BERKSHIRE recorded their best ever results in the English Schools track and field championships at Gateshead on Saturday.

The county won five national titles, as well as five silver medals and three bronzes.

In all, a total of 19 athletes finished in the top six of their events, with a further seven in the top 10.

Stella Bacon, one of the team managers, said: “We knew we had a good team before we went up, but they still exceeded our expectations. We are all very proud of them.”

Four of the gold medals came in the intermediate boys events thanks to Reading’s Blaine Lewis-Shallow in the 400m, hammer thrower Bayley Campbell (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow), Slough long jumper Elliott Thorne and Eton’s Tade Ojura in the 100m hurdles.

Newbury’s Jamie Kheunel won the senior boys’ hammer.

Berkshire’s silver medallists were Team Kennet’s Darcey Fleming in the intermediate girls’ 80m hurdles, senior girl Morven Goodrum (WSEH) in the 3,000m, Matthew Rawlings in the intermediate boys 1,500m, his Reading AC colleague Chey Kemp in the 1,500m steeplechase and Jack Goddard (WSEH) in the intermediate 3,000m.

Third places were recorded by Reading’s Amber-Leigh Hall in the senior girls’ 100m hurdles, Oliver Hewitt (Team Kennet) in the intermediate boys hammer and senior boys long jumper Sam Challis (WSEH).

To seal a brilliant weekend, Berkshire were clear winners of the intermediate boys Group B and senior girls Group B team events, while finishing runners-up to Derbyshire in the intermediate girls Group B table.

And they also won the Bradford Cup for most points in the whole of the Group B events. Their total of 177 points left them a massive 64 points clear of runners-up Devon in the 16-county table.

As a result of their outstanding achievements, intermediate athletes Fleming, Lewis Shallow, Rawlings, Kemp, Campbell, Ojura, Goddard and Campbell were all selected to represent England against Scotland and Ireland in an international match at Ashford, Kent, this Saturday.

Mrs Bacon said: “This is a record number for Berkshire and was the icing on the cake of a great two days of outstanding performances.”

  •  READING Blue Coat School athlete Matt Treston was crowned national Under 20 110m hurdles champion following a superb victory at the England U20 & U23 Championships in Bedford recently.

The talented Year 13 pupil’s win – achieved with a personal best of 13.48secs – means he qualifies for the 2016 World U20 Championships in Athletics in Bydgoszcz, Poland later this month.

Treston was also recently offered a place at the prestigious Stanford University in California, but has instead taken up sport and academic scholarships at the University of Arizona in Phoenix, US.