Big-shot Molyneaux throwing for a hat-trick of gold medals

Tomorrow (July 8) and Saturday the English Schools Track & Field Championships take place in Gateshead and local schools and clubs are well represented.

And a handful of those athletes, competing for either Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire, are medal prospects.

Lincolnshire’s highest hope would appear to be their ace shot-putter Hannah Molyneaux, a Nene Valley Harrier trained by Geoff Capes.

She’s already tasted English Schools success twice - winning the junior girls title in 2014 and last year - and, although competing at the bottom end of the intermediate girls age group this time round, she is again a gold medal contender.

She goes into the event ranked three in the UK with a personal best (PB) of 14.44m. That sort of distance will almost certainly win her a medal and it could well be gold again.

Spalding Grammar School pupil William Hughes was another medallist for Lincolnshire last year. The Nene Valley Harriers sprinter won a bronze in the junior boys 200m, but this time he will be running against older boys in the intermediate age group. But he does love a challenge.

Lee Addison from the Sir John Gleed School at Spalding is peaking at just the right time and could be a force in the Under 15 boys long jump.

The Nene Valley athlete stretched his PB to an impressive 6.24m at the Anglian Schools Championships last month and that has propelled him to fourth in the UK rankings.

For Cambridgshire, Josh Akinwumi from King’s School could go well in the intermediate boys 100m hurdles.

The Nene Valley Harrier has been flying this season and is currently ranked third in the UK standings with a rapid PB of 13.1

Locals in action in Gateshead:

Lincolnshire:

Junior Boys:

Long Jump - Lee Addison (NVH/Sir John Gleed School).

Shot - Callum Robertson (NVH/Stamford School); Jack Roffe (NVH/Spalding Grammar School).

Intermediate Boys:

400m hurdles - Lewis Davey (PAC/Grantham).

200m - William Hughes (NVH/Spalding Grammar School).

Senior Boys:

400m - Ashley Sandall (NVH/Thomas Cowley High School).

Intermediate Girls

Long Jump - Jasmine Allen (NVH/Bourne Grammar School).

800m - Megan Ellison (NVH/Stamford Girls School).

Pole Vault - Rosie Fresen (NVH/Spalding High School).

Shot - Hannah Molyneaux (NVH/Lincoln).

Cambridgeshire:

Intermediate Girls:

80m hurdles - Jamelia Henson (PAC/Stanground Academy).

300m hurdles - Megan Sims (PAC/ Sir Harry Smith Community College).

High Jump - Megan Porter (PAC/Arthur Mellows Village College).

Shot - Tierney Augustine (NVH/Sawtry Community College).

Shot - Priscilla Dadzia (NVH/Stanground Academy).

Shot - Lydia Church (NVH/Sawtry Community College).

Intermediate Boys:

100m hurdles - Josh Akinwumi (NVH/ King’s School).

Senior Girls:

Pole Vault - Holly Brown (PAC/The Peterborough School).

Senior Boys:

800m - Daniel Mees (PAC/Sir Harry Smith Community College).