THE Hertfordshire U15 team, largely powered by St Albans AC athletes, has secured second place in last weekend s South of England championships. The bulk of the Westminster Lodge-based club s success this summer has been based around the U15 s strength in

THE Hertfordshire U15 team, largely powered by St Albans AC athletes, has secured second place in last weekend's South of England championships.

The bulk of the Westminster Lodge-based club's success this summer has been based around the U15's strength in depth and only a solid Essex squad proved better at the meeting held at Watford.

Leading the way was James McMurray, who won the 1500m.

Podium places were also secured by Jake Awe with a third in the 200m, Joel McNeill, third in the 400m, and Christian Gaddes, third in the long jump.

In addition, Awe finished sixth in the 100m and seventh in the triple jump while Gaddes seventh in the high jump.

Completing the St Albans contribution was Chris Hilton (sixth in the 800m) while St Albans also had four U15 girls contributing to the county effort.

A back-to-form Alicia Tymon-McKewan was third in the 75m hurdles in a highly-respectable 11.9secs.

Abi Wilde finished seventh in javelin, Rowan Seglah eighth in pole vault while Megan Steer ran in the 800m but failed to reach the final.

The one that got away was the 80m hurdles in which Gaddes was disqualified for a false start after his heat time of 11.46secs had suggested that victory was within his grasp.

His ability to learn and bounce back surfaced in Monday's Peterborough Games when winning hurdles gold.

Against arguably the classiest line-up at the meeting, Gaddes went close to his PB with an 11.29secs finish into a significant headwind as he combined both a slick start and clean hurdling.

Gaddes beat the highly-rated Peterborough athlete Max Everest with St Albans' Luke Yaxley (11.66secs) third.

Leading the gold rush at Peterborough was Khalid Al Abaidy with success in both the U17s 800m and 1500m.

There were also wins for Hilton in the 1500m and Alice Townend in the U13 shot putt.

Abi Wilde and younger sister Bonnie (U13) both returned with silver in the javelin while Abi's bronze in the discus came with a PB of 23.49m.

U17 Alix Smith also posted two new PBs, marginally improving her shot putt with a bronze-winning 8.59m and smashing her hammer previous best with 20.25m.

There were medals for Catherine Mackintosh (1500m silver and 800m bronze), Steph Rukin (bronze in 75m hurdles), Gaddes (PB of 11.59m for bronze in shot putt) and Awe (silver in long jump).

While Hilton (silver in 400m), Jordan Thomas (bronze in 400m) and Yaxley (bronze 100m) secured additional podium finishes.