REDDITCH school duo Jake Curtiss and Josh Pearson have earned selection for the English Schools Athletics Championships to be held at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium on July 11/12 following impressive performances at the same venue in Saturday’s annual Mason Trophy event.
Nine athletes from Redditch schools were selected to represent Hereford and Worcestershire at this inter-counties event involving ten counties – each with two competitors per event – and the county finished fifth overall, with both boys’ teams finishing in second place.
Curtiss ran 11.1s to finish third in the intermediate boys’ 100m as the Tudor Grange Academy Redditch (formerly Kingsley College) student beat the English Schools’ Standard time by 0.1s.
Walkwood Middle School’s Pearson finished second in the junior boys’ 300m in a time of 38.1s.
Other results of Redditch athletes (overall positions out of the 20 competitors, not heat results): St Augustine’s High School – Reiss Francis (junior boys’ high jump, 3rd, 1.70m); Cian Allen (junior boys’ triple jump, 4th, 11.33m); Chloe Payne (junior girls’ 100m, 13th, 13.3s); Megan Nicod (junior girls’ 800m, 17th, 2:31.6).
Tudor Grange Academy Redditch – Andy Pearson (intermediate boys’ 400m hurdles, 7th, 63.1s).
Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre – Amy Taylor (junior girls’ shot put, 11th, 8.46m).
RSA Academy Arrow Vale – Gareth Richardson (junior boys’ 1,500m, 8th, 4:28.8).
Curtiss was also part of the intermediate boys’ 4x100m relay team which claimed fourth place, matching the English Schools’ Standard of 45.0s.
Athletes had qualified to take part in the event through their County Schools’ Championships and overall the Hereford and Worcestershire Schools’ team improved on its team points from last year to maintain fifth place behind West Midlands, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Northamptonshire as they beat Warwickshire, Greater Manchester, Shropshire and Nottinghamshire.
These results were helped massively by the junior boys who ranked second overall in both the track and field events as well as the intermediate boys who also finished second on the track overall.
With the best young athletes from each of the ten counties competing, the standard was high and a number of the Hereford and Worcestershire athletes achieved the English Schools’ qualifying standard.