CHIPPENHAM teenager Owen Merrett completed a hat-trick of victories in the Wiltshire Schools’ Track & Field Championships, writes KEVIN FAHEY.

The 14-year-old Sheldon School hammer thrower has reigned supreme in the junior boys’ age group for the past two years, and not even moving up into the next age group could interrupt his dominance as he added the inter boys’ crown at the first time of asking.

Moreover, Merrett also set a championship record of 50.30m to claim an impressive win from training partner James Viner and then later added the javelin title for good measure and round off a superb day at Swindon.

“I was pleased with my third win in a row, although wasn’t so happy with the distance despite it being a new county record,” said Merrett.

“I was hoping for around 55m, but the conditions were awful and we were throwing into a big headwind, which didn’t help at all.”

It is worth noting that the previous record (49.98m) was set more than 20 years ago by former Swindon Harriers athlete Adrian Hemery, son of 1968 Olympic Games 400m hurdles champion David Hemery, so that is a notable success for Merrett to add to growing list of achievements.

But there is plenty more for him to aim for before the summer comes to an end.

“My main target is the English Schools’ Championships where I will be hoping to finish in the top five as a first year in the new age group,” added Merrett.

“Then next year, I would look to go back and finish in the top two and win an England vest.

“I also want to improve my PB to around 55 metres. I would be very happy with that.”

Another satisfied athlete on Saturday was Dauntsey’s student Femi Akinbobola, who also lives in Chippenham.

Akinbobola continued his fine season with a double gold in the senior boys’ 200m (23.26secs) and the 400m (51.38secs), an event in which he broke 50 seconds for the first time recently to go top of the South West U20 rankings.

The blustery conditions certainly didn’t help the sprinters, but for Akinbobola, it was job done and he will face s sterner test this weekend when he represents Wiltshire at the South West Schools’ Championships in Exeter.

Matravers School student Hayden Bailey has been one of the county’s most consistent middle distance runners since he burst onto the scene with a bronze medal in the junior boys’ 800m at the 2015 English Schools’ Championships.

He duly retained his two-lap senior boys’ title on Saturday, while there were also good wins for Ethan Pierce in the 1,500m, Lackham College student Charlie Stockley in the 3000m as the latter carved five seconds off his PB, and St Augustine’s Rory Howorth in the long jump.

Kennet’s Mikael Evloev was a double gold winner in the inter boys’ discus and shot – matching his gold double as a junior last year – and there were also two medals for St Augustine’s all-rounder Peter Adeosun as he won the high jump, in which he equalled his PB of 1.85m, and added silver in the 100m.

Oscar Hennessy Leach, from the Kennet Schools’ team, was a two-time winner in the junior boys’ 80m hurdles and high jump, while Dominic Stapleton claimed an impressive double in the 300m and discus.

There was also a top-class performance from Corsham School’s Theo Spurrell to win the junior boys’ javelin with a PB of 44.55m, which puts him top of the South West rankings for U15 boys’ and inside the top 20 nationally.

Malmesbury School’s Willa Gibb was a double winner in the inter girls’ 100m and 80m hurdles and Kennet’s Harriet Eyles scooped two golds in the senior 400m and shot.

Kennet’s Charlotte Longden won the inter girls’ 200m and long jump titles and Warminster School’s Megan Galpin set a season’s best of 38.93m to win the inter girls’ javelin.

Other double medal winners included Amy Warre, Daisy Goodall and Delleah Belgrave.

Wiltshire Schools’ Track & Field Championships, Swindon (K-Kennet; NW=North West Wiltshire; S=Swindon; Sa=Salisbury; WW=West Wilts)

Senior boys 100: 1 Charlie Curry (K) 12.25; 2 Michael McDonagh (NW) 12.57; 3 Joseph Bristow (S) 12.92; 200: 1 Femi Akinbobola (K) 23.26; 2 Charlie Curry (K) 24.84; 3 Michael McDonagh (NW) 25.32; 400: 1 Akinbobola (K) 51.38; 2 Alex Clothier (K) 54.97; 3 Joel Mattacks (WW) 60.70; 800: 1 Hayden Bailey (WW) 2:01.92; 2 Ellery Cole (NW) 2:02.73; 1500: 1 Ethan Pierce (NW) 4:28.04; 3000: 1 Charlie Stockley (NW) 9:20.45; 2 Dan Poynting (Sa) 9:29.27; 3 James Wright (NW) 9:33.58; Hammer: 1 Josh Ricketts (S) 52.42; SP: 1 Ricketts 12.76; Jav: Joss Ferguson (K) 40.39; LJ: 1 Rory Howorth (WW) 6.95; 2 Ferguson 5.97; 3 Mattacks 5.23; HJ: 1 Clothier 1.67.

Inter boys – 100: 1 Matthew Bark-Churchill (K) 12.17; 2 Omario Henry (Sa) 12.21; 3 Joe Carter (NW) 12.42; 200: 1 Josh Dyer (Sa) 23.65; 2 Henry 23.84; 3 Lanre Alli (K) 23.99; 400: 1 Joseph Knibb (S) 54.75; 2 Ty Bryan (S) 58.25; 3 Josh Villanueva (Sa) 59.41; 800: 1 Owen Lythell (WW) 2:04.48; 2 Robert Jones (Sa) 2:06.48; 3 James Gordon (WW) 2:07.05; 1500: 1 Will Morris (K) 4:30.11; 2 Jack Latus (NW) 4:31.75; 3 James Rankin-Acosta (S) 4:43.43; 100H: 1 Jake Cover (NW) 14.94; 2 Peter Adeosun (WW) 15.5; 3 Edward George (K) 15.97; 400H: 1 Alex Martin (S) 59.55; 1500 S/C: 1 Patrick Mochan (S) 4:58.68; 2 Alasdair Edington (K) 5:57.30; 3000: 1 Ollie Campbell (NW) 9:29.83; 2 Toby Brawn (Sa) 9:29.95; 3 Harry Woods (S) 9:45.91; Hammer: 1 Owen Merrett (NW) 50.30; 2 James Viner (NW) 48.44; 3 Harry Ricketts (S) 40.86; DT: 1 Mikael Evloev (K) 40.38; 2 Viner 29.97; 3 Tyler Kennett (NW) 27.10; SP: 1 Evloeve 13.10; 2 Charlie Maculan (K) 11.09; 3 Carlos Fernando (Sa) 10.87; Jav: 1 Merrett 40.47; 2 Robert Jones (Sa) 34.51; 3 Callum Kealey (Sa) 33.29; LJ: 1 Ransford Ako-Nai (WW) 5.93; 2 Max Savage (NW) 5.85; 3 Edward Tan (K) 5.69; TJ: 1 Ben Snow (Sa) 12.58; 2 James Rankin-Acosta (S) 11.24; 3 Aiden O’Neill (NW) 11.22; HJ: 1 Adeosun 1.85; 2 Theo Cochrane (Sa) 1.75; 3 Leon Perry (NW) 1.59.

Junior boys – 100:1 Luke Reeve (Sa) 12.53; 2 Leo Chivers (WW) 12.54; 3 Sam Hughes (NW) 12.66; 200: 1 Chivers 25.20; 2 Tye Stroud (S) 25.87; 3 Ruben Fenton-Brown (WW) 25.98; 300: 1 Dominic Stapleton (WW) 39.33; 2 Declan O’Neill (NW) 40.70; 3 Tim Hook (K) 41.96; 800: 1 Takuma Yokoyama (NW) 2:13.23; 2 Jack Campbell (K) 2:16.50; 3 Morgan Lythell (WW) 2:19.90; 1500: 1 Archie Loweth (K) 4:41.41; 2 Toby Baker (WW) 4:46.09; 3 Henri Cotineau (NW) 4:48.06; 80H: 1 Oscar Hennessey-Leach (K) 12.92; 2 Jack Campbell (K) 13.4; 3 Charlie Staddon (WW) 14.41; LJ: 1 Monty Viant (K) 5.51; 2 Lewis Smith (Sa) 5.32; 3 Jack Rinaldi (Sa) 5.31; TJ: 1 Frank Harrison (S) 10.40; 2 Scymon Koneczny (WW) 9.38; 3 Isaac Englefield (K) 9.27; HJ: 1 Hennessey-Leach 1.65; 2 Monty Viant (K) 1.57; 3 AJ Bull (WW) 1.57; Jav: 1 Theo Spurrell (NW) 44.55; 2 Dan Smith (S) 33.14; 3 Doug Rogan Rae (K) 32.58; Discus: 1 Stapleton 22.75; 2 Liam Pawlaczek (S) 21.70; 3 Charlie Matthews (K) 21.13; SP: 1 Reeve 10.95; 2 Dan Smith (S) 10.23; 3 Martin Sheehan (Sa) 10.00.

Senior girls – 400: 1 Harriet Eyles (K) 62.20; 2 Hum Hunt-Davis (NW) 68.30; 800: 1 Isobel Horsfield (Sa) 2:29.56; 2 Sophie Capel (S) 2:35.56; 3 Becky Service (Sa) 2:38.69; 1500: 1 Alice Sullivan (Sa) 5:15.10; 1500 S/C: 1 Catriona Edington (K) 5:40.76; 400H: 1 Hannah New (S) 73.70; HJ 1 Hermione Warburton-Hogben (K) 1.55; TJ: 1 Amelie Harrison (S) 8.33; LJ: 1 Robyn Ellison (WW) 5.38; 2 Warburton-Hogben 4.61; SP: 1 Eyles 9.59; Jav: 1 Ottalie Knight (Sa) 40.45; Discus: 1 Georgia Pickford (K) 29.69.

Inter girls – 100: 1 Willa Gibb (NW) 13.67; 2 Phoebe Card (WW) 13.83; 3 Gabriella Kirkham (Sa) 14.20; 200: 1 Charlotte Longden (K) 27.2; 2 Amelia Lewis (Sa) 27.58; 3 Indie Boyd (NW) 27.98; 300: 1 Imogen Davies (K) 44.44; 2 Imogen Primmer (Sa) 47.41; 3 Rosie Craven (NW) 53.13; 800: 1 Imogen Tanner (Sa) 2:27.13; 2 Amelia Skittrall (S) 2:31.40; 3 India Ibbotson (NW) 2:31.98; 1500; 1 Bea Wood (Sa) 4:41/03; 2 Isabella Wolsey (Sa) 5:04.28; 3 Sophie Smith (K) 5:06.36; 1500S/C: 1 Ayla Tonkin (S) 5:54.51; 3000: 1 Matilda Norman (K) 12:29.45; 80H: 1 Gibb 12.30; 2 Abby Littlejohns (Sa) 13.8; 3 Sophie Martin (NW) 13.37; 300H: 1 Littlejohns 48.48; 2 Mia Bates (NW) 50.50; HJ: 1 Molly Hole (Sa) 1.69; 2 Saskia Darling (NW) 1.52; 3 Tallulah Baker (K) 1.41; TJ: 1 Daisy James (NW) 9.00; 2 Flora Dennes (Sa) 8.59; 3 Sammy Kirk (WW) 8.00; LJ: 1 Gabriella Kirkham (Sa) 5.48; 2 Longden 5.19; 3 Baker 5.01; Hammer: 1 Anna Merritt (Sa) 50.79; SP: 1 Molly Hole (Sa) 11.74; 2 Georgie Clarke (Sa) 10.59; 3 Grace Oge-Evans (NW) 9.00; Discus: 1 Merritt 35.10; 2 Connie Wood (NW) 23.89; 3 Rachel Watson (Sa) 19.00; Jav: 1 Megan Galpin (WW) 38.93; 2 Lucy Wilkinson (Sa) 38.03; 3 Catherine Westley (WW) 31.55.

Junior girls – 100: 1 Delleah Belgrave (S) 13.4; 2 Amelia Watling (Sa) 13.71; 3 Daisy Goodall (NW) 13.71; 200: 1 Goodall 28.54; 2 Lottie Miller (Sa) 29.24; 3 Daisy Reynolds (K) 29.72; 300: 1 Ophelia Pye (K) 41.60; 2 Sophie Cowey (Sa) 42.89; 3 Beth Davidse (S) 43.51; 800: 1 Freya Buglass (WW) 2:17.16; 2 Kelly Marsh (S) 2:22.16; 3 Lily Jones (Sa) 2:25.06; 1500: 1 Alicia Finnis (Sa) 5:04.94; 2 Naryani Costa-Jafrate (NW) 5:20.14; 3 Star Horlock (K) 5:30.37; 75H: 1 Amy Warre (NW) 12.29; 2 Anise Mellodey (Sa) 12.81; 3 Lily Mallinson (NW) 13.25; HJ: 1 Jessica Kinneir (S) 1.45; 2 Livvy Hewlett (Sa) 1.45; 3 Tallulah Mackenzie-Smith (NW) 1.42; LJ: 1 Watling 5.43; 2 Belgrave 5.34; 3 Warre 5.17; Jav; 1 Jasmin Galila (Sa) 33.31; 2 Poppy Dixon-Clarke (K) 26.97; 3 Jemima Rundell (NW) 26.31; Discus: 1 Lottie Miller (Sa) 23.48; 2 Farley Pfitzner (NW) 20.20; 3 Mary Bee Ashua (NW) 17.51; Hammer: 1 Jolie Littlejohns (Sa) 34.48; SP: 1 Caitlin Mander (WW) 9.30; 2 Mackenzie Wise (Sa) 8.74; 3 Emma Smith (NW) 8.51.