Variety is spice of life for girls

Biggleswade AC had two athletes representing the Bedfordshire and Luton Schools at the Eastern Region Combined Events. Alice Middleton competed over two days for her seven events while Helen Brown competed over one day for her five events. Both girls hav

Biggleswade AC had two athletes representing the Bedfordshire and Luton Schools' at the Eastern Region Combined Events.

Alice Middleton competed over two days for her seven events while Helen Brown competed over one day for her five events.

Both girls have been selected for the English Schools' Athletics Championships at Gateshead next weekend, representing Bedfordshire.

Middleton started the senior girls' heptathlon with a personal best in one of her weak events, the 100m hurdles (19.1), followed by another weak event of the high jump (1.24m).

The Samuel Whitbread Community College pupil ended the day on a high with a second place in the 200m, with a new personal and club record of 26.6, and a best in the shot (6.51m).

This left her in fourth place to start the next day's competition. An average long jump (4.44m), below par javelin (21.36m) and ordinary 800m (2:24.8) saw her fourth out of seven.

But she did not progress through to the national finals as there were no teams so the first three go through as individuals.

Middleton also competed in the recent South of England under-20 and senior championships at Crystal Palace.

In the 400m, Middleton was fifth in her heat and produced a personal best and a club record and was only four-hundredths of a second from getting into the final.

In the junior girls' pentathlon of the regional combined events, Holmemead schoolgirl Brown was called up as a replacement.

She held her own over all events and achieved a personal best in the high jump. Brown helped the county to the second team position against Cambs, Norfolk, Suffolk, Northants, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Essex.

Her first events were the 75m hurdles (13.2) and high jump (1.36m).

This was followed by the shot (5.80m) and long jump (3.92m) before the final 800m (2:42.1). She produced the seventh quickest time and this allowed her to finish 11th overall with a new personal best points score and club record.

n Biggleswade runner Gavin Elliott competed in the Colworth Marathon Challenge near Sharnbrook.

The Colworth Challenge is a series of three races held on consecutive days over various distances - five miles, 8.1 miles and half-marathon.

After all three events, Gavin finished in 10th position in a total time for the 26.2 miles in a respectable time of 3-00:11.

Lee Welham also competed in the five-mile race, finishing in an excellent time of 30:02.