GREGG School throws sensation Serena Vincent may miss out on next month's English Schools’ Track & Field Championships – despite collecting yet another Hampshire title at Portsmouth’s Mountbatten Centre on Saturday.

While the 15-year-old shot put prodigy would dearly love to be at the Alexander Stadium next month to try and add intermediate gold to the junior girls’ title she won last year, she may be swapping Birmingham for The Bahamas.

This coming weekend, Vincent – a first year under-17 - is due to compete in a selection meeting at the National Under-20/23s championships in Bedford.

And on Monday she will discover if she has booked her ticket to the Caribbean for the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Despite her tender years, Vincent has done more than enough to catch the eye of the selectors.

She is unbeaten for almost two years in her age-group and has thrown the Commonwealth YG qualifying distance of 14.50 metres a staggering nine times.

And although she was slightly below her best in winning the Hampshire Schools’ crown with 14.88 metres on Saturday, it came at the end of an astonishing week for the Bursledon-based thrower who, just six days earlier, had smashed the all-time under-17 British record with a monster put of 16.11 at Hillingdon.

Then, just a couple of days later, she mustered a winning distance of 15.38 in the Independent Schools’ Association regional finals at Eton.

Given that her British record was achieved in an Alder Valley League match – a Level One standard meeting – it will not count towards Commonwealth YG selection, but it is an indication of what she is capable of.

“Hopefully Serena has done enough for Commonwealth selection,” said proud dad Andrew.

“She’s thrown the qualifying distance nine times, but it’s not just down distance, it’s whether they select you.

“It’s quite never-racking for a kid of her age, but what can you do?” 

Reflecting on her extraordinary 16.11 throw, the youngster said: “I’m consistently throwing 15-and-a-half metres now and I’ve thrown 15.80s in training, so I knew I was capable.”

Vincent, coached by her dad, along with Bronwin Carter at the City of Portsmouth club, came away from the Mountbatten Centre with two gold medals on Saturday.

She also topped the intermediate girls’ javelin with a throw of 35.69.

Hampshire Collegiate’s Sam Callaway from West End, Southampton, joined Vincent on the English Schools’ winners’ podium last year, taking gold in the junior girls’ discus.

Now an intermediate, she finished runner-up to Vincent in the Hampshire Schools’ shot on Saturday, throwing 12.41, and was also second in the discus (38.37) to City of Portsmouth’s Heather Cubbage (41.34). Springfield schoolgirl Cubbage is at the upper end of under-17 age-group and ranks number two in the country.

*JOSH Douglas experienced the highs and lows of athletics at the weekend’s Hampshire Schools’ Track & Field Championships.

The powerfully-built Thornden schoolboy was imperious in the shot put, winning the intermediate boys’ title with a personal best of 13.78, just ahead of Southampton AC clubmate Josh Wise (13.45).

But there was disappointment in the discus, the event in which Douglas captured junior boys’ gold at the English Schools’ Championships last year with a throw of 40.94 metres.

Going into the competition as hot favourite, Douglas cut a frustrated figure as he registered three no-throws.

He got off on the wrong footing, distracted when the starter’s gun from a track race went off just as he was about to unleash the first of his three attempts.

Startled, he sent that throw straight into the cage netting and the pressure was ramped up when his second effort drifted out of the throwing sector to the right.

That left the talented 15-year-old just one last chance to register a distance but, alas, he found the netting again, leaving Portsmouth’s Toby Amos to claim gold with a throw of 31.59.

Douglas, fifth in the national under-17 rankings with a personal best 49.81, will hopefully get the chance to redeem himself in this weekend’s South East Schools’ Inter-Counties meet at Basingstoke.

That is the last opportunity for athletes to achieve times/distances before the Hampshire team is announced for the 2017 English Schools’ showpiece at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium next month (July 7/8).

Eastleigh & Winchester all-rounder Amaya Scott, seventh in the inter girls’ high jump at English Schools last year, was a comfortable winner at the Mountbatten Centre on Saturday with a 1.72-metre clearance.

Gosport & Fareham’s Hannah Childs doubled up for victory in the inter girls’ 100m and 200m (12.9/26.4 seconds), while the New Forest’s Jasmin Tuck led the junior girls’ 100m charge in 13.3.

Bradley Jenvey of Eastleigh & Winchester defied some tricky cross winds to claim the junior boys’ javelin title with 47.49 metres. It completed a satisfying week for the Dave Callaway-coached Southampton AC athlete who had just launched a personal best 50.23 in a club match at Swindon, placing him seventh in the national under-15 boys’ rankings.

Southampton’s Zak Mahamed (Cantell School) led the inter boys’ 1500m field home in a personal best 4.05.3, while the 3000m title went to Gosport & Fareham’s Lachlan Wellington (8.48.4). The Cams Hill School student will be hoping to improve on inter boys' fourth at last year’s English Schools.