Rugby & Northampton AC enjoy record turnout and medals at English Schools

A record 22 Rugby & Northampton AC athletes were selected to compete for three different counties at this year’s English Schools Track & Field Championships in Manchester.
Savannah Morgan and Ella Darby show off their gold medals after helping Northamptonshire to victory in the Junior Girls 4x100m relay at the English Schools ChampionshipSavannah Morgan and Ella Darby show off their gold medals after helping Northamptonshire to victory in the Junior Girls 4x100m relay at the English Schools Championship
Savannah Morgan and Ella Darby show off their gold medals after helping Northamptonshire to victory in the Junior Girls 4x100m relay at the English Schools Championship

Cam McGregor produced a perfectly timed run to take the Senior Boys 400m title in 47.64 and he later added bronze in the 4x100m for Warwickshire.

Elsewhere in the senior age group, Finlay Ward (6:14.89) produced a PB to finish seventh in the 2000m steeplechase, Lucy Randall (36.82m) added over a metre to her PB in the SG javelin while Noah Bennett ran a season’s best of 4:07.00 in his 1500m heat.

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In the intermediate age group, Artur Tilt (4:37.63) smashed his PB to finish fifth in the 1500m steeplechase and Fabian Powell finished sixth in the 100m final in 11.29.

For the girls, there was a PB for Isabel Mur (12.14) in the IG 80m hurdles, Sofia Barrett clocked 41.48 in her IG 300m heat and Ava Rogerson (10:52.70) ran well in the 3000m.

In the junior age group, Savannah Morgan produced an outstanding performance to take gold in the Junior Girls 100m with a PB and club record of 12.11.

Olivia Monk also made it to the final of 100m and finished an impressive eighth in 12.82.

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There was another junior medal from Isabella Banks in the girls 75m hurdles.

She clocked a PB and a club record in claiming silver in 11.33 in the final while her team-mate Grace McCollin (12.03) just missed out on the final when finishing fifth in her heat.

R&N had two athletes in the JG 300m with Lucy Boyes running a PB of 41.77 in her heat before finishing seventh in her semi-final.

Ella Darby did, however, qualify for the final after coming through a tough heat and semi-final. In the final, she finished fifth in a time of 41.84.

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Olivia McGhee (4:46.67) ran a brilliant six-second PB in her 1500m heat, Esme Du Bois (26.67) while in the long jump, Penelope Jones finished 15th with 4.18m – a fantastic achievement given that she will still be competing in the same age group next season.

Ernest Kisel produced two fine runs to qualify for the Junior Boys 100m where he clocked 11.70 for eighth place.

In the 300m, Robbie Dale ran a PB of 38.02 in the heats while Nathan Lamb (4:28.89) competed well in the 1500m heats.

The championships closed out with the relay action and Morgan claimed her second gold medal as she and Darby helped Northants to a gold medal in 48.39 in the Junior Girls 4x100m with the Warwickshire team of Boyes, McCollin, Du Bois and Monk finished a close fourth in 49.72.

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This was an exceptional achievement, as it is rare that a county team is made up of four athletes from the same club.

In the Junior Boys 4x100m, Kisel and Dale ran outstanding legs to help Warwickshire to a silver medal in 44.99.

That was another exceptional achievement against some very strong county teams from across the country.