At the Lancashire Schools Champs in Wigan, the twenty seven Blackburn Harriers – representing their individual school districts – did themselves proud gaining fifteen individual wins including two Championship Best Performances for Charlotte Williams and Eloise Littlefair as well as five English Schools and National Standards qualifications. Several other athletes were just on the brink of reaching the qualifying standards too.
Full Results HERE
Highlight of the performances came in the Junior Girls Hammer where Charlotte Williams won the event with a throw of 39.03m – a new Club Record – to gain a National Standard qualification and a Championship Best Performance to boot – and which, puts her in 9th spot in the National Rankings for an U15. Eloise Littlefair also set a Championship Best Performance in the Junior Girls Shot Putt, wining with 10.10m. Rebecca Orrell took a double gold winning the Hammer with 39.96m to ensure ES qualification and the Shot Putt with a throw of 8.15m.
Ben Aspinall, after coming through an injury of late, got back to winning ways in the Triple Jump. He jumped the English Schools qualification standard on his first effort, then went on to leap to a new PB of 14.23 and in the process, broke the Club Record for an U20 which had been held by Cliff Dickinson since 1978 when he set the Club best at 14.18m. He added another win in the 110m Hurdles with 16.9 but sadly there was only one competitor. Georgina Rickard picked up a 2nd placed finish in the Inter Girls Triple Jump with 9.49m – and – Jaqui Howard took 3rd spot in the Junior Girls Long Jump with 4.44m and a new PB.
In the Inter boys 100m Archie Braysford eased through the qualifying round in 11.8 and then won the final with 11.3. Having already achieved the ES qualifying standard, the day went very well for him. Hanzala Hanif ran 12.5 in his Heat which wasn’t quick enough to get him into the final. Two more winners in the Hurdles were Ross Liddle (Inter Boys) in the 100mH with a time of 14.5 and Cameron Massey in the 400mH with 64.1. Brother Nick Massey ensured he is going to the English Schools Finals when he won the 80mH (Junior Boys) in 12.0. Morgan Angland (Inter Girls) who had previously run both the ES and NS standards, also secured her English Schools spot winning her 80mH in the same time as Nick – 12.0sec. Emily Warren won the 75mH in 12.00 which just two tenths short of the standard required and having already run 11.9 twice this season which is so close.
Back to the Throws which earned a win for Anthony Kent in the Junior Boys Discus (29.43m) – a new PB by over 2metres. Lucas Davies in the Junior boys Javelin, also set a new PB by nearly two metres with his throw of 22.1. Inter Boy Sam Pearson-Moore finished 10th in the Javelin (27.48m).
Caleb Lee (5.22m) and Lewis Old (5.12m) contested the Inter Boys Long Jump finishing 6th & 7th respectively. Katie Buckingham had two wins in her events – 400mH with a time of 66.3 which was a new PB and just three tenths short of the ES Standard and then as the lone athlete in the 1500m Steeplechase (5.47.8). Olivia Brooks was another double winner in the Senior Girls Long Jump with 4.80m and the in the High Jump (1.40m) and again sadly only one competitor. Jane Saothong came 2nd in the Long Jump to Olivia with 3.67m.
The 200m Junior Boys saw Josh van der Linde take 6th spot in 26.9 and in the Inter Girls 200m Baylie Thompson came 4th in 30.08. Grace Handley just missed out on the ES qualifying time in the Inter Girls 3000m of 10.26. Grace won her Race in 10.32.4 which was a season’s best. Charlie Obank ran in Race 2 of the Junior Boys 1500m coming in 6th (4.49.6) whilst Byron Abbott took 4th place in the Inter Boys 1500m with 4.33.4. It was a big new PB for Maddie Elliott in the Junior Girls 1500m when she placed 2nd in 4.59.8 – over six seconds off her previous best.
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