several of the Island's youngsters take part in the Telford Electric Magic Mile (12 noon).

In what shapes up as the largest participatory event on the sporting calendar, close to 1000 children between the ages of four and 15 will compete over distances ranging from a quarter to one mile.

Race director Cal Simons, expressed both his appreciation and not too little excitement regarding tomorrow's big event, one that should reveal several runners to watch for the future.

"I'm very much excited about this year's Electric Magic Mile,'' said Simons, a tireless worker in the field of athletics and soccer, where he is a youth coach and referee. "The response from the public has been great, and the kids are excited and really pumped up for the event.

"It's certainly one of the bigger, if not biggest of its kind for kids and is a real highlight on the racing calendar.'' No doubt, while track and field at large has diminished greatly in its popularity among local sports over the past decade or more, the Magic Mile has emerged as a lightning rod, as even International Race Weekend and the Marathon Derby pale in comparison, relative to numbers involved.

In 1994, the time of the inaugural event, some 250 runners took part and it has since grown to incorporate four times that number, while the addition of friends and family members on the outside cheering in support makes for a true carnival atmosphere.

"The Telford Electric Mile was started as a means of encouraging our junior runners to compete, as well as providing a positive outlet for youth at large,'' said Simons.

Action starts at noon with the one-mile run for 13-15-year-olds and continues with quarter-mile runs for four and five-year-olds, half-mile for six and seven-year-olds, and one mile for 8-12-year-olds.

All participants will receive T-shirts, and parents are reminded that numbers must be picked up from Devonshire Recreation Club from 8.30-11 a.m.

Warwick Academy captured two of four titles on offer at the BSSF Primary Schools Cross Country Championships, taking both the Under-nine and Over-nine Girls categories.

Stepping in to prevent a sweep by the historic institution were Somerset Primary and Saltus Grammar, who set the pace in the Under-nine Boys and Over-nine Boys respectively.

Some 550 spring-legged athletes took to the trails at the Arboretum, with the day's first event revealing Victor Scott's Jasmine Smith as being a cut above the rest of those in the Under-Nine Girls category.

Smith won the age group, covering the 11/4-mile loop in 10 minutes, six seconds, followed closely by Paget's Ravosha Whaley (10:10) and Kinutea Smith (10:22) of Francis Patton.

In the Under-nine Boys, Ryan Hopkins, representing St. George's, stunned the field with an impressive 8:45 clocking, almost 15 seconds better than the second-placed runner, Tymon Daniels of Harrington Sound, who crossed in 8:59.

West End's Trey Simons was third in 9:11.

Continuing her dominance among the Over-nine Girls was Shellicia McKenzie, the Purvis student leading the way around the challenging 13 mile course in 13:11.

Second and third were Whitney Duerr (13:24) of West End and Prospect Primary's Charlene Grant (13:38).

Finally, the Over-nine Boys event had Justin Collis represent Saltus in the best possible fashion, tearing up the course in 11:58 and leaving all other merely in a battle for second. Seizing the runner-up spot was Jarazinho Bassett of Prospect, timed in 12:14, with Justin Burke of Warwick Academy third in 12:28.