Katie Flaherty, the golden girl of Southend athletics, stormed to new glory when Basildon's Gloucester Park staged the Essex Schools AA Championships in glorious sunshine on Saturday.

Katie, also a leading netball star, led Southend High School for Girls to National Track and Field Cup glory a year ago and was just pipped for 200m gold in the English Schools' individual championships.

Now the Basildon Club sprint star, who made an international athletic appearance for England during the winter, could be on the trail of national individual schools gold after leaving a star class field trailing in her wake in winning the junior girls 200 at the weekend.

Another who knows all about success on different sporting spheres is Southend High for Boys Adam Hickey.

He's proved a sensation at athletics and swimming and, despite leaving his spikes on the team bus - which drove off after depositing the Southend party at Gloucester Park - made the year seven 800 metres race a question of who was to come second.

Twelve-year-old Hickey, going into action in borrowed running shoes, smashed previous records in the heats of his event and completely demoralised his rivals in the final.

Athletes from Basildon, Castle Point and Rochford plus Thurrock were also among hundreds who battled against soaring temperatures to provide excellent entertainment for a large crowd.

Castle Point and Rochford proved particularly adept at the field events and nowhere was this better illustrated than in the junior boys' hammer where Christopher Campen won with a 36.75m effort and his King John, Thundersley, team-mate James Darby was runner-up on 35.90.

The district were also no slouches on the track where triumphs included James Gahagan winning the intermediate 100m hurdles (14.2s) and Hayley Mottram emerging triumphant in the intermediate girls 800m, which she won in 2m. 19.7s.

Among the few to keep cool on the day were competitors in the intermediate boys 1500m steeplechase who splashed through the water jump in an event where Castle Point and Rochford's Garrad Hill was runner-up and Southend's Chris Butterworth third.

With such high quality on display. the Essex selectors face a tough job when they sit down to select the county team to contest the English Schools individual championships, being staged in Sheffield next month.

For many of the up-and-coming stars, Saturday's action was the start of a gruelling three consecutive days of athletics.

Many were involved in Eastern Young Athletes League matches at various venues yesterday and were back at Gloucester Park today for the regional final of the National Schools Track and Field Cup.

Full results from Saturday will be used when received from organisers.

See tomorrow's Echosport for a full report and picture round-up of those who win through to the National final of the Track and Field Cup, being staged this year at Gloucester Park on July 1.

(Right) Triple glory - Southend's Katie Flaherty with the silver and bronze medalists Garrad Hill (left) and Chris Butterwoth

(Left) Over you go - Southend's Nicola Hart, 14, clears the bar in the junior girls high jump

(Below right) Full house - medalists from the junior hammer, left to right: James Darby, Chris Campen and Phillip Owen

Pictures:LUAN MARSHALL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.