SOUTH Tyneside's Laura Watt soared to the Entry Standard for the English Schools Championships at Birmingham on July 13/14, with a leap of 1.66m in the senior girls' high jump at the weekend.
The youngster was competing in the Schools Inter-Counties meeting for Durham against Northumbria, Cleveland and Cumbria at Gateshead Stadium on Saturday.
James Lovatt suffered the first defeat of his fledgling career, but still recorded the third
ES time, with 24.07 in the junior boys' 200m, as Cleveland's Robert Hodgson eased in front near the line to win in 23.74.
Tom Derbyshire was fourth in the high jump with 1.56m, while Michael Holmes was out of the medals in the shot with 10.84m in fifth.
Ashleigh Stone was below form in the junior girls' long jump, finishing 43cm down on her county victory with 4.76m, behind the winning leap of 5.04m from Northumberland's Jessica Read.
But already qualified from last week, Stone powered home on the final leg of the 4x100m relay, taking Durham to a resounding victory in 51.11, inside the ES.
Katherine Bulmer missed the ES by 76cm when finishing third in the shot with 9.24m, while Andrew Harle won the intermediate boys' shot with 12.24m, but was short of the 13.20m ES.
India Sharpe finished second in the intermediate girls' high jump, four centimetres down on the 1.59m achieved by Northumberland's Gemma Johnson, with both athletes looking for a height of 1.62m.
Janet Abladey was sixth in the 300m with 42.86, as Durham emerged as overall champions, only 3.5 points ahead of Northumberland, with a total of 558.5.
Cleadon's Andrew Stanton, who missed the schools event, competed in the British Milers Club's meeting at Monkton Stadium, and stormed to an emphatic win in the under-20 men's 800m in a personal best time of 1.52.4.
Staying in second behind Middlesbrough's Andy Teate for 700m, Stanton accelerated into a winning lead down the home straight, taking two seconds off his previous best to go into 11th on the UK under-20 rankings list.
Stanton, just turned 18, has now gained the ES of 1.55 for the senior boys' 800m, and will be selected for Durham in the English Schools Championships next month.
Laura Watt continued her high jump form on Sunday when she won bronze during the North of England Senior and Under-20 Championships at Liverpool. In the under-20 women's section, she recorded 1.60m.
Former Jarrow star Sara Todd, from South Shields, gained two silver medals in the 100m and 400m hurdles, competing for Border AC in the senior category.
