ATHLETICS

SEVEN athletes from North Devon earned podium places at the Devon Schools Cross Country Championships.

The hilly course at Exeter Arena produced some competitive races in Saturday's windy conditions.

None more so than the inter girls race, in which Daniella Jewell, of Bideford College, claimed third.

Just four seconds separated the top eight runners and Jewell finished in the medals, two places and two seconds ahead of Park School's Hannah Gaunt.

Nick Bennett, of West Buckland, Ned Oliver, of Holsworthy, and John Morgan, of St Michael's, all had strong runs to take silver in their respective races. Bennett, second in the senior boys, was joined in the top three by Michael Gaunt, of Petroc, his club-mate at North Devon AC.

Bug Hall, in the junior boys, and Annabel Heath, in the minor girls, also secured bronze for West Buckland.

Talented athletes from North Devon AC are to continue their development at a warm-weather training camp in Portugal.

In April, the group of endurance runners and throwers, who have all represented Devon, will undertake intensive training in Monte Gordo.

And they have been provided with new shirts for the trip by Western Power Distribution.

Among the group are eight athletes inside the top 50 of the UK age-group rankings. Sam Petty, the former English Schools 800-metre champion, will use the camp to prepare for the Olympic trials while others will work towards the English Schools Championships.

Mark Brace, the North Devon AC coach, said: "I am lucky to be working with such a great bunch of athletes.

"I think that a winter of hard work together with the warm-weather training will allow them to attack 2012 and achieve great things during the summer season."

North Devon AC thanked all the businesses that have donated money to make the trip possible.

Anyone else who is able to help should call Mark Brace on 01271 342062 or 07540 703511.

Claire Linskill has made an encouraging start to 2012 with a podium place at the South of England Indoor Athletics Championships.

The North Devon AC triple jumper took bronze with a leap of 12.27 metres at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre.

Jimmy Murray, of Bideford AAC, completed his 69th marathon in 2hrs 58mins 48secs. He was 15th in the Gloucester Marathon and will now start his preparation for the Taunton Marathon in April.

Entries are available before 10.30am for Alby's Memorial Braunton 10 on Sunday.

The ten-mile road race starts from the North Devon athletics track in Braunton at 11am.