HAYLEY McLean’s fine start to 2012 continued when she won two more medals at the Southern Indoor Championships.

The 17-year-old from Stanford-le-Hope added to the gold she won in the 400m a week earlier by winning again in the 60m hurdles and picking up a silver medal in the long jump.

The Palmer’s College student raced to a personal best of 8.87s to win the under-20 women’s 60m hurdles and posted a distance of 5.19m for second in the long jump.

She will be hoping her good form continues this weekend when she represents England over 400m at the Celtic Cup in Cardiff.

There were silver medals too for a trio of south Essex teenagers.

Southend High School for Girls’ Poppy Lake, 16, was agonisingly close to a gold medal in the under-17 women’s high jump after matching eventual winner Robyn Pettitt’s 1.70m clearance, but the Hockley-based teenager lost out on countback.

Rayleigh’s Mitch Etheridge cleared 4.20m in the under-20 men’s pole vault to claim his silver medal while Basildon AC’s Archie Leeming, from Canvey, carried on from his fine 2011 season with a silver, personal best and equal club record in the under 17 men’s shot putt, with a putt of 12.76m.

FitzWimarc School’s Daniel Stratton was sixth in the under-17 men’s high jump with a clearance of 1.80m, while Basildon AC’s James Tydeman made his second final in as many weeks, finishing seventh in the senior men’s 1,500m a week after placing fourth in the 800m.

Another of Basildon’s senior distance runner was Anna Whitfield who also placed seventh (5m 00.88s) in her 1500m.

Basildon AC’s Great Britain international Kim Wall made her return to competitive action for the first time since last summer, running a 7.78s 60m, while club-mate Mark Dyble ran 7.19 in his 60m effort.

There were also plenty of personal bests recorded by south Essex athletes.

Southend AC’s Charlie Dack, 20, ran 6.92s in the senior men’s 60m, while Seevic’s Ryan O’Sullivan clocked a best time of 7.12s in the under-20 men’s race and Southend AC’s Jake King, 18, went slightly faster (7.06s).

Basildon AC’s Matthew Scott competed well in the under 17 men’s 60m hurdles by running a personal best in his heat (8.62) before just missing out in the semi-final (8.70).