1:33pm Friday 10th July 2009
AFTER success at world and national team level over the past two weeks, south-east Essex youngsters will be aiming for English Schools individual track and field glory over the next two days.
The cream of young talent will be at Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium tonight and tomorrow with Saturday action being shown live on SkySports between 2 and 6pm.
The World Schools Athletic Championships in Estonia two weeks ago saw Southend High for Girls produce a best ever English performance with third place.
Undoubted star over the weekend was captain Georgia Atkins who, with wins in hurdles and long jump, got the highest points total of any athlete competing among the 600 plus from 31 nations.
She’s in hurdling action in Sheffield along with Southend High high jumper Poppy Lake, who smashed the junior girls record in last weekend’s English Schools Track and Field Cup, where the Southchurch Boulevard School retained both female titles.
She competes at club level for Basildon AC.
Another big hope for success this weekend is junior 1,500 runner Jessica Judd, a student at Castle View School, Canvey, who has now been confirmed as a Chelmsford AC runner after switching from Thurrock Harriers.
Judd made her last club appearance for Thurrock in the Southern Women’s League after joining them as a primary school pupil when other clubs rejected her as being too young.
Said Thurrock’s Sue Lawrence: “I would like to thank Jessica for everything she has done over the last few years, putting Thurrock Harriers firmly on the map.
“I wish her great success at the English Schools in Sheffield. She is an athlete that will be truly missed!”
Atkins and another former Southend AC member Greensward Acdemy’s Chelsea Coker — who is in hammer action in Sheffield — are other athletes who have been attracted to Chelmsford AC by the top-level facilities and coaching available.
l Full Essex line-up for Don Valley Junior Boys - Ryan O'Sullivan, Luri Figueiredo, Jonathan Kerridge, Michael Porter, Blair Cartwright, Kane Larkham, Joshua Olawore, Mitchell Etheridge, Liam Yarwood, Daniel Wilson, David Scupham, Inter Boys - Emmanuel Stephens, Jake King, Nathan Greenaway, Jordan Kirby-Polidore, Akeem Akintokun, Paul Scanlan, Cameron Irwin, Austin Joseph, Jack Edgar-Hill, Billy Falconer, David Crisp, Aaron Kaye, Tariq Martin, Youcef Zat At, Bradley Burr, Senior Boys - Rashid Kakozza, Vincent Ogedengbe, Gavin Lewis, Omar Mansour, Alex Cornwell, Dale Clutterbuck, Emmanuel Okpokiri, James McLean, Ashley Wilson, Tom Frith, Samuel Bailey, Anthony Oshodi, Matthew Baptiste, Peter Clarke, Junior Girls - Jessica Judd, Hayley McLean, Poppy Lake, Debra Blamey.
Inter Girls - Victoria Ohurougu, Eleanor Bounds, Neha Dabhi, Camilla Smee, Georgia Atkins, Holly Thomas, Emily Moore, Felicity Clarke, Ellie Besford, Kike Oniwinde, Chelsea Coker, Senior Girls - Kirsty Shepherd, Georgie-Lou Sales, Lauren Bouchard, Nicola Hill, Aleasha Kiddle.
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