Hercules Wimbledon AC round-up: Scales to compete for England after silver medal in long jump event in Birmingham

Mabel-Rose Scales, pictured, produced the best performance of a fledgling high-jumping career to take English Schools Inter-Girls silver last weekend in Birmingham.

Scales, representing London Schools, initially jumped a new PB of 1.71m for a tie for second place with Essex’s Ruby Tillson, writes George Mallett.

With the first of only two international vests going to event winner Matilda Secker of Kent it was decided a jump-off between Scales and Tillson would take place five hours later.

Despite failing at her first attempt at 1.71m, Scales passed second time before clearing 1.74m at her first attempt. It was enough to see her beat Tillson and earn representation for England on July 15 in Grangemouth, Scotland against the best from the host country, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Also making the trip up north will be George Johnson. Johnson came sixth in this competition last year but threw close to his best to take inter-boys silver in the javelin on Sunday.

His 59.14m throw was enough to edge Charlie Mason of Gloucestershire into bronze with Thomas Rutter of Hertfordshire well clear in the gold medal position.

Freddie Arkell was the fastest in his heat in the 200m this time last year but had to pull out of that final. He duly completed the comeback this year with silver in the senior boys race, running 22.00, behind Otis Irwin.

Arkell is a previous medallist over 100m in the junior boys but has waited three years to repeat the feat and will look forward to representing England in July.

Also competing in Birmingham over the two days were Neva Jansen in the junior girls discus, who finished fifth.

Her 29.10m throw was less than 30cms short of her PB.

Connor Kelly finished seventh in the inter-boys 200m final in a time of 22.66swith Isabella Harrison sixth in the junior girls 1,500m in 4:46.22.

Charlie Wyllie had a busy weekend of 1,500m running. Less than 24 hours after finishing fourth in the Watford Grand Prix 1,500m C race he won the Southern inter-counties title in Oxford.

Wyllie finished the last 400m stronly to clock 3.47.07 in Watford but he was annoyed at not taking the race on earlier.

He would repeat that tactic to greater effect a day later. A 56-second final lap saw him run 3:58 to win the title in a Surrey vest.

Andrew Penney nudged his PB two-tenths of a second lower to 3:45.74 finishing seventh in the B race at Watford. In the process he solidified his fifth place on the Hercules’ all-time list.

One place ahead of him on that chart is Charlie Eastaugh, who was 10th in the D race at Watford, running 3:52.91 in a scrappy 1,500m.