Bumper weekend in store as Dyfed event hits town

THERE is a full weekend of track and field over the weekend of June 7-8 when the big Dyfed Secondary Schools Athletics Championships comes to the athletics track in Johnstown.

On Friday evening, six disciplines kick off the bumper weekend with the 3/400m hurdles, 1k walk and 3000m on the track, while on the field there is the pole vault and the hammer.

All the remaining events will be held on Saturday over a seven-hour programme, which gets under way at 10am.

A number of track and field records were broken in 2016 and 2018, with some having stood for some time. A number of talented athletes will be looking to add their names to the list of records this year.

Age groups are Year 7 boys and girls, Junior boys and girls (8/9), Middle boys and girls (10/11) and Senior boys and girls (12/13). Car parking for athletes, officials and spectators is at Carmarthen Leisure Centre and Queen Elizabeth School.

Dyfed has a fine tradition in track and field and these championships should maintain that. Competitors have been invited to participate after finishing in the leading positions at the schools area events in Brianne, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Llanelli.

After the event, a Dyfed team will be selected for the Welsh Schools National Track and Field Championships which take place in Leckwith in Cardiff on July 6.

Dyfed Schools also host the district’s NASUWT Cup final at Sir Thomas Picton School in Haverfordwest on Wednesday, June 19, where the top two teams in each of the four qualifiers go forward to the finale.

Spots at the Welsh Schools National Plate and Cup finals in Brecon towards the end of the summer are up for grabs.