Didcot teenager Ben Watson struck gold at the English Championships for the second successive year.

The 18-year-old, from the St Birinus Club, who has been selected to be part of the World Class Lifting programme aimed at producing lifters for the London 2012 Olympic Games, triumphed in the 85kg group at Mythomlroyd, Halifax.

He grabbed the glory by recording a personal best snatch of 117kg and a clean and jerk of 143kg for a personal best total of 260kg.

Watson, a clerical officer at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, was one of three St Birinus lifters to win medals at the championships.

Peter Dutton, from Sutton Courtenay, won silver in the 69kg section.

The 18-year-old Cambridge University student posted a personal best snatch of 100kg and a clean and jerk of 120kg for a personal best total of 220kg in finishing second to a rival five years his senior.

Didcot’s Eddie Chambers completed St Birinus’s trio of medalists with bronze in the 56kg group – and but for injuring his back he may have taken gold.

The 17-year-old Abingdon & Witney College student recorded a personal best of 65kg in the snatch, but with his back troubling him he then had to settle for 70kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 135kg.

The trio’s success came after the St Birinus club finished third while representing England in the first 'tournament of 5 nations' at Melilla, a Spanish possession in Morocco.

Competing against lifters from Germany, Spain, Canada and Russia, Josh Cox achieved personal best lifts with a 57kg snatch and a 75kg clean and jerk in the 56kg class for a total of 132kg.

Robert Green posted a 65kg snatch before clean and jerking a new best 87kg for a 152kg total in the 62kg section.

Chambers, although injured in the build-up to the competition, managed a 60kg snatch before clean and jerking 70kg to post a total of 130kg at 56kg.

Watson lifted new bests at 85kg, totalling 249kg with a snatch of 113kg and a clean and jerk of 136kg.

WITNEY’S Flik Denham lifted the English ‘Olympic’ title in the 75kg class at Halifax.

Denham, who has been sponsored by the headmaster of Cokethorpe – her former school – won the title with a personal best of 58kg in the snatch and 75kg in the clean and jerk, giving her a competition personal best total of 133kg.