Some of the most promising young athletes from across the Hampshire Schools’ region took part in the 2014 Hampshire School’s AA Track and Field Championships at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth recently.

Among them were a host of athletes representing Andover, many from Andover Athletic Club.

With the reward of Inter-Counties team selection for those who excelled the stakes were high, and in the Senior Girls Annie Brooks set the standard taking gold in both the 100m (13:2s), and the triple jump (10:27s). A regular for Andover AC Annie is on top of her game as results proved. Fellow club member Laura Jones proved what a talented field athlete she is, taking gold in the shot putt (8.96m) just 0.07m off her personal best.

The Intermediate Boys highlighted an emerging talent in the 1500m steeplechase, with Ben Reed producing a superb performance clocking 5:00.2. Ben is getting ever nearer to his target time of sub 5:00 and likely to see that become a reality before the season finishes. Archie McKeller fought hard to qualify for the 800m final coming sixth overall.

They continued to impress with Keiran Nicholls hitting a distance of 29.89m in the discus for bronze and Robert Horne was up against a tough field in the javelin, managing fifth with a distance of 37.87m.

In the Junior Boys rising Andover AC star Kai Mumford took gold in the hammer with 44.92m and in the Junior Girls Holly Mills and Jasmine McClutchie ripped up the field in a fashion that has come to typify these young talents. McClutchie took 200m silver in 26:8s and national long jump champion Mills was on fire taking gold and recording a new county best 5.40m. Ella Taylor was just outside the medal positions in the shot putt .

The pinnacle came with Holly Mills, Jasmine McClutchie, Kai Mumford and Ben Reed selected for the Hampshire team who travelled to the South East Schools’ Inter-Counties at Crawley last Saturday.