SOUTHEND AC’s under-13 boys team were the stars of the show as four of the Seasiders’ squads competed at the end-of-season East Anglian League finals at Bury St Edmunds.

The under-13 boys won the overall title, rounding the day off in style by winning the 4x100m relay.

Brayden Flannery (13.7s) and Oskar Legg (14.3s) were second and first in the A and B-string 100m respectively in the 100m while Ethan Stoner (1.45m PB) and Sam Butcher (1.35m PB) demolished the opposition in the high jump.

Stoner added more points in the 800m (2m 48.2s) while Butcher (2m 42.6s) outran his B-string opponents.

Ethan Bird was runner-up in the B-string 1500m (5m 28.0s) behind Wheatley (5m 26.6s) who clocked a PB in the 75m hurdles with 16.0s for third.

The A-string long jump was won by Brayden Flannery in a PB of 4.56m, Legg leapt 3.92m for 3rd in the B string.

Thrower Lachlan Doyle had a brace of third positions (discus 18.75m and javelin 24.31m).

By the time the relay came round, the boys had the title sewn up but they didn’t realise it at the time.

The team of Bird, Legg, Stoner and Flannery left nothing on the track with Flannery giving the team victory with a dip on the line.

Team manager Brad Wheeler said: “We were second after Brayden took the baton on the final leg and probably 5m down but he ran the athlete down and won on the dip! A great end to the day."

The team also thanked those athletes who had got them to the final but couldn’t make the last match: Joseph Hudson, Luke Sodeau, Archie Walter, Thomas May, Nathan Thornton and Callum Whiteford.

The under-17 men finished sixth overall in the final after making the last eight by the skin of their teeth.

Star thrower Billy Praim-Singh led the way, picking up big points in the hammer, which he won, and the discus and shot where he finished third in both. His best putt of 13.35m in the shot was a 24cm personal best.

Bradley Barrett also racked up the points, securing a one-two-three in the triple jump, high jump and B-string discus. The remainder of the team all contributed too, with Arran Kelly (100m/long jump/triple jump), Joshua Atkin (100m/javelin), Adam Jordan (400m/800m), Andrew Berry (800m/javelin) and Michael Hodges (1500m/shot) all collecting points.

The senior and under-17 women’s squad finished fifth with highest points scores coming from Jennifer Chapman's winning javelin (34.43m) and Sasha Potgieter's winning B-string high jump with a PB of 1.40m.

It was a good day indeed for Potgieter who went on to record two more personal bests, in the triple jump (9.54m) and discus (22.55m).

Natasha May (U17 javelin, 25.26m) and Jasmine Ruscoe (300m, 44.6s PB) both finished second while Sophie Rickner was third in the 100m and Chapman third in the shot.

The young sprint relay squad of Rickner, Shereen Raouf, Melody Tillbrook and Jasmine Ruscoe were also third.

But it was a team effort and the team included valuable point scoring from Annabel Matthew-Smith (400m/800m), Hayley Lamkin (400m/1500m), Jordan Lacey (1500m), Hannah Bemister (hammer/shot) and Paige Hutchings [80m hurdles/high jump].

The Under 15 Girls were very pleased with themselves, finishing in third place overall, two places higher than their qualification.

The best event of the day rested with the discus throwers: Iona Doyle claimed the lone victory with her 21.04m in the B-string and Blythe Pearson threw 21.29m for second in the A-string. It was Pearson’ second runner-up placing of the day after the hammer (26.27m).

In the 200m, Eloise Lewis clocked 27.5s for second, the same position Georgia Johnston achieved in the javelin (18.91m).

Elena Iruskieta (12.9s) and Brogan Ravenall (13.6s) were both third in the A and B-string 75m hurdles, with Iruskieta also third in the 100m (14.0s) and Ravenall third in the B-string long jump (4.56m).

Emmi Goldenberg’s 7.94m putt in the B-string shot was also enough for third and she joined forces with Lewis Ravenall and Iruskieta to finish third in the relay.

Other members of the team lending priceless support were: Laura Knight (300m 46.9s PB), Joanna Rimmington (800m, 2m 35.8s], Juliette Le Mare and Natasha Walter (both just outside their 1500m bests), Louise Rayment (high jump, 1.40m) and Ella Healey (javelin 23.97m).