STUDENTS from schools in Bromsgrove excelled for Herefordshire and Worcestershire at the English Schools’ Athletics Association (ESAA) Track and Field National Championships.

The team faired well at the world’s fourth largest athletics competition and brought away three medals with one gold, silver and bronze.

The junior boys 4x100m relay team of Tyriq Bailey-Nicholls (North Bromsgrove High School), Dan Banks (Tudor Grange Academy, Worcester), Harry Liversidge (Bromsgrove School) and Oliver Gould (Evesham High School) took the title in 44.24 seconds, beating Greater Manchester by over half a second.

There were more celebrations for Bailey-Nicholls as he had also taken an individual bronze the same day in the Junior Boys 100m in 11.21 seconds, with team mate Banks taking fourth place in 11.28s.

The race was won by Leicestershire’s Tyrese Johnson in 10.91s.

The silver medal came from Hannah Tapley who attends Malvern St James School and claimed second place in the intermediate girls high jump with a leap of 1.74 metres, matching the height of the gold medallist, Abby Ward from West Yorkshire.

With England’s top athletes present, it was the toughest competition yet for many of the Hereford & Worcester team.

The upside, however, is that many came away having set new personal best performances.

Amongst such athletes were Will Richardson (Baxter College, Kidderminster) who shaved five seconds off his PB, reducing it to 8mins. 45.78s in the intermediate boys 3000m, just missing out on a medal finishing fourth.

Declan McManus (Bromsgrove School) took several of seconds off his 2000m steeplechase time to take it down to 6-09.70.