East Midlands Regional Final 2008

Full Results (Sportshall Website)

Thirty five young athletes, drawn from the County’s three main athletics clubs, ran, bounced and threw their way to success at the weekend. Competing against teams from Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, each were vying to win through to the prestigious National Sportshall Athletics Final, this year at the NEC in April.

In a highly competitive event the Derbyshire team performed extremely well finishing runner-up in the U13 Boys, the U13 Girls and the U15 Boys. However it was the U15 Girls team of Yasmin Spencer, Sarah Tomlinson, Natasha Illingworth, Paige Collings, Emily Fisher (Chesterfield DAC), Jodie Will (Amber Valley AC) and Suzzie Palmer (Derby AC) who won through to the National Final with a quality team effort. All six scoring girls finished in the top 9 out of 26 competitors, with Palmer being crowned All-Rounder Champion, and Spencer in second place despite carrying a knee injury. Individual gold medals went to Palmer for winning the standing long jump and 2 lap sprint, Spencer for winning the shot putt and vertical jump, and Tomlinson for winning the speed bounce.

In the U15 Boys category, Derby’s Ashwin Kang won an exciting 4 lap sprint and followed this up by combining well with Amber Valley’s Michael Bosworth in a convincing 8 lap Parlaaf victory.

In the U13 Girls category Jessica Turner (AVAC) timed her finish to perfection when winning the 4 lap sprint, and clubmate Rosie Blount bounced to first place in speed bounce. Collecting golds for victory in the Obstacle relay were the Amber Valley quartet of Molly Mee, Hannah Blount, Rhainnon Barr and Kelly-Jay Payling.

Tom Bridge excelled in the U13 Boys category by winning both the shot putt and 2 lap sprint. Derby’s duo of Jay Raradza and Kane Jordan both won a jumps gold, standing triple jump and standing long jump respectively. Morley, Raradza, Bridge and CDAC’s Ben Partridge combined well to just clinch victory in a thrilling 4 x 2 lap relay.

The Derbyshire team were selected following their performances in the Derbyshire Sportshall Athletics Mini League held over the winter months at Queens Park Leisure Centre.