School’s strong showing at national athletics championships

Athletes from an independent school in Liphook are celebrating a strong showing at a prestigious national meeting.

The eight talented competitors from Highfield and Brookham School secured a bronze medal, three personal bests and two school records in the National Prep Schools Track & Field Championships at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

Phoebe Gibbon picked up a bronze medal with a fine leap of 3.92m in the U12 girls’ long jump event, making it six medals in the past two years for Highfield and Brookham athletes at the championships which are the pinnacle of the prep school athletics season.

And it comes hard on the heels of news that eight Year 8 leavers from the thriving prep school on the border of Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey have secured nine sports scholarships to some of the country’s leading senior schools.

Xander Apps narrowly missed out on a medal as he finished fourth of the 14 competitors in the U12 boys’ javelin with a throw of 25.78m, but he did have the consolation of securing a new middle school boys’ record, eclipsing the 24.10m set by Harvey Platt in 2011.

Tiggy Walder claimed a personal best and set a new senior school best in finishing sixth of the 15 runners in the U13 girls’ 800m in a time of 2min 30.79secs, breaking by almost two seconds a record held by Florence Gray since 2008. In the same race, Clemmie Coller clocked a personal best time of 2.33.27 as she claimed eighth place.

Completing Highfield and Brookham’s octet in the West Midlands, Olivia Turner, Cristo Porter, Imogen Knight and Tiger Ellis finished outside the medals but performed with distinction – Olivia finishing sixth in the U12 girls’ high jump by clearing 1.25m, Cristo placing sixth in a tough U14 boys’ 1500m race in a time of 4min 47.81secs, Imogen securing ninth place out of the 14 competitors with a good leap of 4.05m in the U14 girls’ long jump and Tiger Ellis notching a throw of 6.17m to claim 11^th place out of 15 in the U12 girls’ shot putt.

Proud Highfield and Brookham Head Suzannah Cryer said: “Fresh from four wonderful summer term sports days in which every child in the school is involved, eight of our very best athletes have performed on the national stage in Birmingham and done themselves and the school incredibly proud.

“Simply reaching the national finals at Alexander Stadium and following in the footsteps of some of the world’s top athletes was an amazing achievement in itself. To go a step further and win a medal, gain a personal best or break a school record is real testament to not only the children’s ability but also their desire, determination and pride and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”