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Wednesday, 11 July 2018 16:05
After the success of the Welsh Schools National Track & Field Championships in Cardiff as part of the Urdd's "Gemau Cymru" Sports Festival, it was the turn of school teams to make the most of their opportunity during this busy period of the season. At arguably the biggest grass roots competition for secondary schools in the summer term, the NASUWT Cymru Wales Cup & Plate Finals took place at the Penlan Arena Track up in Brecon earlier today (Wednesday 11th July).
Full Report - Welsh Schools Athletics Championships @ Cardiff - Saturday 7th July
Ar ôl llwyddiant Pencampwriaeth Cenedlaethol Trac a Maes Ysgolion Cymru yng Nghaerdydd fel rhan o Wyl Chwaraeon Gemau Cymru yr Urdd, tro timau ysgolion Cymru oedd hi i gael y cyfle. Yng nghystadleuaeth fwyaf ar gyfer ysgolion uwchradd yn ystod tymor yr haf, rownd derfynol Cwpan a Phlât NASUWT Cymru oedd hi ar drac athletau Aberhonddu yn gynharach heddiw (Dydd Mercher 11fed o Orffennaf)
The cup competition has been organised each year since 1988 while the plate final was added in 2007. A total of 41 schools from across the eight districts in Wales - Afan Nedd Tawe, Cardiff & Vale, Dyfed, Eryri, Glamorgan Valleys, North East Wales, Powys and South East Wales - qualified to field sixty-three teams at the final. Each district had one team in the cup competition and one team in the plate competition.
AFAN NEDD TAWE: Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr, Olchfa School, Dwr Y Felin, Bishop Vaughan, Ystalyfera, Bishopston
CARDIFF & VALE: Whitchurch High, Cowbridge, Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf, Cardiff High School, Corpous Christ
DYFED: Queen Elizabeth High, Ysgol Bro Myrddin, Sir Thomas Picton, Ysgol Y Preseli, Ysgol Dyffryn Taf
ERYRI: Syr Thomas Jones, Ysgol David Hughes, Ysgol Friars, Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, Botwnnog, Brynrefail, Ysgol Eirias
GLAMORGAN VALLEYS: Cwm Rhymni Gelli Haf, Cwm Rhymni Y Gwyndy, Brynteg School
NORTH EAST WALES: Castell Alun, Hawarden High, Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Darland
POWYS: Welshpool High, Caereinion High, Llanidloes High School, Newtown High School, Llanfyllin
SOUTH EAST WALES: Islwyn High School, Caerleon, Blackwood, Newbridge, Bassaleg, Monmouth Comp
It was split into two sets of age groups - the under 14's for year 7 & 8 pupils and the under 16's for year 9 & 10 pupils. Rather than an individual competition, this was more of a complete team effort this time round with each discipline on the track and field counting to determine who came out on top.
The sprint hurdles started the action at 12 midday and team scores were announced 5 hours later when all events had been calculated and recorded. Other disciplines to take place were 1500m, 200m, 300m, 100m, 800m, 4 x 100m Relay, Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Shot, Discus and Javelin.
NASUWT Cymru sponsored the final, now in its nineteenth year and Welsh Schools are grateful for their continued support. Geraint Davies, representative for NASUWT Cymru said: "As the largest teachers union in Wales, the NASUWT is proud of its long standing connection with the NASUWT Cup."
"Over the years, the competition has given thousands of youngsters from schools across Wales the opportunity to perform at the highest possible level and as an union, we are delighted that our support has contributed to making that possible."
Each representative taking part was awarded with a medallion in recognition of their achievement in being a member of the winning team within their district and progressing to these finals. All team captains gathered outside the pavilion ahead of the final relays to be presented with medals on behalf of their respective teams from Chairman of Welsh Schools AA, Gareth Oldham.
The winning team in each of the four sections of the Cup Final were awarded the Track and Field Champions School Trophy. The winning team in each of the four sections of the Plate Final were awarded the appropriate Plate Trophy and the Charlie Hughes Trophy went to the best overall School Team performance on the day which headed back to the Welsh Capital for the second year in succession. Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf, Cardiff took a comfortable win each in the cup and plate and as a result, retained the trophy in 2018.
It turned out to be a great day of junior top class athletics up in Mid Wales on another relatively warm and dry day with conditions ideal to produce good performances and times. In addition, the competition did see a big number of new championship bests set in particular the long jump as well as distance events in general. With team scores close throughout the day, every single point was important in every position with more than half of the competitions coming down to the very last relay event where everything changed.
Five schools from the Dyfed district won their respective age groups in the Carmarthen final last month (20th June) and travelled to Brecon looking to compete with the best in the country in a competition full of high standard. All schools excelled, with numerous wins and top placing finishes. The best result of the day came from Ysgol Y Preseli, who were winners of the U14 Girls Cup Competition, finishing off in style with a win in the relay to ensure victory by a single point! In the U16 Boys age group, Sir Thomas Picton were 2nd in the Plate along with Ysgol Bro Myrddin in the Cup competition. Queen Elizabeth School secured third in the U14 Girls Cup with the fifth school, Ysgol Dyffryn Taf 5th in the Cup for U14 Boys.
Results Round-Up / Team Scores:
JUNIOR BOYS CUP / CWPAN BECHGYN IAU: 1 Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr 81pts; 2 Whitchurch High 80pts; 3 Cwm Rhymni Gellihaf 56pts; 4 Syr Thomas Jones 52pts; 5 Ysgol Dyffryn Taf 52pts; 6 Welshpool High 43pts; 7 Castell Alun 42pts; 8 Islwyn High School
JUNIOR BOYS PLATE / PLAT BECHGYN IAU: 1 Newbridge 74.5pts; 2 Cardiff High School 73.5; 3 Ysgol Y Preseli 59pts; 4 Brynteg School 58.5; 5 Bishop Vaughan 57.5; 6 Botwnnog 54pts; 7 Llanfyllin 51pts
JUNIOR GIRLS CUP / CWPAN MERCHED IAU: 1 Ysgol Y Preseli 72pts; 2 Caerleon 71pts; 3 Cowbridge 62pts; 4 Ysgol David Hughes 56pts; 5 Caereinion High 50pts; 6 Olchfa School 49pts; 7 Y Gwyndy 44pts; 8 Hawarden High 35pts
JUNIOR GIRLS PLATE / PLAT MERCHED IAU: 1 Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf 87pts; 2 Bassaleg 62pts; 3 Queen Elizabeth High 61pts; 4 Cwm Rhymni Gellihaf 54pts; 5 Newtown High School 51pts; 6 Darland 47pts; 7 Brynrefail 43pts; 8 Ystalyfera 36pts
MIDDLE BOYS CUP / CWPAN BECHGYN GANOL: 1 Whitchurch High 80pts; 2 Ysgol Bro Myrddin 76pts; 3 Cwm Rhymni Gellihaf 75pts; 4 Blackwood 60pts; 5 Ysgol Friars 58pts; 6 Hawarden High School 44pts; 7 Dwr Y Felin School 42pts; 8 Llanidloes High School 41pts
MIDDLE BOYS PLATE / PLAT BECHGYN GANOL: 1 Corpus Christ 77pts; 2 Sir Thomas Picton 68pts; 3 Ysgol Eirias 62pts; 4 Bishopston 60pts; 5 Monmouth Comp 58pts; 6 Newtown High School 56pts; 7 Castell Alun 51pts; 8 Y Gwyndy 48pts
MIDDLE GIRLS CUP / CWPAN MERCHED GANOL: 1 Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf 87pts; 2 Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr 76.5pts; 3 Islwyn High School 70pts; 4 Queen Elizabeth High 58.5; 5 Newtown High School 50pts; 6 Cwm Rhymni Gellihaf 47pts; 7 Ysgol Morgan Llwyd 46pts; 8 Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen 41pts
MIDDLE GIRLS PLATE / PLAT MERCHED GANOL: 1 Caerleon 82.5pts; 2 Brynrefail 75pts; 3 Y Gwyndy 66pts; 4 Cardiff High School 66pts; 5 Olchfa School 65pts; 6 Sir Thomas Picton 44pts; 7 Llanfyllin 40.5pts; 8 Darland 39pts
Congratulations to all the following cup & plate champions in their respective age groups: Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr, Newbridge, Ysgol Y Preseli, Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf, Whitchurch High, Corpus Christ and Caerleon.
Many thanks to everyone involved on Wednesday - the Welsh Athletics Officials & Staff along with every School Teachers who supported the qualified judges on officiating duties. We also cannot forget all the Welsh Schools Officers who continue to support the WSAA competitions.
There's plenty more social media coverage & images from Brecon available on the @CarmsHarriers & @WelshAthletics Twitter Pages as it happened.
Welsh Schools will next look forward to the SIAB Schools International fixture, this year heading to Grangemouth in Scotland on Saturday 21st July and our best wishes go to all those preparing for the International next weekend. The association have now picked their team by now with a strong team expected to travel up North. Also, there will be a squad entered for the Welsh Athletics Outdoor International at Swansea University Athletics Track on Wednesday evening, 25th July. Teams from Wales and England will provide the opposition.
WELSH SCHOOLS NASUWT CYMRU WALES CUP & PLATE FINAL RESULTS
CANLYNIADAU FFEINAL CWPAN A PHLAT NASUWT YSGOLION CYMRU
Elsewhere some 40 miles back down South in West Wales, Carmarthen was once again the venue and hosts of the Annual McDonalds Inter Stores Sports Day at the Leisure Centre Track on Wednesday. This great event included the usual track and field events, but other races took place on the field in the middle of the arena such as the sack race, egg and spoon and the two legged race! All sixteen stores from across South and West Wales attended from Pembrokeshire right up to Cardiff and Newport.
It was organised by Ron Mounsey, who has supported a number of athletics events in Carmarthenshire and Dyfed by sponsoring and presenting medals over a number of years.
At the end of the 4-hour programme, presentations were made to the top three in each event and points added to declare the store winners.
The club hopes that all those in attendance, competitors, volunteers and staff had a good day and enjoyed their visit to the track.
Brecon & Carmarthen Coverage & Images: Nathan Jones