| Monthly Newsletter to showcase everything that is happening at our wonderful club |
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Chairman’s Update
This will be my last contribution to the Newsletter as Chairman as I have decided to step down after leading the club for over 13 years. I shall miss not being involved as closely with the club and all the lovely people associated with it. But I will always be grateful for the opportunities the club gave me to do things I never imagined I would do – like coaching fantastic young athletes, competing as a veteran athlete,
managing competitions and officiating at events where the athletes were always so enthusiastic and friendly.
Oxford City Athletic Club is a special place, and I am really happy to see its leadership pass to such a talented and capable group who all share my love for the club. I really look forward to seeing the club develop further in the coming years, and will be back to support and officiate whenever I am able. In the meantime I shall read the monthly newsletters avidly and follow closely the progress of our wonderful athletes and volunteers.
Thank you Oxford City.
Richard
Cross Country Update – February 2026
The OCAC Cross Country team went en-masse to an extremely muddy field in Luton for the final fixture of the Chiltern League this month. Thanks to a consistently strong turn out and some great racing across the season, the whole OCAC team (ages 10 – 80) managed a very respectful 7th place (out of 16) in our first season up in division one of the Chiltern League.
Women
The women’s team were a magnificent 3rd overall in Div 1 after all 5 fixtures, with the vet women finishing just outside of the medals in 4th. Martha Lloyd was 2nd V35 overall, Popsie Wootten 3rd V55 and Gwyneth Hueter topped the rankings in the V65 age group.
We had the best OCAC turnout yet in the Chiltern League this season with 21 women turning out for the club.
Men
11 Oxford City men made the trip to Luton. The team performed admirably to secure 6th place on the day and 6th place overall for the season – very good for the first season back in Division 1, especially when considering we compete in two winter leagues. Well done to Sam Snowdon, running his first race for OCAC.
We finished the season with 27 men having run in the league, racking up 70 appearances in total. This has come a long way since 2023 when we had 11 men managing 17 total appearances! Well done to Ali Ashgar, Mike Garry, Vlad Kralik & Aaron Simpson who ran in all 5 league races. For the overall season standings, Florian Belbeoch was 10th SM in Division 1, with Aaron just behind in 11th. The indefatigable Stew Thorp won the V70 category.
Juniors
Congratulations go to our U17/U20 Women’s team who claimed the team bronze medals in division one. Well done to Izzy, Sylvie, Claudia, Amber, Charlotte and Amelie who all scored for the team over the season.
In the individual competitions Izzy Haines-Gray did us all proud by winning 1st place in the U17/20s women. Well deserved Izzy!
Well done to Evan Timbs, Antonia Timbs, Tacita Kentish and Sylvie Kentish who all completed all 5 Chiltern League races.
Finally well done to everyone who has been selected to run in the English Schools Final and/or Inter-Counties in March. We’re very proud of you and hope you have a great race!
XC Awards
We are going to try a different format for our XC awards this year. They will be held at the track on Saturday 28th March, just after Parkrun. We won’t sell tickets but the cafe will be open for hot drinks, bacon rolls for everyone to buy and enjoy as we give out certificates, medals and awards.
We hope to see lots of you there.
John, Sarah and Duncan
Sportshall
Congratulations to the Oxford City athletes who have been selected to represent Oxfordshire at the SportsHall South East finals!
U11 Girls , Maya Anane, Elizabeth Smith and Jaeda Rose Nelson.
U13 Boys. Zac Chamberlain, Kamil AbuBakar
U13 Girls. Lorna Breuker, Sameera AbuBakar and Cassie Lo.
U15 Girls. Millie P Miles, Anna Fegyveres-Nagy , Grace McCulloch and Emerald Lewisman, Oral O’Flaherty
U15 Boys. George Coyle.
Good luck to all and I’m sure we will update on some great performances from the team in the next Newsletter!
Indoors
The past couple of weeks have been action packed and full of excitement. This all-culminated last weekend with a small contingent of Oxford City AC athletes heading off to Sheffield for Indoor Nationals. Hosted at the English Institute of Sport, the comp spanned the 7th and 8th Feb with all of the big clubs and the UK’s top junior athletes in attendance. Needless to say it was a breathless couple of days with PBs, club records and national records toppling across a multitude of events.
OCAC was represented by three athletes, Bertie Lee – 60mh, Ruby Rogers 60m and 200m, and Michael Emmanuel – 200m and 800m. 
Bertie had to wait until late in the weekend for his event, but it was worth the wait, his performance was outstanding! On his way to running a blistering 8.07s, Bertie smashed his own PB and the club record. For those that know hurdling, Bertie is becoming a true technician in his event. His hurdling is truly top notch and his top end speed, dangerous. I know he was disappointed not to medal, but Bertie, I hope you know you’re a legend and the entire club recognises your amazing achievements. A massive congrats and well done to you, your family and your coaching team.
Ruby made the trip to Sheffield for the second year running. Running in two events, she was keen to mix it with the UKs fastest indoor athletes. I am very pleased to report that Ruby represented herself and OCAC brilliantly, running a new 60m PB, 7.67s (insert wobbly hands here). Unfortunately, Ruby narrowly missed the 60m final by 0.01s! Relatively new to the 200m, Ruby ran her heat to perfection and eased her way into the semis in 25.64s, a season and indoor best. On a big weekend this was a race too far and would be her final appearance of the weekend. While Ruby didn’t come away with a medal, which I know she would have loved, I am extremely proud of her efforts, Ruby’s approach to training and racing shows just how far hard work can take you. Well done Rubes, you’re a great role model to all of our junior athletes. Many thanks to all the Rogers family for supporting Ruby’s journey thus far.
Michael also ran in two events, the 200m and 800m. Arguably the hot favourite for the 800m, Michael’s competitors seemed a little daunted by his abilities and his PB. The competition was less than enthused to take him on, which in some ways led to an odd race; and while it may not have been fast, at least in Michael’s books, he stormed home to take the gold! The following day Michael was back to try his hand at the 200m. A distance that he hadn’t competed at for over 12 months and is a far cry from his pet event, the 800m. All that aside, Michael performed brilliantly, timing his effort in the heat to cruise to the final with plenty in the tank. Things got pretty spicy in the final with Michael managing a new PB, 23.51s, and a silver medal! Two medals from two events, a massive well done!! I assure the 2026 season has a lot more in store for Michael yet. Thank you to the Emmanuel’s for your ongoing support of Michael and the club. 
If you’ve not managed to attend a national level comp, even as a spectator, I would advise you to make the trip. Our “kids” are truly amazing. Well done Bertie, Ruby and Michael.
Best regards,
Coach Walker
Director of Academy
Results blast
Oxford Park Run
Bicester Parkrun
Harcourt Hill Park Run
University Parks Park Run
Oxfordshire Cross Country League
Chiltern League Cross Country, Stopsley Park, Luton
SEAA Cross Country Championships, Beckenham
And here is the Club Power of 10 Link (Although it has been under maintenance)
Highlights from the Past
There is a group on Facebook that highlights Sports Memories in Oxfordshire. Recently there was an image of the Oxford City Cross Country team of 1971 and an article about Peter Flavel an accomplished Cross Country runner who won senior County champs 3 times (1975, 78 & 80) amongst other achievements.
If you have any ideas on Athlete’s from the past that we should highlight please send them in. Here is an overview of the Club History on our website. And for a deeper dive there is a book written by Barry Symonds- who is Honorary Life President of the Club, I couldn’t find a link to buy it, but the details of it are here if you would like to hunt it down.
Any Other Business
Volunteers Needed
Please could we draw your attention to Spond posts and an email sent out by Anett this week about volunteering at matches over the summer season. As well as more general helpers at both adult and children’s matches, there is a need for adult members and parents of members to become qualified officials (the basic qualification is all that is needed). Quadkids also need parent helpers at training sessions. The information on volunteering on the club website has also been updated. Take a look!
Sponsorship
If your organisation would like to sponsor this Newsletter and provide a profile and pitch to our readers please do get in touch. We have a growing list of recipients and I’m sure they would love to hear from local businesses.
Newsletter
The Newsletter is driven by your content, thanks to all of the contributors. If you would like to submit content to the Newsletter or highlight a great performance or contribution please send an email to Toby