SWANSEA UNIVERSITY’S Athletics Track played host to the end-of-season Welsh Athletics Junior League Cup & Plate Finals for U11, U13 and U15 athletes over the Bank Holiday weekend (Aug 24-25) as temperatures reached the mid-twenties Celsius.
It saw sixteen teams from East and West Wales and around 500 competitors attend over the two-day competition as the summer track and field season concluded before the winter campaign gets up and running this month.
Four weeks after Welsh Schools hosted the SIAB Schools U17 International at Swansea towards the end of July, the latest weekend was a great chance to see up-and-coming future stars compete in this team event.
With the same events and age groups to the Louise Arthur League, the only difference this time around was the clubs were restricted to just two athletes per event, rather than four that has been permitted at league fixtures over the course of the summer at Carmarthen, Hereford, Neath, Cardiff, Haverfordwest, Aberdare and Swansea.
Up to twenty-four athletes from each club had the opportunity to represent their team in one of the six 4 x 100m relays and it was an excellent climax to the programme.
After the typical Welsh wet weather and strong winds for mid-August which resulted in the cancellation of the final Welsh Athletics U17, U20 and Senior League at the very same venue exactly a fortnight ago, conditions were much better and ideal this time for a great holiday weekend of action on the track and in the field with the sun shining down on the facility.
Llanelli AC were placed in the plate final alongside Pontyclun AC, Neath Harriers, Bridgend AC and Barry & Vale Harriers, Blaenau Gwent AC, Aberdare VAAC, Hereford & County AC, Rhondda AC & Cwmbran Harriers and placed in an excellent third.
In the cup final 24 hours later, Carmarthen Harriers and Pembrokeshire Harriers junior teams went head to head with Cardiff Archers, Cardiff Athletics, Swansea Harriers, Newport Harriers, Rhymney Valley AC and Brecon AC in the cup final.
Carmarthen Harriers finished in fifth whilst Pembrokeshire Harriers were seventh at the end of the sixty-eight events completed.
Overall plate and cup winners were Neath Harriers and Swansea Harriers respectively, with the latter winning the trophy for the second successive year on their home turf.
Add Comment