YOUNGSTERS showed off their running, throwing and jumping skills at the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Schools sportshall athletics competition.

Hyndburn Sports Centre was the venue for the three days event which saw all athletes participating in wide range of track and field events.

In the primary school competition, pupils competed against each other in the obstacle relay, one and two lap relays and the 4x1 lap relay while the field events included the chest push, speed bounce, standing long jump, standing triple jump and vertical jump.

All the athletes were selected by their teachers to compete in chosen events all the scores were added to a spreadsheet which gave each individual a points score and then added to the overall teams score.

In the Year 3/4 competition, there was 24 teams competing in the first ever Hyndburn & Ribble Valley School Sports Partnership at this level.

There was separate winners for Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. Baxenden were top. Hyndburn school made 374 points with, Benjamin Hargreaves second (352pts) and St Bartholomew’s third (334pts). In the Ribble Valley section, St Leonard’s Langho were first with 328 points with Salesbury in second place with 278 and Oakhill third with 272.

In the Year 5/6 competition, the winners qualified for the county finals to be held at Hyndburn Sports centre early next year.

A total of 12 teams compete in the Hyndburn competition which saw Baxenden follow on from there victory in the Year 3/4 competition with first place with 320 points followed by St Marys Oswaldtwistle with 308 points and Benjamin Hargreaves in 3rd place with 296.

In the Ribble Valley Section of the event there was 13 teams competing for the number one place and it was Salesbury who won with 382 points with St Leonard’s Langho A finishing second with 370 then Oakhill in third with 348.

From these events, the highest finishing small schools qualified for the small schools section of the county finals, it was Oakhill from Ribble Valley and Green Haworth from Hyndburn who made it. who will be The secondary events saw the Year 7 and Year 8 children compete from Hyndburn and from Ribble Valley in separate boys and girls competitions with the highest placed school from each district progressing to the county finals for boys and girls.

The events the children competed in were obstacle relay, two-lap race, four-lap race, six-lap race, eight-lap paarlauf, 4x2 lap relay on the track and in the field it was shot putt, speed bounce, standing long jump, standing triple jump, vertical jump. In the Year 7 event it was St Augustine who took first place in the boys competition with a score of 211 followed by Clitheroe Royal Grammar School with 199 and then Hollins in third with 165 points.

In the girls competition it was once again a St Augustine and CRGS 1-2 with St Augustine scoring 216 points and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School scoring 182 and St Christopher’s scoring 173 points to finish third. In the Year 8 competition it was once again St Augustine who finished first in both the boys and girls competition with 242 (girls) and 238 (boys), Clitheroe Royal Grammar School again took second place in both competitions with scores of 230 (girls) and 215 (boys). Finishing third in the boys competition was Ribblesdale only two points behind second place with 213 scored. St Christopher’s took third in the girls with a score of 220 points. Hollins progressed to the finals with a score of 200 finishing as the highest placed Hyndburn school in the boys event.

“Congratulations to all winners and good luck in the county finals and a massive well done to everyone who took part,” said Gareth Martindale from Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Schools Partnership. “ A huge thank you must go to Don Lennon from Ribble Valley Athletic Club and England Athletics who coordinates the events on the day and organises the track events.

“I would also like to thank Hyndburn Sports Centre for hosting the events and all the leaders who helped score the events on the days these were students from St Christopher’s, St Augustine’s and Hollins High schools. These events just keep growing in popularity and in participation and the standard gets higher each year.

n Without all of these people these events wouldn’t be as successful so I appreciate all the support we get from the schools.

County Final Qualifiers: Baxenden (Year 5/6), Salesbury (Year 5/6), Oakhill (Small Schools Ribble Valley), Green Haworth (Small Schools Hyndburn), St Augustine (Year 7 and 8 boys and girls ribble valley), Hollins (Year 7/8 boys Hyndburn), St Christopher’s (Year 7 and 8 Girls Hyndburn)