ENGLISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Terrific medal haul for local clubs

Nene Valley Harrier Williams Hughes (Spalding Grammar School) bagged a silver medal in the Intermediate Boys 200m, while PAC’s Daniel Mees (Sir Harry Smith Community College) also picked up a silver medal in the Senior Boys 800m.

Excellent bronze medal performances came from Holly Brown (Hampton College) of PAC in the Senior Girls pole vault and Lee Addison (Sir John Gleed School, Spalding) of Nene Valley Harriers in the Junior Boys long jump.

As reported on www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk yesterday (July 9) shot putter Hannah Molyneaux of Nene Valley Harriers won gold in the Intermediate Girls event - a third gold in three years for an athlete who lives in Lincoln and is coached by former Olympian Geoff Capes.

Hughes was winning an English Schools medal for the second year in a row. Last year he claimed bronze in the junior boys 200m, but he surpassed that effort, against some boys a year older, with a time of 22.34 in yesterday’s final.

Hughes had won his heat in 22.11, but he couldn’t catch competition favourite Romell Glave from Surrey in the final. Hughes can compete in the same category next year and must be a firm favourite to collect a hat-trick of medals, maybe even a gold to complete a set.

Mees was just 0.3 of a second off a gold medal in his event. He finished the 800m final in 1.51.87, but was pipped by Finley Bigg of Sussex to first place.

Brown’s leap of 3.70m was enough for third place in her pole vault event, while Addison’s 6.10m long jump was also good enough for third.

Addison and Hughes were representing Lincs, while Brown and Mees were part of the Cambs team.

Other locals to reach finals yesterday included PAC’s Megan Sims (Sir Harry Smith Community College) who finished fifth in the 300m Intermediate Girls 300m hurdles in 45.67 which was just 0.4 of a second off bronze. Sims (Cambs) was second in her heat in 44.40 which would have been good enough for a silver medal in the final.

Josh Akinwumi (King’s) of Nene Valley finished sixth in the Intermediate Boys 100m hurdles final in 13.50, while Megan Porter (Arthur Mellows Village College) of PAC was 10th in the Intermediate Girls high jump.

Grantham-based Lewis Davey 0f PAC finished sixth in the Intermediate Boys 400m hurdles in 57.41 and Jasmine Allen of Nene Valley (Stamford Girls School) placed 10th in her heat of the Intermediate Girls long jump event with a 5.22m leap.

Nene Valley’s Jack Roffe (Spalding Grammar School) finished seventh in the Junior Boys Shot with a throw of 12.72m. Clubmate Callum Robertson (Stamford School) competed in the same event and threw 9.82m.