STANWELL School qualified a team for the NASUWT Cymru Welsh Schools track and field Cup and Plate finals this summer for the first time.

The Cup Final was first held in 1988 while the Plate Final was added in 2007. Both finals include competitions for boys and girls at under 14 (Years 7 and 8) and under 16 (Years 9 and 10).

Each of the eight school districts across Wales holds a qualifying competition with the winner in each section qualifying for the Cup Final and the second placed team taking part in the Plate Final.

Schools from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan district have an excellent record at this event winning 28 of the 112 Cup competitions and 17 of the 36 Plate finals.

Over the previous 27 years, five Vale schools - Barry Comprehensive, Bro Morgannwg, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and St Cyres - have qualified teams for the Welsh School's Cup final, with Barry, Bro Morgannwg and Cowbridge listed among the winners and Cowbridge have also won a Plate final.

The performance of Bro Morgannwg in 2007 is still a landmark. It was, until this year, the only occasion that a school has won three of the four Cup sections.

Strangely, until this summer, no team from Stanwell has qualified for either the Cup or the Plate final.

All that changed this year.

At the Cardiff and Vale Cup Finals, held at Cardiff International Sports Stadium because it has not been possible to hold the triple jump event at Jenner Park for a number of years, Cardiff High were clear winners of the under 16 boys section with a score of 76.5 points.

There was a tough fight for second place with four schools in contention. Bishop of Llandaff scored 63 with Llantwit two points higher. Whitchurch placed third on 66 but it was a largely Year 10 under 16 boys team from Stanwell which claimed second place and a Plate qualifying spot on 69.

It was a totally unexpected result and one which created a conflict as the Stanwell sports day was scheduled for the Cup and Plate finals date.

On the day of those finals at Penlan Arena in Brecon, the weather was dry but there was a strong and cold wind blowing. The star of the Stanwell team was Year 9 Jay Morse who not only won his discus competition but his distance of 45.27 metres was a new Plate best performance with the 1.25kg implement.

Of the other seven teams competing in the under 16 boys Plate final, there were two who caught the eye by providing a number of individual winners.

Bro Dinefwr, a relatively recent merger between Tregib and Pantycelyn schools from Llandeilo in Dyfed, had three victories on the track, at 100, 300 and 800, while Cwm Rhymni, from Caerphilly, matched that with wins in the 80 metres hurdles, high jump and shot.

Despite just having that one win by Jay, the Stanwell boy competed well chalking up seven second places through Richard Lee (100 and long jump), Tommy Friel (200 and high jump), Morgan Ashton (300), Rhys Jones (1500) and Joshua Lewis (80H) to add 49 points to their team score.

Traditionally in this 13 event competition, the relay is the last event. After 12 events, the Stanwell boys led on 75 points from Bro Dinefwr (71) and Cwm Rhymni (66).

Everything looked promising but there was heartache for the Penarth quartet in that final event. Well though they competed, there was an error on one of the changes, and the Stanwell team was disqualified, leaving an opening, which Bro Dinefwr claimed. They won the relay adding the nine points to their previous 71, taking the team competition with 80 points.

It was not the result that the Stanwell boys had hoped for. They had wanted to provide their team manager Mr Ian Summerfield with a wonderful retirement present but it was not to be.

The school say well done to the boys but now the school has to go away, re-group and look to finish in the top two places in the 2016 Cardiff and the Vale Schools Cup Final A.

Stanwell results

100: 2nd Richard Lee 11.77,

200: 2nd Tommy Friel 23.94

300: 2nd Morgan Ashton 38.43,

800: 3rd Antonio Peacock 2:18.79

1500: 2nd Rhys Jones 4:28.66

80H: 2nd Joshua Lewis 12.07

4x100: Disqualified

HJ: 2nd Tommy Friel 1.55

LJ: 2nd Richard Lee 5.38

TJ: 3rd Jack Cooke 10.61

SP (4kg): 8th Geraint Williams 8.83

DT (1.25kg): 1st Jay Morse 45.27 (New Plate Best)

JT (600g): 5th Connor Hamilton 33.66