A WILMSLOW High School student is preparing to compete in the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships.

Year 10 athlete Stephanie Moss has been selected to represent Cheshire in the intermediate girls’ 800m in the two-day national event in Birmingham, starting tomorrow, Friday.

Moss, a member of Sale Harriers Athletics Club, was victorious over two laps in 2mins 18.4secs in the county championships in Macclesfield last month, a time bettered by more than a second a week later when she triumphed in the Mason Trophy Inter Counties Schools’ Championships in Birmingham.

Fellow Wilmslow High School students Ben Hamilton-Ryan (1500m), Tom Wilson (long jump) and Ryan Vigerstaff (discus) earned the right to compete in this week’s inter-county minors meet on the back of top-three finishes for Macclesfield and District in the Cheshire Minors’ Athletics Championships in Warrington.

Wilson came second against Merseyside in Ellesmere Port, while Vigerstaff was fourth.

Hamilton-Ryan also represents the county in cricket and achieved a remarkable feat recently.

The former Alderley Edge Primary School pupil, a player at Lindow Cricket Club, delivered a display that made him a candidate for Cricket World’s performance of the week.

He claimed seven wickets for only 18 runs during his eight-over spell in an 18-run win for Cheshire Cricket Board under 12s against Wales.

Since then Hamilton-Ryan has also played a part in Wilmslow High School under 12s cricket team winning the King’s Macclesfield Super Sixes Tournament.

In doing so, Wilmslow became the first state school to win the event for six years.

They won three matches and lost one to clinch the success.

After defeating The Grange, Wilmslow beat 2015 and 2016 winners Manchester Grammar School to progress from their group into the ‘cup stage’.

Although losing to Altrincham Grammar School in their next game, the winners were to be decided in their final game against the hosts King’s School.

Hamilton-Ryan (25 not out, retired) and Charlie Hodge got WHS off to a flyer, hitting the bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Some excellent Will Espley-slogging and Harry Whitmore elegance saw Wilmslow set King’s an intimidating target of 65 to win.

Jack Rae’s accurate left-arm-over swing bowling combined with Max Davidson’s darts frustrated the King’s batsmen, who fell 30 runs short of the required total.

Super sixes is a format allowing five-over innings with teams comprising of six players. It provides plenty of encouragement to hit big, bowl tight and field pro-actively!

Both of Wilmslow’s opening games were played in the rain.

Grange, put into bat after skipper Harry Whitmore won the toss, could only muster 36 runs from their five overs after some fantastic bowling from Hamilton-Ryan and Espley.

Wilmslow chased down the total with ease and amassed 63 from their five overs to give their ‘Runs-For” column a boost.

Espley (19), Charlie Hodge (18) and Tom Wilson (17) batted well on a tough wicket.

It was all to play for against Manchester Grammar School, with the winners to progress.

MGS elected to bat first in the hope that they could emulate their winning performance against the Grange.

Again, all five bowlers executed the game plan perfectly, containing MGS to a modest 42 from their five overs.

Wilmslow batted maturely against the spin attack of MGS, Hodge’s well timed 17 not out allowed Espley to club the ball to all parts, leaving Wilmslow requiring 11 off the final over.

Three runs from Hodge brought Davidson on strike and he first hit the MGS county bowler back over his head for four.

With four required off two, Davidson ‘lived by the sword’ and produced a carbon copy of the same shot. However, this time it flew for six to put Wilmslow through.

Altrincham had been beaten by King’s in their opening cup game, but Wilmslow were unable to capitalise as they fell to their only defeat of the tournament.

Some ill-directed bowling and big hitting enabled Altrincham to post 55 from their five overs.

The total proved too big despite the best efforts of the batsmen as Wilmslow fell 10 runs short of the target.

But it did not matter in the final reckoning as victory against King’s sealed an impressing triumph for the Wilmslow side.