Dane Fowler led the way for Tanfield School in the Regional Athletics finals at Gateshead Stadium on Wednesday 19th May.  The Dipton runner's resilient showing in the 1500 metres event was enough to secure him an outstanding time of 6:07, a time that is enough to catapult him onto the national stage at July's National Championships in Blackpool.  In a field of competitors all eyeing victory in the day's final and longest event, Dane soon found himself edging ahead of the pack alongside a runner two years older than the young Y8.

As the remaining runners began to wilt, Dane charged on, keeping a steady and impressive pace.  Although his rival gradually stretched his lead to take the win, Dane provided a grandstand finish with a 100m sprint down the home straight to much applause and cheering, well ahead of third place and the other five runners.

Buoyed by the previous day's achievements, Tanfield's success showed no signs of abating when a strong squad returned to the track for the Quad Kids Championships at Gateshead Stadium the following day.

On a red-hot spring day, the action on the track was no less sizzling, with a 6-strong team storming to multiple podium finishes.  Connor Wright and Jamie Hassan both grabbed first place in their 60 metre sprints, having delivered powerful runs to ward off their rivals, while Dane Fowler and Jack Stacey earned gutsy silvers with their efforts.  Chelsea Ward dashed home to bag a bronze finish, as did Liam Richardson after his determined burst for the tape.

With so many excellent results, Tanfield's Y8 athletics pedigree shows no signs of letting up and the squad will seek to get even better as the summer goes on.