ATHLETICS REPORTS by Christine Yavari

WIRRAL AC had some excellent performances in the 1998 Merseyside County Schools' Athletic Championships at The Oval, Old Chester Road, Bebington.

No fewer than five athletes achieved National Standard Performances in their events, as well as becoming Merseyside Schools' champions.

Athletes placed first or second in their event were selected to represent Merseyside at the Inter Counties Meeting in Stoke next week.

The Stoke meeting will give those athletes a final chance to achieve an entry standard for the English Schools' Athletic Championships, to be held at Exeter in July.

Local athletes to shine at The Oval were:-

Elizabeth Bowyer (Birkenhead HS), Inter Girls' Shot, 11.43m; Nicola Broome (Prenton HS), Inter Girls' Javelin, 38.10m; Sian Polhill-Thomas (South Wirral HS), Inter Girls' 80m hurdles, 11.6 secs; Oliver Mahoney (St Anselm's), Junior Boys', Pole Vault, 3.30m; Simon Bulley, Junior Boys' Discus, 38.70m.

Other results:-

Junior Girls:

100m: Laura Heslop, 1st, 12.90 secs.

Long Jump: 1st, Jenny McDavid, 4.44m; 2nd, Lindesay Hobden, 4.35m.

Shot: 2nd, Dawn Williams, 9.03m.

Inter Girls:

200m: 1st, Leanne Carty, 27.8 secs.

800m: 1st, Ellie Yavari, 2:24.9.

80m Hurdles: 2nd, Pamela Cook, 12.1 secs.

Discus: 1st, Lucinda Bell, 24.87m.

Javelin: 2nd, Nicola Dooley, 14.46m.

Senior Girls:

200m: 2nd, Dawn Crowe, 27.9 secs.

3000m: 2nd, Rebecca Lindesay, 10:55.0.

100m Hurdles: 1st, Vickie Murphy, 15.2 secs.

High Jump: 1st, Vicki Milne, 1.55m.

Triple Jump: 1st, Sue Batty, 10.12m.

Junior Boys:

200m: Jules Ryan, 2nd, 25.1 secs.

400m: Danny Patcher, 1st, 54.8 secs.

800m: Craig Kelly, 2nd, 2:08.6.

1500m: 1st, Rory Smith, 4:21.5.

Javelin: 1st, Marc Lyons, 38.37m; 2nd, Michael Williams, 37.20m.

Shot: 2nd, George Sykes, 11.71m.

Pole Vault: 2nd, Mark Watson, 2.80m.

Inter Boys:

100m: 2nd, Mark Anderson, 12.0 secs.

400m: 2nd, Paul Rawlinson, 51.3 secs.

800m: 1st, Ben Culligan, 2:01.2.

1500m: 1st, Andrew Baddeley, 4:09.5.

3000m: 1st, Stephen Edwards, 9:23.3.

1500m steeple chase: 2nd, Stephen McCain, 4:46.2.

Javelin: 1st, Harry Pugh, 47.47m.

Pole Vault: 1st, Tim Holsgrove, 3.40m.

Senior Boys:

800m: 1st, Ian Tinsley, 1:53.8; 2nd, William Goudie, 1:58.5.

1500m: 1st, Ben Cooke, 4:04.5 secs; 2nd, Joe Barber, 4:15.4.

Long Jump: 1st, Carl Rice, 6.57m; 2nd, Peter Upton, 6.27m.

Triple Jump: 1st, Jamie McPherson, 11.20m.

Wirral AC's Under-17 Girls' team took first place at the 'Star Walk' in Sheffield. The walking race was held on the road over a distance of 3km and the team received medals and a trophy for their fine efforts.

Lisa Taylor was the individual race winner, with Helen Keen in third place. They were supported by Samantha Harrison and Kerry Lawlor. As all girls are only in the Under-15 age group, this was a very good result for them.

Ray McAvoy, a multi eventer now M40, won the gold medal in both sprint hurdles and long jump at the Northern Vets Championships in Wavertree.

Ray won the hurdles in a time of 21.0 secs and the long jump with a leap of 5.09m. He added a silver in the Javelin (37.50m) and bronze in both the Discus (26.52m) and Shot (8.39m).

Ray was at it again a week later in Dumfries, Scotland, collecting another gold medal in the M40 class long jump with a leap of 5.33m and bronze in the Javelin (37.62m).

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