Athletics Bristol & West AC well represented at this year’s English Schools Championships
LILY Bailey is hoping to bow out in style after being selected for her fifth and final appearance in the English Schools Championships at Birmingham from June 30-July1.
The 18-year-old Bristol & West AC athlete, who has just completed her A Levels at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, is one of 16 athletes from the club named in the Avon squad – with rookie Tommy Mattis King selected for Wiltshire – for the so-called ‘Kids’ Olympics.’
“It is weird to think that this will be my last English Schools’ event,” said Bailey, who is coached by Joy Bray.
“It will be lovely to join the Avon team and meet up again with all the coaches and supporters who are so lovely and nice and enjoy their company. People like Dave (Turner) and Sue (Jones), who help us all on the day as we get ready for our events. I have known those two since I first started and they are really lovely people, so it will be nice to see them again.”
The camaraderie of the English Schools’ is certainly a unique experience which will remain with Bailey and her Avon team-mates for the rest of their lives, and but for Covid she would have completed a rare clean sweep of six appearances. I started as a junior running the 300m as I was also doing combined events at the time,” explained Bailey. “Then in 2021, after 2020 was cancelled due to Covid, I switched to high jump and focussed more on that.”
She finished 10th as an inter girls in 2021, then last year improved to fifth as a first-year senior clearing 1.66m. Last weekend, Bailey set a personal best of 1.69m to win the South West Schools’ title, which puts her ninth in the UK U20 Rankings.
“Next week I’m just aiming to jump well, enjoy myself and have fun, I’m not going to be fixated on my position,” said Bailey.
Patrick Kyle (coach Jim Kyle) makes his fourth and final appearance in the senior 100m hurdles, and to date has a best finish of sixth in the inter boys’ 100m hurdles two years ago.
Ella Bowell (coach Eugene Hechavarria) also set a PB of 5.71m to win South West gold in the senior long jump and secure her place in the team for what will be her third English Schools’ appearance.
Now a first year senior pole vaulter, Nyree Perry is also tackling her third championships and already has two silver medals to her name, so is a genuine podium contender.
Sprinter Mackenzie Ritson (coach Tristan Jamieson) also won silver in the inter boys’ 200m last summer, so has proved he can raise his game for the big occasion.
Fellow sprinter Eleanor McIntosh (coach Nick Harris) has already enjoyed a fine year, having set an Avon County Championship record of 40.60secs last month and won the South West title last weekend.
She will be making her English School debut alongside Samuel Rudge, Ethan Canning, Brandon Bowen, Kezia Tarzey and Mattis King.
Paul Filer’s throwing group will
be represented by Owen Garrett (inter boys discus) and newcomer Bowen (junior boys shot), with the latter having only picked up a shot to throw competitively two months ago.
The jumps are also well represented through Canning, Bowell, Destiny Sadiku, Eleni Francis and Rosa May Ford (coach Paul Weston), while Holly Sanigar (coach Dave Taylor) is the sole middle distance runner in the inter girls’ 800m, having finished sixth on her debut as a junior last year.
Avon team for the English Schools Championships
SB: 110H: Patrick Kyle & George Isgrove; TJ: Destiny Sadiku. IB – 200: Mackenzie Ritson; 400H: Samuel Rudge; LJ: Ethan Canning; Discus: Owen Garrett. JB – Shot: Brendan Bowen.
SG: HJ: Lily Bailey; LJ: Ella Bowell & Eleni Francis; PV: Nyree Perry. IG – 300: Eleanor McIntosh; 800: Holly Sanigar; LJ: Rosa May Ford. JG – 75H: Kezia Tarzey.
Wiltshire – JB: 80H: Tommy Mattis King
For the record, 18 athletes won 20 medals at the South West Schools’ Championships at the Exeter Arena last weekend with 10 golds, six silvers and four bronzes. The golden champions included Josh Schrijver (two), Mayalee Osola, Kyle, Sadiku, Canning, Bailey, Bowell, Sanigar and Tarzey. South West Schools’ T&F Championships, Exeter Arena
Senior boys: 100: 3= Ryan Brady 11.38 (hts 11.33); 3000: 6 Ismael Bradley 9:14.08; 110H (+0.3w): 1 Patrick Kyle 14.75; 3 George Isgrove 15.84 (PB); TJ: 1 Destiny Sadiku 13.13; Shot(6k): 1 Joshua Schrijver 13.27; Discus (1.75k); 1 Schrijver 44.86.
Inter boys: 200 hts: Mackenzie Ritson 22.80; 400H: 5 Samuel Rudge 61.25 (PB); LJ: 1 Ethan Canning 6.26.
Junior boys: 80H (+1.2w): 2 Thomas MattisKing 12.01 (PB); 8 Daniel Webb 13.09; TJ: 2 Mattis-King 11.59 (PB); Shot: 2 Brandon Bowen 12.29 (PB).
Senior women: 100 (-0.2w): 5 Ella Bowell 12.65; 800: 3 Clementine Houlden 2:17.71 (PB); 100H (+1.5w); 1 Mayalee Osola 14.78; HJ: 1 Lily Bailey 1.69 (PB); LJ: 1 Ella Bowell 5.71 (PB); Discus (1k): 2 Freya Holt 31.27. Inter girls: 300: 1 Eleanor McIntosh 40.75; 800: 1 Holly Sanigar 2:16.43; LJ: 2 Rosa May Ford 5.28; TJ: 6 Esme McKenzie 9.75; Javelin (500g); 2 Flora Thomson 32.30 (PB).
Junior girls: 800: 8 Holly Massey-Jones 2:28.47; 75H (-1.1w); 1 Kezia Tarzey 11.60.
Competing at the England Athletics U23/20 Championships in Chelmsford, Jenna Blundell won silver (13.61secs) in the U23 100m hurdles. Nyree Perry was fifth in the U20s pole vault and Stephen Kerfoot clocked a PB of 9:48.86 for ninth in the U23 300m steeplechase.
U23 men: 100hts: Ed Wilson 11.07; Josh Maggs 11.20; 300o steeplechase: 9 Stephen Kerfoot 9:48.86. U20 men – 200hts: Isaac Marsh 22.38; 110H hts: Patrick Kyle 15.07.
U23 women: 100H: 2 Jenna Blundell 13.61; Jav: 8 Jessica Lewis 39.61. U20 women – PV: 5 Nyree Perry 3.20.