A WHOLE host of athletes from the south of the county helped Essex’s under-17 team to third place at the Southern Intercounties match at Portsmouth.

And three of those teenagers managed to bag A-string victories on the day: Jodie Judd, Kieran Pottle and Kristian Brown.

Judd, from Canvey, was a comfortable winner in the 3,000m (10m 13.16s) while Southend AC’s Pottle won the long jump with a leap of 6.37m.

Basildon AC’s Brown threw a new personal best of 52.35m to win the javelin and also won the B-string shot with a putt of 11.11m.

Victoria Hiscock (Benfleet RC) finished as runner-up in the 1,500m (4m 47.7s) as did Basildon AC’s Lewis Beard, whose 13.8s clocking in the 100m hurdles was a new PB.

Southend AC’s Billy Praim-Singh threw 55.56m in the hammer to finish second and was fifth in the shot (11.56m), while Southend High School for Boys’ Bradley Barrett was third in the pole vault (3.60m) and Lois Wightman third in the shot (10.63m).

There were B-string wins for Basildon AC duo Ollie Cantwell (1,500m steeplechase 4m 59.9s) and Mae Bullman (high jump 1.55m), with Bullman also getting a PB in the triple jump (10.76m).

Southend AC sprint pair Sophie Rickner and Shereen Raouf had a busy afternoon, covering a host of events.

Rickner set a new PB of 26.2s in the 200m and clocked a season’s best in the 100m (12.9s), while Raouf was third in the B-string 300m (42.4s), with both girls taking part in the 4x100m relay and Raouf the 4x300m.

Other south Essex athletes competing included Dan Ashley (sixth, 1,500 A, 4m 18.4s), Harrison Smith (second, pole vault B 3.20m), Brandon Heath (fourth, triple jump A 12.53m), Rosa Prideaux (fourth, 300m A 42.3s), Frankie Roast (fifth, long jump A 4.91m), Charlotte Skeggs (third long jump B 4.78m), Rachel Eayrs (seventh, javelin A 27.75m), Alice Martin (fourth, javelin B 27.36m).