Young Stevenage athlete Renee Hector has had a couple of early birthday presents. The 12 year old, who becomes a teenager this Saturday, won the Herts county championships under-15s discus title in Watford on Saturday with a huge throw of 29.53m. The John

Young Stevenage athlete Renee Hector has had a couple of early birthday presents.

The 12 year old, who becomes a teenager this Saturday, won the Herts county championships under-15s discus title in Watford on Saturday with a huge throw of 29.53m.

The John Henry Newman School pupil, who has only been throwing for less than a year, is a member of Stevenage and North Herts AC.

She is already eighth in the UK for her age group and is now waiting to hear if she has been selected to represent the county in the English Schools' Championships in July.

The all-round sportswoman is also a talented footballer.

She found out on Friday that she had successfully trialled to play football for Watford Girls under-14s next season. This will be her third year at their centre of excellence.

* Samantha Cutler was a winner in the Bedfordshire and Luton Schools' Track and Field County Championships last Wednesday at Bedford.

This was as part of the Mid Beds and Samuel Whitbread Community College teams and she took the gold medal in the intermediate girls' 1500m.

She also ran in Ramsey in Cambridgeshire on Sunday in the Abbey 10k road race.

Sam set a new personal best for this course, taking more than four minutes off her time from last year. She finished 139th overall, 15th lady home, and was first in her age group (15-16 years).

* North Herts Road Runner Peter Scrowther made the journey to Howe Street in Essex on Friday evening in search of a five-mile race to challenge his personal best time.

He had already beaten his best at the mid-week league in Welwyn the night before but frustratingly, the Garden City course is slightly short of five-miles long.

In the end, Peter set a new M45 club record in the Howe Street 'Friday 5' finishing in a new, officially recognised, best of 30:47.

Michael Mello travelled to Cambridgeshire for the multi-terrain Abbey 10k on Sunday. Despite the rough surface, he completed the course in 77th place in 43:13.

Keiron McGill took part in the Barts and the London Charity 10k, a three-lap race around Hackney's Victoria Park. Although he started the race strongly, Keiron missed out on a new personal best on this occasion but still recorded a fast time of 38:54.

* Three Fairlands Valley Spartans ran the Furth Marathon, near Nuremberg, on Sunday.

The race is run in aid of Downs Syndrome in the lively and beautiful town of Furth in Bavaria, Germany.

Times: Roger Biggs 3-34:19, Paul Holgate 4-32:47, Mark Sanders 4-41:49.

In the specially arranged relay over the marathon course, in which every leg was run by individuals with Downs Syndrome, 14-year-old Spartan Matthew Holgate ran the leg from 35k-38k in 17:10.

All runners then regrouped at the 40k mark and ran the final 2k from 40k-42k which Matthew completed in 11:11.

Enjoying the event so much, the individuals then returned to the 40k mark and ran the final 2k again, this time in 12:07.

David Bowker ran in the Hethel Engineering 10-mile road race on Sunday. He was third vet 45 and 11th overall in a time of 62:52.