THE best young athletes from across the county gathered in Blackpool to compete in the SPAR Lancashire Primary School Games finals.

The day-long event was the culmination of a series of borough competitions which have been held across the county over the past few weeks.

More than 50 schools and hundreds of pupils from the county’s 12 boroughs competed in six different sports – including Quadkids, girls football, netball, Tri-golf, tennis, and gymnastics, both team and individual.

And just like in recent years – under its previous name of the Lancashire Youth Games – East Lancashire teams featured heavily among the podium places.

In fact, only one of the six sports, tennis, did not include a local school among the medal winners.

St George’s Primary School from Chorley who returned with a gold medal after winning the girls football while Lydia Stanworth from Burnley won the indivdual gymnastics.

The girls football proved to be a big success for East Lancs teams with Sacred Heart (Pendle) second and Waddington and West Bradford (Ribble Valley) third.

The same good be said about the gymnastics where Lydia beat her Burnley Gymnastics Club team-mate, Rhianna Duncan.

Clitheroe school, Stonyhurst College (Ribble Valley) were third in the team gymnastics.

In the Quadkids – an event that combines the events of sprinting, jumping, throwing and long distance running – St Leonards, representing the Ribble Valley finished as runners-up with Shadsworth Juniors (Blackburn) third.

There was also an impressive runners-up spot in the netball, this time Turton and Edgworth (Blackburn) finishing runners-up while Wheatley Lane (Pendle) were third.

And Chorley school, Primrose Hill, returned up the M55 happy with their days work after finishing in third place in the Tri-golf.

Aaron Foster, of Benjamin Hargreaves School in Hyndburn, who competed in the 100m sprint race, summed up the day perfectly.

“The opening ceremony was busy and colourful,” he said. “It was fantastic and it was fun to cheer on our district in the medal ceremony.”

“I really enjoyed the Games and one day I hope to be like Usain Bolt, with events like this I do believe I’ll get there one day.”