MARK CROWLEY led the local charge as St Albans and Harpenden athletes helped Hertfordshire to their best English Schools Athletics Championships for years.

The St Columba's College pupil was one of seven gold medalists as the cream of county athletics tasted unparalleled success at the Don Valley Stadium.

As well as Crowley's gold, St Albans School's Tom Bedford and Beaumont School's Nicola Dudman scooped silver medals as ten local athletes all played their part in a memorable weekend.

There was also a gold medal for St Albans' Ellie Spain, although her adopted county Leicestershire took the points for her success in the pole vault.

And although the seven other local stars in action were unable to bring a medal back from South Yorkshire, they all played their part by picking up a procession of points after some brilliant performances.

Crowley was the undoubted star though, striking gold at his third championships in the Intermediate Boys high jump.

The 16-year-old headed north ranked second in England for his age group, but went one better by finishing a tense contest in first.

The winning height of 1.99m was some way short of his personal best, but was enough to secure two points for a National Standard height and put him among Hertfordshire's golden greats.

Crowley will now represent England in the Home Nations international in Blackpool this weekend, where he will be joined by middle-distance marvel Bedford.

The son of long-distance legend David, Bedford had seen his build-up to the championships hampered by a leg injury picked up when he qualified by winning the county schools championships.

The lay-off seemed to affect him at the start of the Intermediate Boys 1,500m steeplechase and although he forced his way to the front with 300m left, he was soon overtaken by Daniel Lewis of Middlesex and Graham Dobbs of Humberside.

But a perfect water jump - which had proved his downfall in the county championships - saw the Shaftesbury Barnet star drag himself past Dobbs into second spot.

Although Lewis was almost two seconds clear when he crossed the line, Bedford was able to add two points to the county's cause with a National Standard time of 4.27.85 - a new personal best.

The third local athlete to book her place in the England side that will tackle Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, was Beaumont School's Nicola Dudman.

A straight final in the Intermediate Girls shot putt gave her little time to adjust to the daunting surroundings of the huge stadium, but Dudman didn't need it.

She was soon into her stride with a throw of 11.03m, which was enough to secure her silver - one five Hertfordshire brought back - and two points for beating the National Standard distance, albeit by just seven centimetres.

But the secret of Hertfordshire's success in Sheffield ran far deeper than the seven golds, five silvers and five bronze medals.

The best overall performance in recent memory saw 29 out of 33 competing athletes reach the final of their chosen events and more often than not, add an extra point or two for surpassing the National or Entry Standards.

St George's School's Jessica Nugent was a perfect example. The former English Schools Cross Country champion has not had the best of seasons out on the track, but cast aside her stuttering form in the Intermediate Girls 3,000m.

Although she had little recent form to fall back on and found herself up against a classy field, Nugent still played her part in the county success with a brave run.

Somerset's Courtney Birch romped home in first as expected, but with Chloe Wilkinson coming third and Nugent resisting the challenge from behind to hang on to fourth spot, she had plenty to celebrate at the tape.

Her time of 10.07.70 was also inside the National Standard and saw another point added to the tally.

There was a similar success story in the Senior Girls 1,500m, where St Albans Girls' School's Jade Wright justified her place in the Sheffield-bound party.

This season's times suggested Wright would finish in the top six and by improving a personal best set only two weeks ago, she lived up to the expectations.

The 17-year-old smashed four seconds off her time and crossed the line in 4.39.94, to earn a point for Entry Standard and more importantly for Wright, a place in the United Kingdom training squad.

Another STAGS starlet also had something to celebrate further down the age scale as Hollie Lungren produced a memorable performance at her first-ever English Schools Championships.

Competing in the Junior Girls high jump in the biggest meeting of her life, the St Albans Godfrey Davis athlete managed to pick up a point for an Entry Standard height.

Lungren was one of five jumpers to bow out of the competition at 1.55m, but ended in joint ninth spot courtesy of the countback system.

There were two other local athletes competing at the national showpiece for the first time and again, both Troye Pienaar of Marlborough School and Robert Dudman, brother of gold medallist Nicola, showed few signs of stagefright.

Beaumont's Dudman was unable to match his big sister's heroics, but still earned Hertfordshire some points in the Junior Boys hammer. Proving that the throwing skills run in the family, Dudman hurled an Entry Standard 39.94 to finish fifth and hammer out a warning that he could be a medal contender come 2001.

Pienaar looked in fine form as he stormed into the semi-finals of the Junior Boys 400m with second place in his heat. His time of 54.30 was comfortably inside the Entry Standard time. But Pienaar was troubled by an injury to his left leg and struggled in his semi, finally coming home in eighth but still with a point to show from his debut.

Another sprinter to suffer from injury was last year's silver medalist Jo Richards. The Marlborough School star sped into the semi-finals by finishing her heat fourth in 12.64secs, but then struggled with her fitness in her second race and was forced to settle for a disappointing eighth.

Disappointment was also the name of the game for another medallist last year, Stephen Murphy. The St Albans School middle-distance man picked up a bronze at Bury St Edmonds last year, but failed to make an impact in a tough Senior Boys 1,500m and had to settle for ninth place in 4.4.81.