PUPILS from schools across Lancashire are gearing up for the largest youth sporting event in the county after months of battling it out in a range of sports to secure places in the SPAR Lancashire School Games county finals.

Over 2,400 youngsters from 15 county districts are expected to take part in the event at Stanley Park in Blackpool on July 5, to be crowned champions in sports including rounders, tennis, orienteering, netball, athletics and gymnastics, as well as two new sports for 2016 – tri golf and duathlon.

Team Ribble Valley will be hoping for a repeat of the 2015 county finals event, which saw them crowned overall champions after scooping more medals than any other district. Reigning super eight athletics champions Clitheroe Royal Grammar School will compete to retain their title, as well as the boys who will be going for gold in handball. Elsewhere, students from St Augustine’s Roman Catholic High School will be aiming to better the silver medal they gained in inclusive football last year.

For team Burnley, St Mary Magdalene’s Roman Catholic Primary School will take on schools across the county to defend the gold medal they secured in mini tennis at the 2015 event, while Blessed Trinity which scooped bronze in inclusive teeball last year will be looking to go for gold having qualified for the same event again.

Students from St Michael’s Church of England High School in Chorley, who secured bronze in the super eight athletics at last year’s games, will be looking to at least repeat their success, along with Trinity & St Michael’s CE and Methodist Primary School who will be battling it out for glory in high five netball as well as tag rugby, in what will be the third year they’ve represented the district in the sport.

Accrington Academy students will have a double chance for success as they get ready to represent the Hyndburn district in both girls’ rounders and inclusive football, St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School are preparing to go for gold in tag rugby following a successful 2015 county finals event where they scooped the top spot in girls’ football, and students from Peel Park Primary School are limbering up to compete in gymnastics, having placed fifth in the tag rugby finals last year.

Team Pendle’s success is reliant upon Holy Saviours Roman Catholic School who will battle to secure a medal in the girls’ football event, having represented their district in the same event at the 2015 county finals, while Park High School, Pendle Community High School, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School and Earby Springfield Primary School are among those competing also hoping to bring home the medals for team Pendle.

Representing team Rossendale, Balladen Community Primary School will go for glory in two events, having secured places in both orienteering and tri golf, while St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School, Alder Grange High School and St Paul’s Primary School will also compete to get their hands on the sought after medals.

For the Blackburn with Darwen district, which tasted success at the 2015 county finals when it secured a bronze and silver medal in orienteering as well as gold in inclusive teeball, St Paul’s Primary School are among those hoping to rack up the medals as they compete in gymnastics, while St Barnabas will hope to score a victory in high five netball.

Now in its tenth year, the SPAR Lancashire School Games comprises two main events designed to give all children the opportunity to participate in competitive sport, a result of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, which inspired thousands of children to participate in competitive sport.

Organised by Lancashire Sport Partnership, the event is implemented by the county’s school games organisers and sponsored by James Hall & Company Ltd, the SPAR distributors for the North of England. It is part of the national £128m school games programme.