Great effort in Mini League by club’s younger athletes

The club’s U11, U13 and U15 athletes were in action on Saturday 25 May at Moorways for the second Derbyshire Mini League event of the season.

A day of glorious sunshine was matched by some marvellous athletics. There was a good turnout of competitors from all the Derbyshire clubs, even though it was Bank Holiday weekend and the start of half term.

Some great performances from Derby athletes included a win for the U15 girls’ 4x100m relay team while the boys’ U15 relay team of Karanjot Singh, Jake Horvath-Szovati, Thomas Holford and Will Annable was just squeezed into second place. U13 athlete Levi Heath scored two great track PBs, winning the 100m in 14.50, from Derby athlete Fisayo Atere in second place, and the 200m in an impressive 27.79. Fisayo (third) and Levi (fifth) also did well in the long jump, and the U13 boys came a narrow second in the relay.

For the U15 boys, Jake won his 100m and 200m races, while Karanjot won his 300m in a strong 39.19. Second in the 300m was Ben Stevenson, who also won his 1500m, with Derby athletes Charlie Haste in second and Sam Sawczuk in third.

Jack Finnegan won the U13 1500m in a convincing 5:14.85, and for the U11 boys Oliver Hume and William Rouse came third and fifth respectively in the 600m, while Oliver also grabbed a third place in the 80m. U11 Justin Bounoud threw the howler javelin 30.87 to come second.

The girls meanwhile not only won the U15 relay but also picked up points across the competition. In the U13 competition, Sophie Robertson-Dover is setting herself up as a future multi-eventer, looking strong in the 70m hurdles, finishing fifth overall in 13.10, and also impressing in the 1500m and the javelin, coming third in both. Grace Etuwewe sprinted well, coming fifth in a strong 100m field and second in the 200m with a time of 29.78.

For the U15 girls, Uzezi Awarota won the 100m in 13.85, while Annabelle Ita impressed in the 300m, coming second in 45.48. Annabelle also came third in the 1500m, a race won by Jess Robertson-Dover for Derby in 5:01.52. Patricija Nemanyte came second in 75m hurdles and won the long jump with 4.98 and the shot with 10.33.  

Thanks to the team manager Jasmine Teece, her assistant for the day Paul Martin, all officials, and the volunteers who were busy all day in catering.

The next Mini League event is at Moorways on Saturday 29 June. Why not come and compete? It’s a great event, especially for athletes who haven’t done many (or any) competitions before. Sign up at the DAC clubhouse or contact Jasmine Teece.