Shropshire Schools

Full Results 

Despite the clash with England's World Cup match, the Shropshire Schools Track and Field Championships went ahead on Saturday at the Telford Stadium.

Amelia Reynolds, Thomas Telford and Sam Tough, Adams, Newport were named the athletes of the meeting winning the Bristow Sports Trophies for the best performances on the day.

Amelia, from Randlay, who is also a member of the England Basketball squad, won the junior girls shot with a putt of 10.09m, but it was her discus performance that won her the award as she threw 29.26m, just below an English Schools National Standard and over 2 metres in excess of an entry standard. Amelia, finished an amazing 6th in the English Schools Shot Finals last summer in Birmingham, with a 9.99m throw. In winning both events at the Shropshire Schools, she retained the titles she also won last year.

Sam Tough,won the intermediate boys discus with a throw of 42.40m, over 2 metres better than an English Schools entry standard and just 60 centimetres below a national standard and about the same distance behind a championship best set some 23 years ago. Sam who only recently started his season produced an outstanding performance in his first competition of. He finished 11th in last years English Schools Finals throwing 40.55 which was then a personal best.

Charlotte Roberts from North Shropshire College, managed the only Championship Best performance of the day as she won the senior girls 400m hurdles in 67.00 seconds improving the previous best by almost 3 seconds,a mark that has stood for 21 years.Charlotte's time was just one second outside an English Schools entry standard, but even more remarkable as she had to run the race on her own as the only entry. She competes in the Midland Counties Under 20 Championships this coming week end, where with better competition she should get closer to 66 seconds.

Cherelle Jones,from New College,who still holds the junior girls 100m championship best set in 2003, is still in top form as she won the senior girls 100m in 12.4, just inside an entry standard. Steven Ridgway, a TCAT student from Broseley, soared over 1.98m, 2 centimetres over an entry standard, to win the senior boys high jump and just narrowly knocked the bar off at 2.01m. Joe Wakeley of Thomas Telford won his 3rd 100m titles as he won the senior boys event in 11.6. Shropshire Schools Deacathlon champion, Andrew Jones from SCAT, won the long jump, with 6.39m and 200m in 23.1.

Cherida Lauriello, from the Marches School, Oswestry won the intermediate girls long jump with a leap of 5.01m, but improved that mark by some 40 centimetres at a meeting on Sunday to achieve the English Schools entry standard. Oldbury Wells student Bethan Partridge won the high jump,1.64m and triple jump 10.46m. Bethan has achieved entry standards in both events but it is her high jumping that is catching the eye as the Midland Champion has a season's best of 1.66, one of the leading jumps in the country so far this season.

Another Midland champion on view was Graham Kitchener from Adams School, Newport who comfortably won the shot with an entry standard putt of 13.43m, in the intermediate boys event. Idsall's Ben Riekstin's,in his first year as an intermediate sealed a double victory in the 100m, 11.6 and 200m,23.3. Mary Webb School's Toby Griffiths, 3rd in last years English Schools 800m, has also now moved into the intermediate age group, but that did not stop him winning the 800 in 2.01 and the 400m in 52.7.Last week end he dipped under 2 minutes for the very first time in his life as he won a National Young Athletes League meeting, just tenths of a second outside an entry standard.

In the junior girls age group Grace Smith - Thomas, from Charlton School collected 2 gold medals as she won the 200m in 27.9 and the long jump in 4.78m. Charlotte Monk of Thomas Telford School and Emma Sullivan of Bridgnorth Endowed had a very unusual equal first in the high jump both clearing 1.40m.

Alex Nwenwu, from Thomas Telford School won the long jump with a jump 4 centimetres better than an entry standard, leaping to 5.74m but also won the 80 m hurdles in 12.3 just outside the standard. Edward Dawes from Idsall School also had a double vistory winning the triple jump and high jump within 15 minutes of each other. His high jump was a new personal best and an entry standard height of 1.72m.

Following Saturday's Championships Shropshire teams will travel to the Mason Trophy on Saturday at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, for the annual inter county meeting with 7 other counties.

Paul Sanderson