THE 2015 Northamptonshire School Games programme culminated in a magnificent finale on Thursday July 9 at Moulton College, and basked in glorious sunshine, giving perfect sporting conditions for more than 1,000 young athletes and disabled athletes – all going all out for gold.
There were also 120 young leaders and young volunteers from local schools across the county supporting the running of the competitions. Having completed a training programme prior to the event, they helped Northamptonshire Sport and National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) with the smooth running of the Games.
More than 100 schools from across the county participated and represented their School Sport Partnership in 17 different sports including: Archery, Athletics, Basketball, Cycling, Tri Golf, Gymnastics (held at the Diamond Gymnastics Club in Rushden), Hockey, Quick sticks Hockey, Multi-Skills, Netball, Rounders, Softball, Tennis, and the Inclusive sports of Tag Rugby, Goalball and Inclusive Archery. The Swimming Finals competition was held on Friday June 26 at Corby International Pool and the Cricket Finals at Northampton County Cricket Ground on Tuesday June 30 and Thursday July 2.
The Northamptonshire School Games is part of the Sainsburys School Games Programme; an Olympic Legacy programme is now in its forth year. Delivered in the county by Northamptonshire Sport, the programme consists of two events: the Winter Games (held this year at Kettering Sports Arena in February), and the Summer Games. For the schools taking part, it was the culmination of four months of inter-school and intra-school competitions within each of the five Northamptonshire School Sport Partnerships, the winners of which represented their School Sport Partnership.
The opening parade, including competitors, young leaders and volunteers, entered the field and the parade was converted into a giant 70 in front of the stage, to mark the 70 days countdown to the Rugby World Cup. This was thanks to Moulton College who masterminded the marking out the giant 70 to convert the parade into the 70 days countdown and sent up their drone to take the fantastic aerial views.
The gathered crowd were then entertained by an on-stage dance performance by Meadowside Primary School from Burton Latimer and Mike Sewell (broadcaster) was the host of the event. Sport England Sporting Champion Bryan Steel (four times Cycling Olympian) opened the games, before touring the competitions and speaking to competitors and viewing and cheering along the cyclists and other competitors.
Gary Sheppard, assistant director of Northamptonshire Sport, said: “Today, we witnessed a fantastic day of school sport. For the first time ever in the our Sainsbury’s School Games programme in the county, we have squads at 100% attendance levels, with three School Sport Partnerships having a maximum amount of teams present today – a fantastic achievement by all those involved.”
All Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were welcomed onto the stage at the end and presented with their medals by Baroness Sue Campbell (chairman of the Youth Sport Trust), Gail Emms Badminton Silver Olympic Medallist and Youth Sport Trust ambassador, and Blaze the School Games Mascot.
South Northants and Daventry School Sport Partnership were in the lead after the Winter Games. They eagerly await the medal tally and points from all the Summer Games competitions which will be added to the winter scores and the Northamptonshire School Games School Sport Partnership of 2015 title will be announced in the next few days.
The gold medal winners for each of the competitions were:
Archery Arrows YRS 4&5 Cedar Road Academy, Northampton N
Archery Inclusive KS 3&4 Friars Academy, Wellingborough WEN
Athletics Quad Kids YRS 5&6 Caroline Chisholm Primary School SND
Basketball Take 6 YRS 5&6 Oakway Junior School, Wellingborough WEN
Cycling Go Ride and Run YR 7 Sponne School, Towcester SND
Goalball Project Ability KS3&4 Queen Eleanor Primary Academy, Northampton N
Golf Tri Golf Skills YR 3&4 Abington Vale Primary School, Northampton N
Golf Tri Golf Sixes YR 5&6 Finedon Mulso CE Junior School, Wellingborough WEN
Gymnastics Key Steps YR 1&2 Irthlingborough Infants School WEN; YR 3&4 St Brendan’s Catholic Primary School, Corby COT; YR 5&6 Deanshanger Primary School SND
Hockey Quick Sticks YR 3&4 Guilsborough Primary School SND
Hockey In2Hockey (Girls) YR 8&9 Caroline Chisholm School, South Northampton SND
Hockey In2Hockey (Boys) YR 8&9 Northampton School for Boys N
Multi Skills YR 1&2 Whitefriars Infants School WEN
Netball High5 YR 5&6 Isham Primary School K
Rounders YR 9 Bishop Stopford School, Kettering K
Softball YR 7&8 Northampton School for Boys N
Swimming Yr 5-6 Bracken Leas Primary, Brackley SND
Tennis (MiniRed) YR 3&4 Woodnewton School, Corby COT
The 5 School Sport Partnerships (SSPs) are:
Team Corby Oundle and Thrapston (COT) – Black shirts
Team Kettering (K) – Red shirts
Team Northampton (N) – Green shirts
Team South Northants and Daventry (SND) – Yellow shirts (and white as the yellow attracted the bugs!)
Team Wellingborough and East Northants (WEN) – Blue Shirts
Pictured above – COUNTING DOWN TO THE RUGBY WORLD CUP: The parade of sporting youngsters formed a giant 70 – the days remaining to the start of the world cup.