JOHN Howorth will deserve an easy week of training after impressive back-to-back 1,500m races over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The 17-year-old, from Hilperton, first travelled to Watford for the British Milers’ Club Grand Prix and was rewarded with a personal best of 3mins 55.35secs to leap to fifth in the South West U20 men’s rankings.

Howorth mounted a strong last lap to come though and finish fourth in the D race, and on that evidence, should be capable of slicing a few more seconds off that time this season.

There was certainly no time to celebrate that PB, as it was straight home before heading to Cardiff the following day for the second Youth Development League U20/17s match at Cardiff.

Representing Team Avon, Howorth won the U20s race in 4.02.59.

Family honour was also at stake, as he beat his younger brother and team-mate Rory, who did his job to claim maximum points by winning the B race in 4.04.60.

To round off a terrific weekend, John linked up with is twin brother Robert, plus Bratton’s Hayden Bailey, to win the 4x400m relay in 3mins 22.82secs.

That gave Team Avon a huge winning margin of 14 seconds, and on the current UK Rankings, is the second fastest time recorded this summer, only beaten by the British U20s team.

The victory and a strong showing overall wasn’t quite enough to defeat hosts Cardiff AC, with just 41 points separating the pair at the end. At the halfway stage of the competition, Team Avon are still in pole position with two matches remaining.

Earlier in the meeting, Bailey, a student at Matravers School, won the U20s 800m in 1:58.45 and added maximum points with first place in the 400m B event in a PB of 50.78secs.

St Laurence School student Jenna Blundell won the U20s 100m hurdles in 14.66, with Daunstey’s Imogen Dawes-Lane completing a double in the B event, clocking 15.09secs.

After a below-par performance the previous weekend, Hilperton’s Caitlin Wosika bounced back to win the U20s 1,500m steeplechase in 5.12.29, which is an English Schools’ entry standard.

Ellie Mount won the U17 women’s 80m hurdles in 12.06secs, while Team Avon again impressed in the relays by winning both the 4 x100m in 50.24secs, and the 4x300m in 2:53.94.

There were also wins in B events for Dawes-Lane (U20s 200m, 26.13), Ellery Cole (U17s 400m hurdles, 67.35), Devizes School’s Will Scammell (U17s long jump, 5.64m) and Imogen Leakey (U17s 200m, 25.36).

There were also numerous second places in A events, including Marcin Olech (U20s long jump, 6.04m), Renee Jelf (U20s high jump, 1.58m), Becci Ousby (U20s triple jump, 9.90m) and Gabriella Holt (U20s hammer, 39.93m), Ellery Cole (U17s 800m, 2:05.24), Will Scammell (U17s 100mH, 14.71), Harry Meredith (U17s 400mH, 57.82) and Rory Howorth (U17s shot, 12.08m).

Additionally, second B places went to Otto Copping (U20s 3000m, 10:27.38), Gabriella Holt (U20s discus, 20.65m) and Sophie Martin (U17s 80mH, 12.80).

  • COMPETING in the second Avon Open Meeting at Yate last week, Alderton runner Eleanor Webster broke 2mins 20secs for the first time with a PB of 2:18.54 in the U17s 800m, shaving almost two seconds off her 2017 best.

  • AVON Valley Runners’ international Ruth Barnes finished 12th woman in the Vitality London 10k in a time of 34:42. Chippenham-based runner Eilidh Bell was 57th in 37:50.