English Schools Association Track and Field Championships

Northumberland Schools selectors have now chosen the final 24 athletes who will be representing them
at the annual English Schools Association Track and Field Championships, scheduled to be held at
Alexander Stadium on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th July, and their officially selected list
includes eight representatives from the ranks of Morpeth Harriers & AC.

Heading the list is Rory Leonard, who will be competing in the Senior Boys 1500m, hopefully having returned from the European Under 18 Athletics Championships in Hungary, in fine form, and armed with a medal also.
Competing alongside Leonard in the Senior Boys 1500m, will be his Morpeth Harriers club colleague Kieran Hedley, and the club can also boast a third Senior Boy, in the form of Ruaridh Lang, who competes in the Discus.
Staying with the Seniors, Bobbie Griffiths is very naturally selected for the Girls Javelin competition.
The Intermediate competitions see Andrew Knight and Ethan Stephenson line up in the
Shot Putt and Triple Jump for Boys.

Two Junior athletes, both of them Girls, have also made the limited squad of 24.
Amy Lott goes in the 75m Hurdles, and Jessica Gardiner, who is certainly showing
an excellent level of recent form, takes part in the Discus competition.

We comment limited, this is because under new stringent competition guidelines,
the county was only allowed to select a modest 24 in number, so selectors have been
forced to make some tough decisions, which has led to some athletes narrowly missing out,
who will quite naturally feel disappointed.

Some on the other hand will be delighted, including Stephenson, Lott, and Gardiner,
for whom it will be their very first experience of the English Schools Track and Field Championships.

Congratulations to those selected and best of luck in Birmingham.