Last updated 05:40, Friday, 12 September 2008

SPRINTER Ryan Thompson, one of Cumbria’s big hopes for Saturday’s Borders Inter County Meeting at Sheepmount Stadium, Carlisle, has pulled out of the team.

Floored: Ryan Thompson with his 200 metres silver medal he won at the English Indoor Athletics championship in Birmingham. The sprinter picked up a hamstring injury at the recent Scottish championships

The Trinity schoolboy and England Under-15 silver medallist at indoor 200 metres sustained a hamstring injury at the recent Scottish Under 15/17 championships.

With performances of 11.66 and 23.1 secs for the 100 and 200 metres respectively, Thompson was expected to gain valuable points for the county.

He has been replaced in the 100 metres by Sam Brough from Silloth who came second in this year’s North East Schools Inter County 100 metres in Middlesbrough in a time of 11.9 seconds and in the 200 metres by Aaron Webster of Barrow Striders who also ran second in that event on Teesside in 25.0 seconds.

“It’s disappointing of course,” said Cumbria team manager Gwenda Ward, “but the welfare of the athlete must be paramount especially in relation to injury. It is, however, great that we have such excellent replacements in Sam and Aaron.”

Cumbria will be fielding a strong team for the Sheepmount Stadium meeting on Saturday, the grand finale to the 2008 athletics season.

The match, between the best Under 15 and Under 17 athletes in seven counties: Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway, Durham, Northumberland, Scottish Borders, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear has attracted some of the country’s top athletes in the two age groups.

Cumbria, hoping to win this inaugural fixture, field a string of county champions, England medallists, Northern champions and English Schools finalists.

James Bowness (Trafford AC), from Egremont, goes in the 1500 metres. He is a North of England double medallist (at 800m and 1500m) and reached the final of both the English Schools championship and the recent prestigious UK School Games, both at 800 metres.

Partnering him in the middle-distances is Tristan Venus (Tynedale AC), from Alston, who will be competing in the 800 metres. Tristan was a finalist at the English Schools Championships 1500 metres, an event where he is ranked 4th in the North West of England.

Having a busy afternoon will be Carlisle’s Nick Miller (Border H) ranked 14th in Britain in the Under 17 Hammer. He won both the Hammer and the Javelin in the North East Schools Inter County meeting earlier in the season. He will be competing in both events at Sheepmount and also the Discus.

In the Under 17 Hammer Appleby’s Katy Bernard (Border H) is stepping up from the Under 15 age group where she is ranked 3rd in Britain to take on Kayleigh Mills of Tees Valley ranked fourth in Britain.

Northern Under 15 200 metre champion and English Schools finalist Chelsie Browbank (Carlisle Aspatria AC) from Wigton, runs that event, where she is ranked 10th in Britain, as well as the 100 metres.

CUMBRIA TEAM

UNDER 17 MEN

100 metres: Kieran Congdon (Carlisle Aspatria); 200m: Congdon; 400m: Joe Aris (Eden Runners); 800m: Tristan Venus (Tynedale); 1500m: James Bowness (Trafford AC); 3000m: Scott Thwaites (Kendal AC); 100m Hurdles: Chris Deboise (Carlisle Asp); 400m Hurdles: Tom Marper (Border H); 1500m Steeplechase: Marper; High Jump: Aris; Long Jump: Darren Lee (Eden Schools); Triple Jump: Josh Richardson (Carlisle Schools); Shot Putt: Lee Savage (Eden Runners); Discus: Nick Miller (Border H); Hammer: Miller; Javelin: Miller; 4 x 100m Relay (from): Congdon; Aris; Lee; Deboise; Richardson.

UNDER 17 WOMEN

100m: Lara Turner (Barrow Striders); 200m Turner; 300m Fiona Laurie (Border H); 800m: Vicki Johnson (Eden Runners); 1500m: Laura Vaillent (Allerdale Schools); High Jump: Tessa Stockdale (Seaton AC); Long Jump: Laurie; Triple Jump: Charlotte Rickards (South Lakes Schools); Shot Putt: Hayley Hodgson (Cumbria Schools); Discus: Sarah Hill (Border H); Hammer: Katy Bernard; Javelin: Hodgson; 4 x 100m Relay: (from): Turner; Laurie; Anna Mulgrew (Carlisle Asp); Amee Jefferson (Seaton (AC); Johnson

UNDER 15 BOYS

100m: Sam Brough; 200m: Aaron Webster (Barrow Striders); 400m Oliver Lithgow (Seaton AC); 800m Luke Ingham (Kendal AC); 1500m Tim Orr (Border H); 3000m Simon Little (Carlisle Asp); 80m Hurdles: Robbie Nixon (Border H);High Jump: Marcus Bell (South Lakes Schools); Long Jump: Robbie Nixon (Border H); Shot Putt: David Armstrong (Carlisle Asp); Discus: Adam McKee (Carlisle Asp); Javelin: (Alex Taylor (Carlisle Asp); 4 x 100m Relay from:Thompson; Lithgow; Ingham; Nixon

UNDER 15 GIRLS

100m: Chelsie Browbank (Carlisle Asp); 200m Browbank; 800m: Eilidh Sproul (Kendal AC); 1500m: Abby Hetherington (Carlisle Asp); 75m Hurdles: Rachel Farthing (Lancaster AC); High Jump: Kirsty Norwood (Eden Runners); Long Jump: Farthing; Discus: Katy Barnard (Border); Javelin: Natasha Wooley (Border); 4 x 100m Relay from: Browbank; Farthing; Stockdale; Norwood; Sproul

Entrance to the meeting is free. Programmes are £3.