HOLLY Weedall kept alive her hopes of winning a medal at the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships when she secured a place in the final.

The Weaverham High School student, making her debut at the event, was a convincing victor of her heat in the junior girls’ 1,500m.

She clocked 4:41.64 to progress – the second fastest time overall.

However Bea Wood, a South Wilts Grammar School pupil representing Wiltshire, is an overwhelming favourite for the title after storming to the finish at Alexander Stadium in 4:32.78 – a personal best.

Meanwhile Cheshire’s Grace Roberts, from Hartford Church of England High School, was 11th in the same race.

The final is scheduled for 3pm on Saturday.

Another to make progress is Sir John Deane’s College’s Emily Lowery, who will contest the senior girls’ 1,500m final after classifying fifth in her heat.

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.

Two more medal-hopes for Cheshire in the field are in action tomorrow.

George Hyde, fresh from making his debut for Great Britain at the European Under 18s Championships in Hungary last week, is seeking a national schools’ title for a third successive year.

Meanwhile Grange School’s Evie Tipping takes part in the inter girls’ hammer.

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

Provisional timetable

Saturday, July 14               

1200 SB shot (final) George Hyde (Sir John Deane’s College)

1215 IG hammer (final) Evie Tipping (Grange School)

1501 JG 1,500m (final) Holly Weedall (Weaverham High School)

1526 SG 1,500m (final) Emily Lowery (Sir John Deane’s College)