COMPETITORS from around the UK visited an Oakdale school on Saturday to take part in the first ever Welsh Open Sport Stacking Championships.

Rhiw Syr Dafydd Primary School hosted the tournament after teacher Steven Potter started a speed stacking club to help with their numeracy skills.

The school was also the first school in Wales to host the Welsh Open Rubik’s Cube Championships.

Mr Potter said: “It started about a year ago for me. I thought it would be a good thing to help engage some of our pupils with their numeracy.

“You learn different combinations of stacking cups up and down and then you do it against the clock

“You repeat that 10 times, and then I show them how to calculate the average.

“There is a great sense of sportsmanship about it, as you’re not really in competition with each other, you’re in competition with the clock.

“We had a visit from one of the UK coaches this week. He was very impressed with the kids here.”

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Members of Team UK travelled to the school from across Britain, and Aimee Dumigan-Smith, the top female speed stacker in the UK  flew in from Northern Ireland to compete.

Headteacher Craig George said: “It’s been fantastic. The children are really engaged with it.

“It is great that so many of our children are taking part in the competition, and to be joined by so many people from around the UK.

“It gives the children who don’t play more traditional sports an opportunity to participate in sport.

“It is part of developing our school as a community school.”

Di Baker, head of education at Speed Stacks UK, said: “This is the first time we have been to Wales. It is a great venue and the kids are all enthusiastic.

“For a lot of the stackers here, it is their first competition. The benefit of having Team UK here as well is they are helping out those with less experience.

“You’ll see when someone gets a good time, everyone is cheering for them.

“It’s a really positive, family atmosphere.”