A LONG distance runner making his track debut broke a Woodford Green Athletics Club with Essex Ladies junior record which stood for 43 years at a competition in Watford.

Despite competing against mainly senior athletes, Ronnie Spark, 17, achieved a time of 14 minutes 25.10 seconds in the 5000m at the BMC Grand Prix, which is well within the qualifying time required for the European Junior Championships and he also broke Colin Moxom's junior club record.

His elder sister Katherine recorded a personal best over the same distance finishing 9th in the "A" race with 16 minutes 30.93 seconds.

Hywel Care finished runner-up in the 5000m "B" race in 14 minutes 26.57 seconds and improved on his personal best by 7.5 seconds while Martyn Cryer produced a season's best of 14 minutes 31.64 seconds.

Gavin Lewis, 18, achieved a personal best of 1 minutes 52.35 seconds in the 800m while Alex Cornwall also recorded a personal best with 3 minutes 51.67 seconds in the 1500m. In total six athletes from Woodford Green achieved personal bests.

Meanwhile, the club's athletes were also in fine form over the weekend at the Welsh Open Championships in Cardiff.

Mark Dry won the hammer with 67.01m and Simon Bennett recorded a season's best in the javelin of 63.61m, which secured second place.

On the track, Elaine O'Neil took the 100m title with 11.91 seconds in spite of having to run into a strong wind while Tom Phillips finished 8th in the 1500m after recording a personal best of 3 minutes 55.76 seconds.

Athletes from the club also represented Great Britain at the Junior international in Mannheim, Germany.

Eugene Ayanful ran over the line first for the GB under-20 4x100m relay team, which also included Junior Ejehu.

Completing a busy weekend were athletes competing in the National Junior League in Eton.

Anthony Oshodi won athlete of the match award after a winning shot effort of 16.16m while Peter Clarke also recorded a personal best of 62.71m in the hammer.

There was also good news for Woodford Green triathlete Becky Hewitt, who will represent Great Britain in the European Triathlon Championship in Italy.

She will compete in the open water swim, bike and run course as part of a three member relay team.

Hewitt's performance at the selection race in Eton three weeks ago convinced the judges she should be chosen.

Meanwhile, the Loughton women's team won their section of the Eastern Veterans' League match while the men finished second at the event in Cambridge.

Loughton women scored 70 points, Chelmsford finished second on 68 and Cambridge finished third on 39.

The men finished second on 48 points but Chelmsford won with 52. Southend finished third with 46 and Cambridge came fourth with 32.

In the women's events Michaela Davis cleared a height of 1 meter 60 in her first pole vault competition while Tanya Blundy finished second in the 800m.

Jean Hobbs won the 3000m in a club record time of 14 minutes 40.3 seconds while Barbara Higgins won the 400m and Kate Merritt finished first in the javelin.

In the men's contest Jim Harrison won the pole vault, javelin and 400m hurdles, while Peter Cassidy took first place in the 1 mile walk.

David Hobbs set a club record in the triple jump with a distance of 9m 06, which won him the event.

Shaun de Souza Brady, Jim Harrison, David Hobbs and Tony Babbs completed a successful day by winning the 4x100m relay.