HW hosts the 25th Junior Wessex Championships

Over one thousand local competitors and spectators from Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey and Wiltshire enjoyed an exciting and competitive day of sport at the Junior Wessex Athletics Event organised by Hordle Walhampton School, Lymington this weekend (Saturday, 9 June, 2007)

Teams from twenty-six schools gave over 500 young sportsmen and women between the ages of nine and 11 years, the opportunity to participate in 52 events including Long Jump, Relay, Hurdles and High Jump.

There were a number of ‘Personal Bests’ achieved throughout the day as well as a plethora of Gold, Silver and Bronze medal awards. Farleigh School, from Andover in Hampshire, won the Inter-school Relay Trophy, beating Yateley Manor, from near Fleet, into second place; Louisa Bradby, also from Farleigh, won the U11 girls overall Trophy.

Briony Hammond, who coaches the Farleigh School girls’ team, said: “This was a very successful event that was extremely well organised by Hordle Walhampton. We are delighted to be going home with a number of individual gold medals as well as the Relay Shield which we are already looking forward to defending next year.”

Event organiser and head of athletics at Hordle Walhampton, Mr Tim Norris, reported that: “This is our 25^th anniversary of running the Junior Wessex and without a doubt, today was certainly one of the best! The warm and sunny conditions made for some very close races, giving both competitors and spectators a number of exciting and highly entertaining finishes.”

Presenting the medals, prizes and awards, Mr Henry Phillips, headmaster of Hordle Walhampton, warmly congratulated all the athletes as well as paying a special tribute to the coaches “for their help, encouragement and skill in developing our young athletes of the future.” Mr Phillips added: “It is particularly encouraging to see so many children competing with obvious enjoyment and developing a genuine love of sport.”

June 2007