THE county’s golden girls and boys were celebrated at the thrilling finale to the North Yorkshire School Games.

Dunnington beat Bedale in the final of the Year 5/6 Kwik Cricket tournament at York Cricket Club’s Shipton Road base, with the gold and silver medal winners going forward to represent the county in the regional competition.

The Games reached a climax at Queen Margaret’s School in Escrick as 750 youngsters took part in the annual multi-sports festival.

Each team had earned the right to represent their school and district by qualifying from local competitions staged by School Games organisers, battling it out to be crowned the North Yorkshire School Games 2014 champions.

York schools won five gold medals at Queen Margaret’s, with Harrogate taking four, Richmondshire one and Craven one.

York’s Robert Wilkinson topped the podium in the tri-golf competition, while Joseph Rowntree’s ‘A’ team won the boccia and the ‘B’ team took kurling gold.

Huntington’s modern pentathlon team claimed first place and there was an individual gold for Genna Suddes, with Craven’s Tom Barrett winning the boys’ event.

Harrogate Ladies College triumphed in the rounders competition, Saltergate were the gold medallists in the football, Rossett Acre topped the hockey ranks and Aspin Park were the netball winners.

Richmondshire’s gold medallists were Richmond School in the rugby tournament.

Running alongside the Queen Margaret’s event, the University of York hosted the annual quadkids athletics and mini-tennis finals for primary schools.

The quadkids events include a run, sprint, howler throw and standing long jump.

The medal winners were Brompton and Sawdon, in Year 1/2, Pannal, in Year 3/4, and Seamer and Irton in Year 5/6.

In the final of the mini-tennis for Year 3/4 pupils, Poppleton Road beat Riccall.

A Games spokesman said: “An event of such scale can only happen with a workforce in place and this event was supported by 40 young leaders and volunteers who had recieved training in sports leadership and volunteered to help out with scoring, umpiring and fixtures.”