The Mercia Athletics Championships is the area qualifying event for the National Prep schools Athletics Championships that takes place on Monday 2 July at the Alexandra Stadium, Birmingham. This year the event returned to its original home of the famous Iffley Road track in Oxford and combined Girls and Boys.
In order to compete, all athletes have to have reached a qualifying standard and we were able to take a large team of 35 athletes. If an athlete wins their event they automatically qualify for the Nationals. If they come second they must achieve the National qualifying standard to compete.

With 21 teams competing and 3 guest teams, the competition was strong and the atmosphere intense. Despite the frustrating weather we have been having, the sun shone with only the briefest of a shower although there was a strong head win down the back straight.

The team performed well and all justified their selection at such a big event. Three girls qualified for the Nationals : A Townley (200m), A Garvie (70m Hurdles), B Oyston (Shot and Discus). Others were unlucky not to qualify having reached the National qualifying standard, but finishing outside the first two. These included H Parry (75m Hurdles), H Plant (Javelin), S Rose (Javelin), A Pearson (Shot), N Sharpe (300m), I Mucklow (200m), D Garvie (100m).

H Hickman also ran impressively, a year young, to get close to the National qualifying standard in the 1500m.

N Sharpe was particularly unfortunate as the final of the 300m was split between two races and a guest runner was added. Despite winning her final comfortably in well below the qualifying time, the other race was faster having been won by a guest runner. D Garvie also won his 200m heat only to find that his time was not one of the six fastest to make the final. Athletics can sometimes be cruel and the rules appear harsh.

This was a fabulous day and all of the athletes are richer for the experience. I am sure it will have inspired many of the team to strive for further competition and greater success in the future.

N Richardson