Good sports thriving on Games finals day
Pupils from Palace Wood and Aylesford School came away winners from the Kent School Games finals. More than 80 schools and 2,000 children from across the county took part in the finals at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Children aged between five and 16 participated in local heats throughout the academic year, culminating in last week’s grand finale to crown the winning schools in more than 30 sports including tag rugby, netball, cheerleading, beach volleyball and futsal. Palace Wood Girls won the Year 5/ 6 netball, while there was try rugby cup glory for Aylesford School’s Year 5/ 6 side. The Kent School Games were developed to build a lasting legacy from the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympics and, in this school year, the programme enabled some 30,000 children to be able to take part in competitive sport. During the finals every school was given a country to represent from the 2016 Rio Games and Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Tracey Crouch, was in attendance to watch the action and show her support to the competitors. She said: “The School Games is a fantastic event that gives children from Kent and across the country a real taste of competition and a chance to develop their sporting abilities.
“We want to encourage even more young people to get active and this is a great way to nurture new talent and foster a lifelong love of sport.”
Helping to ensure the day ran smoothly were more than 100 teenage volunteers who had been trained by students from Canterbury Christ Church University.
Local singers, dancers and cheerleaders provided entertainment throughout the day on the main stage while former England rugby sevens captain Abigail Chamberlain was busy keeping an eye out for talented players. Netball Year 5/ 6 Girls: 1 Palace Wood ( Maidstone); 2 Academy of Woodlands ( Medway); 3 Blean Primary ( Canterbury); 4 Delce Juniors ( Medway). Fair Play Tag Rugby Years 5/ 6 Cup: 1 Aylesford School ( Malling and Sevenoaks); 2 Vigo Village ( Gravesend); 3 Briary ( Herne Bay). Plate: 1 Kingsnorth ( Ashford); 2 Hampton ( Herne Bay); 3 Oaks ( Maidstone). Bowl: 1 Rusthall St Paul’s ( Tunbridge Wells); 2 Minster CEP ( Thanet); 3 Barham School ( Canterbury). Fair Play: 1 Lower Halstow ( Sittingbourne and Sheppey). Mini Squash Years 3& 4 Mixed: 1 Christ Church Junior School ( Ramsgate); 2 Roseacre Junior School ( Maidstone); 3 Greenfields CPS ( Maidstone); 4 Lenham Priary ( Maidstone & Mid Kent); 5 Lydden Primary ( Dover). Years 5& 6 Mixed: 1 Christ Church Junior School ( Ramsgate); 2= Roseacre Junior School ( Maidstone), Greenfields CPS ( Maidstone). Sportshall Athletics Years 3/ 4: 1 Claremont ( Tunbridge Wells); 2 Furley Park ( Ashford); 3 Minterne ( Sheppey & Sittingbourne); 4 Paddock Wood ( Tonbridge West Kent); 5 Ursuline College ( Thanet); 6 Madginford Parl ( Maidstone); 7 Balfour Juniors ( Medway); 8 Herne Juniors ( East Kent Coastal); 9 Holy Trinity CEP ( Dartford); 10 Shears Green ( Gravesham); 11 Churchill ( Shepway); 12 Lunsford ( Malling & Sevenoaks); 13 Bridge & Patrixbourne ( Canterbury City); 14 St Margaret ( Medway). Infant Agility Top Three Years 1/ 2: 1 Furley Park ( Ashford); 2 Thurnham ( Maidstone); 3 St Matthews High Brooms ( Tunbridge Wells).