SINCE Christmas, the athletes of Yate & District Athletic Club have been busy, with many competing for Westbury.

Hannah Hobbs, having won the under-20 South West Championships, has been selected to run for England next weekend in Seville, Spain.

In the South West race she ran against senior women, including Ruth Barnes, an established international. For much of the race Hannah kept pace with her older rival and only lost out on the final half lap.

In the younger age groups there was plenty to cheer for the Westbury contingent.

In the under-15 girls particularly there was a fine showing from a trio of girls. Dalis Jones finished in third; Rosie Hamilton-James in fourth, and Katie Howard in sixth.

Two other Westbury girls within the first thirty ensured the club gold for Westbury and county gold for Avon.

Elsewhere there was success for Seamus Robinson in the under-13 boys, finishing fifth; for Ellie Hobbs in the under-17 women, finishing sixth, and for Ben Rawlins, coming home tenth in the under-17 men’s race.

But track athletics does not disappear completely in the cold weather.

Indoor events have grown in number and importance over recent years.

The South West has no indoor track so the regional championship takes place in Cardiff. There were medals for a number of Yate athletes.

Prominent among them was a gold for Phoebe Havard making her debut in the under-13 60m.

Still only ten years old, Phoebe was one of the fastest Avon girls across the age groups.

There were silvers for Megan Williams in the under-17 women’s pole vault, and for Henry Watling in the under-15 boys 800m.

For Luke Ball, moving up into the under-15 boys proved a challenge, though a bronze medal in the long jump would certainly give him encouragement and his best jump of 5.04m was definitely promising.

Ben Latham and Adam Nolan both gained bronze medals in the pole vault, demonstrating that this is an event where Yate athletes are beginning to shine.

Jack Moore and David Thomas travelled to Birmingham for the Midland Indoors Championships.

They found themselves up against Robbie Grabarz, the Olympic bronze medallist. His opening jump of 2.30m was out of the local boys’ league but they managed respectable seventh and ninth places.

Luke Lodge competed in the men’s javelin and took second place with a good throw of 42.10m.

Chloe Phelps also threw the javelin and came a creditable third.