High Peak Athletes represent Derbyshire with shining performances at the Regional Sportshall Athletics finals

Four athletes from High Peak AC were selected to represent Derbyshire in the Regional Championships held in Grantham. Charlie Henshaw, George Murcott, Alfred Pritchard and Georgie Riley were chosen to represent Derbyshire, in the prestigious Regional finals, pitting the county’s finest against Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, respectively.

In the U11’s the talented George Murcott competed in the Standing Triple Jump, speed bounce and obstacle relay. With top 10 finishes in all events, the highlight came in the obstacle relay, where George achieved a fine 2nd place finish.

The commanding Alfred Pritchard competed in the 4 x 2 relay, 6 lap Paarlauf, target throw and vertical jump. With a superb 3rd place in the vertical jump and further top 10 finishes secured in all events, the highlight came in the target throw event in which Alfred secured a fantastic 1st place.

In the Girls U11’s competition, the accomplished Georgie Riley competed in the over/under relay, 4 x 1 relay and balance test. Delivering top 10 results across the board, Riley’s highlight came in the balance test with a stellar 3rd place finish.

In the U13’s, the formidable Charlie Wardle competed in the 4 lap, 4 x 2 relay and standing triple jump. With top 10 finishes in the standing triple jump and relay, the highlight came in the 4 lap where Charlie delivered a masterful 1st place finish.

Derbyshire competed strongly against the other counties in all age groups, but the highlight was a first place finish in the under 13 boys category (featuring High Peaks Charlie Wardle), and also first place was achieved for under 13 girls and Under 11 girls teams.

On the day HPAC coaches Steve Finney and Andy Wilton played their part by being officials at the meeting and giving strong support to all the Derbyshire athletes. The winning U13 teams duly qualified to represent an East Midlands team in the national Sportshall finals held in Stoke in April. Keith Tolley, a HPAC coach, was the U13 boys team manager at Grantham and was besides himself with joy after the success of his team in getting to the national finals, saying it was the result of the dedication of the boys involved in preparing for the day and competing strongly and with the right team spirit.

If you would like more information about High Peak Athletics or interested in taking part, we would love to hear from you! Training is held on a Saturday morning, 9.30am at the Buxton Community School. All kids aged between 7-17 are welcome.