ENGLISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Delight for Davey

The 16 year-old Peterborough Athletic Club all-rounder, last year’s South of England heptathlon champion, claimed the silver medal in the intermediate boys 400m with a cracking run in a new personal best time of 48.52.

He finished just a stride behind Kent’s Ethan Brown, who took the gold in 48.22.

Lincolnshire team member Davey, coached by Karl Eve, went into the championships ranked number two in the UK with a previous best of 48.80.

Elsewhere there were near-misses for three Nene Valley Harriers running for Lincolnshire.

William Hughes, who also entered the championships ranked two in the UK, was going for gold in the intermediate boys 200m after winning siver in the same event 12 months ago and a bronze in the junior boys 200m final in 2015.

But today he had to settle for fourth place in 22.39 - just .01 of a second off a medal placing.

Ronan Rawlins had battled through to the intermediate boys 100m final and he placed fifth with a time of 10.84. Manchester’s Daniel Afolabi struck gold in a tight finish in 10.63.

Freddie Fraser was in the junior boys 80m hurdles final and he too was fifth. He clocked 11.56 - only .05 of a second off the bronze medal. This race was won in a scorching new championship best time of 10.50 by Joseph Harding from Essex.

Cambridgeshire’s Daniel Mees was another local finalist today. He was in the senior boys 800m decider - an event in which he won the silver medal in 2016. Today, however, he could only manage seventh place in 1.56.17.

Mees’ Peterborough AC clubmate Elizabeth Taylor was in action for Cambridgeshire in the junior girls 200m heats this morning but failed to progress after a sixth-place finish in 26.40.

In field events today Megan Porter (Cambridgeshire/Peterborough AC) did well to gain sixth place in the senior girls high jump final with 1.66m, Kai Harrison (Lincolnshire/Nene Valley Harriers) was 13th in the intermediate boys discus with 32.04m, Jasmine Allen (Lincolnshire/Nene Valley Harriers) was 13th in the intermediate girls long jump with 5.34m, and Holly Brown (Cambridgeshire/Peterborough AC) was 14th in the senior girls pole vault with 3.05m.

Yesterday Priscilla Dadzie (Cambridgeshire/Nene Valley Harriers) won a bronze medal in the senior girls shot.