County records smashed

The highlights of the weekend at Harvey Hadden Stadium, Nottingham, were the championship best performances of Andy Wetherill and Beth Hamilton plus three athletes achieving English Schools qualification times.

Wetherill and Hamilton are at the opposite ends of the age spectrum with Wetherill competing in the Masters 60 age group and Hamilton the under-13s.

Wetherill stormed to victory in his 3,000 metres in 10.23 before competing against the senior men in the 5,000m, where he was good enough to take bronze with 17.45.

Hamilton, racing in the 1,500m, was strong throughout the race to take the title in 5.06 — a superb five-seconds improvement of the championship record.

Under-17 Jess Lake had a superb weekend, placing second in the 300m in 43.14, the triple jump 10.81 and the 300m hurdles, where she finished close to an England international in 45.47, which gave Lake her target of the schools qualification time.

Another under-17, Kelsey Pearce, recorded 11.63m to win the shot with an English Schools distance.

The third athlete to gain a schools qualifying distance was Sophie Brown in the discus with 27.43m, as she took gold in that discipline and the shot with 9.42 in the under-15s.

Mansfield’s under 13 girls had great success on both track and field. Serenity Joynt won gold in the shot in 8.67m, silver in the javelin in 19.24m and 70m hurdles in 13.21, bronze in the high jump in 1.20m and fifth in the long jump with 3.68m.

Tia Jones won gold in the high jump with 1.25m an d was also fourth in the shot in 6.56m and eighth in the 100m in 15.06.

Tammy Smith earned silver in the shot with 3.71m, bronze in the long jump with 3.86m and was sixth in the 100m in 14.65. Isabelle Burlington won bronze in the sprint double, recording 13.79 and 29.29, and was fifth in the 70m hurdles with 14.18.