Malton’s Thomas Everitt helps Yorkshire to Sportshall Athletics title (From Gazette & Herald)

Malton’s Thomas Everitt helps Yorkshire to Sportshall Athletics title

2:21pm Wednesday 6th June 2012 in Junior Sport

Malton School pupil Thomas Everitt played his part as the squad from North Yorkshire won the Under-15s Team Championships at the national Aviva Sportshall Athletics Finals at the NEC in Brimingham.

The Sportshall event sees the leading young athletes from across the UK represent their counties in a team-based an indoor series of competition involving 11 regional finals for U13s and U15s in a variety of disciplines. It is a competitive but quirky introduction to athletics for schoolchildren aged from nine to 15, with nearly 500 athletes representing 23 counties.

Benedict Millson, from Scarborough, won the U15s all-rounder competition – which amalgamates an athlete’s points to find the best individually skilled athlete in the country.

And he and Everitt were in the six-strong North Yorkshire boys’ team that edged out Surrey by just nine points in the U15s competition.

Everitt, who took part after winning his event at the local area meeting and performing well at the Yorkshire regional competition, came 14th in the four-lap race, fifth in the speed bounce, and 13th in the standing long jump, which placed him 16th nationally overall.

The other team members were Robert Shipley, Ali Rodgers, Jared Baldwin and Joseph Wittington.

Olympic athletes Kelly Sotherton and Mark Lewis Francis are former competitors in the Sportshall series.