Runner has 800m record in sight after recent impressive performances

ATHLETICS: LAURA Edwards has a St Albans AC club record tantalisingly within reach after victory in the latest Eastern Young Athletes League match.

The U13 800m runner produced one of the performances of the day with victory in 2mins 34.7secs as the team, missing some of its more experienced names, narrowly lost out to hosts Ipswich by 569.5pts to 553.

Third was Southend (548.5), fourth Peterborough (471), fifth Ryston (402) and sixth Colchester (259).

Other praiseworthy efforts came from Emma Clarke, with second place in her first U15 300m in 44.7secs, while Jake Awe set a new club best of 11.4secs when runner-up in the U17 100m.

It was also another weekend of progress for U17 Carl Palin who, a week after winning gold at the Southern Championships, lowered the club record to 49.5secs in the 400m.

Across the squad it was a great day for the shot putters, headed by U15 Alex Cardinali whose excellent winning throw of 11.10m looks a foundation for some massive efforts this summer.

There were also shot putt wins for U17 Josh Pieterse, U15B Sean Baccus, U13 Alex Brown, U15 Alice Townend and U15B Niamh Lawson plus Olivia Almond U13B.

Almond also won the A string Discus and Catherine Mackintosh the U17B event while Baccus added a victory in the U15A 400m in a respectable 59.1secs.

Personal Bests were posted by Holly Seglah when winning the U15 javelin (23.2m), Jonathan Dean in the U13B 100m (14.3secs), Luke Yaxley in the U17B 100m hurdles (14.4secs) and 400m hurdles (54.7secs), Mackintosh in the U17 800m (2min 23,1 secs) and Hannah Hull in the U17B 800m (2min 28.secs).

Jake Awe won the U17 200m, David Perry the U17B high jump (1.60m) and triple jump (10.13m) and Christian Gaddes in the U17B long jump.

Other successes came from Alicia Tymon-McEwan (U15 80m hurdles), Alicia James (U13B 75m hurdles and high jump), Rowen Seglah (U17 pole vault), Abi Wilde (U17 javelin) and Kate Jones (U17B javelin).