Vale Royal AC out to rewrite history at county championships

9:00am Friday 9th May 2008

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ATHLETES hope to turn record breakers this weekend.

Vale Royal AC head to Ellesmere Port for the Cheshire Track and Field Championships with a hard act to follow.

Last year they accounted for half the county best times that were beaten including one - the U17s Ladies 1,500m - that had stood for more than two decades until Rebecca Craigie smashed Sue Parker's previous best.

Not only that, their haul of 20 gold medals was the best yet for the club against their local rivals.

Once more the girls in the 55-strong squad are their best hope of medal success with Stevie Stockton, Craigie and Megan Huxley all out to add to their growing collections.

Huxley lost out to clubmate Hannah Paver in both the U15s Girls middle distance races last time out but, with the latter due to move up an age group, the Middlewich runner will be hot favourite to finish first this summer.

Newcomer Hannah Carlin, who burst onto the scene last summer with a double success in the U13s Girls 80m and 150m, returns to defend her titles.

For the boys George Thompson (Senior Men), James Griffiths (Junior Men) and Chris Perry (Junior Men) also have track titles to defend.

In the field, jumpers Eleanor Owen (Junior Ladies), Ruth Howard (U17s Ladies) and Victoria Anderson (U15s Girls) are favourites to find a place on the podium in their events, as is discuss thrower Peter Wright (U17s Men).

West Cheshire AC are hosting the championships, which take place this Saturday and Sunday.

It will be the first time that the Stanney Oaks athletics arena in Ellesmere Port has staged the most prestigious fixture in the county, which also marks the start of the summer season.

Field events start at 10.30am each day, with track action starting half an hour later.