Katie Lambert hammers her rivals to strike gold
Katie Lambert was Shropshire's star performer in the English Schools Track and Field Championships.
Lambert is from Cleobury Mortimer and a sixth form student at Ludlow College.
She came home from Gateshead with a gold medal around her neck after winning the senior girls hammer, writes Paul Sanderson.
A stunning throw of 55.99 saw her finish more than a metre clear of her nearest rival, Oxfordshire's Amy Herrington, to claim Shropshire's only gold.
Lambert, this year's Midland Counties under-20s champion, had won the qualifying pool competition with a throw of 53.30m.
Her victory follows up the English Schools gold medal she won as a first year intermediate girl in 2014.
The success also makes up for her disappointment in 2015 when she topped the qualifying group but finished ninth in the final.
Oliver Carvell also impressed in the North East as he landed a silver medal in the junior boys 1500m.
Carvell, from Bridgnorth Endowed School, won his heat before just being edged out in the final.
He finished less than a second behind Surrey's Luke Van Oudsthoorn, having clocked a time of 4.09.12.
But it was ahead of the fastest boy in the country, Cheshire's Alfie Bould, who took home the bronze.
Carvell's training partner, Idsall School's Adrian Lloyd-Davies, delighted coach Stuart Hamilton by coming fourth.
It came in the intermediate boys 800m final with a personal best of 1.54.14, after winning his semi-final in 1.55.28.
Thomas Telford School's Rio Mitcham was another Shropshire star, as he raced to fourth place in the senior boys 200m final.
After winning his heat in 22.42, he then went even quicker in the final in 22.08, just outside his personal best of 21.70.
Shropshire secured another fourth-placed finish when Jack Lambert, from Lacon Childe School and brother of gold medallist Katie, threw the junior boys hammer 50.03m.
Francesca Scott (Corbet School) came second in her heat of the intermediate girls 800 hurdles in 11.69 and went on to finish sixth in the final in 12.14.
Team captain Emily Ball (Marches School, Oswestry) threw another national standard distance and a personal best of 11.90m to place sixth in the senior girls shot final.
Thomas Telford School's Jack Brothers ran really well to qualify for the final of the senior boys 110m hurdles, where he gave an excellent performance to come home seventh in 15.39.
Toby Jones (William Brooke School), who made the team at the 11th hour after being nominated a reserve.
He more than justified his selection by finishing seventh in the junior boys discus with a throw of 35.73m.
Alex Burrows qualified for the final of the senior boys 1500m by winning his heat in 3.58.80, but had to settle for eighth in the final, running 4.02.55.
Hollie Williamson also finished eighth in the senior girls 100m hurdles in 14.86.
Fian Sweeney and Danielle Rowlinson both ran close to their personal bests in the senior girls 3000m. Sweney was ninth in 10.02.20 and Danielle 12th in 10.10.90.
In a strong senior girls team, Francesca Garrot (Idsall School) threw the senior girls javelin 36.96m to finish ninth.
Her training partner, Ellie Vernon, from Thomas Telford School, was 14th in the intermediate girls javelin as she threw 36.91m.
Stan Willis (Shrewsbury Sixth Form College) was just five seconds outside his personal best in the senior boys 3000m as he came home 10th in 8.41.22.
Bethan Evans, in her first English Schools Championships, competed well to finish 16th in the intermediate girls triple jump, recording 10.54m.
Shropshire finished eighth overall out of 16 Group C counties.
The junior boys team of Carvell, Jack Lambert and Toby Jones were third in Group C for their age group and the senior girls team, led by gold medallist Lambert were fourth.
