HOLLY Weedall was rewarded for her courage last weekend when she claimed a medal on her debut at the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships.
The Weaverham High School student attacked from the outset of the junior girls’ 1,500m final in Birmingham, where she took bronze while wearing Cheshire’s colours.
She reached the finish in 4:35.75, one of her best times of 2018 despite the high temperatures.
“It was the right thing to do,” said Shaun McGrath, Weedall’s coach at Vale Royal Athletics Club.
“She left nothing out there, and to finish third in a field that included older and more experienced runners will be a big boost to her confidence.
“Holly backs herself anyway, but you never quite know how an athlete will handle an occasion like that until they’re in the thick of it.”
Weedall had been a convincing victor in the first heat on Friday, clocking 4:41.64 to progress with the second fastest time overall behind eventual winner Bea Wood (Wiltshire).
Grace Roberts, from Hartford Church of England High School, was 11th in the second heat.
There was a success too for Sir John Deane’s College student George Hyde, who finished as runner-up in the senior boys’ shot.
A champion on each of his two previous appearances at the event, the former Weaverham High School pupil’s best of 15.32m was some way short of gold-medallist Daniel James-Thomas’ decisive putt of 17.85m.
Meanwhile Emily Lowery, also of Sir John Deane’s, completed an encouraging two days of competition by classifying ninth in the senior girls’ 1,500m final in 4:41.36.
There was frustration for Mia Lowndes, from County High School Leftwich, after she bowed out at the semi-finals stage of a high-class inter girls’ 100m competition.
She eased through the first round after timing 12.26s to finish second in the opening heat.
However she was sixth in her semi-final, and missed out by three hundredths of a second on a cut for the last eight.
In the field, Weaverham’s Jack England can be satisfied with eighth place in the junior boys’ hammer after a lifetime-best throw of 41.86m.
Meanwhile Charlie Bancroft ranked 16th in the shot for the same age-group with a best of 9.71m.
Evie Tipping, from Grange School, took ninth place in the inter girls’ hammer with 48.77m.
Results (selected)
English Schools’ Track and Field Championships
Friday, July 13
Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
Junior boys’ hammer
Final
1, Ben Ixer (Essex) 50.40m; 2, William Compton (Gloucester) 47.37m; 3, Owen Merrett (Wiltshire) 46.60; 8, Jack England (Cheshire, Weaverham High School) 41.86m
Junior boys’ shot
Final
1, Jack Halpin (Durham) 14.66m; 2, Levi Onipede 13.79m; 3, Patreece Bell (Isle of Man) 13.44m; 16. Charlie Bancroft (Cheshire, Weaverham High School) 9.71m
Junior girls’ 1,500m
Heat One
1, Holly Weedall (Cheshire, Weaverham High School) 4:41.64; 2, Maisie Collis (Surrey) 4:43.25; 3, Eva Holland (London) 4:43.65
Heat Two
1, Bea Wood (Wiltshire) 4:32.78; 2, Ines Curran (Northumberland) 4:43.51; 3, Bethany Cook (Sussex) 4:44.21; 11. Grace Roberts (Cheshire, Hartford CoE High School) 4:51.41
Inter girls’ 100m
Heat One
1, Trinity Powell (Manchester) 11.84s; 2, Mia Lowndes (Cheshire, County High School Leftwich) 12.26s; 3, Michelle Owusu (West Midlands) 12.34s
Semi-finals A
1, Trinity Powell (Manchester) 12.0s; 2, Nayanna Dubarry-Gay (London) 12.26s; 3, Ayoola Babalola (Surrey) 12.31s; 6. Mia Lowndes (Cheshire, County High School Leftwich) 12.48s
Senior girls 1,500m
Heat One
1, Rhian Purves (Northumberland) 4.40.16; 2, Georgia Rothwell (Humber) 4:40.17; 3, Saskia Millard (London) 4:40.31; 5, Emily Lowery (Cheshire, Sir John Deane’s College) 4:40.81
Saturday, July 14
Senior boys' shot
Final
1, Daniel James-Thomas (Sussex) 17.85m; 2, George Hyde (Cheshire, Sir John Deane's College) 15.32m; 3, Jack Royden (Kent) 13.47m
Inter girls' hammer
1, Charlotte Payne (Berkshire) 61.77m; 2, Zoe Price (Merseyside) 53.86m; 3, Lucy Koenigsberger (Norfolk) 53.51m; 9, Evie Tipping (Cheshire, Grange School) 48.77m
Junior girls' 1,500m
Final
1, Bea Wood (Wiltshire) 4:28.11; 2, Maisie Collis (Surrey) 4:32.76; 3, Holly Weedall (Cheshire, Weaverham High School) 4:35.75
Senior girls' 1,500m
Final
1, Alexandra Brown (London) 4:31.46; 2, Cyane Robinson (South Yorkshire) 4:34.36; 3, Claudia Cowen (Manchester) 4:34.79; 9, Emily Lowery (Cheshire, Sir John Deane's College) 4:41.36
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