Youngsters from across the News Shopper region continue to do their boroughs proud in the annual London Youth Games competition.

Bexley are through to the final stages of the squash and hockey finals at Crystal Palace early next month.

They will be joined by Lewisham’s hockey squad after they collected three wins and a draw from their five qualifying games at Redbridge Leisure Centre.

Lewisham took gold in the ParaGames athletics competition after seeing off Hackney and Newham.

The borough’s efforts were helped by gold medals in the 100m SLD and the javelin, along with a number of silver medals in both track and field.

Team manager Naomi Vann put the victory down to the unity of the squad.

She said: “It was the team spirit of all the children that did it I think.

“They were all cheering each other and they just had a lovely day, it’s been brilliant. They’ve all tried their best and that’s all any team manager can ask for.

“If they’ve got a medal and achieved, that’s brilliant.

“But just being here is a fantastic experience for them.”

Bromley’s volleyball team, which is made up of ten girls aged 16 and 17 from Newstead Wood and Darrick Wood schools, just missed out on  a place in the finals after finishing third in their qualifying group.

But Chislehurst’s Luca Thurlow who attends Colfe’s School in Lee, won gold in the BMX contest.

The nine-year-old won all of his rounds at the event in Peckham, taking first place in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

He said: “I always get very nervous racing but it was really great to win the gold medal.

“The plan now is to hopefully win lots more.”

Thurlow has just returned from Glasgow after competing in the British BMX series, where he is currently lying eighth in the country after six of the ten rounds. 

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