Spirited performances given by Halton pupils

HALTON schools were very much to the fore at another highly-successful Merseyside School Games Summer Finals.

More than 150 youngsters from 13 schools across the borough competed in 15 different sporting events from athletics to swimming to tennis.

The whole event was hosted at W Wavertree Sports Park which opened with a Brazilian-themed Opening Ceremony which got the children very much in the Rio 2016 spirit. The opening showcased a school samba band, dancers, flag bearers, a Merseyside School Games Oath reading and some inspirational words to all from Paralympic GB athlete Rhiannon Henry.

In all, there were around 2,000 youngsters participating while one pupil, Corey Lever, a Year 10 student from The Heath School in Runcorn showcased his umpiring skills by officiating in the hockey competition.

It really was ‘Spirit of the Games’ success for Halton Schools with three teams proudly being honoured the title which is recognised by the other competing teams, reflecting fair play and the School Games values.

The schools earning that honour were St Clement’s Catholic Primary School (Runcorn) in the primary boccia competition, Chesnut Lodge School (Widnes) in the secondary boccia and All Saints Upton CE Primary School (Widnes) in the High 5 netball.

Medals were won by Lunts Heath Primary (Widnes) in the mini red tennis where pupils struck gold while bronze was collected by Sts Peter & Paul Catholic College (Widnes) in the girls’ touch rugby union event.

Speaking after the competition, Halton school games organiser, Karen Drake, said: “It was fantastic to see not only the incredibly high standard of the competitors’ abilities, but also the high standard of sportsmanship and teamwork on show.

“The School Games is founded on the six values of honesty, teamwork, respect, self-belief, passion and determination.

“So whilst some children leave the event with medals that will spur them on to future sporting success, every child takes away skills for life that set them up for future success in a wide variety of fields.”

Youngsters representing All Saints Upton School in Widnes were one of three Halton schools who won a Spirit Of The Games honour at the Merseyside School Games Summer Finals held at Wavertree Sports Park in Liverpool; ( inset) pupils from Lunts Heath Primary School from Widnes celebrate winning the gold medal in the mini red tennis competition.

Year 10 pupil Corey Lever from The Heath School in Widnes showcased his hockey umpiring skills at the Merseyside School Games Summer Finals in Liverpool.