Southend High for Girls and King John, Thundersley, are revelling in being national schools' athletic champions of England.

While Southend High were winning the junior girls' title on Saturday, King John triumphed in the similar boys' competition - sharing the crown with St Cuthbert's High, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

It was the fifth time in the 20 year history of the English Schools' Athletic Association's Track and Field Cup finals that Southend High had taken the junior girls crown - competition is for year seven and eight girls.

Junior and intermediate finals for girls and boys were staged at the Rockingham Triangle Stadium at Corby, Northants, with 12 schools in each section.

Southend High, with 378, led the scorers of the regional qualifiers.

Closest to them at the regional stage had been Rayleigh's Fitz-Wimarc, but they had to settle for third place at Corby. Victory for Southend High was on 385 points with Dr Challoner's High, Little Chalfont, runners-up on 370 - six more than Fitz.

The Rayleigh School have enjoyed tremendous success over the years, but this year they finished second in the intermediate girls with 407 points, only being beaten by top sporting School Millfield, from Somerset, on 436.

Fitz were fifth in the intermediate boys on 465. Southend High for Boys had an even bigger hard-luck story to tell. King John and St Cuthbert's shared the junior boys honours on 469, but Southend and joint third-placed rivals St Ignatius, Enfield, were just two behind.

The result of the junior boys' thriller was in doubt right to the final event, the 4 x 100 relay.

Despite a massive total of 483 in the intermediate boys, Southend High again had to settle for a very creditable third with St Thomas More, Wood Green, second on 509 and victory going to St Anselm's College, Birkenhead (512).

Junior boys' victory was a tremendous feat for King John, who qualified as "lucky losers".

Their qualifying score of 446 was 15 less than St Ignatius, the top scorers through to Corby. This latest win added to their first junior boys' success in 1993 at Carlisle.

Southend High's triumph was due to both the girls and meticulous planning by PE staff Sue Simpson, Mary Green and Carol Ager.

Special mention must be made of 200 metres and long jump "supergirl" Katie Flaherty, who picked up an amazing tally of 63 of Southend High's points with a double win.

True grit - from Southend High's Amy Rhodes

(Right) Pole joy - vaulter Philip Burns lifted King John

Well poised - Collette Ager gets ready for the start of the junior girls 800m for Southend

Pictures: Luan Marshall

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