Rowe so close to prestigious medal at Alexander Stadium

The middle distance talent took fourth place almost within arms’ reach of bronze with 6min. 9.72sec. in the senior boys’ 2000m steeplechase, contested in the same relentless heat that has characterised the last few weeks.

Rowe boldly pushed the pace as his rivals bunched up behind him in the early stages, but had to let the leaders go as they kicked on the final lap before coming back strongly and finishing less than two-tenths behind Cambridgeshire’s bronze man Joey Croft on the line.

Fighting the lower-age-group disadvantage, under-17 counterpart Chris Bain took 10th in the intermediate chase with 4-38.88 over 1500m, this after hanging just off the top bunch for much of the race before falling short on the last lap and dropping a few positions as a result.

The majority of the sprint competitors had to overcome multiple tough rounds to qualify and this is no mean feat in such a prestigious event, making for tough headway even in the heat stages.

Promising 200m runner Joe Chadwick couldn’t quite match his recent island U17 record setting performance, running 22.59 in his semi and missing a spot in the intermediate boys’ finals, but senior boy Peter Curtis was only marginally outside his best with 54.94 and seventh in a straight-final 400m hurdles.

Senior girl Indi Gallagher got out strongly in her 400m heat and held on well for season’s best of 57.38 and fourth place, although she wound up somewhat slower in her semi with 58.34 for seventh.

Fellow U20 sprinter Jasmine Norman ran 26.46 for seventh in heat one of the 200m, surpassed by a younger Abi Galpin who took fifth in 25.81 – Galpin’s joint second quickest yet, though somewhat outside her PB of 25.26 that she set in a clash against Guernsey’s finest in the most recent Intertrust Track and Field Challenge.

Racing over the intermediate 80m hurdles, Rhiannon Dowinton failed to progress with seventh in her heat but could find consolation in running 12.09, her second quickest time over the distance.

Guernsey Athletics development officer Tom Druce felt that, regardless of outcome, the English Schools experience is always a boon for developing athletes and that it was great to have so many athletes qualify for the high-class event.

‘I think it’s nice how we had eight people there, which is a good measure,’ he said.

‘When I used to go, we would normally have a team of three people so the fact that we are bringing eight or more recently has been really good.

‘I believe that they will get better from it – I just want to see them learn from the experience.’