After the triumphs of last season, it was time to reset and look forward to the new season to come. The 2025 season opener for the Yorkshire & District League took place at the Dorothy Hyman Stadium in Barnsley. With the sun shining and the temperature rising, it could be mistaken as a mid-season meeting rather than a season opener.

Following the promotion of the team last season, this year we were competing in the premier league to take on Barton & Goole, Cleethorpes, Skyrac and Wakefield. The team were excited for the challenge and raring to go, so shall we begin.

Starting with the Under 17 Men where William McIntosh started his season off with a bang claiming first place finishes in both the 100m and 200m, earning a Personal Best (PB) in both races. Robert Harness finished with a first, second and third place finish in the 800m, 400m and Shot Putt respectively, achieving a Season Best (SB) performance in the 800m and Shot Putt and a PB in the 400m.
Ben Whitaker claimed a second place finish in his 400m race as he finished in a PB time. Reece Bridgeman continued the PB trend as he finished first in his 100m race in a PB and it was a third place finish and a PB in the Long Jump too. Arjun Pahal earnt himself a PB as well in the High Jump as he finished in first place before going on to finish in first place in the 100m hurdle on first attempt, as well as a first attempt at the Discus to finish in fourth.

The first place finishes kept coming as Harry Rogerson won his 100m hurdle race on his first competition attempt, backed up with a second place in the Shot Putt and the Discus. Daniel Stubley added yet another first place finish from his 200m race in a new PB time as well as a first competition try at the Long Jump to finish in fifth place. Stanley Field joined the team for the first time and hit the ground running in the middle distance events with a strong second place in the 1,500m as well as a third place finish in the 800m.

Onto the Under 17 ladies where Poppy Nuttman earnt two first place finishes in the 1,500m with a PB time and a win in the Discus on first competition attempt. Millie Rhodes earnt herself a first place finish in the 300m in a Season’s Best time along with a Season’s Best jump in the Long Jump.
Ada Tilotson sprinted her way to a second place finish in the 100m in a new Seasons Best time. Jeya Aujla joined the team for the first time and also finished in second place in her 100m race before going on to race in the 200m for the first time setting a strong PB.

In the Under 15 Boys, George Thompson had an impressive day earning a first place finish in the 300m with a new PB time before going on to get another win in the Long Jump. Joel Cousins matched George gaining a first place and PB in the 200m as well as a first place in his 100m race, finished off with a third place finish in the High Jump.
Joshua Reed leapt to a new PB height in the High Jump to finish in second place, along with a new PB in the Shot Putt for a third place finish. Aiden Trigui sprinted his way to a second place finish in the 100m on his first competition attempt before throwing a Seasons Best throw in the Shot Putt to finish fourth. Noah Byrne moved up age groups and was ready for the challenge as he finished in second place in the 80m Hurdles, a second best run of the season for a third place finish in the 1,500m and a second best jump of the season in the Long Jump.

There were a lot of first times for the Under 15 Girls, where Eva Armitage had her first competition attempt at the 300m finishing in fourth place before going on to win the 800m in a new SB time. Hannah Whitaker also ran a SB time but in the 100m to finish in third place as well as finishing in third place in the Shot Putt. Zara Griffiths re-joined the team finishing third in her 100m race on first competition attempt, as well as first competition attempt at the Shot Putt and Discus.
Evie Cook also re-joined the team with a first competition attempt at the 200m to finish in fourth place. Hetty Watson joined the team for the first time and had her first competition attempts at the 75m hurdles, 300m and Long Jump finishing fourth, fourth and fifth respectively. Belle Dillon and Molly Hartley also both joined the team for the first time with Molly trying the 200m and Belle having a first competition attempt at the Long Jump.

Over to the Under 13 Boys where Kieran Hird continued his impressive performances with a second place finish in the 75m Hurdles and 200m as well as a third place finish in the Shot Putt. Aidan Rhodes joined the team for the first time and threw his way to a PB in the Shot Putt as well as a third best jump of the season in the Long Jump. Thomas Gibbins also joined the team for the first time impressing with a first place finish in his 200m race, a second place finish in the 100m and a first competition attempt at the Long Jump.

In the Under 13 Girls Amaya Brierley got the day kicked off with a victory in the 70m Hurdles in a new PB time, followed up with a new PB in the High Jump for another first place finish and finished with a further PB in the Shot Putt to finish in fourth. Stella Zurek joined the team for the first time and hurdled her way to a victory in her 70m Hurdles race in a PB time, another PB followed in a third place finish in the 800m, before jumping to a SB distance in the Long Jump.
Maria Edwards re-joined the team as she claimed two new PB times in the 100m and 200m finishing third and fourth respectively, as well as a SB run in the 800m to finish in fourth. Gabi Lauce also re-joined the team and claimed a second place and PB jump in the Long Jump, a third place finish in the High Jump before finishing with a Season’s Best run in the 200m.

Finishing with the relays, where we had 7 teams out running. In the Under 13 Girls, the team of Amaya Brierley, Gabi Lauce, Maria Edwards and Stella Zurek navigated the baton around in third place. As did the Under 15 girls team consisting of Molly Hartley, Belle Dillon, Zara Griffiths and Hannah Whitaker who finished in fourth.

The under 15 boys team of Aidan Trigui, Joel Cousins, George Thompson and Joshua Reed had a strong run to finish in second place. The under 17 men and women teams took it one step further by both finishing in first place in their respective relays with the men’s teams of Daniel Stubley, Harry Rogerson, Arjun Pahal and Reece Bridgeman and the women’s team of Poppy Nuttman, Millie Rhodes, Ada Tiliotson and Jeya Aujla.

The day finished with the 4x300m relays where our mixed U15 team of Evie Cook, Aidan Trigui, Eva Armitage and George Thompson comfortably secured the victory. The Under 17 mixed team of William McIntosh, Poppy Nuttman, Robert Harness and Millie Rhodes gave an impressive display to claim victory in their race.

A fantastic effort by all of the team on our first fixture in the Premier Division, as the point tallied up we finished with a strong total in second place.

Wakefield Harriers 768
Spenborough AC 629
Skyrac AC 414
Cleethorpes AC 385
Barton & Goole AC 296

The next fixture is on the Sunday 25th May at our home at the Princess Mary Stadium where we hope to keep this momentum going.