JOSH Ricketts has his sights set on a big summer after a superb display of all-round throwing in the Wiltshire Track & Field Championships.

The 18-year-old Swindon Harrier not only recorded personal bests in both the hammer and shot, but also set a county championship record in the former with 52.05m.

That smashed his previous best by 1m 38cms and lifted him to 15th in the UK rankings for U20 men and top of the South West rankings.

“I was delighted as I was not expecting to throw that far,” said Ricketts.

“I had been hoping to throw around 50-51m or just get a PB, so to throw that far so early in the season was a real bonus. It just shows everything is going in the right direction at the moment.”

For Ricketts, who lives in Wroughton, hammer is his number one event but his shot isn’t bad either as he showed with a PB of 13.99m which puts him 22nd in the UK and third in the South West.

For good measure he also won the discus with a throw of 31.38m.

“The shot may also be a county record,” added Ricketts.

“There is one other lad who has thrown over that distance in the past but no one seems sure whether that was with the 6k shot of 7.26k. It could be my record as well, but we’ll have to see.

“But hammer is my number one event and shot is something I do on the side.”

Ricketts, who is coached jointly by Bob Broadbridge and Alan Brown, is back in action in Exeter on May 28 before tackling his final appearance in the Wiltshire Schools’ Championships on Saturday, June 8.

The Ridgeway School student already has the qualifying standard for the English Championships and will be looking to bow out with an improvement on his seventh place last summer as well as make an impact at the British U20 Championships.

“I would love to throw between 55-58m this summer and get close to 14m in the shot,” added Ricketts.

“It is all about making progress, and so far it has been a very good start to the season.”

Ricketts wasn’t the only Harrier to impress in the county championships on their home patch as the club notched up a total of 30 gold medals, the best by any club.

Another treble gold winner was sprinter Teresa Iannatelli as she scorched to victory in the senior women’s 100m, 200m and 400m.

At the other end of the age spectrum, rookie sprinter James Kyeremeh enjoyed a golden double in the U13 boys’ 100m and 75m hurdles, the latter in a PB of 14.81secs to go 10th in the South West rankings.

Tye Leo-Stroud is another gifted young Harriers sprinter and it was no surprise that the Tony Jackson-coached athlete won the U15 boys’ 200m and was runner-up over 100m.

Training partner Delleah Belgrave is also a promising sprinter and she duly won the U15 girls’ 200m and was runner-up in a high-quality long jump, clearing a PB of 5.24m to shoot to third in the South West rankings – and into the top 20 in the UK.

Hannah Lewington showed her class to win the U15 girls’ javelin by over 11m with a throw of 36.34m.

Also in the U15 girls’ age group Amy Warre, who is also part of Jackson’s stable of athletes, soared to a PB and championship record of 11.19m to win the triple jump – and leap to second in the UK rankings.

The Harriers’ U17 men’s squad cleaned up on the track, winning every event from 400m through to the 3,000m.

The Kevin Buttle-coached trio of Joseph Knibb (400m, PB 55.16secs), Jack Latus (1500m, 4:18.94) and Patrick Mochan (3,000m, PB 9:33.74) were all crowned champions as was Archie Pearce, who is coached by Bryan Clinton, in the 800m as he carved over three seconds from his PB with 2:02.95.

Wiltshire Track & Field Championships, Swindon, winners only (A=Andover; AVR=Avon Valley Runners; B&W=Bristol & West AC; CoS=City of Salisbury ARC; CRC=Calne Running Club; LA=Lavington Athletics; M=Marlborough & District Junior AC; MC=Marlborough College; NF=New Forest Junior AC; S=Swindon Harriers; TB=Team Bath AC; Y=Yate & District AC).

Senior men – 100/200: Will Kennedy (B&W) 10.98/22.54; 400: Scott Gunning (S) 52.58; 800: Will Stockley (TB) 1:58.96; 1500: Will Stockley 4:12.71; 5000: Simon Nott (CRC) 15:03.95; 110H: Kieran Short (M) 16.86; LJ: Richard Holt (CoS) 6.66; TJ: Richard Holt 12.90; PV: Howard Gooderham (S) 2.70; Jav: Gary MacAlister (AVR) 13.45.

U20 men –100: Charles Curry (M) 11.63; 200: Femi Akinbobola (TB) 22.47; 400: Femi Akinbobola 50.82; 800: Robert Howorth (TB) 1:59.29; 1500: Ethan Pierce (S) 4:13.26; 3000: James Wright (TB) 9:52.54; 400H: Lucas Regazzo (TB) 56.63; LJ: Joel Mattacks (T20) (TB) 5.43; HJ: Kieran Short (M) 1.85; TJ: Kieran Short 12.12; SP: Josh Ricketts (S) 13.19; DT: Josh Ricketts 31.38; HT: Josh Ricketts 52.05 (CBP); Jav: Alexander Clothier (LA) 36.46.

U17 men – 100: Josh Dyer (CoS) 11.46; 200: Joe Carter (TB) 23.14; 400: Joseph Knibb (S) 55.16; 800: Archie Pierce (S) 2:02.95; 1500: Jack Latus (S) 4:18.94; 3000: Patrick Mochan (S) 9:33.74; 100H: Will Scammell (TB) 14.44; 400H: Alex Martin (S) 58.41; LJ: Ransford Ako’nai (TB) 6.24; HJ: Theo Cochrane (CoS) 1.70; SP: James Viner (Y) 10.07; DT: Viner 31.55; Jav: Keelan Tucker (TB) 39.42; HT: Owen Merrett (Y) 49.32 (CBP).

U15 boys – 100: Ryan Brady (B&W/guest) 11.87; 2 Tye Leo-Stroud (S) 11.89; 200: Leo-Stroud 24.82; 800: Takuma Yokoyama (S) 2:13.57; 80H: Oscar Hennessy Leach (M) 13.01; LJ: Douglas Rogan Rea (M) 4.88; HJ: Oscar Hennessy Leach 1.66; PV: Tom Oram (S) 2.70; SP: Liam Wohler (CoS) 8.81; Jav: Theo Spurrell (Y) 41.47 (CBP); HT: Matthew Page (Y) 25.72.

U13 boys – 100: James Kyeremeh (S) 13.90; 200: Caleb Etheridge (CoS) 28.67; 800: Harry Maxwell (TB) 2:28.35; 75H: Kyeremeh 14.81; LJ: Etheridge 4.01; HJ: Thomas Holme (CoS) 1.23; DT: Scott Pickford (AVR) 7.39; DT: William Barnard (CoS) 20.89; Jav: Barnard 34.54 (CBP); HT: Adam Merrett (Y) 18.05 (CBP).

Senior women – 100: Teresa Iannatelli (S) 12.40; 200: Teresa Iannatelli 25.28; 400: Teresa Iannatelli 59.65; 800: Holly Newman (AVR) 2:24.23; 1500: Bethan Francis (AVR) 5:00.17; 1500S/C: Catriona Edington (M) 5:50.16; LJ: Lydia Rogers (S) 4.93.

U20 women – 100: Skye Allen (CoS) 12.62; 200: Skye Allen 26.49; 400: Harriet Eyles (MC) 62.39; 800: Sophie Capel (S) 2:31.45; 1500: Jade Littlechild (TB) 4:55.97; 400H: Hannah New (S) 72.96; 1500S/C: Ayla Tonkin (S) 6:06.17; LJ: Robyn Ellison (TB) 5.31; TJ: Skye Allen 10.55; SP: Harriet Eyles 9.98; DT: Georgia Pickford (LA) 30.68 (CBP); Jav: Ottilie Knight (CoS) 40.42 (CBP).

U17 women – 100: Phoebe Card (TB) 13.10; 200: Abbey Littlejohns (CoS) 27.31; 800: Eleanor Webster (TB) 2:21.20; 1500: Bea Wood (CoS) 4:31.89; 80H: Abbey Littlejohns 12.33; LJ: Melody Creber (NF) 4.06; SP: Georgia Clarke (CoS) 10.78; DT: Lucy Wilkinson (CoS) 21.99; Jav: Wilkinson 35.62; HT: Moni Brady (B&W) 31.66;

U15 girls – 100: Amelia Watling (CoS) 12.89; 200: Delleah Belgrave (S) 26.58; 800: Freya Buglass (S) 2:16.10; 75H: Amy Warre (S) 12.22; LJ: Amelia Watling (CoS) 5.41 (CBP); HJ: Poppy Nolan (CoS) 1.42; TJ: Warre 11.19 (CBP); PV: Jessica Boardman (CoS) 1.60; SP: Issy Imeson (S) 9.15; Jav: Hannah Lewington (S) 36.34; DT: Mali Jones (CoS) 16.69; HT: Jolie Littlejohns (CoS) 31.10 (CBP).

U13 girls – 100: Laila-Jae Belgrave (S) 14.07; 200: Reka Carr (S) 29.55; 800: Ellie Mullins (M) 2:34.71; 70H: Katie Fenton (S) 13.78; LJ: Sophie Imeson (S) 4.14; HJ: Jojo Kiggell (M) 1.25; SP: Eloise MacDonald (A) 9.72 (CBP); DT: MacDonald 28.30 (CBP); HT: MacDonald 30.15 (CBP); Jav: Mullins 21.00.