Ketton Panthers take second place in the East Midlands Championship

Young triathletes from Ketton Panthers have ended a successful season by finishing second in the East Midlands Championship.

Twenty four athletes from the Rutland club also finished in the top 10 in nine of the categories with podium places in seven sections.

Members of the club also made up a third of the East Midlands squad this year after impressing in the series which was contested over eight events against hundreds of young athletes from 50 other clubs in the region.

This combined performance saw Ketton Panthers just pipped to top spot at the end of season awards held at Loughborough University.

Races have spanned the region from North Derbyshire on the edge of the Peak District to local races in Uppingham and Oundle.

Athletes have enjoyed success across the age ranges from the very youngest members racing in their first season.

Sofia Williams finished third in the TriStart category with Edie Hutchinson fifth.

Ophella Goodale won the girls TriStar One category for the second consecutive year with a maximum 5,000 points having been victorious in every race.

There were further top 10 finishes for Astrid Arrichiello (fifth), Gracie Dawson (sixth), Edith Saker (seventh) and Lily Raitt (eighth).

Henry Raitt (fourth), Daniel Goddard (sixth), Louis Thompson (seventh) and Alexander Watson (eighth) gained top 10 finishes for Panthers in the TriStar One open event.

There were podium finishes in the TriStar Two open group for Benjamin Goddard in second and Joe Cripps finishing third.

There were further top 10 finishes for Emmett Saker (10th) and Eleni Williams (seventh).

Sophie Alliston and Edith Kaberry finished second and fifth respectively in the TriStar Three female category.

There was further success in the open category for Jasper Neal (eighth), Aubery Elmer (fifth) and a second place finish for Ben Alliston.

In the senior squad, Thomas Hughes finished top of the youth open category with Elliot Francis sixth.

There was further success for Phoebe Goodale who finished fourth in the female category.

The awards event capped a fruitful season for the club with members well represented in other local triathlon series.

Panthers were also racing this season for the East Midlands squads at the Inter-Regional Championships held at Mallory Park Race Circuit in Leicestershire.

They raced against the best young triathletes from England, Wales, Scotland and the Channel Islands.

An impressive third of the 18-strong East Midlands squad representing Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire were from the Ketton club.

Anyone interested in joining the club when training resumes in spring next year should email head coach caroline.hattee@btinternet.com to arrange a taster session. For more information visit www.ketton-panthers.weebly.com