Shropshire Star

Shropshire stars are a hit in the Second City

Adam Lloyd was the toast of the Shropshire team following a stunning display in the English Schools Track and Field Championships.

Published

The county enjoyed a great two days at the event at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium with Lloyd bagging a brilliant gold in the intermediate boys’ javelin.

The success story continued with Dan Galloway claiming silver in the junior boys’ 1500m while Jake Watson, Brad Davies-Pughe and Connor Bentley all claimed bronze medals in the respective senior boys’ pole vault, intermediate boys’ long jump and senior boys’ 3000m.

Shropshire took 24 athletes to the event, which included teams from 43 counties from across England, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man which are split into four categories based on size.

And Shropshire had further cause for celebration after their four-strong team of senior boys won the Bill Whistlecroft Trophy after topping Group D.

The intermediate boys were second while the team, across all six age groups, finished third overall.

But the standout performance came from Wrekin College student Lloyd, who lives in Great Bolas.

Ranked

Having finished 10th and 11th in previous years, he went into the final ranked fifth in the country, but he was the athlete who coped best with the tricky windy conditions in the stadium.

He sent the javelin to a personal best, throwing over 60 metres for the first time, recording 60.87m.

Galloway, from Oldbury Wells School, Bridgnorth, who is also a highly ranked national triathlete, comfortably won his junior boys 1500m heat on day one in 4.20.31.

He then ran an excellent tactical race to come second in the final in a personal best time of 4.08.53 – which ranks him second in the UK – less than a second behind winner Joshua Bleivins (Northumberland).

Idsall School’s Watson picked up a second successive medal in the competition thanks to a bronze in the senior boys’ pole vault, with a personal best 4.70m.

Jake’s younger brother Tobie enjoyed a good debut at the championships as he made the final of the 400m hurdles where he ran a PB of 56.48 to finish just one second away from a bronze.

Davies-Pughe (Thomas Adams School) also went home with a superb bronze medal in the intermediate boys’ long jump.

He qualified for the final by jumping 6.58m and then increased that to 6.79m to earn a place on the podium in a keenly-contested event that him was just five centimetres away from silver and 10 from gold.

Adams Newport student Bentley, who was running his final English Schools race, signed off in style with a bronze in the senior boys’ 3000m in a time of 8.27.89.

Bentley has been a regular in Shropshire cross country and track and field teams throughout his time at Adams and finished in the top 10 at national championships many times, and gained an England Schools International cross country vest, but had never won an English Schools medal.

Bridgnorth’s Oliver Carvell, who has competed for Shropshire Schools in three English Schools Championships but was competing for the West Midlands after moving schools, also had a day to remember.

After winning a bronze and silver at previous championships, he completed the full set by winning the senior boys’ 800m.

He controlled the race after the first 200m leading the field round to cross the line in 1.52.16 to strike gold medal and gave coach Stuart Hamilton his second success of the championships following Galloway’s earlier efforts.

Valerio Duah (Madeley Academy) came away from his first championships with sixth in the senior boys’ 100m final after winning his heat in 10.79 then running 10.88 in the final.

His team-mate, Jack Lambert (Ludlow College) was also sixth in the senior boys’ hammer final (57.22).