Newbury trio storm to national schools glory
Charlotte Payne, Ben East and Oliver Hewitt all won medals at the event in Birmingham
THREE Newbury athletes were crowned national champions at the English Schools Championships in Birmingham at the weekend.
Newbury Athletic Club’s Charlotte Payne and Oliver Hewitt claimed their biggest successes to date in the hammer, while Ben East of Team Kennet maintained his tremendous form this season.
East broke his own UK record for the javelin for the second time this season, throwing 66.95 metres in the junior boys age group.
On the way he also set a new English Schools record and a new club record, to claim a gold medal.
Hewitt won the senior boys competition with a mighty throw of 62.85m, while Payne dominated the intermediate girls competition, winning by nearly eight metres with a throw of 61.77m.
On top of the national schools title, Charlotte’s performance was good enough for selection to the England team in an international schools event in Scotland next weekend.
Just to qualify for English Schools is an achievement in itself, and three other Newbury AC athletes were in action over the weekend, showing how bright the future of the club looks.
Izzy Fry has endured a tough start to the season with multiple injury issues, but that seemed to have no effect on her as she raced to a personal best time of 9:51.75 in the 3,000m to take a very impressive fifth place in her final year as a senior girl.
Lilly Gohara was making her debut at English Schools and finished sixth in a tough first heat of the intermediate girls 80m hurdles.
Another debutant, second claim Newbury AC athlete Maisie Jeger was a little off her best in a fiercely-competitive junior girls long jump, ending the day in 14th place in her pool.
Team Kennet had several athletes competing at the event.
Harry Booker was involved in a very close junior boys discus final and secured a bronze medal with a throw of 42.16m.
Sophie Wheadon took part in the junior girls age group, where she threw 30.04m to finish fifth out of 21 entrants.
Stuart Bladon took part in the inter boys 100m hurdles and came fifth in his heat in a time of 14.01.
He clipped a hurdle hard, slowing him down, and that meant he was edged out for a place in the final.
