ATHLETICS reporter Kevin Fahey rounds up the best of the action from last weekend.

Chippenham’s Owen Merrett finished third in the U20 men’s hammer throw in what was his first entry into the category.

Not that the Sheldon School student was overly happy with his performance as he just missed the silver medal by 35cms.

“I’m not super disappointed that I could not finish higher and did alright really,” said Merrett.

The 16-year-old also revealed he had suffered a knee injury the previous week and that clearly restricted him at Bedford.

“I was nervous on the day as I was not sure how the knee would hold out so I am surprised at how well I threw,” added Merrett.

It is also worth adding that the two rivals in front of him are two years older and were making their final appearance in the championships. In contrast Merrett has two more years in the under 20s age group.

Wiltshire’s Jake Burkey also spent his school years at Sheldon before starting a business management degree at Birmingham University where his ability as a long jumper has blossomed.

At Bedford he produced arguably the best performance of his young life adding 23cms to his previous outdoor best of 7.14m, set in April, with a terrific jump of 7.37m to secure the silver medal and his first success at national level.

That leap also saw the 21-year-old rise to 15th in the UK Rankings and third best in the south west.

Hilperton’s John Howorth has enjoyed a brilliant summer knocking out PB after PB in the 1500m – in fact every time he has raced this season.

That ended in the final of the U23 men’s 1500m on Sunday, but his sixth place in a top-quality field, in which he was one of eight runners who were inside the European Under 23s qualifying standard, is a further sign of just how much he has progressed this year.