A QUARTET of Herts Phoenix Athletics Club's most promising young athletes showed their potential with sterling performances in the South East Regional Combined Event Championships during the weekend of June 29 and 30.

Representing Hertfordshire Schools, Pat Barrett, Laura Jones, Robert Rumble and Hayley Kruse all impressed with Barrett, Jones and Rumble all qualifying for the National Schools Championships in September.

Barrett was first in action on Saturday, as part of a four-man Hertfordshire Under-15 boys pentathlon team that took on teams from the likes of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire and London.

Although Herts finished second to Surrey, Barrett finished third overall in the event to claim a berth at the National Championships, even though his team failed to qualify.

After steady results in the 80m hurdles, shot putt, long jump and high jump, Barrett was in eighth place going into the final event, the 800m.

With only the top three guaranteed a place in the nationals, Barrett stormed round the course in a personal best time of 2.15.5 to win the race jumping into third place overall and book his place.

Laura Jones also started her event the demanding Under-17 girl's heptathlon on Saturday, the first time she had ever taken part in the discipline.

After more than six months out of action after suffering a stress fracture, Jones who won the Under-15 pentathlon last year set a new personal best in the shot putt and recorded steady scores in the 80m hurdles, high jump and 200m to finish the day in third, with the Herts heptahlon team in first.

Jones' form slightly dipped on the Sunday, but a personal best of 19.42m in the javelin helped the team to victory and Jones to fourth overall over London, ensuring a place in the National Championships.

In the Under-17 boy's octathlon, Rumble produced three personal bests in the long jump, discus and javelin to finish the first day in seventh place and Herts in second overall.

Rumble continued his impressive form into day two although going into the final event, the 1,500m, he still lay in seventh with Herts now up into second place, behind Surrey.

However, in the 1,500m, Rumble led two of his colleagues home to win the race in a personal best of 4.33.00 to finish in third individually and help Herts take the team title.

Representing her county for the first time, Kruse showed promise for the future with three personal bests in the Under-15 girl's pentathlon to finish in eighth place individually and help Herts finish in second, just missing out on qualification for the National Championships.

July 3, 2002 17:00