Spotted on Thu 20 Oct 2011 in West Briton

POLE VAULT SUCCESS

POLE vaulting at Cornwall Athletic Club is certainly on the up, with six of the club's young vaulters ranked in the United Kingdom top ten in their respective age groups, despite being handicapped by not having the training equipment available to their rivals from the rest of the UK.

Poles for vaulting are an expensive item and despite the club purchasing poles on a regular basis over the past couple of years, as the athletes continue to progress more poles are still required.

If any local business would like to be involved in sponsoring and helping to fund the Cornwall Athletic Club pole vault squad, please contact one of the club's pole vault coaches, Ben Penberthy (01736 850404) or Stuart Caudery (01209 215069) or come along to one of the club's Tuesday evening training sessions at the Carn Brea Leisure Centre.

Cornwall Athletic Club youngsters have been particularly dominant in the Under 13 Girls age group, with three athletes in the top six. Kerenza Hurr (Angarrack) leads the National Rankings with a best height of 2 metres 60, closely followed in the number two spot by Rebecca Gray (Redruth) with a best vault of 2 metres 53.

Molly Caudery (Illogan) lies sixth in the National Rankings, clearing 2 metres 35 in her first year in this age group. So fierce has been the local rivalry that these top girls have vaulted much higher than any of the boys in their equivalent UK Rankings. In fact it is Molly's brother, Fynley who tops the UK Boys Rankings with a best vault of 2 metres 33.

In the Under 15 age group, Chessie Waters (St Agnes) broke the County Championships record earlier in the summer, vaulting 2 metres 70, which ranks her second in the South West, 18th in the UK and fifth highest Under 14 vaulter in the country.

In the same age group, another St Agnes athlete, Kerena Partridge, has cleared 2 metres 65 and is ranked third in the South West.

At a recent end of season pole vault festival in Sutton Arena, London, the top performance of the day was awarded to Rebecca Gray, who now holds the 'Yellow Jersey' for 12th months. Kerenza Hurr was presented with the silver medal in the same prestigeous competition.

The progress made by the Cornwall Athletic Club squad has been helped in no small measure during the summer by a second successive annual visit from the world renown top Australian pole vault coach, Alan Launder.

If any aspiring athletes would like to try athletics as a sport, they would be welcome to come along to Cornwall Athletic Club on a Tuesday evening at the Carn Brea Leisure Centre at 6pm. The pole vaulting session begins at 6pm until 8pm.

The first two training evenings are free for all newcomers.