FOUR championship records were set at the Essex and Eastern Indoor Championships – but those new best only yielded three gold medals.

Liam Yarwood, Khai Riley-La Borde, Hayley McLean and Gabrielle Quigley all set new bests but, unfortunately for Quigley hers was only good enough for silver.

The FitzWimarc School pupil putted the shot 11.73m in the under-17 women’s competition to break the old record, but that was broken again in the same competition by Nicole Parcell, of Hertford & Ware, who extended the distance to 11.81m.

Rayleigh’s Yarwood, meanwhile, re-wrote the record books in the senior men’s pole vault, clearing 4.80m while McLean, from Stanford-le-Hope, smashed the senior women’s 400m record with 55.83s, as well as picking up a silver medal in the 200m.

La-Borde won the men’s 60m hurdles in a championship best time of 7.81s.

There were a number of other fine performances from south Essex athletes.

BASILDON AC

Kiera Bainsfair had a terrific competition, winning gold medals in both the under-15 girls 300m and 60m hurdles.

Bainsfair clocked 42.61s to win the 300m and 9.21s in the 60m hurdles.

She also won a silver medal in the high jump, only being denied victory on countback after both her and former Basildon AC athlete Mia Chantree cleared 1.55m.

Oliver Lill had a storming run in the under-15 boys 800m to win gold in 2m 3.87s.

Basildon’s under-20 women were particularly dominant with Shannon McNeil winning gold in the 60m (8.23s), Tia Wood winning the 200m (26.66s), Meg Rapley the 800m (2m 29.76s) and Kiera Tippett the 1,500m (5m 34.54s).

In the veterans 60m, Jan Barnard (7.65s) won gold ahead of team-mate Clint Nicholls (7.83s). Nicholls also won silver in the 300m.

Jack Avery won silver in the men’s 400m (51.32s) and Sam Bennett picked up the same colour medal in the under-17 men’s 60m hurdles (8.22s).

SOUTHEND AC

Keith Palmer won Essex gold in the one-mile walk (10m17.79s) with Kasia Kostyrka-Allchorne becoming the ladies champion.

Veteran Clive Farrow earned himself a bronze in the 60m (7.84s), the same colour medal Graham Eastty won in the veterans 300m (41.04s).

Jake King won the senior men’s 400m in comfortable fashion (50.48s).

In his opening competition as an under-20, Billy Praim-Singh out-putt the opposition with an impressive 12.95m for both county and Eastern shot gold medals.

Abena Oteng won a bronze medal in the under-15 girls 200m (26.86s).

OTHERS

Poppy Lake continued her comeback with gold in the senior women’s high jump (1.73m) while Mayflower School’s Connie Forman had a good day, winning the under-17 women’s long jump (5.47m).

Rayleigh’s Richard Runciman won gold in the under-17 men’s long jump (6.28m) and was third in the 60m hurdles (8.54s).

Southend High School for Girls Scarlett Rolls won the 800m in 2m 36.54s and her team-mate Martha Camm won gold in the under-13 girls high jump (1.25m).