Well done to our superb athletes who competed in the ESAA National Athletics Final, held in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday. We are proud of them all. Their skill, dedication towards training, and strong performances in the qualifying rounds earned them their places on the national athletics stage.

Both teams travelled to accommodation close to the stadium on the evening before the competition, to ensure they were focused and well-rested before the competition. On the day, both teams performed particularly well, and were in good spirits as they faced strong opposition, and some rather chilly and damp unseasonable weather conditions.

Impressive performances from our Intermediate Boys Team earned them the podium position of Third in the country, with 571 points - an exceptional achievement at this level. No less impressive were the performances of our Junior Boys Team, who exceeded their own target for the day, gaining 548 points and placing them fourth nationally. This is an astonishing achievement as several of our junior athletes were in Year 7, which is unusual in teams performing at this level. This certainly bodes well as the Team continues to train for future national competitions!

We are grateful to Mr Futcher, Mr Greaves and Mr Sexton who trained and prepared the teams, and supported them at the Stadium yesterday, and we thank Mr Morrant who also supported and encouraged the pupils involved.

We have plenty of wonderful photographs of the athletes in their competitions, and will be sharing those too.