IT MUST be true — Okehampton College is among the best in the country at athletics.

Having qualified for the national final of the Sky Sports Track and field Schools Cup after a brilliant performance at the regional final a few weeks ago, the intermediate girls' team travelled to Basildon to compete against the 11 other highest scoring teams in the country.

The Track and Field Schools Cups are competed for by junior boys, junior girls (12 and under 14), intermediate boys and intermediate girls (14 and under 16).

Each team is limited to 12 athletes in the girls' competitions and 14 athletes in the boys' competitions. The athletes are restricted to two events, one field and one track, or one track and the relay, or one field and the relay.

Points are scored according to a points table so that the importance is placed upon the performance achieved rather than area rounds, at which, nationally, over 600 schools took part.

Okehampton had already posted an intent to do well, with both junior teams and the inter girls winning and the inter boys being placed second. This good start resulted in all four teams qualifying for a regional final, one of only three schools in the South West to do so.

The junior girls and the inter boys qualified for the B final where they performed extremely well, and the inter girls and junior boys qualified for the A regional at Millfield.

There the inter girls bettered their score from previous rounds and, although placed fourth, qualified as one of the highest scoring teams nationally.

As a result of this qualification there was a great deal of practice and re-organisation to ensure that on the day the girls performed to their maximum potential and it paid off.

They travelled to Essex with two main aims: 1, to beat their qualifying score and 2, to beat the other Devon school, which had beaten them in the regional round.

Members of the team were: Gemma Collier (200m and shot), Gemma Walker (200m and relay), Amy Stephens (100m and relay), Jo Moppett (100m and long jump), Jenny Rice (800m and long jump), Sophie Halliday (800m and shot), Laura Gomersall (1500m, and discus), Sarah Gomersall (1500m and discus), Kelly Cooper (javelin and relay), Georgie Colton (javelin and relay), Amanda Friend (high jump and hurdles), Yvonne Gillard (high jump and hurdles), Holly Dennis was the travelling reserve, ably backed up at home by Kimberly Bland and Jess Trerise (who had competed in the previous two rounds).

The girls performed amazingly and came up with the necessary performance to ensure both targets were met — not only that they achieved a brilliant fourth place, to rank with the likes of Millfield who won (but only 17 points in front of Okehampton), and various private and grammar schools.

The team returned on a high and are determined to try and qualify again next year and maybe do even better. For now they will have to content themselves with being the best in Devon, second best in the South West and fourth nationally.