Wear Valley Schools Commonwealth Games

The colourful event was organised as part of the School Sport Co-ordinator Initiative within the Wear Valley Sport Action Zone.

Event organiser, Alan Duff, Partnership Development Manager for Wear Valley School Sport Co-ordinator Programme, said: "A major theme was the encouragement of grass roots opportunities for sports participation in a spirit of friendship and fair play that echoes the spirit of the 17th Commonwealth Games."

The event was a culmination of a lot of development work over the past few months.

The children received coaching and training sessions from visiting school sport co-ordinators and coaches.

Community sports leader students from Wolsingham, Parkside, King James, St John's and Barrington schools have all been involved as judges and officials and all the young people who took part competed in the name of their adopted countries and each school made the flag of the Commonwealth country it represented.

The flags were displayed by each school at the march past and opening ceremony and the children were supported in the production of their flags by visits to schools from 'ScrapBank', a community arts development group based at Crook.

Mr Duff said: "We are very grateful to the Sport Action Zone for the sponsorship support which has been given to the event and also to Durham County Council and Northern Electric for their contributions of grant aid for the Games.

"We must also thank the University sports centre director and staff for the use of their facilities, and to Scoarest for providing the packed lunches for the 1000 competitors. It has been a real partnership effort."

Results:

Tag Rugby

Year 3-4 - Pool One - Pitch One: 1st Cyprus - Etherley Lane, 2nd Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear, 3rd The Seychelles - St Wilfrids, 4th Fiji - Stanley Crook, 5th South Africa - Stanhope.

Pool Two - Pitch Two: 1st Uganda - Copeland Road, 2nd India - St Chad's RC, 3rd Mauritius - Willington CE, 4th Canada - Wearhead, 5th Malaysia - Sunnybrow.

Pool Three - Pitch Three: 1st New Zealand - Cockton Hill, 2nd Papua New Guinea - Howden le Wear, 3rd St. Lucia - Peases West, 4th Jamaica - Blessed J/Duckett, 5th Dominica - St.Helens.

Pool Four - Pitch Four: 1st Gambia - Toft Hill, 2nd Swaziland - Escomb, 3rd Kenya - Willington Co., 4th Mozambique - Woodhouse Close, 5th Singapore - Wolsingham.

Year 5-6 - Pool One - Pitch One: 1st Samoa - Eldon Lane, 2nd Namibia - St Joseph's RC, 3rd Zambia - Hunwick, 4th Antiga - Crook, 5th Cameroon - Rookhope.

Pool Two - Pitch Two: 1st Sierra Leone - St. Annes CE, 2nd Ghana - Hamsterley, 3rd Sri Lanka - St.Johns Chapel, 4th Nigeria - St.Cuthbert's RC, 5th Malta - Our Lady/St.Thomas.

Pool Three - Pitch Three: 1st Barbados - Oakley Cross, 2ndThe Bahamas - Coundon, 3rd Guyana - Frosterley, 4th Tanzania - Hartside, 5th Australia - St. Andrews.

Finals: 1st Barbados - Oakley Cross, 2nd Sierra Leone - St.Annes, 3rd Samoa - Eldon Lane.

Cricket

Year 7 - Boys: Botswana - Parkside, Bangladesh - Barrington, Trinidad/Tobago - Wolsingham, Tonga - St.John's RC, Grenada - King James.

Year 7 - Girls: Bangladesh - Barrington, Tonga - St. John's RC, Grenada - King James, Botswana - Parkside, Trinidad/Tobago - Wolsingham.

Mini-Hockey

Year 5-6 - Area One, Pool One - Pitch One: 1st Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear, 2nd The Seychelles - St Wilfrids, 3rd South Africa - Stanhope, 4th St. Lucia - Peases West, 5th Sierra Leone - St.Annes.

Pool Two - Pitch Two: 1st Antigua - Crook, 2nd Swaziland - Escomb, 3rd Mozambique - Woodhouse Close, 4th Kenya - Willington Co.

Pool Three - Pitch Three: 1st Tanzania - Hartside, 2nd The Bahamas - Coundon, 3rd Jamaica - Blessed J/Duckett, 4th Malaysia - Sunnybrow.

Finals: 1st Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear, 2nd Tanzania - Hartside, 3rd Antigua - Crook.

Year 5-6 - Area Two, Pool One - Pitch One: 1st Nigeria - St Cuthbert's, 2nd Uganda - Copeland Road, 3rd Zambia - Hunwick, 4th Guyana - Frosterley, 5th Australia - St. Andrews.

Pool Two - Pitch Two: 1st Papua New Guinea - Howden le Wear, 2nd Canada - Wearhead, 3rd Mauritius - Willington CE, 4th Barbados - Oakley Cross.

Pool Three - Pitch Three: 1st Dominica - St. Helens, 2nd Singapore - Wolsingham, 3rd Namibia - St. Joseph's RC, 4th Fiji - Stanley Crook, 5th India - St. Chad's RC

Finals: 1st Nigeria - St. Cuthbert's RC, Crook, 2nd Dominica - St. Helen's Auckland, 3rd Papua New Guinea - Howden le Wear.

Table Tennis

Year 3-4 - Skills activities and games (29 teams playing four games): New Zealand - Cockton Hill Juniors - 94 points, Zambia - Hunwick 89, Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear - 84, Jamaica - Blessed John Duckett RC - 81, Namibia - St. Joseph's RC, Coundon - 77.

Year 5-6 - Pool One: The Seychelles - St.Wilfrids, Tanzania - Hartside, Fiji - Stanley Crook, Sri Lanka - St. John's Chapel, Australia - St.Andrews.

Pool Two: Uganda - Copeland Road, Sierra Leone - St. Annes, Antgua - Crook, Mauritius - Willington CE.

Pool Three: New Zealand - Cockton Hill, Samoa - Eldon Lane, St. Lucia - Peases West, Jamaica - Blessed J/Duckett.

Pool Four: Maldives - Warwick Road, Nigeria - St. Cuthbert's RC, India - St. Chad's RC, Guyana - Frosterley.

Pool Five: Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear, Dominica - St. Helens, South Africa - Stanhope, Namibia - St.Joseph's RC.

Pool Six: Malta - Our Lady & St.Thomas, Mozambique - Woodhouse Close, Papua New Guinea - Howden le Wear, Barbados - Oakley Cross.

Semi-finals: Jamaica - Blessed John Duckett RC 15, The Seychelles - St. Wilfrid's RC 21; Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear 21, Barbados - Oakley Cross 10.

Final: Solomon Islands - Witton le Wear 21, The Seychelles - St. Wilfrids RC 16