JAVELIN thrower Katy Watts became the new UK inter-counties champion at Bedford last weekend.

The 24-year-old policewoman, whose family home is in Hook, threw a lifetime best 51.45 metres.

It followed her county record of 50.37m two weeks before in the Hampshire championships at Portsmouth, where she broke the 50-metre barrier for the first time in competition.

Watts was more than five metres better than second-finisher Jo Blair of Warwickshire, who threw 46.14m, and is now ranked second in the UK behind Goldie Sayers, from Cambridge.

Watts, formerly a Basingstoke and Mid-Hants member, now competes for Team Southampton and is coached by Bronwyn Carter at Portsmouth.

The national under-23 silver medallist and national bronze winner of two years ago improved her best to 49.83m, throwing for her new club in the national league last July in Liverpool.

She is getting closer to British number one Sayers, and the AAA championships in July will provide a major opportunity to achieve the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard of 52m.

At the same meeting, Helena Tobin was second in the women's 800m.

Her time of 2min 6.69sec was faster than the previous meeting record.

The 24-year-old was outside her own best of 2:5.72 set at Loughborough the weekend before. She won her heat and then finished close behind Rachel Ogden, of Surrey, who clocked 2:6.05, in the final.

Just outside the medals was Basingstoke's Tracy Joseph, who was fourth in the long-jump with 6.06m.

Her husband, Rafer Joseph, threw 49.75m to finish eighth in the discus final.

Other Basingstoke representatives were Hampshire champions Andy Blow, who clocked 49.43sec in the 400m, and Dave Ragan, who was seventh in the mile final in 4:16.9.

Rachel Basford, a Basingstoke and Mid-Hants newcomer, won under-20 gold at the South of England championships at Portsmouth with a lifetime best hammer throw.