YATE & District AC finished the summer season on a high note.

Fantastic performances both in Gloucester at the final Avon Track and Field League meeting and in Bedford at the National Final of the Youth Development League, where they competed as part of Team Avon.

In Bedford, local athletes faced opposition from across the nation.

Leading the Yate charge were the Brooks brothers. Both pulled off remarkable doubles. The older boy, Adam, finished second in the high jump, where his opponent had to clear 2.05m to beat him; and second also in the triple jump. Competing with him, Jack Moore took the B event gold medal with 1.85m.

Younger brother Daniel finished a storming first in the under-17 100m, with a very good time of 10.88 secs, and followed that up with a second place in the 200m behind the English Schools champion. His time of 22.44 secs was another good performance.

Toby Conibear has had the season of his life and crowned it with an emphatic win here by over five metres from the nearest rival. 55.05m is short of his personal best – but he was aiming for 60 metres. His first throw came very, very close to that, but it was a few centimetres outside the sector, so could not count.

In the under-17 men’s 400m, Nathaniel Mitchell and Isaac Cory have struck up a prize-winning partnership this summer. Nathaniel ran the faster time here – 52.17 secs – but this could only get the fourth place. Isaac, running in the B race came home a clear winner in 54.50 secs. Definitely a partnership to watch out for next season.

Abdi Hasan is an athlete who is always worth watching and this match was no exception. He led from the bell, but was shadowed for the first 600 metres by Oliver Bright of Blackheath & Bromley, and it looked as though he might be in danger. But with 300m to go, Abdi simply stepped on the accelerator and came home a splendid winner in 1:57.82 secs – a good five seconds ahead of the second runner.

There was disappointment for Hannah Hobbs who led the under-20 women’s 3000m from the gun and looked unassailable until the last thirty metres when she was caught by the girl from Edinburgh.

The meeting came to a climax with the 4x400 relays. The Avon team contained three Yate athletes – Nathaniel, Isaac and Abdi – and they destroyed the rest of the field, finishing in 3:29.93 secs, more than ten metres clear of the opposition.

A fourth place finish was better than team managers, Sandra Woodman and Jim Strudwick, had hoped for. It placed them ahead of both Glasgow and Rugby & Northants, and gave hope for better things to come in future seasons.

The final meeting of the Avon Track and Field League took place at Gloucester, because of the redevelopment of the Yate track. Going into the match Yate were leading by a slim margin from North Somerset AC. It’s not yet clear which club has taken the overall title. Watch this space.

Highlight of the day for Yate was Owen Merrett throwing the under-15 boys hammer over fifty metres for the first time – and breaking the league record set last year by club-mate Toby Conibear. Owen went on to win the javelin as well, with Theo Spurrell not far behind for a good double for the club. Another very promising suggestion of more to come next summer.

There was a good one-two in the under-15 boys 1500m. Seamus Robinson took it in the excellent time of 4:27.8 secs. Ceredig Jones took second place. Later, his sister, Dalis, won easily in the girls 800m.

Other Yate wins came from Fiona Barkley in the under-15 girls long jump; Kate Howard in the under-17 women’s 800m; Jai Patel in the under-13 boys javelin; David Thomas in the senior high jump, and Matt Spicer in the hammer

Karen Jones has had a wonderful season and this was crowned by representing Great Britain in the Masters World Championships held in Malaga, Spain. She threw 36.84m – close to her personal best and good enough for twelfth place.