SOUTHAMPTON Athletic Club’s magnificent young athletes made history in Bedford over the weekend as they were crowned national champions of the UK Youth Development League.

From the moment team captains Sam Callaway and Josh Wise spoke some inspirational words at the Friday evening team meeting, it was clear the club’s under-13 and under-15 track and field crew were going to give the final everything they had.

And how gloriously they rose to the occasion, leaving Edinburgh and Blackheath & Bromley in their wake to triumph with 612 points.

Small wonder Andy Fisher, the club’s academy head coach, was such a proud man.

“It was a special day, a day the children will remember for the rest of their lives,” he smiled.

“Our U13 and U15 young athletes are now officially the best team in the UK!”

Southampton did it in style too, boasting 13 wins, nine runners-up spots and five third places in the A-string events. The B brigade provided solid back-up with nine wins, four seconds and nine thirds.

Southampton’s U15 hammer boys made a solid start through Josh Douglas (A 1st, 43.17) and Bradley Jenvey (B 2nd, 28.17 personal best) and the U15 girl long jumpers kept the points coming through Jasmyn Allen (A 3rd, 4.99) and Hannah Childs (B 2nd, 4.72).

Harry Crosby (A 2nd, 1.48pb) and Ruben Ormesher (B 5th, 1.25) took care of the U13 high jump, while their female counterparts Maisie Jeger and Lara Scott both cleared 1.48. Scott’s pb earned her A-string silver, with Jeger taking B-string gold.

Oliver Thatcher and Ben Vaughan exceeded expectations in the pole vault – the former leaping to a 2.30pb for A third and the latter clearing two metres for the first time for B silver. Nathan Travers (7.23) and Tommy Brammer (6.76) placed sixth and fifth respectively in the U13 boys’ shot put.

Out on the track, Jess Higgins ran a huge pb of 11.80 seconds for second in the U13 girls’ 70m hurdles but, unfortunately, B-stringer Grace Colmer was disqualified for two false starts.

Harry Crosby achieved another pb for fourth in the U13 boys’ 75m hurdles (13.09), backed by Aidie Purse (B 5th, 15.71), while the girls’ U15 flag was flown by Ettie Hammond (A 4th, 12.45) and Grace Griffiths (B 3rd, 12.43).

The U15 boys’ 80m hurdles brought fifth places for Callum Gregson (13.29) and Wilf McKenzie (12.90) Anna Merritt threw 38.08 for fourth in the U15 girls’ A hammer, brilliantly backed by Jess Bennett’s 34.61 pb which topped the B-string.

Next up was the U15 boys’ long jump and yet another pb for Riley Woodman (A 4th, 5.26). Liam Higgins (4.94) took B fifth.

The U13 shot girls each took a place on the medal podium – Emily Eades-Scott putting 8.63 for A silver and Charlotte Dunkley 7.74 for B bronze. Eades-Scott then made a mad dash to the track, completing a 150m victory double with Tabitha Proudley.

By far the smallest competitor, Nolan Holloway placed fifth in the U13 boys’ 200m and Matt Dyer, who excels over longer distances, was eighth B-stringer.

There was joy and pain in the U15 girls’ 200m. Hannah Childs took A bronze (26.65) but Grace Griffiths was disqualified for a lane infringement. Both Southampton athletes got safely through the U15 boys’ race with Finley Ryves A fourth (24.21) and Jack McDonald B 3rd (25.34).

Boys’ team captain Josh Wise led by example.

He got stuck straight into the action, throwing 38.10 metres to win the U15 boys’ A discus, backed by victorious B-stringer Josh Douglas (36.00) Another throws’ gold came the way of the red and white stripes courtesy of U13 girls’ javelin winner Jasmine Larsen (29.44), while B-stringer Gracie Jenvey was third (21.18).

Lucy-Jane Matthews returned from a torrid two years of injury to clear a 1.55m pb for second in A high jump, with Lucy O’Dell claiming B sixth (1.40).

Maisie Jeger recorded a comfortable U13 girls’ 800m win, backed by B-stringer Abigail Warrington in fifth. For the boys, Tommy Brammer recorded a personal best 2.20.25 for A-string second and B runner Nolan Holloway was fourth.

The U15 boys’ 800m was the closest race of the day – James Jerram throwing himself over the line to win a photo finish in 2.06.49. Callum Gregson claimed B-string seventh. Elizabeth Adamson (8th) and Olivia Reavey (7th) combined for the girls.

The next 45 minutes or so were the golden period in the field where the match was won.

Skipper Wise, fresh from English national success, got the ball rolling in the U15 shot put, striking gold with 13.92. Once again, Douglas proved the ultimate B-stringer, adding one metre to his pb with a 12.14 win.

Two bronze medals followed in the U13 boys’ javelin thanks to Francis Moore (A 32.98 pb) and Matt Dyer (B 24.38) The U15 girls’ discus is a rich event for Southampton with four athletes inside the UK’s top 32. Girls’ team captain Sam Callaway led the way with a winning A throw of 34.94, backed by victorious B-string Anna Merritt (30.38). The U13 girls’ long jumpers matched them point for point thanks to Tabitha Proudley (A 1st, 4.65) and Miasie Jeger (B 1st, 4.49).

Emily Eades-Scott suffered her first league defeat of the season in the U13 girls’ 75m, albeit by just three hundredths of a second to finish A-string runner-up. Tabitha Proudley was third in the B race.

Nolan Holloway and Lewis Drake dashed to double seventh in the U13 boys’ 100m. The U15 girls’ duo Elisha Parham (A 6th, 13.43) and Jasmyn Allen (B 4th, 13.46 pb) added valuable points. You could have thrown a blanket over the U15 boys’ 100m top six – Southampton’s Finley Ryves placing third A-stringer and Wilf McKenzie seventh B-stringer.

Shannon McCosh got one of the loudest cheers of the day, getting over 1.70m in the U15 girls’ pole vault at the third attempt after two really close failures. Another clearance at 1.780 secured here sixth place in the A-string and five valuable points. Alas for her teammate Poppy Wright, she no-heighted.

Josh Wise (A 2nd, 48.49) and Bradley Jenvey (B 2nd, 40.72) produced the goods in the U15 boys’ javelin and, with the rain lashing down, conditions were tough for the U15 boys’ high jumpers, but Callum Gregson (A 5th, 1.60) and Ben Vaughan (B 7th, 1.40) coped well.

The U15 girls’ shot brought another huge points haul with Samantha Callaway winning A gold (11.99) and Anna Merritt B silver (9.45). Callaway later picked up her third gold of the day in the javelin (33.88), backed by B bronze medallist Poppy Wright (26.09).

Harry Crosby and Rubden Ormesher took A/B fifth in the U13 boys’ long jump.

The U15 girls’ 300m yielded A silver for Hannah Childs (42.22), but there was disqualification for B-stringer Grace Griffiths. For the boys, James Jerram ploughed on with an ankle injury to finish seventh and Jack McDonald ran 40.04 for B bronze.

Meg Hulbert and Issy Robinson came twin seventh in the girls’ 1200m Matt Dyer destroyed the rest of the field in lightening quick 4.36.34 in the U13 boys’ 1500m and Ben Brown completed a victory double with 4.50.72 in the B race.

In the U15 girls’ 1500m Izzy Richardson and Phoebe Moriarty-Palios were seventh and sixth respectively while, for the boys, Toby Hale was fifth and Ben Williams third.

Going into the relays the race for glory between Southampton, Edinburgh and Blackheath & Bromley was incredibly tense, but the south coast sprinters didn’t let the club down.

The unbeaten quartet of Jeger, Proudley, Higgins and Eades-Scott won the U13 girls’ 4x100m in 53.85 seconds, while the under-13 boys – Crosy, Ormesher, Drake and Holloway were sixth.

There was sixth place too for the U15 girls 4x100m team of Jones, Hammond, Allen and Parham, the U15 boys’ quartet of Prince, Ryves, McKenzie and Wise came fourth – a position matched by Griffiths, Adamson, Parham and Childs for the U15 girls.

The final race of a glorious day brought fourth spot for the 4x300m boys’ quarter of McDonald, Prince, Liam Higgins and Ryves.

Final scores (top three): Southampton 612, Edinburgh 608.5, Blackheath & Bromley 601.5