Beth Hampson overcame a sore ankle to win bronze for Oxfordshire at the Midlands regional final of the English Schools Combined Events Champion- ships.

Competing in her first senior girls' heptathlon at Derby's Moorways, the teenager from Matthew Arnold (Cumnor) held third position throughout to post a personal best of 3,447 points.

She now goes forward to the national final back at Derby on September 16 and 17.

Hampson will be joined there by Hayley Luke (Gosford Hill, Kidlington) and Adam Goodband (St Birinus, Didcot).

Luke recorded six personal bests to finish fifth in the intermediate girls' heptathlon with 3,741 points also a personal best.

Tackling his first senior boys' decathlon, Goodband reeled off eight personal bests to finish sixth with a personal best tally of 4,146 points.

There were also personal best performances from Rebecca Littlewood (Oxford High) and Alice Vaughan-Fowler (Headington) as they finished 14th and 18th respecitvely in the junior girls' pentathlon.

Rhodri Edwards (Cherwell, Oxford) was another Oxon athlete to post a personal best points return as he came 17th in the junior boys' penathlon.