The winners of Shropshire’s first ever ‘virtual’ primary school games have been revealed.
The six-week event, organised by Shrewsbury-based active partnership Energize, was adapted for lockdown by challenging youngsters to demonstrate their skills at home, and has been declared a great success.
A series of challenges were set, with youngsters invited to submit videos or photographs of them taking on a selection of tasks including dodgeball, athletics, new-age kurling, boccia, tennis and cricket.
It culminated in a week-long online presentation event, with winners announced for each school year, from reception to year six.
In the tennis contest, winners were Oakley James from Redhill, Charlie Theobalds-Williams of Much Wenlock, Seb Holmes of Bellan House in Oswestry, Nils Muggleton of Stottesdon, George Morris and Isabelle Morris of High Ercall, and Emma Arrowsmith St Peter’s Wem,
The cricket winners were Oakley James of Redhill, Joseph Duppa of Broseley, Jessica Tonge of The Old Hall, Ruby and Zara Hussain of Apley Wood, Ollie Haycocks of Meadows Primary in Oswestry, and James Brick of Much Wenlock.
In the boccia challenge, prizes were awarded to Oakley James of Redhill, Joseph Duppa of Broseley, Mihir Shenoy and Charlie Scollar-Kerr of The Old Hall, Ruby and Zara Hussain of Apley Wood, and Eva Rogers of Much Wenlock.
The winners of the athletics challenge were Matilda Durham of Cockshutt, Thomas Bird of The Old Hall, Jessica Cade and Tia Griffiths of Meadows Primary in Oswestry, Ayrton Thomas and James Brick of Much Wenlock, and George Morris of High Ercall.
New Age Kurling winners were Ella Haycocks of Meadows Primary, Jonah and Finn Durham of Criftins, Harry Conniffe of Redhill, Owen Lowe of St Georges in Telford, Zara Hussain of Apley Wood, and Sophie Brimely of Stoke on Tern.
And in the dodgeball contest, the winners were George and James Brennan of Newport Infants and Juniors, Joseph Duppa of Broseley, George Willetts and James Brick of Much Wenlock, and Ruby and Zara Hussain of Apley Wood.
There were also Judges’ Choice awards for youngsters who demonstrated the core school games values: teamwork, determination, honesty, passion, self-belief and respect.
They went to Nils Muddleton and Paige Wood of Stottesdon, Oliver Whitmore from Nesscliffe, Owen Lowe of St Georges Telford, and Emma Arrowsmith of St Peter’s in Wem.
The ‘virtual’ version of the Shropshire Homes School Sport Festival was adapted for the Covid-19 lockdown in place of the usual summer sports festival, which would usually have involved up to 1,000 youngsters.
Energize chief executive Chris Child said it had been a brilliant event, and ‘truly uplifting to see people using activity in so many different ways’.
He added: “It’s really important to stay active, not just for physical health but for mental wellbeing as well. That’s why we were so determined to deliver a school games event during lockdown.”
Mr Child said a big thanks to the event’s sponsors, Shropshire Homes, for helping to make it possible, plus Sport England, school games organisers for devising the challenges, and the schools themselves for encouraging pupils to take part.
“I also need to say a big thanks to the members of the Energize team who have worked so hard behind the scenes to bring it all together. All in all, it has been a big team effort.”
A highlights video from the celebrations can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2cHinyH8Ls&feature=youtu.be Video and pictures of all the winners can be found on the Energize twitter feed, @energizestw
Pictured: Ella Haycocks of The Meadows School, Oswestry.