Pontefract athletes celebrate year of success at presentation event

Award winners at Pontefract Athletics Club’s presentation night.

More than 100 members and parents were in attendance as Pontefract Athletics Club celebrated at their awards presentation at The Grange Community Centre, Pontefract.

Outstanding performances in track and field, road running and cross country in 2021 were recognised with Christine McCarthy winning the Cyril Jones Athlete of the Year, which goes to the club’s best all round athlete across the three disciplines.

Christine set club records for ladies 0ver 60 in four events. These were in the 400m with 87.3 seconds, the 800m with 3:04.9, the 1500m with 5:55.2 and the 3000m with 12:54.3. She also competed well in three of the four West Yorkshire Cross Country League races.

Christine was also the winner of the Road Running Rankings award. She achieved world class performances on the World Masters Athletics age grading calculations at 10K (43:17) 10 miles (73:34 and half marathon (93:19). In September, she represented England in a veterans half marathon international against the Celtic nations and was first in her age group.

Pontefract Athletics Club's Christine McCarthy receiving her awards from committee member Will Carter.

The Ladies Marathon Runner of the Year award went to Christine too. Her finishing time of 3:16.12 in the Yorkshire Marathon was just 8:40 short of the world record by somebody of the same age and gender.

At the end of 2021, she was ranked second in her age group in the UK for the marathon and was ranked 6th on the UK all time list in her age group. Club chairman Cyril Jones considered it to be the best performance on the roads by a Pontefract AC athlete since the club was formed in March 2010.

Jack Holmes also had an outstanding year. He received the award as Male Junior Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Jack won the silver medal in the Junior Boys (U15) high jump at the English Schools Track and Field Championships with a clearance of 1.81m.

He is the first athlete from Pontefract AC to win a medal at the English Schools championships. He won the gold medal in the Northern Athletics U15 boys high jump with 1.78m and he set a league record for the U15 boys high jump in the West Yorkshire Track and Field League with a clearance of 1.80m.

He was judged to be the best field event athlete in the West Yorkshire League in 2021. His best performance of the year came in the Yorkshire Championships where he won the gold with a championship best performance of 1.91m.

At the end of 2021, he was ranked second in the UK for the U15 boys high jump, just 1cm behind the first placed athlete.

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Niamh Atkinson won the award for Female Junior Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Niamh won the silver medal in the U17 ladies hammer in the Yorkshire Championships with a throw of 28.11m.

Will Carter was the Male Senior Track and Field Athlete of the Year. He was the overall winner of the senior men’s division in the West Yorkshire League and was also the club’s most prolific points scorer in the North of England League for senior men, averaging more than 60 a match.

Faye Rhodes was the Female Senior Track and Field Athlete of the Year, winning gold in the senior ladies discus at the Yorkshire Championships with a throw of 33.16m and bronze in the hammer with 41.83m. During the year, she set club records for senior women in shot, discus and hammer.

Conor Harrison was the men’s winner in Division One of the Road Running Grand Prix with Alice Smith taking the ladies award for Division One.

Chris Whawell was the men’s winner in Division Two with Clair Brookes winning the ladies award in Division Two.

Tom McMaster was the Division Three men’s winner and Jean Waite the Division Three ladies winner.

Cheryl Shepherd was the Most Improved Road Runner in and Francesca Ward the Most Improved in Track and Field.

Alan Boyd was the Road Running Rankings runner-up and Phil Wardle the Men’s Marathon Runner of the Year.

Chris Pratchett was the men’s winner in the 5K Series of Races with Cheryl Shepherd winning the ladies 5K Series and Katie Kelly winning the U15/U17 Girls 5K Series.

Owen Lilley won the U11/U13 boys 2K Series of Races with Alana Reveley winning the U11/U13 girls 2K Series.

Sienna Lavine was the 1500m Handicap winner and she also received the award for Junior Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Julian Rutkowski was the Junior Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year and Faye Lightowler the Senior Ladies Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Age group winners in the Club Cross Country Championships were Leon Hunt (U11 boys), Sienna Lavine (U11 girls), Tom Shinkins (U13 boys), Trudie Robson (U13 girls), Ryan Byrne (U15 boys), Katie Kelly (U15 girls), Callum Eastwood (U17 men), Alice Dolman (U17 ladies), Eleanor Birden (U20 ladies), Conor Harrison (senior men) and Jane Williams (senior ladies).

Awards were also made to all the athletes, who won events in the Club Track and Field Championships.