WITH the 2012 Olympics approaching fast it was perhaps appropriate that one of the best athletes ever to come out of Mole Valley should win her first senior national title.

Sarah Henton, who has been ranked in the top five discus throwers for nearly 20 years, was finally successful at the age of 37 with a throw of 48.73m at the England Athletics Championships in Gateshead.

She was a teenage star with the old Dorking St Paul's AC and later top club Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham. Her late father, Ted Henton, carried the Olympic torch through Dorking in 1968.

At a national junior (U20) league match at Guildford, U17 Leanne Bettis won the discus with a throw of 32.44m and was fifth A in the 100m in 13.8 seconds.

U17 Leah Dyson high jumped 1.5m to finish third and was seventh A in the triple jump with 8.91m. With A-Levels taking priority this year, Amelia Maugouber was short of both training and competitions but still scored heavily for the team. She was first B in the discus (27.60m), fourth B in the hammer (15.77m), third B in the javelin (24.25m) and second B in the shot (6.39m).

The girls also took part in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

At an open meeting at Woking, Charlie Wyllie again improved his DMV U13 club record in the 800m with a fine 2 minutes 21.2 seconds (UKA Grade One standard).

Brother Jack ran a personal best in the U15 race with 2:15.2 (Grade Four) and in the same age group Harry Ramsey had a busy evening with times of 12.8 in the 100m, 58.2 in the 400m and 2:25.0 in the 800m.

Both boys had spent most of the day playing cricket. After a long break with injury, Hugh Baker returned in the U17 400m with a more than useful 53.8 (Grade Four) with Robin Davey having a rare track race in the 200m clocking a respectable 25.3.

U15 Imogen Morris made her track debut in the 1,500m finishing just ahead of younger sister Hannah (5.53 to 5.54) with Isobel Irwin recording 2.35 in the 800m.

Nick Hodges has been busy on the roads retaining the Surrey Championship for the third year in a row. He won the Elmore 7 at Chipstead in 38.03.

Also competing were M40 Ian Taylor (63rd in 46.49), W45 Charlotte Craig (164th in 54.35), Robert Blair (26th in 103.59) and Janet Blair (113.51). In the Elmbridge 10K Hodges was ninth in 33.35, seven seconds ahead of Bruce Harrold (11th), with M45 Howard Jones 78th in 38.48 and DMV chairman M50 Andy Fay timed at 39.56 (107th).

Stuart Prentice recorded 40.10 (110th), Nick Seaman 40.20 (115th), Matt Sears 44.38 (226th) and M60 John Jelley 49.51 (354th). In the Hyde Park 5K Hodges was third in 16.18 and running for Legal & General Insurance he placed 23rd in the Chase Corporate Challenge in which his team won a place in the final in Singapore.