LOUIS Sellers no longer has a half share in the Hampshire Schools' intermediate boys' 400 metres Championship best.

As of Saturday, the 16-year-old owns the record lock, stock and barrel after flying round one circuit of Portsmouth's Mountbatten Centre track in an impressive 48.7 seconds.

It was at the same venue last month that the Winton GCSE student from Andover - a member of the Winchester & District Athletics Club - roared to the Hampshire under-17 title in 48.58 seconds, ranking him second outdoors in his age group this year behind Leicester's 800m specialist Grant Baker.

He has also won the South of England title this summer and will be hotly tipped to bring a medal back from the English Schools' Championships in Gateshead next month (July 9/10) and the AAA under-17s.

Less than three hours separated the heats from the final on a blustery afternoon at Portsmouth on Saturday, yet Sellers purred round the track like a well-oiled machine, leaving his nearest rival, Kieron Lakeland of Eastleigh & Winchester, some four seconds behind in silver medal spot.

Afterwards the youngster revealed that he not only uses the services of a physical therapist, Bob Flynn, to keep him in peak physical condition, but he has recently discovered the benefits of a Thai body massage.

He said: "The guy uses his hands and his feet to stretch and extend all the muscles and you come away feeling a lot taller and lighter. I've had it done three times now before big events and it seems to work."

Sellers's electric form spelt more bad news for 20-year-old Olympic relay hopeful Robert Tobin as yet another of his championship bests was wiped out by the Andover speed machine.

It was Southampton University student Tobin who, until Saturday, had a half share of the old intermediate best of 49.8 and it was his record that Sellers blitzed in the Hampshire County Championships.

Sellers smiled: "It's probably annoying him that I've been stealing his records, but it was nice to see Rob win the Hampshire senior title in another championship best."

Off the track Sellers is a talented drummer who, along with his older brother Ben, plays in the up-and-coming Andover band The Frayed Edges.

He said: "I'm not sure if I'd prefer to be a rock star or an athlete - whatever comes first." But as his dad, Peter, chipped in: "Running is for now and drumming is forever."

Sellers' Winchester & District clubmate Marimba Odundo-Mendez of Lord Wandsworth College, was in equally imperious form in the senior boys' sprints, pulling off a 100/200m double for Aldershot in 11.1 and 21.7 seconds - both English Schools' qualifying times.

However, it was girl power that swung the vote for the Bill Bishop Trophy, awarded to the day's outstanding sprinter.

After finishing sixth in the English Schools' 200m final last year, Testbourne School's Holly Croxford from Whitchurch looks destined for bigger and better things.

The 14-year-old George Williamson-coached athlete was jumping for joy after speeding to victory in 24.8 seconds - an improvement of almost half a second on her personal best and well over a second inside the English Schools' qualifying time.

It also places her number one in her age group in the country this season, but she said: "I'm not sure if it will count because it's a hand-held time."

One of the afternoon's tightest finishes came in the intermediate girls' 200m where Hardley School's 300m specialist Cassie Gear (New Forest) was overtaken in the final stride by Fern Parker of Andover (25.2).

Parker also powered to a 12.5 second win in the 100m, having finished sixth in last summer's English Schools' final.

The day's outstanding thrower and winner of the Simon Rodhouse Trophy was intermediate Adam Akehurst, who hurled the javelin to a new championship best of 61.20, comfortably eclipsing Gavin Wyeth's 1982 mark of 58.60.

The Horndean schoolboy, a talented multi-eventer, will be hoping to go at least one better in Gateshead having finished just outside the English Schools' medals in fourth last year.