Athletics

Harris moves to joint top of the UK rankings after victory at South West Champs

CITY of Plymouth’s Sammie Harris moved to the top of the UK under-17 girls’ 80m hurdles rankings with an impressive performance at the South West Schools’ Championships at Exeter.

The Plymouth Studio School pupil clocked a new personal best time of 11.36 seconds to take victory in the intermediate girls’ race on Saturday.

That puts Harris at the top of this year’s rankings, alongside Kingston’s Pippa Early.

Fellow City of Plymouth athlete Emily Bee is fourth in the rankings. She also set a new legal PB on Saturday, clocking 11.48 seconds to take third place in the race.

Second spot went to Millfield’s Croydon athlete Marcia Sey, who is third in the UK rankings with 11.40.

Both Harris and Bee will represent Devon in the hurdles event and the 4x100m relay at the English Schools’ Track & Field Championships at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium over the weekend of July 7/8.

Bee, a pupil at Plymouth High School for Girls, also set to new PB in the high jump on Saturday at the South West Championships. She leaped 1.62m to take second.

However, athletes can only do one individual event and a relay at the English Schools’ Championships.

Joining the pair in the Devon intermediate girls’ team for next month’s national championships will be their City of Plymouth team-mates Erin Spiller and Mia O’Daly, plus Tavistock AC’s Jenny Milburn.

Plymstock School’s Spiller will compete in the 100m in Birmingham. She set a new PB of 12.54 seconds on her way to fourth place at the South West Schools’ Championships.

O’Daly, a medallist in the junior girls’ discus at last year’s English Schools’, will compete in the inter girls’ event this time around. She finished second in Saturday’s South West competition with a throw of 32.64m.

Plymouth High School for Girls’ Milburn will compete in the 800m in Birmingham. She was fifth in a strong race on Saturday in 2:18.34.

Mount Kelly College’s Jade Kinsey will compete in the 400m in the senior girls’ category at the English Schools.

Her team-mate Oliver Smart will take part in the junior boys’ 1,500m. The Mount Kelly and Tavistock athlete set a new PB of 4:19.80 to take bronze at the South West Championships.

His Tavistock club colleague Edward Fileman, a pupil at Ivybridge Community College, will join him in the Devon junior boys’ team in Birmingham. He will compete in the hammer. He finished second on Saturday at Exeter with a best throw of 40.88m.

There were fourth places in the hammer events for fellow Tavistock athletes Charlie Shipton (senior boys) and Lois Fileman (inter girls).

Club colleagues Ben Pitts and Sophie Main both set PBs on Saturday at Exeter.

Pitts clocked 24.55 seconds to take fourth in the junior boys’ 200m, while Main ran 4:57.59 in the junior girls’ 1,500m.

Erme Valley Harriers’ Estelle Hodges also set a PB at the weekend. She clocked 11.94 seconds to take fourth in the junior girls’ 75m hurdles.

There was a bronze medal in the inter girls’ 300m hurdles for City of Plymouth Molly Mather, who clocked a season’s best time of 47.07 seconds.

Full results of the South West Schools’ Championships can be found HERE.

The Devon team for the English Schools’ Championship can be found HERE.

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