CAMPBELL’S THE MAN

HAMMER THROWER REVISES PAUL HEAD’S 24-YEAR-OLD CHAMPIONSHIP MARK

MARTIN DUFF

ENTRIES were low, not helped by a fixture clash with the county schools championships.

A few athletes did both. Crawley’s Joe Smith won the Sussex Schools Junior boys 1500m in 4:18.37 and then followed up here with a 3000m under-15 title. His 9:15.74 took him to second on the national rankings for the year for his age group.

Elsewhere the best performances came in the field, with Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow’s hammer throwers leading the way. One of the oldest championship records, that of Paul Head in the senior men’s event, dating from 1992, fell to Taylor Campbell.

His PB 71.39m, a revision by one centimetre, was the only championship record of the meeting and brought him a £100 prize.

Amy Herrington: overcame wet circle for PB

Jake Norris (see p36) took the under-20 event with 71.07m to clinch Campbell’s 2015 title. Windsor’s third hammer title went to Amy Herrington, who was given special dispensation by Oxfordshire Schools to miss their championships and won with a 55.40m PB.

Taylor Campbell: added 47cm to his PB

GARY MITCHELL

Herrington’s win came despite a dispute with officials over the wet state of the circle following the Sunday morning rains. “I asked them to sweep it but they said it could only be done at the start of each round,” she said. “I was throwing last so was at an unfair disadvantage, so I used my towel to dry it.”

Another Windsor thrower in form was senior men’s shot winner Joey Watson, who recorded 16.79m, while Sophie McKinna threw 16.61m to take the women’s equivalent. “I’ve been out with a bit of an injury,” said the 18.41m thrower, before adding of the arena: “The atmosphere was a bit flat.”

Sam Plumb (419): wins 400m hurdles ahead of Gwilym Cooper (385) in 51.99

In the hammer, Louisa James had a 59.73m opener, one of five legitimate efforts.

Four 800m titles on the trot for Dale Clutterbuck

On the track, Dale Clutterbuck gained his fourth successive 800m title, taking into account indoors and outdoors, before a serious attempt to seek a 1500m Olympic qualifying time. He ran a perfectly judged and even paced race, winning in 1:51.14 after a 1:51.07 heat.

Jonathan Ilori: triple jump winner

Philippa Lowe: 53.07 PB for 400m win

Other winners were Adam Hickey, who dominated the 5000m to win in 14:14.31 and Sam Plumb’s 400m hurdles of 51.99, although third-placed

Gwilym Cooper was quicker in his heat at 51.70.

Bonne Buwembo: 68.46m to win the javelin

Naomi Taschimowitz and Sophia Parvizi-Wayne shared the pace in the combined women’s senior and under-20 championship 3000m before both collected titles in 9:33.12 and 9:39.97. It was the third year in succession that Parvizi-Wayne had done so in the junior age group.

Deborah Willis (180): late burst to win the 200m

There were spirited 1500m wins for Will Perkin, who blasted off of the final bend to take the under-20 race, and Michael Wilsmore in the men’s event where a 60-second final lap yielded victory in 3:44.48.