County success for Braintree athletes

7:40am Friday 16th May 2008

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Members of Braintree and District Athletic Club enjoyed plenty of success at the Essex AAA Championships in Basildon.

Those who competed in the county's most prestigious track and field competition of the season helped to secure plenty of medals for the club.

Aleasha Kiddle added two more medals to the Essex AAAs under-17 200 metres bronze won at Thurrock, where she recorded a new personal best (PB) and club record time of 25.31 seconds.

Her medal collection was increased with a bronze in the under-17 100m in a new PB of 12.38s and then gold in the under-17 long jump, where she recorded a leap of 5.42m which equalled her previous best.

This automatically clinched her a place in the Essex AAA team for the Inter-Counties under-17 competition, which takes place on August 3 at Basildon.

Braintree scooped another gold in the senior men's long jump, where Mitchel Jarvis was in fine form.

Hannah Bright, who is still working hard on the technical side of her shot putt, came away with the silver medal in the under-17 age group with a final throw of 9.55m.

Martin Pitts, who is recovering from a back injury, had a pleasing run out in the 400m.

He just missed out on a medal by taking fourth place in a respectable time of 50.71s.

The following day he used the 200m as a speed training session and made the final with a time of 22.85s.

However, he was unable to compete after suffering a reoccurrence of his back problem.

Other Braintree athletes who widened their elite competition experience were Lucina Rolewicz (U15 girl's long jump) and Kara Hannon in her first season as an under-17 girl's 300m.

Braintree medal winners: Gold: U13 Girls Long Jump, Clarice Parrott - 4.42m (PB); U17 Girls Long Jump - Aleasha Kiddle - 5.42m; Senior Men's long jump - Mitchel Jarvis. Silver: U17 shot putt - Hannah Bright. Bronze: U17 Girls 100m - Aleasha Kiddle - 12.38s (PB); U17 Girls 200m - Aleasha Kiddle - 25.31s - (PB and new club record).

l Braintree's veteran endurance athlete and member Simon Mennell competed at the Halstead Marathon, as he continues his preparation for next month's 32-mile Dartmoor Discovery Challenge.

To aid his training programme he ran two extra miles before starting the gruelling 26 miles over the very hilly marathon course in the Halstead Pebmarsh and Twinstead area of the county.

Mennell covered the marathon course in 3h 33m 40s which was good preparation for his forthcoming race over Dartmoor.