YEAR Five and Six teams from eight North Herts primary schools have been going for gold. They were at the sportshall of Knight Templar School in Baldock last Wednesday for the final of the sportshall athletics festival. The events are running, jumping and

YEAR Five and Six teams from eight North Herts primary schools have been going for gold.

They were at the sportshall of Knight Templar School in Baldock last Wednesday for the final of the sportshall athletics festival.

The events are running, jumping and throwing using some specialist equipment and adaptations of full-scale athletic events.

The winners of the girls' section were Greneway Middle School (Royston). They scored 134 points out of a maximum possible per team of 160 points.

St Andrews from Hitchin were in second place with 101 points and another Hitchin school, William Ransom, were third with 99.

They were followed by four Letchworth schools - Lordship (88), Pixmore (86), Wilbury (80) and St Thomas More (75) - and Ickleford with 57 points.

And the boys from Greneway did even better than their girls, scoring 144 points!

In second place were Pixmore with 104, with William Ransom in third with 97 points, Ickleford next with 89, St Andrews 79, St Thomas More 76, Lordship 73 and Wilbury 58 points.

When the two sections are added, Greneway scored a massive 278 points to win.

In second place with 196 points were William Ransom closely followed by Pixmore's 190 points.

The other school totals were St Andrews 180, Lordship, 161, St Thomas More 151, Ickleford 146 and Wilbury 138 points.

A week earlier, the secondary schools' event for Years Seven and Eight were held as separate boys and girls' competitions.

Greneway won the girls' event (71 points) followed by Highfield (61), with Priory third (52) and Knights Templar fourth (36).

Hitchin Boys' School was successful in the boys' competition, beating Greneway by two points (94 to 92) with Highfield in third (71), Knights Templar fourth (76) and Priory fifth (27 points).

This is the third year that sportshall athletics has been staged by the North Herts partnership and more schools are eager to join in the 2008 festivals.

These events feed into the mainstream athletics programme.

Spokesman Margaret Powell said: "With many of the children taking part showing great natural talent, we aim to raise the already high level of athletics participation and success in the area."