came away with a hoard of medals including nine golds, three silver and six bronze. Those winning gold were Hannah Jeanes (3), Beer (2), Burn, Hayley Rooks, Tewkesbury and Megan Tuck.

In multi-events Burn had another triumphant campaign finishing first at the Dorset Schools & AAA Multi-events Championships, fifth at South West Schools and a member of the winning Dorset team, and finally 22nd at the English Schools event in Exeter.

At the South West Championships in Yeovil Tewkesbury won gold in the intermediate girls' javelin while Jeanes claimed silver in the senior girls 800m.

Tewkesbury also secured javelin bronze at the English Schools Track and Field Championships - the third successive year she has won an English Schools medal.

Another up and coming athlete is Rooks who became South West Inter-counties under-13 champion in the shot putt. She is also ranked 24th in the UK.

In the winter months the club compete in the Dorset Indoor Sportshall League.

This year the county town club came first in the under-13 and under-15 girls' teams with Ellen Norman (under-15) second in the Vitrix Ludorum.

At the County Championships Dorchester had its best ever medal haul - 15 golds, 14 silvers and 17 bronzes.

The South West Sportshall Champion-ships at Torbay saw the under-15 girls' team qualify for the national finals in Birmingham. Dorchester athletes in this team included Emilie Crabb, Hettie Burn and Grace Townsend.

Dorchester enters the Wessex Cross-Country League, which comprises of six runs across the region.

Best point scorer over four races in the league for the men was Freddie Cook followed by Nick Ireland.

For the women, Rosie Smith came out on top with Beth Letherby close behind, and third was Jackie Morris.

At the County Championships, held at Leweston School, Jeanes was crowned champion in under-20 women and Delia Batt took silver in under-17 women with both qualifying for the UK Inter-counties Cross-Country Championships and World Trials at Woolaton Park in Nottingham together with Cook, Beth Letherby and Rosie Smith.

Jeanes was once again county champion at the Schools Championships where Beth Letherby placed second in the minor girls' age group.

Representing the county at the English Schools Cross-Country were Jeanes, Cook and Rosie Smith.

A number of athletes from the club also competed in biathle and biathlon.

For biathle, representing GB at the World Championships in Monaco were Beth Letherby finishing ninth, Hugh Ireland seventh and Nick Ireland ninth.

In biathlon, nine Dorchester athletes competed at national level at the Schools Competition with Peter Horne taking bronze and Abbie Letherby part of team bronze.

Trophy winners: Jake Criswick, Matthew Fry, Freddie Cook, Alistair Tuck, Stephen Rowe, Phoebe Beer, Ellie Burn, Abbie Letherby, Megan Tuck, Hayley Rooks, Richard Tuck, Rosie Smith, Ellen Norman, Alex Johnson, Anna James, Kirsty Wickham, Caroline Goode, Guy Smith, Barry and Theresa Jeanes and Jemma Tewkesbury.

8:20am Tuesday 15th April 2008

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