Episode 6 Ultimate Sports Day

We searched the four corners of the UK to find the fastest, toughest,

most agile and most accurate young athletes from Scotland,

Northern Ireland, England and Wales.

Now the search is over. Nation will battle nation over six matches

to win points in an epic sporting tournament.

The top two teams will go through to the grand final.

Only one will be crowned Ultimate Sports Day Champions.

Let the games begin!

On today's Ultimate Sports Day,

Team Wales go head-to-head with Team Northern Ireland.

Representing Team Wales is their captain, Joe!

Followed by Isabel, Jacob and Hannah!

And here is their mentor, pride of Wales

and World, European and Commonwealth medallist Christian Malcolm!

Welsh sprinter Christian is a former Junior World Championships

double gold medallist. In 2010, he won bronze at the Commonwealth Games

and silver in the European Championships in the 200m.

And representing Northern Ireland, it's captain Andrew!

Followed by Sarah,

Dermot and Phoebe!

And here is their mentor - he is a living legend

and former featherweight boxing champion of the world!

Barry McGuigan!

Barry, a boxing superstar, won gold as an amateur

in the Commonwealth Games when he was 17,

and went on to win the British, European and World titles as a pro.

This rather large-looking stick is the flagpole.

The athletes start at the base of each flagpole. Twice they climb

to the top, grab a ring and then return to the ground.

On their third climb, they release their flag.

Let's hope whoever Barry and Christian have picked

have a head for heights.

I'm going to try you this time, cos a bit more strength,

and I think it will be a bit faster. How do you feel?

I'm OK with it if I just don't look down. Just keep my eyes on the prize.

My name is Thomas, I am 12 years old. I am from Northern Ireland.

My speciality sport is rugby.

If I had to describe myself in three words,

it would be sporty,

outgoing and I am quite bossy.

Jacob, are you ready for this? I want to get good points on this.

You're up against the Irish. How do you feel about that?

-Good, very good.

-I know you do not like losing.

My name is Jacob. I am 13 years old.

I come from Pontypool in South Wales. My speciality sport is hockey.

If I had to describe myself in three words,

it would be competitive,

cheeky and happy.

OK, Thomas, Jacob, are you ready to hoist yourselves aloft?

Fantastic. We have got their team mentors standing by.

Your challenge starts on the fourth and final beep. Let's play Flagpole.

This game requires both agility and balance, and look at Jake go!

He's off to a flying start for Wales,

but Thomas is not too far behind.

Jake reaching the top of the pole, and Thomas is nearly there as well.

Now they have got to carefully balance up there

and grab one of those rings above their heads.

Jake has got his and he heads down, closely watched by Christian.

Thomas has managed to get his ring.

They're worth 5 points each, but whoever finishes first

scoops an extra 15 points, so speed is of the essence.

-Right down to the bottom!

-Take your time.

Jake reaching for ring number two and he has got it now.

Thomas is heading back up his flagpole as Jake comes back down.

Jake with quite a lead so far, but Thomas is not giving up.

He is on top of that pole looking for his second ring.

Jake drops off his ring number two to Christian

and heads back up the pole for the last time. This boy is quick.

Northern Ireland's Thomas has got his second ring, but it won't count

unless he can get it to Barry before Jake leaps to victory.

Jake on his way to the top as Thomas hands his ring over to Barry.

Take your time.

But Jake isn't listening.

As he hurls himself at the last ring, grabbing it

and releasing his team's colours as he falls.

A great first game for Wales. Thomas just couldn't keep up.

Jake up and down that pole in no time at all,

he's got his team off to a flyer.

Come on, buddy. Hey, how did that feel dragging your Welsh colours

-down there from the Flagpole?

-It felt great.

It doesn't look that scary, but when you're on top,

it's shaking, and you're like whoa. But it was great.

This kid's got ants in his pants - he flew up there,

and that was amazing. He's done really well, I'm proud of him.

Thomas, is it as easy as just getting up there

and picking out a ring?

No, it's way more hard just because it's such a...

it's so small, and you can barely fit both feet on.

Well, that was a fantastic start for Christian and Jacob in Team Wales.

Let's have a quick look at the scoreboard

after our first event.

Thomas gets 10 points, but Jake wins 30 points for all three rings

and winning the game, which means, after Flagpole,

Wales lead Northern Ireland 30 points to 10.

Ahead of us is 150m.

An Olympic sprinter can cover this distance in around about 15 seconds.

But can our two nations run the length of it

before The Chaser tracks them down.

If they do, they pick up points.

It's simple. But if The Chaser beats them, then they're out of the game.

So, we all need now...

is The Chaser.

The mystery man behind the mask.

They've all faced The Chaser before,

so the girls'll be looking to improve on their last performances.

On their marks are...

But their race to the line could be cut short by this guy...

..The Chaser.

Set.

And they're off.

Both the Welsh girls Hannah and Isabel off to a great start -

neither of them have been beaten by The Chaser yet.

Hannah's out in front. Phoebe is in second place.

Isabel's in third, and in the rear is Sarah.

The Chaser has caught her before and he's going to do it again.

Yes! He's caught Sarah - no points for her.

Hannah's going to reach the finish line first,

followed by Isabel. Can Phoebe beat The Chaser?

It's close, so close. Oh, wow!

The slow-mo shows that Phoebe just makes it over the line.

The Chaser was quick to track down Northern Ireland's Sarah,

denying her any points,

and he had his sights set on her team-mate, Phoebe.

But she just about managed to get away with it.

So, who sprinted up the leaderboard

in the first of our Chaser runs today?

Another great one from Hannah with a time as 18.39

wins her 10 points, along with Isabel and Phoebe.

So, Wales extend their lead over Northern Ireland.

It's 50 points to 20.

So, this game is simple enough. Just catch a ball, pop it in the hoop.

So, why's it called Spin Shot?

Well, there are another couple of elements to this game

which involve all of the above whilst spinning.

I wouldn't know how to coach someone on how to do this,

which is fortunate, cos that's where mentors come in.

Please, can somebody stop throwing the balls?

Spin Shot basketball, obviously that's going to be you, Andrew.

You were the best in the basketball,

-you'll be great.

-Hopefully.

My name is Andrew, I'm 14 years old.

I live in Hillsborough in Northern Ireland.

My speciality is athletics, and if I was just to describe myself

in three words, they would be competitive, messy and loud.

Speed Shot basketball,

and the first person to do that is going to be you, Joe.

-You ready for this?

-Oh, yeah.

-How do you feel about doing it?

-Yeah, good.

My name is Joe, I'm 15 and I'm from Llanelli in Wales.

My speciality is rugby, and if I had to describe myself in three words,

they would be bubbly, hyper and cheeky.

Waiting to play for Team Wales is Joe,

but right now, shooting hoops for Team Northern Ireland, it's Andrew.

Andrew, you ready to rumble?

OK. Your challenge starts on the fourth and final beep.

Let's play Spin Shot.

60 seconds to score as many baskets as possible

in this game of accuracy and control.

Andrew's long legs should help him over those lower beams,

but his height might be a problem with the higher ones.

He doesn't want to get a beam to the face.

Come on, Andrew, what have you got, buddy?

Take a bit more time.

Barry telling him to slow it down a bit and take his time.

Andrew's technique at the moment, a bit scattergun.

Throwing and hoping, just like Barry said,

he really needs to slow down and take aim.

Just like that. A great shot,

and 3 points to Northern Ireland.

He lines up another shot,

but it misses. There goes another one.

No score again.

He is taking more time to aim now, and they're getting much closer,

but he still can't quite find the hoop.

Time for one more shot in the dying seconds, I reckon.

Oh, but it's another miss.

Just the one basket, so only 3 points for Andrew.

And he doesn't look happy about it either.

Round 2, and it's rugby player Joe's turn for Wales.

He should be used to catching balls.

So, let's see how he copes with Spin Shot.

No baskets so far. But that one was close.

He lines up again,

shoots and he scores.

Joe's off the mark for Wales. Can he make it two in a row?

No, no, he can't.

Take your time, mate.

Christian telling him to take his time - he thinks he's rushing it.

He is certainly getting through a high turnover of basketballs.

Unfortunately for Joe and Wales, only one has gone in so far.

Joe takes another shot at the hoop,

and it misses again.

He jumps and ducks for another go.

Can he get 3 points?

No, not that time. But maybe this time.

Oh, it's a miss as well,

as he heads into the last few seconds of the game.

Oh, another shot goes wide of the target. Time for one last go.

That misses too. So, Joe just scores one basket for Wales.

Low-scoring game for both boys.

Both of you, one basket each. Joe, talk us through.

What was the most difficult thing about that? The arms?

-The spinning platform? What was going on?

-It's not easy.

You can't set up and shoot.

It's all 100 miles an hour - as soon as you get it, you've got to go.

It doesn't look too fast, but it's fast enough to distract you.

I'll let you get your breath back.

-Andrew, I heard Barry shouting, "Take your time, mate."

-Yeah.

You didn't take your time.

No, there was too much going through my head

with the bars spinning round.

You do need to take your time, but...oh, well.

-A bit disappointed.

-That was one basket each.

Let's see what that says for the scoreboard.

Well, disappointed and probably a bit dizzy,

both boys score 3 points.

Overall, it means that Northern Ireland now have 23 points,

but still in the lead are Wales with 53.

On Target. Hannah.

I've got you for this. How you feeling? How you feeling?

OK. Confident, I think.

All I want you to do is relax and focus on what you need to do.

My name's Hannah, I'm 13 years old. I'm from Neath in South Wales.

My speciality sport is sprinting, and if I was to describe myself

in three words,

it'd be lively,

smiley and competitive.

-Phoebe, you're going to the archery.

-Hopefully it will go OK.

I just need to remember what position to go in.

My name's Phoebe, I'm 13. I'm from Belfast in Northern Ireland.

My speciality is the high jump.

And if I had to describe myself in three words,

they would be fun,

sporty and determined.

Phoebe, Hannah, are you feeling accurate?

Well, in that case, it's time to play On Target.

This game is all about skill and accuracy.

Phoebe and Hannah have 12 arrows each.

They must try and hit as many of their targets as possible.

Silver targets score 5 points. Coloured targets score 3 points.

Both let fly with their first arrows and both of them very nearly score.

-Same again, Hannah, same again.

-Very close.

Hannah having another shot, and this time, she hits a silver target.

That's 5 points to Wales. Phoebe, not so lucky this time.

Hannah reloads for another shot, as does Phoebe.

And Hannah scores!

She hits another of the silver targets on the top row.

10 points now for Wales.

Archery is such a difficult game.

One false move, and the arrow could go anywhere.

Take your time, Han.

Christian telling Hannah not to rush.

There's no time limit to this game, by the way.

Try and get it down here.

Barry now giving Phoebe some encouragement.

She's so close to scoring, but just can't quite find the target.

Phoebe, you're almost there. That's it.

Almost there. Come on, keep it up, don't worry. Don't get frustrated.

Hannah hits another target.

This time on the bottom row, and it's silver, so it's 5 points.

And another one, right next to it.

This is outstanding marksmanship from Hannah.

She's racked up 20 points so far for Wales. Can she go higher?

Not this time.

Just keep going.

Phoebe takes another shot, but it's just not her day today.

That is another very close one from Hannah.

Take your time - it's your last one.

All of Phoebe's arrows group nicely around the edge of the targets,

-but none have actually hit the mark.

-Unlucky, Han, well done.

Hannah's used up all of her arrows and hit four targets,

scoring an impressive 20 points for Wales.

Can Phoebe pull some points back for Northern Ireland

with her last remaining arrow?

No, she can't. And she's not happy about it.

Well done, Hannah. Hey, four Welsh, beaming, red lights back at you.

-How was that?

-Really good.

You got yourself into a rhythm. What was going through your head?

It was just, get the first one in and work around it.

So then, like, you have to go up a bit and down a bit.

Well, you picked yourself up 20 points for Team Wales -

congratulations.

Unfortunately, no points for Phoebe.

But Hannah's incredible show of accuracy scores her 20 points,

moving Wales on to 73 points.

Northern Ireland, still lagging on 23.

So, our Chaser has made his way to the starting point,

but will he reach the finish line before our boys?

Good luck, fellas.

Taking to their starting positions are...

And here comes the human cheetah.

It's The Chaser.

Set.

And the boys are off.

In previous encounters with The Chaser, Jake has been caught before.

He'll be looking for revenge.

Joe and Andrew won their races last time.

It'll be interesting to see who's the fastest today.

Andrew leading Joe, but Jake is lagging behind.

The Chaser's set to pounce. And it's over for Jake once again.

The Chaser's too far off Thomas to catch up with him,

as Andrew crosses the line in first place, with Joe coming in second.

Like a gazelle, Andrew leads the way to the finish line ahead of Joe,

but The Chaser did manage to catch his prey.

Jake, hunted down and denied any points.

So, the race is over. Time to update our scoreboard once again.

Andrew's incredible time of 17.79 seconds

helps him pick up 10 points.

As do Joe and Thomas.

Overall, that means that Wales are still in the lead

with 83 points.

Northern Ireland have 43 points.

But with two games to go, it's still all to play for.

I need two people for this.

And the two people I'm going to choose is Isabel and Jacob.

Big smile on your face there, Jacob.

I'm Isabel, I'm 15 years old, from Bridgend in Wales.

My speciality is sprinting.

When I'm older, if I don't make it as a full-time athlete,

I'd really like to be a fire fighter.

Sarah, I'm figuring you're going to be strong holding on.

And, Phoebe, you were the second best.

-You've got good strength as well.

-I'm quite excited.

I think I'll try my hardest and try and stay in there.

And, hopefully, it will be OK.

Hold on as long as I can.

My name is Sarah Strawbridge, I'm 14.

I'm from County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

My speciality is artistic gymnastics.

And to describe myself in three words,

it would have to be

cheeky, bouncy and talkative.

Strength and nerve are what our two teams need

for this next game, because as the teams grab hold of the ring,

the bar is slowly lifted.

And as it rises to the roof,

the question is, how long will they be able to hang on?

Well, only one way to find out.

Teams, your challenge will begin on the fourth and final bleep.

Let's play Hangbar.

Focus where your hands are. Look at where your hands are, all right?

This is a really tough game of strength and control.

The rules are simple. Just hang on as long as possible.

The Hangbar slowly rises up into the air and so do our athletes.

They've been up there for 15 seconds now - still barely off the ground,

but I can assure you the Hangbar does go a lot higher.

The first one to fall won't get any points.

The second will pick up 5 points.

The third one to go will take home 10 points.

And the last one hanging picks up an almighty 20 points for their team.

Gone past 30 seconds now.

-Focus.

-You're doing brilliantly well - nice and relaxed there.

Both mentors shouting encouragement to their teams.

At the 45-second mark, and none of them are showing

any sign of dropping first.

They all look completely focused.

-Keep focused on one thing.

-Relax.

Jake's starting to wriggle a bit now as we approach the 60-second mark.

-Well done, Jake.

-Nice and relaxed.

-Northern Ireland could really do

with picking up some points on this game.

They're lagging behind on the overall scores.

Can Sarah and Phoebe dig deep on the Hangbar?

-Good, Jake, just stay focused, that's it.

-Hold on.

After 75 seconds, they're all still in the game.

They must be really feeling the pain now.

Jake shifting around, looking uncomfortable.

I doubt the others will thank him for moving the ring like that.

Nice and relaxed - that's it, girls.

That's 90 seconds now.

And Northern Ireland's Sarah is beginning to tire.

Jake looks like he's in trouble. And he's gone!

He's the first one out of the game.

No points for him. Isabel's face says it all.

She's had enough.

And down she comes too, in third place.

Just the Northern Ireland girls left.

Barry's team are going to pick up a much-needed 30 points.

Just a question of honour now. Who will last the longest -

Phoebe or Sarah?

They make it two minutes,

and Phoebe can take no more, she's down,

followed closely by gymnast Sarah.

What a great contest of nerve and strength!

They all looked so focused to start with.

But after 75 seconds of arm-stretching agony,

the cracks started to appear.

First to let go was Jake for Wales, followed by his team-mate, Isabel,

leaving the Northern Ireland girls to claim victory.

So, Isabel scores 5 points for Wales,

but Sarah and Phoebe's 30 points have closed the gap right up.

Wales have 88 points. Northern Ireland, now on 73.

The glove covered all my finger and it just kept on slipping off.

And it was like, come on,

grip back on, and I couldn't, because it kept on slipping off.

But I can't do anything now, it doesn't matter. I'm fine now.

Don't worry it, because you did a fantastic job.

-Sorry.

-Sorry? You've got nothing to be sorry about.

You've got nothing to be sorry about, mate.

It's time for the grand finale, the Team Relay.

This whole arena will come into play, and it's going to get frantic,

but it starts with Bike Power.

A 200m sprint will then light our towers over here.

Once it's fully lit, it's time to initiate the Skywalker.

They'll start all the way at the bottom,

make their way up the 5m, across the beam and collect all the rings,

before making their way down the ladder.

And then, time to get a sprint on. All the way over...

to the Bungee Tower.

And they'll bungee like they've never bungeed before

and collect all three rings.

Not before they've done that, can our cyclists make their way

right back to the other side of the arena. It's going to be tough.

I'm making a sweat and I haven't even done anything.

Once they've their 200m sprint,

only then will their team-mates make their way to the top

of the Flagpole, collecting their rings in the process

and releasing their national team's colours.

Team Northern Ireland ready to finish the show in style?

Yes, absolutely. We've got some work to do.

Wales have been very good, so we're on the ball.

OK. Christian, last word for Team Wales?

I'm nervous, but we need a win.

Well, in that case, the final showdown starts

on the fourth and final beep. Best of luck, guys.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

So, it all comes down to this, the Ring Relay.

With over 100 points up for grabs for the winner,

each of these teams could become

today's Ultimate Sports Day champion.

The first leg of the relay is a 200m cycle sprint,

and Wales's Hannah is slightly lagging behind

Northern Ireland's Thomas.

When those bars at the bottom of the screen fill up,

it means they'll have cycled 200m and they can tag their team-mate.

Thomas has done it.

He dashes off to tag Sarah.

And Hannah now sprints over to tag Isabel on the Skywalker.

Up they climb. Look at Isabel go!

She's caught up and overtaken Northern Ireland now.

Once they've got onto that beam at the top, they need to grab

the two rings above their heads - each of those is worth 5 points.

And as we know, it all adds up.

Sarah's gymnastic skills could come into play here.

They could give her a big advantage over sprinter Isabel.

They've both got the rings,

but Sarah looks a lot more comfortable up there than Isabel.

They have to climb down the ladders now,

and Sarah taking a more direct route

as she just lowers herself onto that ladder.

They're not attached at the bottom,

by the way, which makes it all a lot more wriggly.

Sarah's opened up quite a big gap between herself and Isabel now.

She needs to grab those two rings on her way down, but here comes Isabel.

She's trying desperately to catch up

but still got those two rings to collect on the way down.

But Sarah is down and she tags Thomas,

who runs off to the next stage.

Andrew bungees himself towards the three rings he needs to collect.

Oh, no! Isabel is tangled up on the ladder.

What a disaster for Wales!

But, at last, she gets down and sends Hannah off to the bungee too.

Andrew collect his second ring. Can Wales catch up here?

Joe is certainly going to try as he grabs his first ring.

But Andrew successfully claims his third ring,

and that means that Thomas is clear to race back

to his bike for another 200m cycle.

Joe goes for another ring

and gets it, as Thomas pumps those pedals for all he's worth.

Northern Ireland can smell victory and they like it.

Joe gets his final ring, and that means that Hannah can sprint back

to her bike and chase after Thomas.

But surely it's going to be an impossible task,

as Thomas has just finished his 200m and tags Phoebe

for the last leg, the Flagpole.

Hannah cycles on as Phoebe pulls herself up that pole,

grabbing rings as she goes.

I think we know how this one is going to go.

Phoebe, nearing the top now.

Hannah finishes her 200m bike sprint and tags Jake.

But Phoebe leaps out and grabs her team colours.

A fantastic win for Northern Ireland!

Jake didn't stand a chance.

Seven rings means 35 points for Wales.

But Northern Ireland get 55 for all 11 rings

and the extra 50 for winning.

That maximum of 105 points means,

despite trailing all through the show,

Northern Ireland beat Wales by 178 to 123.

Thomas was dynamite to begin with, really good, kept it steady.

Sarah was dynamite up that.

I think Izzy was a bit quicker to the top,

but she's got real good balance at the top.

-And then Andrew never misses.

-You've got yourself a Spiderman.

He's really got the bungee sorted out.

Then Thomas came back, and Phoebe was fantastic with that last jump.

So, I'm thrilled with my team and I'm just glad to finish on top.

Christian, where did you lose it?

Barry had Sarah there, the gymnast, up on the top, of course, the beam.

And Izzy's a tall girl, so it was a bit difficult for her

to get down the ladder. I think that is where you edged it.

Our guys have got to work hard now against Scotland,

see what we can get from that.

So, after two matches each, here's how the teams rank so far.

Wales are fourth with 307. Third are Scotland with 383.

Second are England with 431.

But in first place, it's Northern Ireland with 473 points.

Don't miss the next show as those two at the top,

Northern Ireland and England, go head-to-head.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd