English Schools Track & Field Championships
Alexander Stadium, Birmingham
Friday 12th & Saturday 13th July 2019
Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium played host to the English Schools Athletics Association annual track and field championships when it welcomed almost 2,000 of England’s leading athletes in the under15, under17 & under19 age groups for the final time before the stadium is demolished and redeveloped in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The schools championship is the largest voluntarily organised track and field event in the world and is now in its 89th year with numerous venues around the country having staged the meeting since its inception at Crystal Palace back in 1925. Hull has played a large part in the history of the event with the city having played host on 4 occasions, most recently in 1992. The championships are contested by 46 county teams with the maximum size of each team determined by the counties’ population. As one of the smaller counties Humberside are permitted to send up to 32 athletes subject to them achieving entry standards but this year only 21 met the criteria which enabled them to represent their county, 13 of them being Kingston Upon Hull AC members.
Venus Morgan (Wyke College) was the most experienced member of the Humberside team, this being her 5th track & field championships. In addition Venus has also represented her county at 4 English Schools Combined Events Championships. Having twice reached the final of the sprint hurdles – once over 80m as an under 17 and then last year over 100m in the under 19 age group – Venus was keen to repeat this feat in her last track & field championship. Again running in the 100m hurdles she safely negotiated her heat, taking 4th spot in 14.91 sec into a troublesome headwind before placing 7th in a closely contested final in 14.73 seconds, less than half a second outside the medals.
Fellow Wyke College student Adam Coles was contesting his second English Schools Championships, having been a finalist in the under 17 boy’s event at the same venue in 2017. This time around Adam lined up in the under 19, 110m hurdles in which he is the county & county schools champion and Northern silver medallist. Unfortunately despite clocking his second fastest ever time of 15.27 sec Adam failed to progress beyond the heats.
Jodie Martin (Holderness Academy) was a finalist in last year’s under 17 girls 800m and returned to Birmingham to contest the same event this year. Despite running a good tactical race Jodie couldn’t quite do enough to repeat last year’s performance and finished 4th in her heat clocking 2:16.61, a time which would have gained her automatic qualification for the final in another heat.
The under 17 girl’s relay time contained 3 Kingston athletes, Amelia Proctor (Sir John Nelthorpe School, Brigg), Alanah Thoresby (South Hunsley) and Daisy Logan (Wolfreton) with the anchor leg being run by Olivia Roe (The Snaith School / Wakefield Harriers). With none of the girls having achieved entry standards for the individual sprints the girls knew that slick baton changes were vital and had spent many hours working on these in the run up to the championships. Their hard work almost paid off when they finished 2nd in their heat behind a very strong West Midlands team who were to finish 5th in the following day’s final. The girl’s time of 49.95 sec was their fastest ever despite the strong swirling wind which affected many performances over the weekend.
Shaun Kerry, was competing in his 5th English Schools championship meeting, having made his debut appearance, at the 2015 event, in the under 15 boy’s hammer. The following year, saw him take the hammer gold medal, in his final year at under 15. He was the bronze medallist, at both the 2017 and 2018 Championships. Shaun was a hammer finalist once more, at this year’s event, he was in the mix for the medals, throughout every round, but had to settle for the silver medal, with his throw of 62.13 metres. Sam Mace of Walton/Thames Valley, took the gold with a throw of 63.12 metres.
2019 marked Holly Adams, third appearance at the English Schools event. She debuted, as a first year under 15 athlete, at the 2017 Championships, where she took 8th place in the discus final. 2018 saw her take another 4th place, in the discus. In 2019 she moved up to her first year, at under 17 level, competing against girls a year older than herself. She put in a very good performance, taking a well deserved 4th place, with her throw of 12.59 metres.
Sarah Robinson made her English Schools debut, at this competition, throwing in the under 20 Women’s hammer. The County Champion, took 9th place in the final, with her throw of 44.20 metres. She also took a 5th place finish, in the women’s hammer final, at June’s Northern track & field Championships, at Sport City stadium, in Manchester.
Elsa Thompson, Is an under 15’s sprinter, who has only been with Kingston,since last September. She has already made her mark however, winning the sprint double, at the County Championship meeting this May. This was her first taste of the English Schools experience, where she was in competition, in the 200 metres sprints. She was drawn in heat 1, finishing in 5th place, running a time of 26.02 sec. She is a promising young sprinter, who gained invaluable experience, on the greatest stage of all.
Alanah Thoresby, made her third appearance at the championships. Competing in the under 17 women’s high jump, the County champion, went clear at a height of 1.56 metres, which wasn’t enough, to get in the mix, at the top end of the competition.
Antony Mould, made his English Schools debut, in the under 17 men’s hammer final.The County Champion took 11th place in the final, putting out a throw of 44.71 metres. He too banked, major championship experience, for further battles to come.David Morgan-Harrison, the County and North Yorkshire schools 100 metres champion, was in competition in the under 20 men’s 100 metres. He was drawn in heat 3, where he took a 7th place finish, running a time of 11.28 sec
