A TRIO of athletes reached the qualifying standard to compete on the national stage at last weekend’s Cheshire Schools’ Championships.

Elliot Bowker, from County High School Leftwich, Grange School’s Fisayo Williamson-Taylor and Sir John Deane’s College student Jack Seddon clocked times in their events at Macclesfield that will permit them entry to next month’s English Schools’ Track and Field Championship.

Bowker eased to victory in the inter boys’ 3,000m, although his time – while still quick enough to qualify for the national competition – of  8:58.2 was much slower than a personal best set the previous week.

Seddon timed 11.0s, a season best, in an uncontested senior boys’ 100m final.

Williamson-Taylor, after winning his heat, repeated the trick in the junior boys’ final over the same distance.

Another Grange athlete to win gold, James Webster, set a new championship best of 54.3s in the senior boys’ 400m hurdles – a national standard performance.

There were victories too in the senior categories for Sir John Deane’s College pair Patrick Stradling (3,000m) and Kate Moulds (1,500m) as well as St Nicholas RC High School’s Emma-Louise Pyatt (800m).

Zack Bamber, placed third in the 1,500m final, ran a lifetime best 4:10.1.

Vale Royal Athletics Club’s Tessa McCormick, a pupil at Upton high School representing Chester, reached the English championship entry standard in the senior girls’ 3,000m.

Among the inter boys, Harry Lord (Grange) threw a personal best of 51.00m to win gold in the javelin.

There were runners-up prizes for Grange’s Will Semple, in the long jump, and Winsford E-Act Academy’s Daniel Hodkinson in the discus.

Bronze gongs went to Weaverham trio Ben Phillips (high jump), Callum Parker (triple jump) and Ian Morris (javelin), while Grange’s Hepi Jolliffe was third in the discus. Another from the Hartford school, sprinter Mitchell Thomas, was third fastest over 200m.

There were gold medals for inter girls Katie Frith, from Weaverham, in the 80m hurdles and distance runner Katie Gerrard (Grange) over 1,500m.

Amy Howarth, also from Weaverham, won the discus.

Second place finishes were achieved by County High School Leftwich sprinter Pippa White, over 100m, and Weaverham’s Lucy Burch in the 3,000m.

Sandy McIver, in the high jump, and Weaverham classmate Danielle Wakefield, in the triple jump, won silver medals too.

Amy Calland, from Leftwich, and Cransley’s Freya Houston were third overall in the discus and high jump respectively.

Meanwhile Vale Royal AC’s Amy Hinchly, running for Chester & District as a pupil at Tarporley High School, clocked an entry standard 2:15.5 on her way to victory over 800m.

Leftwich’s Will Nowell added to Williamson-Taylor’s gold medal for Mid Cheshire in the junior boys’ category, pipping Grange’s Sam Denny to first place in the 200m.

Joe Pope, from Weaverham, shared second place with Billy Fennel (Chester & District) in the high jump.

There were runners-up places too for Middlewich’s Tom Rudge in the long jump, Matthew Gilmore from Grange in the triple jump and Weaverham’s Jake Lightfoot in the shot.

Jacob Murray, from Univesity of Chester Academy Northwich, placed third in the 80m hurdles.

St Nicholas RC High School’s Jenny Pyatt led the junior girls’ challenge, throwing a personal best 30.66m – a national standard performance – to win the discus.

Charlotte Lawrence won gold in the javelin, while Katie Sparkes (Middlewich) was runner-up in the shot.

Bronze for long jumper Emily Edgar (Hartford Church of England High School) and Dorota Mazur, from Weaverham, in the shot completed Mid Cheshire schools’ huge haul of 39 medals.

Cheshire Schools’ AA Track and Field Championships
At Macclesfield
Saturday, June 8
Senior boys, 100m (Mid Cheshire schools' medal-winners only):
1. Jack Seddon (Sir John Deane’s College) 11.0s. 400mH: 1. James Webster (Grange) 54.3s. 800m: 2. Nathan Tipping (Sir John Deane’s College) 2:02.8. 1,500m: 3. Zack Bamber (Sir John Deane’s College) 4:10.1. 3,000m: 1. Patrick Stradling (Sir John Deane’s College) 9:40.2.

Senior girls, 800m: 1. Emma-Louise Pyatt (St Nicholas RC High School) 2:22.2. 1,500m: 1. Kate Moulds (Sir John Deane’s College) 4:51.7; 2. Jade Evans (Mid-Cheshire College) 5:24.8.

Inter boys, 200m: 3. Mitchell Thomas (Grange) 24.4s. 3,000m: 1. Elliot Bowker (County High School Leftwich) 8:58.2. Long jump: 2. Will Semple (Grange) 5.79m. High jump: 3. Ben Phillips (Weaverham) 1.55m. Triple jump: 3. Callum Parker (Weaverham) 10.8m. Javelin (700g): 1. Harry Lord (Grange) 51.00m; 3. Ian Morris (Weaverham) 41.00m. Discus: 2. Daniel Hodkinson (Winsford E-Act Academy) 30.25m; 3. Hepi Jolliffe (Grange) 25.21m.

Inter girls, 100m: 2. Pippa White (County High School Leftwich) 14.0s. 80mH: 1. Katie Frith (Weaverham) 12.8s. 1,500m: 1. Katie Gerrard (Grange) 4:49.1. 3,000m: 2. Lucy Burch (Weaverham) 12:23.8. High jump: 2. Sandy MacIver (Weaverham) 1.50m; 3. Freya Houston (Cransley) 1.40m. Triple jump: 2. Danielle Wakefield (Weaverham) 10.32m. Discus: 1. Amy Howarth (Weaverham) 26.17m; 3. Amy Calland (County High School Leftwich) 21.62m.

Junior boys, 100m: 1. Fisayo Williamson-Taylor (Grange) 11.8s. 200m: 1. Will Nowell (County High School Leftwich) 24.7s; 2. Sam Denny (Grange) 24.7s. 80mH: 3. Jacob Murray (UCAN) 13.1s. Long jump: 2. Tom Rudge (Middlewich) 5.25m. High jump: 3. Joe Pope (Weaverham) 1.45m. Triple jump: 2. Matthew Gilmore (Grange) 10.54m. Shot: 2. Jake Lightfoot (Weaverham) 9.90m.

Junior girls, long jump: 3. Emily Edgar (Hartford CoE) 4.72m. Shot: 2. Katie Sparkes (Middlewich) 8.36m; 3. Dorota Mazur (Weaverham) 7.98m. Javelin (600g): 1. Charlotte Lawrence (n/k) 22.10m. Discus: 1. Jenny Pyatt (St Nicholas RC) 30.66m.