The inaugural School Games Festival took place last week with more than 1000 budding sports stars from across Hertfordshire competing.
The Hertfordshire Festival was one of nine pilot events taking place across the country this summer ahead of the launch of the new national School Games competition in September that aims to encourage more young people to play competitive sport in the run up to London 2012.
And the tennis element event, organised by the Hertfordshire LTA team, was one of the most popular as a total of 300 schoolchildren battled it out in the qualifying rounds to make it down to the 48 making it through to the final day with St Adrian’s RC Primary from St. Albans emerging the eventual winners in. Icknield Walk First School from Royston finished runners up, while third place went to Whitehall Junior School from Hitchin.
Throwing their support behind the Games and cheering on the competitors were Olympic sprinters Darren Campbell and Mark Richardson, former Paralympian medallist Ade Adepitan and Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt.
Tom Gibbins, Head of Education at the Tennis Foundation, said: “We had a really good day in Hertfordshire for the School Games Festival. The level of ability on show was really encouraging and congratulations to the pupil’s from St Adrian’s RC Primary who were the overall winners.
“I’m very pleased that each of the 12 School Partnerships in the county were represented in the Games and the great turnout bodes well for School Games events in the future.”
Secretary of State, Hunt added: “The School Games will revive competitive sport in thousands of schools up and down the country, and will be a key part of the sporting legacy of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"And we are going to level the playing field for young disabled athletes by giving them more opportunities to play sport. I want to thank all the people in Hertfordshire and the YST for making this pilot School Games festival such a success.”
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