Athletes excel for their club

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: Eight-year-old Millie Wharton competed in the girls long jump.

BOY RACERS: The seven-year-old boys took third place. Back from left: Jamieson Graham and Zach Harris-Williams and in front Dominic Overend and Christopher Barbour.

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The Riverhead Athletics Club sent six boys and six girls teams to the Auckland Junior Relay Champs held at Mt Smart Stadium.

For half the 48 children, aged from seven to 12 years old, it was their first outside event for the club.

"It was certainly an eye-opener for them running on a proper track with a couple of thousand spectators shouting their teams on," says club president Mark Hall.

"The competition was very strong with teams from all of the 20 clubs in Auckland region represented."

The Riverhead contingent turned on credible performances across the board and came home with a couple of third places achieved by the seven-year-old boys and the 12-year-old girls 4 x 100 metre teams.

There were three other fourth placings in the finals as well and of the 24 relay events Riverhead got into the final in 15.

"The 10-year-old boys were very unlucky in their 4 x 100m final, finishing third but getting disqualified for a baton change just out of the zone.

"Handing a baton to someone else and both trying to run fast at the same time is not that easy," says Hall.

In the New Year the Riverhead Athletics Club will send eight children to the North Island Colgate Games and Liam Speer has been selected to represent the Auckland region against New South Wales in the annual Trans-Tasman Challenge for 10 and 11-year-olds on January 17 at Waitakere Stadium.

New members aged between two and 14 years old are always welcome.

Call club secretary Claire Bowering on 412-2110.

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