SOUTHAMPTON AC are comfortably mid-table after their second fixture of the Southern Athletics League Division One in Bracknell.

It was a potentially difficult encounter due to clashes with road races and the Loughborough International meet, but the club’s youngsters came to the fore.

Owen Lawrence fought off a heavy cold to win the men’s A 400m hurdles in 56.5 seconds, while the Callaway family quite literally had a field day.

Matthew Callaway was second in the men’s discus with a personal best (pb) 40.87 and sister Samantha, a first-year under-17, won her event with a 39.87 pb.

Their dad and coach Dave, a former Great Britain shot put international, rolled back the years to place second with 12.02 in a surprise return from retirement.

With things hotting up on the track, Dan Offiah swept to B 200m victory in a 23.31 pb, backing up his pb-equalling 11.12 over 100m.

Under-17 Hannah Childs, making her senior debut, secured B 200m second in a 25.82 pb. It followed a 12.81 100m lifetime best and Childs also contributed to both relays.

International heptathlete Amaya Scott had an excellent day, winning the A high jump (1.65) and long jump (5.20).

The busy Childs topped the B long jump with a 5.06 pb, while Laura Edwards was by some distance the best female pole vaulter with a dominant 3.65 pb.

Sam Callaway backed up her discus victory as shot runner-up (10.37), while Sarah Ellis put an injury-blighted few years behind her with javelin second (42.06).

Multi-talented Matt Watson, making a welcome return from injury, won the high jump with two metres, the triple jump with 13.40 and the javelin with a season’s best 45.61.

Club stalwart Thomas Rady made it a triple jump double with 11.70 in the B string and was also runner-up in a tight long jump (5.78m) and 110m hurdles (17.49 season’s best).

Pole vaulters Sam Bass-Cooper (4.50m) and Kieran Apps (3.85m) soared to maximum points.

As so often, the distance runners were the backbone of the Southampton team.

Wins for Ellie Monks (4.49.01), Rachel Ayerst (4.59.41), Bryher Bowness (18.15.51) and Claire McErlean (19.11.64) cemented the club's growing reputation as a distance running force.

The men's distance squad were even more dominant.

Under-17 James Jerram blasted to a 1.58.51 800m pb to win the B string.

Alex Wall-Clarke, runner-up in the A 800m (2.00.99), then ran away with the A 1500m (4.09.7), backed by Max Costley (4.11.7) for a metric mile double.

In the 3000m, national cross-country champion Zak Mahamed won by a distance (8.49.30) from fit-again clubmate Niall Holt (8.53.78).

Southampton can look forward to the next match at Linford Christie Stadium, West London, on June 17 full of confidence.

Match result: Bracknell 217, Blackheath & Bromley 196, Southampton 183, Herts Phoenix 168.