ST JOHNS with St Augustines Primary School successfully defended their Sports Hall title with another fine display of indoor Athletics.

The Accrington school finished five points ahead of their closest rivals with 163.5 points in a competition held at Hyndburn Sports Centre with the boys and girls teams being crowned overall winners.

St Charles finished in second place with 158.5 points with St Pauls in third spot with 146.5 points.

The competition included eight disciplines; long jump, triple jump, vertical jump, ball throw, javelin, speed bounce, 2x1 and 4x1 relays and a grand prix event.

St Johns with St Augustines success was down to consistent team performances rather than individual skill.

For while they finished as overall winners they only triumphed in four events, compared to the seven won by second placed St Charles.

St Johns and St Augustines won the boys triple jump and speed bounce with the girls finishing joint first in the vertical jump with St Charles and winning the ball throw.

By contrast, St Charles won the boys vertical jump, ball throw and 4x1 relay race with the girls winning the long jump, javelin -- plus sharing the honours with St Johns and St Augustines in the vertical jump and Woodnook in the 4x1 relay.

The boys performance saw St Charles finish as top team of the day.

West End were unlucky to finish just outside the top three, finishing just two points behind third-placed St Pauls. The Oswaldtwistle school match the overall winners in events won and beating St Pauls who failed to win any of the events.

West End boys won the 2x1 relay with the girls coming first in the triple jump, 2x1 relay and grand prix.

The competition attracted 11 schools in total.

Hippings Methodist finished fifth with Great Harwood Primary in sixth position.

St Nicholas were seventh -- winning the boys javelin event -- with Mary Magdalenes in eighth place.

Benjamin Hargreaves were in ninth place just ahead of Sacred Heart.

Woodnook, who finished 11th, can still celebrate after coming joint first in the 4x1 girls relay race.

The event was again run by Hyndburn Borough Council with Norman Mitchell in conjunction with Hyndburn Athletics Club. Students from Accrington and Rossendale College and St Christopher's School also helped with the competition.