HEREFORDSHIRE and Worcestershire impressed at the New Balance English Schools National Track and Field Athletics Championships at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.

The team of 23 was selected following a range of district, county and club competitions and nearly doubled their points total from 2018 with 53.

Dylan Menhennet from John Kyrle High in Ross-on-Wye competed in his second championships and won gold in the junior boys' hammer with a national standard throw of 50.66 metres.

His team-mate Adam Rutter (King’s School, Worcester) placed seventh in the same event.

Another national standard performance from Matt Griffin (RSA Arrowvale, Redditch) smashed his personal best to place fourth in the intermediate boys' 100m hurdles.

Will Thorley from South Bromsgrove High had similar success in the senior boys' 400m hurdles with his best time of 55.90 seconds to claim fourth spot.

There were seven qualifiers for the track finals.

Sam Jones (North Bromsgrove High) ran his fastest race time to place fifth in the intermediate boys' 200m.

Another fifth position came from senior girl Florence Ikpeme (Prince Henry’s High, Evesham) in the 100m hurdles clocking 14.47 for a big season’s best time.

Her team-mate and girls' team captain Danielle Hopkins from The Chase, Malvern, was fifth in a close high jump competition.

Charlotte Colbert from St Mary’s High, Hereford, placed sixth in the junior girls' hammer, in her first championships with an entry standard throw of 41.65m.

Another Hereford athlete Eva Tyler (Whitecross) ran 26.07 in the junior girls' 200m, just missing out on a spot in the next round.

Poppy Elton (Malvern St James) had to battle through heats and semi-finals to reach the junior girls' 800m final where she was eighth with all of her times being entry standards.

Ben Brinsdon (Heathfield Knoll, Wolverley) matched his performance from last year in qualifying for a sprint final.

He placed eighth in the intermediate boys' 400m with another entry standard.

The boys’ team captain Josh Pearson (St Augustine’s, Redditch) missed out on a spot in the senior 400m final, having to pull up short of the finish line with injury.

This was Pearson’s fifth and final English schools championships.

Last-minute injury also forced out Nathan Biggs (North Bromsgrove High) from competing in his second nationals but this did not diminish his support of the team.