Lamberts hammer out more records

The brother and sister from Cleobury Mortimer re-wrote the record books as they landed the prestigious Bristow Sports Trophies following stunning displays in their respective hammer events.

The trophies are awarded to the outstanding boy and girl performances and it proved to be an historic day for the siblings.

It is the third year that the pair have won the awards. Katie, a GB Under-20 international ranked second in the UK, won the senior girls’ hammer as she improved the championship best she set last year to 56.42 – an English Schools’ national standard distance.

The Ludlow College student, who will be aiming to defend her English Schools at this year’s championships in Birmingham in July, also becomes the first person to win the Bristow Sports Trophy for four consecutive years since it was introduced in 1988.

Jack, a Lacon Childe School pupil, currently ranked seventh in the UK, won the intermediate boys’ hammer with a new championship best throw of 57.02 metres – a National Standard distance – adding over four metres to the previous record set in 1991.

He is the only boy to claim the trophy for three consecutive years.

While the Lamberts were taking centre stage, the championships proved a huge hit with athletes from schools and colleges in Telford and Shropshire serving up seven hours of quality action at Telford Stadium.

There were seven championship best performances, four English Schools’ national standards and 12 English Schools’ entry standards.

Dani Hales (Shrewsbury High School), the winner of the Shropshire Schools Pentathlon Championships, won the junior girls’ 75m hurdles in a new championship best and national standard time of 11.3 seconds. Hales, who is currently ranked third in the UK in this event, ran the time twice in the heats and in the final. She also found time to win the junior girls’ long jump.

Oliver Carvell was the other athlete to gain an English Schools’ national standard on the day as he defied the blustery conditions to win the intermediate boys’ 800m in 1.55.7.

Carvell (Bridgnorth Endowed School), who was second in the English Schools’ 1500m Championships as a junior boy last year, is currently ranked eighth in the UK with a best of 1.54.9.

His time was a new championship mark as he finished eight seconds ahead of his nearest rival, and was only less than a second outside his season’s best. The previous Shropshire record has stood the test of time, being set way back in 1993 by Ludlow’s Carl Tipton.

Holy Trinity School, Telford’s Charlie Fisher was the first to set a new championship best on the day as he scorched the track in the junior boys’ 100m heats in 11.6.

The previous record was set 55 years ago in 1962.

Fisher went on to win the 100m final and later in the day struck gold in the 200m.

Jake Watson (Idsall School) was the only entrant in the intermediate boys’ pole vault, but the lack of competition did not stop him clearing a record four metres – improving the previous best height of 3.81m which was set 14 years ago.

Watson has a season’s best of 4.10m which ranks him fourth in the UK in his age group.

Julia Rogaczewski became the first athlete from Telford Priory School School to set a Shropshire Schools Championship best as she won the junior girls’ hammer with a throw of 25.59 metres. That triumph added to her victory in the the discus earlier in the day.

Hollie Williamson, now a Wrekin College student, was in fine form as she achieved two English Schools’ entry standards, winning the senior girls’ 100m hurdles in 15.0 and clearing 1.66m in the high jump.

In a high quality senior girls’ sprint hurdles race, Bethan Loveday, another Wrekin College student, ran an English Schools’ entry standard of 15.2.

Thomas Telford’s Ellis Greatrex, a GB Under-20 international who won the English Schools’ 400m title in 2015, warmed up for the Midland Under-20 Championships by winning the senior boys’ 100m in 11.1 – an English Schools’ entry standard.

Liam Rawlings from The Corbet School, Baschurch, who was 12th in the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships in Norwich earlier in the year, dominated the junior boys’ 1500m race in difficult conditions for middle distance running.

Rawlings, ranked seventh in the UK, crossed the line in 4.19.6.

Isabelle Jagielka (Adcote School), left her rivals trailing in the junior girls’ 100m as she won in a time of 12.8, also an English Schools’ entry standard.

Thomas Telford’s Jack Finn took the intermediate boys’ 200m in 22.8 – a time that equals an ESAA entry standard – and also won the 400m in 54.0.

Fellow intermediate Niall Price (Bridgnorth Endowed School) powered to an ESAA entry standard as he landed the 100m in 11.1.

The blustery conditions made throwing the javelin into a headwind very difficult but Ellie Vernon (Thomas Telford School), who is currently ranked number three in the country, still threw an ESAA entry standard of 38.50 metres.

The other intermediate girl who recorded such a mark was Lucy Elcock (Idsall School) who followed up her impressive success in the 300m with a 200m victory in 26.0.

Shropshire Schools’ junior and intermediate teams are in action again on Saturday in the Mason Trophy meeting at the Alexander Stadium Birmingham.

This event is probably the highest quality meeting outside a national championship that Shropshire athletes will take part in this season as they come up against nine other county schools teams.

After the Mason Trophy, the selectors will sit down and select a team of 24 athletes to represent Shropshire at the English Schools’ Championships which are also being held in Birmingham this year on Friday, July 7 and Saturday, July 8.