COLCHESTER Harriers trio Daniel King, Rebecca Jeggo and Charlie Dobson competed in the UK Inter Counties Union Athletics Championships, at Bedford International Stadium.

Harriers’ first year under-20s knew they faced a daunting task as the very youngest to compete in this senior event, which was combined with the England Senior Athletics AAA Championships.

With selection for Manchester International and Commonwealth Games places still very much on athletes minds, the stakes were high at the notoriously windy Bedford venue.

Jeggo, 17, who had entered as an independent, arrived at the track to discover she was in fact part of the Essex team and competed in the red vest in the 200m.

In blustery, cool conditions and after a heart-stopping moment when she thought she had false-started, she held her nerve and ran well to finish fourth in a time of 25.07s.

Out of a field of 22, she ended the day ranked 11th quickest and is due to compete for Essex again in September, in Oxford.

Charlie Dobson took on a tightly-fought men’s 200m contest.

The 17-year-old progressed through from his heat in third place in a time of 21.51s.

He ran his semi-final just 50 minutes later, producing another good run in a time of 21.45s.

However, he was just edged out of a final place and finished ninth quickest, in a large field of 35 athletes.

Harriers' defending 3,000m race walk champion Daniel King set off at a blistering pace in pursuit of a seventh national title, quickly establishing a sizeable lead over the rest of the field.

Having passed 2,000m in 8m 01s disaster struck for King, when he was disqualified for a technical infringement with 500m to go.

That left the way clear for up and coming junior Chris Snook (Hampshire) to claim a maiden title, in 12m 42s.

Harriers' under-13 runner Olivia Simon took part in the London Inter Club Challenge in Hendon, as a guest.

In very wet and windy conditions she produced a respectable vault of 2.20m.

She then went on to achieve a massive PB in the 2.72kg shot putt, increasing her distance by over a metre to finish with a put of 8.66m.

Her debut javelin performance produced a throw of 17.09m.

Meanwhile, Harriers' youngest athletes made their Essex County debut at the Derek Crookes Southern Inter County U13 Match in Kingston.

Zion Ateba competed as the B string runner, in the 70 metres hurdles.

After a good start and a competent run, he was disappointed to finish fourth in a time of 12.85 seconds.

She then ran first leg of the Essex girls relay team, which finished fourth.

Team-mate Georgina Smith jumped into seventh place in the girls' long jump after her first attempt was a no jump.

But showing strength of character, she continued and managed a leap of 4.32m.

Smith also competed the 100m where she also finished seventh in a time of 14.37s, her first electronic time over this distance.