Athlete Somma Power cut 20 seconds from her previous best 800 metres performance to ensure winning an international call-up for England.

Somma, a star member of Basildon Athletic Club, was competing in the junior girls heptathlon at the English Schools AA Combined Events Championships at Peterborough.

She started by running the 75m hurdles in 12.4 secs and threw the shot 10.20 metres. She then had a 1.48m high jump and an outstanding 5.19m in the long jump.

However, with the 800m to come, Somma knew that she needed an superb run in this under-15 competition final event if she was to finish in the top four and earn the right to compete for England in the forthcoming school's home internationals with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in Glasgow on December 11.

Somma only celebrated her 14th birthday a few weeks ago and her best time for the 800m was around the 2m.57s mark.

However, the Southend High School girl, who lives at Thorpe Bay, managed to find hidden depths of skill and determination to run the 800 in a time of 2m. 37.96s to finish third and earn the trip to Scotland with 2,979 points.

Somma's performance was matched in the under-17 intermediate girls heptathlon by another Basildon Athletic Club member, 15-year-old Lara Carty, who was also third to qualify for the trip up north.

She totalled 4,223 points with 12.49s in the 80m hurdles, 1.65m high jump, 7.75m shot, 26.4s 200m, 5.01m long jump, 25.97m javelin and 2m. 37s in the 800m.

Lara won through to the under-15 pentathlon home internationals last season where she finished fourth individually and helped England gain the gold medal as a team.

Southend High's Lisa Biscoe was also in the under-17 event and finished 13th with 3,762 points. She is a member of the Southend Athletic Club.

There's a chance to see some of the county's top multi-eventers in action at Basildon's Gloucester Park this weekend, including Somma and Lara, when the Essex Pentathlon Championships are staged at the venue on Saturday and Sunday.

The international girls will be contesting the under-17 pentathlon.

Multi-event competitions have been given a major boost by the success of Canvey's previously unknown Dean Macey.

The athlete has achieved much fame since his World Championship decathlon silver medal in Seville this summer that he has now figured in the ultimate accolade - a seven-page spread in OK Magazine.

Dean has also been up to Manchester to film an episode of the BBC's popular quiz show A Question of Sport.

Viewers will see the decathlete on John Parrott's team with Peter Beardsley.

England beckons - for Somma Power (left) and Lara Carty after their success in the National Schools Finals

Picture: MAXINE CLARKE

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